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Grateful Dead: American Beauty (Warner-Reprise); Van Morrison: His Band and the Street Choir (Warner-Reprise)

Hugh Nolan, International Times, 25 February 1971

THESE TWO albums have more in common than being on the same label (and it's no detriment to either that it should be the label which a few weeks ago laughably mismanaged a "popular street demo" outside the Albert Hall with spontaneously printed placards and paid "demonstrators" to hold them). Both are from artists whose past releases have shown a constant upward progression curve, and satisfyingly both are the best things they've yet done. And the two are, without doubt, the best records released this year.

Total word count of piece: 421

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