Customer Reviews

America - History: Greatest Hits

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Depending on how old you are America will mean different things. For me, it is the music of very early childhood. I was born in 1972, and I clearly remember my father listening to America. Like the Bee Gees, John Denver, Led Zeppelin and Neil Diamond, America brings up a nice, warm feeling. This greatest hits collection is all I have from them, but that's because I never felt America was an album-oriented band. All the hits are here except 1983's "You Can Do Magic." I think America is well like by the generation above me. Most people my age don't really remember America, though they remember the songs. I have read criticisms about America's music over the years, and I just don't think that "Horse With No Name" is a stupid song. Since I have to be subjected to Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Ricky Martin and a slew of faceless, nameless hip-hop rappers, I can't think of anyone who sounds like America. They don't make music or folk music like this anymore. Sometimes it's better to revisit the past when the present musical climate is geared only to 13 year olds. Hey, maybe 13 year olds should be listening to America...I mean they never sang about sex, violence and money. This is a must have for any rock collector.

How could this happen?
To be honest with you all. In the 70's, bands like Alice Cooper, Deep Purple, Sabbath and Mahogany Rush were more to my taste.

This cd, not only is it full of "the songs the radio played".
But in my opinion, the best that the group America did.

Driving in the car, kicking back on the porch having a few beer's?

Soft rock? At the time Seals and Croft, Carpenters, etc. were famous. The songs America was putting out had strength, power and emotional feeling's none of these other folk's could muster.

Maybe it's the production? George Martin! From The Beatles fame?
WOW! How did they get him?

I can see where some would compare with Neil Young, sure.

"The Complete Greatest Hits" cd has all these songs with some filler's put in for lengthening the cd out.

Really all you need is this cd, because coming from a Rocker's stand point. This is all the good stuff they did put out.

Dan Fogelberg fans may see more in America's other music.

But for someone looking for guts in their song writing?
Some of the greatest songs are right here, now.

America is the definition of middle of the road pop/rock from the early 70s. Music was headed in all kinds of interesting directions in the 70s, and while interesting is good, sometimes you want to hear a catchy mellow tune, perhaps with an occasional flavor of the psychedelic. We've reached the definition of America.

America had some excellent music in the period covered by this CD, formerly a vinyl album. They held their own against a host of hot artists, including the likes of Elton John, The Doobie Brothers, and Chicago. They did it by having lyrics and tunes easy to remember and sing to, and yet, their music usually was more than just throw away tunes. Even the much-reviled "Muskrat Love" was well done, though poor lyrics well-done are still poor lyrics. You might wonder what they were thinking when they did this one.

Where's the psychedelic? Better go back and listen to "A Horse with No Name" and "Ventura Highway". These deceptively mellow songs include lyrics like:

After nine days I let the horse run free
'Cause the desert had turned to sea
There were plants and birds and rocks and things
There was sand and hills and rings

And:

'Cause the free wind is blowin' through your hair
And the days surround you daylight there
Seasons crying no despair
Alligator lizards in the air

I love the imagery of these lyrics. They sound descriptive of the southwest and southern California in particular, and yet they are not. Sort of the in and out familiarity of "The Talisman" and "Black House" by Stephen King and Peter Straub. I'm not saying their songs are depressing, they just seem to me to sometimes evoke the in and out of phase feeling that King and Straub tried to communicate in those two books...sometimes here, sometimes in another world so similar to ours and yet profoundly, weirdly different.

In spite of the one bump in the road ("Muskrat Love"), these three guys had many excellent songs. "A Horse with No Name", "Ventura Highway" and "Sister Golden Hair" always throw me back to the early 70s every time I hear them on the radio. The rest of the music on this CD includes the greatest hits of America in the early 70s plus. If you've ever liked an America song, you'll enjoy this CD.

Why four stars? Well, one big reason. As has been pointed out elsewhere, America kept on making music after 1975, so they had other hits. Since a CD can hold more than 70 minutes of music, and this CD has about 40 minutes, I guess I want to know where the other 20+ minutes of music went. Well, the answer is in a more comprehensive CD called "America: The Complete Greatest Hits". One then has to answer why this CD even exists given that there is a CD that includes all these songs plus another 10. I suppose if you are a purist and you want to own all of America's released Albums then you'd have to get this one. However, if you aren't a purist, move on to the more comprehensive CD and leave this one alone; it's only worth it if you can get it really cheaply.

America is one of the very endearing groups to emerge from the early 1970's, with their tremendous folk-rock harmonies flowing through beautiful melodies into our ears and hearts. This is an outstanding collection. First released in late 1975, it skyrocketed into the top 10 of the album charts (amidst some really fierce competition at the time), attesting to the deserved popularity of this group. The collection was the best available at the time.

I can't tell you how much I love these songs. Nobody can tell me that "Sister Golden Hair" isn't one of the best pop tunes ever. "Horse With No Name" is a classic that endears as much today as then. "Daisy Jane" often brings me near tears. "Tin Man" and "Lonely People" were anthems then, rightfully so, and still stand up well. And I can't forget to mention the superb "Ventura Highway" and "Sandman". A vinyl purchase for me, I wore it out big time - and I care for my albums so I don't wear them out very fast!

Here's the "But" part. America has continued to record superb music since late 1975 when this album was released. They had later hits in "You Can Do Magic", "Today's The Day" and "The Border". In August 2001, Rhino released a single album "Complete Greatest Hits" for America. Having bought "Complete Greatest Hits", I would recommend it over "History" because you get ten more songs, 2 of which are brand new, and all ten worthwhile. If you can't spend a couple more dollars, buy this collection, but you'd do better to buy the new one.

"History" is one of the most popular Greatest Hits collections of the 1970s, and deservedly so because of the overall song quality. It contains eleven Billboard Hot 100 hits, including seven top-twenties and two number ones, and one popular non-hit ("Sandman"). Interestingly, the songs are arranged in chronological order according to their chart dates. The problem I have with the album is that seven of its twelve tracks have been remixed. Sir George Martin, the legendary Beatles producer, began producing America's music in 1974 with the album "Holiday". This means that the last five tracks on "History" were original recordings produced by Mr. Martin. However, the first seven songs on "History" were taken from the three America albums recorded in the pre-Martin era (1971-1973). Consequently these tracks were remixed by Mr. Martin in 1975, ostensibly so that the entire album could claim to be "Produced by George Martin". Please be aware, then, that all tracks from "A Horse with No Name" through "Muskrat Love" are NOT the original versions you heard on the radio and on your America albums. The original album versions, which I believe are better, can be heard on "America", "Homecoming" and "Hat Trick".

I am instantly transported back to growing up in So. Cal. I know, I know, The Beach Boys are supposed to be "California" music - well maybe they are California's "Beach" music, but I remember listening to my America album. Great songs like "Ventura Highway", "Horse With No Name", "Sister Golden Hair", "Lonely People" and the other great songs on this CD - TRULY A GREAT ALBUM!

This is easily the best representative compilation I've ever heard of any group, ever! Not "Flowers", not the Beatles' red and blue albums, not "Goodbye Cream", not ANYBODY had a better collection of beautifully written and produced, immediately catchy melodies to point to as their best!

America came on the scene in 1970-71 sounding WAY too much like Neil Young on their first tune, "A Horse With No Name". However, a lot of the other chestnuts on this album are better, such as my personal favorite, "Ventura Highway", as well as "Tin Man", "Sister Golden Hair" and others. This is great music to have on your car radio if you're driving an open Chevy convertible down Route 66 with your best diner buddies, blending your voices with Dewey and the gang as they recall summers driving around in California, New Mexico and Nevada, telling tales of pretty young ladies that they knew.

Frankly, Neil Young never sounded this good!

Finally I got this album, which I absolutely love. Most people seem to consider the work of this band soft rock, or some kind of CSN&Y rip-off. I don't even like them so I don't have that problem. Simply put these songs flow together and can create some amazing imagery, and although not really psychedelic that is how I tend to think of it. Mostly I wanted Horse With No Name, which still blows me away, but I was surprised at how many other songs I recognized, such as Ventura Highway, Tin Man, and Sister Golden Hair, especially since I wasn't around when these songs were written. Simply put, these three crafted some amazing songs with a soft touch combined with intense imagary that can really take you away. this really is the perfect album to put in after a long day to ease your mind.

No one blazed a brighter or more intense flame on the way to fame than the group America, who in their short career created a record number of top ten hits with efforts like "A Horse With No Name", "I Need You", and "Sandman". Their style of driving pop rock was infectiously simple and fun to listen to, and it still gets a lot of air-play on Fm oldies stations. This collection of their greatest hits provides a graphic illustration as to why they were so popular. Songs like "Ventura Highway" showcase their talents for snappy lyrics, a driving rhythm, and very good arrangements. So to,, songs like "Sister Golden hair" and "Tin Man" show the degree to which they played along the kind of soft rock trail that the Eagles had blazed before them. They delivered a whole raft of hits, including "Lonely People", "Daisy Jane", and "Woman Tonight", and all these are included here. While the collection is not complete, it does provide the listener with a terrific sampling of their best efforts. Enjoy!

This was a must have album when it was released in 1975. It was a big hit (peaking at number 3 on the Billboard album chart) and was one of the biggest selling albums of the 70's, selling more than 5 million copies. Every song on here is good and was a hit, however this collection has become obsolete since the release of America's Complete Greatest Hits. Every song on this CD is on Complete Greatest Hits, plus 10 more songs.

The only reason to buy this CD is to get the George Martin remixes of their early hits. Legendary Beatles producer Sir George Martin did not start producing America's music until their 4th album "Holiday". When this album was released, Martin remixed the hits from their first 3 albums (Horse With No Name, I Need You, Sandman, Ventura Highway, Don't Cross The River, Only In Your Heart, and Muskrat Love). So they do sound a little different on this CD than on any other. I actually prefer the original mixes on most of them, except for Don't Cross the River. Martin adds a fiddle to the song and it really works well. So unless you are a hardcore America or George Martin fan who has to have every mix of a song, you would be better off buying America's Complete Greatest Hits CD.