America

America

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: 1972
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002KDX
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #34,982 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Drawing upon the softer side of the hippie folk scene with a more refined sound, America garnered a string of hits for themselves in the '70s. With a rich, acoustic base and lush, high tenor harmonies, songs like "Sandman" were instantly successful. The band's breakthrough single was the slightly country-tinged "Horse with No Name," (which hit number one) that owed a debt to the craftsmanship of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. America displayed the band's sensitivities with "Clarice" and "I Need You," the latter charting at number nine. While the band made a name for itself on the strength of "Horse" alone, the rest of the record deserves attention, too. While "Riverside" and "Children Here" never reached the status of later hits like "Sister Goldenhair" or "Lonely People," they still command respect. --Steve Gdula

Product Description

Limited Edition Japanese pressing of this album comes housed in a miniature LP sleeve. 2007. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Their very best album, March 26, 2003

By	Joseph Townsend "the rake" (Hattiesburg, Ms. USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've been collecting the original America albums recently. Many are imports, but readilly available. I've also been reading up on the group and I've come to really appreciate this album. Why? This was music created by three very talented musicians and composers with "fire in the belly"- these songs were practiced in their car, this is prior to George Martin who would transform them into an extremely good pop music 1970's band. They were perfectionists in those days (George Martin would later encourage them to not be quite so "picky"). Horse with no name, I Need You and Sandman were well known to me and appreciated. Three Roses, never Found the Time, Donkey Jaw, etc. are all wonderful songs that I had never heard. I'd love to hear a good live version of the opening track "Riverside" - its a great song, but it feels like it needs to be longer than 3 minutes. The only song I don't like is Pigeon Song, but 11 great songs out of 12 is pretty good for three military kids in England trying to get their foot in the door. The America web-site gives a lot of very interesting information about the band. I'd skip all of the "Best of..." stuff and start collecting the original albums - you won't want to miss any of this if you get started.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars America's First, November 7, 2001

By	Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

America's self-titled debut album is a fine collection of folk-rock songs. The album was spurred on by the success of the number one hit "A Horse With No Name", which is a 70's AM gold classic. The album has other solid efforts including the trippy "Sandman" and the gorgeous ballad "I Need You" which was another top ten hit, peaking at number nine. "Donkey Jaw" has some great acoustic guitar work and "Rainy Day" is another pretty song. The album also reached number one on the charts.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Guitar Lessons, April 24, 2004

By	GuitarDave (Hazleton, PA) - See all my reviews

Sure, there are inevitable comparisons to Crosby, Stills and Nash. They are unavoidable because anyone playing acoustic guitars and singing harmonies will bring them to mind.
Comparisons aside, this is one great album. Every time I listen to it, it's like another acoustic guitar lesson. The interplay and blending of the guitars is very inspiring. The songs are good and the singing is right on the mark. I didn't realize what a big influence these guys were until I picked this up on CD and started listening to it again on a regular basis.
If you like acoustic guitars this is a must have disc.