Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A 70's classic, but now obsolete, July 24, 2006
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.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Nice set, since updated, February 19, 2005
The 22 song collection "America - The Complete Greatest Hits" supplants the old "History" by updating the America output from the both the Warners and Capitol years (but leaving out "Silent Letter" and "Alibi" or any of the post Capitol albums, especially the fine "Hourglass").
The surprising thing is just how many of these light weight acoustically based ditties made the top ten in the band's heyday. Even more so is just how well many of them have held up. The CSN&Y sound alike of their first hit, "Horse With No Name," brought them their first attention. A lot of folks were shocked that this trio was actually a couple of American Army brats (Dan Peek and Gerry Beckley) who had teamed up with Londoner Dewey Bunnel and made songs out of homesickness. They began to include some jazzy flavors to the songs (like the banjo in "Don't Cross The River") and a willingness to explore other songwriters, like "Muskrat Love." It was the harmonies that were what made some of the finest songs by America such standouts, like "Sister Golden Hair." The lyrics were frequently poetic and imagistic ("alligator lizards in the air," "spinning round smoke glass, stain bright colors," etc), adding a somewhat psychedelic flair to several of the earlier songs.
If you're searching for a collection of America hits, the one to own is Rhino's "Complete Greatest Hits." It will sit next to your Eagles, Cat Stevens and Seals & Crofts CDs from the seventies quite nicely.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Why was this released?, June 6, 2006
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, 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 that song.
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 am 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 wrote and sang 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. Even stranger, this CD is a re-release of the same CD released in 1990. 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. The more comprehensive CD is only slightly more expensive. This CD is only worth it if you can get it really cheaply.
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