Customer Reviews

History America's Greatest Hits (Rpkg)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

If you get this title (a lyric from "Only In Your Heart"), you'll love this CD. The section of the song where they repeatedly chant these lyrics in a multitracked crescendo will send chills down your spine.

Those of us who were 70s children who recall hearing a lot of this stuff on AM radio stations on our way to school in the mornings will cherish this. Even if you weren't there at the time, it's still pretty mellow music that goes down good.

Songs such as "A Horse With No Name," "Only In Your heart", "Daisy Jane" (the similarities between this and Janet Jackson's "Let's Wait Awhile" a decade later was said to have provoked an out of court settlement), and "Sister Golden Hair" are laid backed, acoustic-guitar and vocal harmony based easy-listening folk-rockers that's ideal music for long drives on sunny days or relaxing after work as the sun goes down. One reviewer has compared this to CSNY. I never thought about this, but it's true, minus the politics.

"You can't disregard your friends/"Cause life gets so hard when you reach the end" (From "Only in Your Heart").

In either case, simply put it's just good music. Enjoy.

I would imagine it goes without saying that this is an excellent album. I have two copies :)
I recently learned while watching an A & E Biography that comedian Phil Hartman was the album cover artist (in his younger days). I thought that was really cool information and wanted to share it.

A superlative collection of pop/folk/rock hits from the early 70's. Massive kudos go to the producer, who manages to mold these bright little songs into exquisite audio confections. And for once a greatest hits release really is packed with great material. Dewey Bunnell has an amazing talent for writing lyrics that just verge on making sense without really saying much. The secret is in the imagery: "alligator lizards in the air", "eagle in the eye of a hurricane that's abandoned", "soap glass green light bubbles". In less capable hands, these bits of nonsense could come off as silly; here they create a sense of mystery, one is tempted to say complexity, that's otherwise lacking in the rather simple sentiments these songs express. The only downside to this CD is that it's been obviated by more recent collections that include the same material plus tracks from the band's later releases. But this one still represents their very best.

This old Greatest Hits package includes twelve selections from the following albums: the self-titled debut (1971), "Homecoming" (1972), "Hat Trick" (9173), "Holiday" (1974), and "Hearts" (1975). It was produced by George Martin who is remembered today for his work with the Beatles although he has worked with many notable artists including Jeff Beck, Cheap Trick, and UFO among others. The group is composed of three official members who play guitar and sing lead or backing vocals: Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell, and Dan Peek. All songs included were written by one of them on his own, the exception being the cover of "Muskrat Love".

The three guys show great songwriting that incorporates different styles into their pop formula. From Bunnell's mind come the band's biggest hits for example their folk-rock debut single "A Horse With No Name" featuring great vocal harmonies, the mid-tempo "Sandman" (killer rhythm guitar here), "Ventura Highway" (great lead guitar line), and "Tin Man" (cool bass line in the chorus).
The songwriting talent of Beckley is showcased in the excellent ballad "I Need You" (it has a Beatles Abbey Road-era feel), another ballad called "Only In Your Heart" which features a backward electric guitar solo at the end, the country sounding "Sister Golden Hair" (one of my favorites!) and a third ballad with great piano work "Daisy Jane".
Last but not least, Dan Peek shows his songwriting skills in another country flavored song that's another one of my favorites with amazing harmony vocals plus some banjo as well: "Don't Cross The River", the Neil Young sounding "Lonely People" with its prominent harmonica and the slightly funky sounding "Woman Tonight".
Completing the selection is the band's take on the Captain & Tennille number "Muskrat Love" that finds the band in a jazzier mode.

So which one of the three is the band's best songwriter? Well...I'd say all three are the best! If you are into well crafted pop with folk-rock/country leanings, just take a listen to this! I'm pretty sure you'll think its great! If you want to dig a little deeper, you should try the "Complete Greatest Hits" CD that has 22 tracks instead!
Thanks for taking the time to read!
Later...

Being a child of the 80's the 70's always seemed bland and stuffy. One day I lugged my guitar to work and a co-worker knocked out some beautiful chords and warm lyrics. I was impressed and asked who the artist was and the name of the song. He said "Lonely People", by America. So it was not long before I got ahold of a copy, and went with this greatest hits. There's alot here and a good entry into not just "America" but into that 70's groove.

This album is 38 minutes and 16 seconds long and was released on December 1975. The album reached #3 US Billboard Album Chart and went 4X Multi-Platinum. The songs on it cover the years from 1971-1975. Below are some of the songs on the album and how high they charted.

A Horse with No Name #1
Ventura Highway #8
Muskrat Love #4
Sister Golden Hair #1
I Need You #9
Don't Cross The River #35
Only In Your Heart #62
Tin Man #4
Lonely People #5
Daisy Jane #20
Woman Tonight #44

The music on is of the folk\soft rock style. My kind of music. The music on the album is just beautiful and a great album to own as well.

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.

"History" is a brilliant collection of tunes, remixed for the compilation by the great George Martin, and a favorite for those who love well made music. I was psyched to find this on new vinyl simply because my original disc was showing signs of wear. Unfortunately the remastered version sounds much more digital, hard and steely taking away from the organic bronze warmth of the former. Moreover, the compression applied brings up the instrumentation level cluttering the mix and at the same time weakens the vocals. The new vinyl sounds super clear and the remix punchy and dynamic but I'll continue playing my old copy. Also, this does not come with the original sleeve that contained liner notes and lyrics, a definite minus.