Here & Now

America

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 16, 2007)
• Original Release Date: January 16, 2007
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Burgundy S
• ASIN: B000KG4BPO
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #31,769 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
To be clear: America hasn't flooded the market with another best-of album. Instead, two of the founding members, Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell, were rescued from classic rock purgatory by the Smashing Pumpkins' James Iha and Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger with an offer from the younger musicians to act as producers on an album of new material. The respect that Iha and Schlesinger have shown for America's talents is touching, drawing the best out of the band's close harmonies and gentle folk rock sound. Over the decades, Beckley and Bunnell have lost none of their vocal compatibility or their guitar acumen. If anything, they're much better players in 2007 than they were when they first rode into pop music history on their "Horse with No Name." Here & Now is further enhanced by guests like Ryan Adams (on "Ride On"), as well as Ben Kweller pairing up with My Morning Jacket members Jim James and Patrick Hallahan for a cover of Jacket's "Golden." Meanwhile, Nada Surf members play back up on a heart-stopping version of their own "Always Love." Also included is a live disc recorded in 2005, which finds America covering their chart-topping hits with a deft, subtle hand, reminding us that this group could hold its own with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the Eagles, and other early '70s contemporaries. --Jaan Uhelszki

Product Description
Here & Now features all new America songs including collaborations with Ryan Adams, Nada Surf, Ben Kweller, members of My Morning Jacket, Smashing Pumpkins, and Fountains of Wayne. Here & Now also includes America's greatest hits performed at XM studios.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Phoenix Rises, February 12, 2007

By	Scott S. Springer - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I gave this 5 stars because there is not one song on here that I don't like--a really rare occurrence with any album. In my opinion, this is America's best LP so far in their long musical career. The songs have great melodies to them and are performed perfectly within the classic America style with magnificent harmony vocals. And they throw in a cover version of "Indian Summer" by Maplewood(one of my current favorite bands)which has the author of the song joining in on guitar. All I can say is that Gerry Beckley & Dewey Bunnell must be extremely satisfied and content to know that 35 years after that first album they are still writing and performing music on a level above and beyond what has come before. That being said, I can't wait for the next one.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Their best album in 30 years!, January 28, 2007

By	A Fan (VA) - See all my reviews

This is America's best album since their heyday in the the mid-70s! This album was a modest hit on the Billboard album charts hitting 52 on the Billboard 200 and 11 on the Top Internet Albums charts; their best chart showing since 1982's View From the Ground. Working with younger performers like Adam Schlesinger, James Iha, and Ryan Adams seems to have renewed their creative spirit and energized them! Their performance of songs like "Indian Summer", "One Chance", "Ride On", "Look At Me Now", and "Work To Do" are all outstanding, making it difficult to pick a favorite. All of those songs deserve air-play!

The bonus CD is a live recording of all the songs from their multi-platinum "History: America's Greatest Hits" album. While in a few places Gerry Beckley's voice is starting to show some strain from four decades of performing, Dewey Bunnell's voice seems as strong as ever. The performances are very good and include several songs not available on any of their other live albums. The new intro to "Sandman" is exceptional. Solid performances all the way around!

All-in-all this is an OUTSTANDING set and I highly recommend it!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Back in the Here and Now..., January 30, 2007

By	Thomas D. Ryan "American Hit Network" (New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I know it's wrong, but I found it almost impossible to approach this disk without a few preconceptions. To me, America represented the most commercial branch of folk-rock, deeply ensconced in the California tradition. By definition, that meant rich harmonies conveying vapid lyrics, all wrapped in catchy riffs that made their hit songs the aural equivalent of a Lays potato chip; you couldn't listen just once. Over the decades, their style of music has fallen out of favor, and hard as I tried, I could not erase my preconceived notions of these guys as passed-over pop stars, thirty years removed from their prime. I am the first to admit that I can be both thickheaded and stubborn, so I can't help but be impressed that "Here and Now" managed to overcome my negative preconceptions - most of them, anyway.
The record title can be taken as a statement of purpose. America is once again reaching for contemporary relevance, and the material provided herein makes a valid case. The song styles haven't changed too much since 1977, but it doesn't matter, because they seem to work quite nicely `here and now'. Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell still perform songs that stick to your brain like caramel on an apple (third member Dan Peek left the duo back in 1977 for a career in contemporary Christian music). As I listened, I wondered how they could manage such a feat, but the answer revealed itself as the songs unfolded. The first clue came with their cover of a great Nada Surf tune called "Always Love." If nothing else, this displays a contemporary edge and exceptionally good taste, two traits that I hadn't expected. It doesn't hurt that their version remains true to the lively beauty of Nada Surf's original version, either. Later in the disk, I found myself thinking that this newly energized version of America resembles an ironic-free version of the Fountains of Wayne, only to check the credits and discover that a) one track was written by FOW's Adam Schlesinger, and b) the same Mr. Schlesinger actually produced the record, working with James Iha (ex-Smashing Pumpkins). Aha! No wonder the album sounds contemporary! Now that I was paying attention, I soon recognized "Golden" as a clever adaptation of a song by My Morning Jacket. It still sounds like the America I knew as a kid, but this time around, they are bringing a little something extra to the table.
The real beauty of "Here and Now" lies in its ability to sound like classic America without resorting to formula. Even more impressive is the way that Schlesinger and Iha stay out of the way, allowing Bunnell and Beckley the opportunity to prove contemporary relevance on their own terms. Virtually any of these songs could be extracted for release as a single, so it is rather ironic that contemporary radio might find the band too difficult to pigeonhole properly. If nothing else, this album proves just how backward radio has `progressed' in the past three decades. For reference (and some guilty fun), "Here and Now" also includes a second disk containing well-performed live versions of their biggest hits, such as "Ventura Highway," "Tin Man" and "A Horse with No Name." I admit that I have a soft spot for these tunes, but I think it's the new material that I'll find myself playing most often. B+ Tom Ryan