America - History: Greatest Hits

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 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.