America - AMERICA***

Riverside/Sandman/Three Roses/Children/A Horse With No Name/Here/I Need You/Rainy Day/Never Found The Time/Clarice/Donkey Jaw/Pigeon Song

Eponymous debut album from the soft-rock trio America, who enjoyed significant commercial success in the mid 1970s. Features the innovative US No.1 and UK No. 3 hit single Horse With No Name. (US:1 UK:14)

“The highlight of the album is definitely Horse With No Name. Most of the other tracks are much the same, except not quite so catchy; they often get extremely repetitive and outstay their welcome.”

“It seemed obvious that Warners were looking for a counterfeit CSN and found this nice little trio that made hippie music after the movement disappeared. The reason why they became successful lies in the plain beauty of the singles.”

“America’s timeless first album is a true folk jewel with its acoustic six and twelve strings guitars and refined harmonies. A Horse With No Name is built with only the same two chords from beginning to end, but the arrangements are so refined and various that you can't believe it's so simple.”

“Riding on the successful formula of acoustic guitars and harmonized vocals, the debut America album was a seed thrown on fertile ground;. But the trio also had some trumps: catchy songs, pleasant vocals timbres and swinging acoustic strumming. They also had all the energy of a group of friends, that had been playing together for several years; overflowing with energy and the excitement of the opportunity to record an album. They were also able to find a producer who knew how to keep it simple and appealing with freshness.”

“I was just hoping for some nice, pleasant 70s soft rock but I got something more than that as this is an extremely well written and played album.”

“While this was not a sensational album, it was a great piece of pop music, and met all the criteria to earn it an established place in musical history. The playing was clean and fresh, it was lightly layered with sensational harmonies, and a great interplay within the group.”

“The shimmering and psychedelic friendly A Horse With No Name suffers from over-exposure, as it is ubiquitous on classic rock radio, particularly in North America. Their musical style is a mix of something between soft or acoustic rock and folk-pop.”