America - I Need You ('74)

So the other night in another one of those "I can't sleep once again" so I may just was as well get up and putter around for a bit. So the TV comes on and I am off to the races trying to find something that will occupy my time and mind for a little while until I can get back to sleep.

One of the channels was running a Time-Life 30 miniute promo show on singer-songwriters from the 70s and it was hosted by Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley. Unless you grew up listening to their music on CKGM back in the day; you probably know them better as America.

As I was listening and watching to the show which has a pretty amazing setlist by the way, I started thinking about the band and their string of hits back in the early 70s.

My older stepbrother M had their eponymous 1st album "America". At least I think he did. LOL. Memories get a little hazy when they are nearly four decades old. I know that he had Jethro Tull's "Thick As A Brick". I'm pretty sure that he had the "America" album as well. I was in grade three back then living on the corner of Notre Dame and 100th in Chomedey, Laval.

Anyways the first hit off the album was "A Horse With No Name" which has the unforgettable "la la, la, la la la la, la la la, la, la" chorus which became a million seller when actual 45s were released in a format that you see and touch. This first hit became a precursor to the signature "America" sound. The accoustic guitars, the harmonies, the catchy choruses and the story song.

You'd be surprised at how many words you know to their songs. It's as if the lyrics seeped into your subconscious to be promptly remembered when you hear an America song on the radio or TV somewhere.

The second hit off the album was this beautiful and sad ballad written by Gerry Beckley that inspired this blog. I've noticed that it always seems to be the sad songs that affect me or touch me. Does that mean that I suffer from melancholia or some other affectation? Or does it just mean that a song like this triggers a memory? You know even a sad memory typically is rooted in a good memory. Take this song. It talks about losing or having lost one that you loved. You wouldn't have the sadness without having experienced the happiness. As the lyric goes " I need you like the winter needs the spring". The good and the bad.

Another track that got airplay was "Sandman" which is one of the heavier songs that the band released. This song was tailor-made for album-oriented rock stations.

Less than a year later, America released "Homecoming" which featured Dewey Bunnell's "Ventura Highway" which featured the accoustic sound, the catchy chorus, the harmonies and the story. I think I see a pattern here. LOL.

Their third album "Hat Trick" was released in 1973. Three albums released in 33 months. That is prolific. This one though didn't do as well commercially as the first two. They had a minor hit with a song written not by a bandmember called "Muskrat Love". That song was remade and was a bigger hit by The Captain and Tennile. The less said about this song the better. It's actually about muskrats. Ranks right up there with Michael Jackson's "Ben" as an ode to a rodent. The hallucigenics in the 70s must be the reason for these songs dedicated to rodents. LOL.

Less than a year later, America released "Holiday" which found them near the top of the charts once again. They had brought in the Beatles producer George Martin to help out and this resulted in the top ten hit "Tin Man" which had the "America" formula down pat once again. This album also had the inspirational "Lonely People" which was also was a top ten hit. This one was written by the third key member of the band Dan Peek. This was the first song that featured him singing as well and becoming a hit.

America had a unique way of writing for their albums. Their albums typically had ten songs. Three written solo by each member. Sometimes credit would be given to the other members if they added to the song when it was being recorded. They would also bring in a song from a non-band member to round out the album.

In the spring of '75, America released another George Martin produced album named "Hearts" which featured another huge hit. This being "Sister Golden Hair". Another one of those super-catchy singing along songs.

They tried to repeat the formula a couple more times with George Martin but the albums didn't last long on the charts. They hit the top twenty on Billboard album charts with songs being played on AOR stations but they only had minor radio hits so these didn't generate huge sales for the band.

They underwent some changes as bands do when things slowdown with Dan Peek leaving the band to become a fulltime Christian-themed artist. Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley kept releasing albums and they made it back to the charts in 1982 with the Russ Ballard penned "You Can Do Magic". Listening to that song is as if Ballard wrote it specifically for them to sing. It has that "America" sound.

About a year ago, we used to drop in on a pretty regular basis on Friday nights at Fitzpatricks on Laurens Rd. for sweet potato fries, Harp or Gaelic ale on tap and to listen to the 2 or 3 person bands that they would bring in to entertain on Fridays. One of the bands was a couple of guys a little older than I that would always have a couple of America tracks in their set. As I mentioned above, immediately the words would come back as they would play the songs.

A good remember when. Smiles.