History: America's Greatest Hits

Track Listings

1. Horse With No Name

2. I Need You

3. Sandman

4. Ventura Highway

5. Don't Cross the River

6. Only in Your Heart

7. Muskrat Love

8. Tin Man

9. Lonley People

10. Sister Golden Hair

11. Daisy Jane

12. Woman Tonight

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This is about as treacly as pop can get, yet something about it endears and endures. Forget the Neil Youngish banality of "Horse with No Name." The best America songs feature a delicate yet intricate interplay of acoustic guitars that creates a tableau for sweeter-than-sweet vocalese. Just try not to sing along to "Ventura Highway" or "Sister Golden Hair." Try not to be suckered into sentimental reminiscence when listening to "I Need You" or the superb "Daisy Jane." And if your heart hardens when listening to the low-key lope of the "Muskrat Love," you must be cold-blooded. --Tod Nelson --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Tracks:

A Horse With No Name
I Need You
Sandman
Ventura Highway
Don't Cross The River
Only In Your Heart
Muskrat Love
Tin Man
Lonely People
Sister Golden Hair
Daisy Jane
Woman Tonight

Amazon.com

This is about as treacly as pop can get, yet something about it endears and endures. Forget the Neil Youngish banality of "Horse with No Name." The best America songs feature a delicate yet intricate interplay of acoustic guitars that creates a tableau for sweeter-than-sweet vocalese. Just try not to sing along to "Ventura Highway" or "Sister Golden Hair." Try not to be suckered into sentimental reminiscence when listening to "I Need You" or the superb "Daisy Jane." And if your heart hardens when listening to the low-key lope of the "Muskrat Love," you must be cold-blooded. --Tod Nelson

Customer Reviews:

All the "America" hits you love.......2007-03-19

I had first bought the "Here and Now" hoping to hear the original recordings, but was slightly disappointed that on that CD the older songs were live performances only. If you want their hits as you remember hearing them on the radio or your old album that may be trashed, this is the CD for you.

America, here we come.......2006-10-22

It's funny to think the band isn't really from America. You'll find that out when you read the band history inside the cover. Though the album is short, it's filled with entirely listenable songs from the 70's. Soft rock at its best. Sometimes moody, often times just easy listening.

Often sounding a lot like Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, America manages to escape the similarities with plenty of hits and beautifully-written melodies that never seem to grow old. Though a very short disc, America: History- Greatest Hits is a good buy. You'll be sure to recognize more than a few songs on here, I'm sure.

Interesting story behind the art for this record (and other albums).......2006-07-19

Yes, it's true; Phil Hartman (known as a Saturday Night Live alumnus and "Bill McNeal" from Newsradio) drew/painted/designed the artwork for this album!

Phil also designed the Crosby Stills & Nash logo, the Poco's 1978 album art for "Legend", and Firesign Theatre's album art for "The Fighting Clowns".

From one artist to another: Rest in Peace, Phil.

Good in the beginning and then it headed down........2006-05-10

The problem with America was that started out great. The first album was fresh and different from everything. Three young boys and accoustic quitars was a song all it own. "Horse with no name" and "SandMan", was what pave the way for them. The problem was that each album after that they got farther away from their roots and into the middle of mainstream pop. They should of left "Muskrat Love." to the Captain and Tennille.

This album does a fine job of showing their career from beginning to end. The problem was that there was their first two albums, ( America and Venture Highway) and there was their others.

My recommandation would be to pick up the first 2 and leave this for the die hard fans.

Like classic rock? You need to own this album............2006-01-31

I'm 23 years old. I love classic rock. I listened to the radio in the 80s with my dad everytime we went fishing. i knew these songs when i was like 8. if you like classic rock and timeless songs that shaped american music you need this album.

here is my top five:
1. Sister Golden Hair
2. Lonely People
3. Sandman
4. Tin Man
5. Ventura Highway

This cd is soooo worth 11 bucks. press "add to cart" now!

Average customer rating:

A 70's classic, but now obsolete
Why was this released?
Nice set, since updated
Interesting trivia...

History: America's Greatest Hits
America
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Soft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

General | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

Rhino Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
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ELO's Greatest Hits
Fleetwood Mac: Greatest Hits
Best of the Doobies
Eagles Greatest Hits, Vol. 2

ASIN: B0002VEPGW
Release Date: 2004-05-28

Tracks:

Horse With No Name
I Need You
Sandman
Ventura Highway
Don't Cross the River
Only in Your Heart
Muskrat Love
Tin Man
Lonley People
Sister Golden Hair
Daisy Jane
Woman Tonight

Customer Reviews:

A 70's classic, but now obsolete.......2006-07-25

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.

Why was this released?.......2006-06-07

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.

Nice set, since updated.......2005-02-20

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.

Interesting trivia..........2004-10-15

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.

Music Review:

Music Review

Music Review

1. Horse With No Name
2. I Need You
3. Sandman
4. Ventura Highway
5. Don't Cross the River
6. Only in Your Heart
7. Muskrat Love
8. Tin Man
9. Lonley People
10. Sister Golden Hair
11. Daisy Jane
12. Woman Tonight