IN SEARCH OF CD BOX SETS - VOLUME III

[RJhog (Admin)]

Next up in the box set series is America: The Warner Bros. Years 1971-1977. This is a complete albums box set, and by complete albums I mean all of the albums that the band released while under the Warner Bros. label.  This would include their self-titled debut in 1971 through their first live album in late 1977.  

This particular set, as previously stated, is a straight up original albums box.  The box itself is clamshell and the albums come as mini-replicas of the original LP's.  The back of the box does include photos of the albums included as well as the track listing for each album.  Sadly, there is no booklet.  There are also no bonus tracks.  I'm cool with the absence of bonus tracks, but I sure wish there was a booklet.  This set is no frills!  I'll very briefly touch on each album below.

***sorry about the terrible pics, I forgot to turn on extra light and my phone camera stinks...

America (1971) - This is the only America album I had heard in it's entirety before spinning the entire box for this article. Of course, it's heavily acoustic with the band's trademark harmony vocals.  This album includes the hit singles A Horse With No Name (#1) and I Need You (#9).  It also includes the well known track Sandman and the wicked hidden gem Here, which features some outstanding acoustic guitar work and features even a touch of prog.  Another excellent album track is Rainy Day, complete with some nice steel guitar playing.  The album hit number one in the US and is certified Platinum.  The album is very smooth and a great listen.

Homecoming (1972) - The follow-up to the debut landed at number 9 in the US and was also certified Platinum.  It was pretty similar to the debut, but in my opinion doesn't hold up as well overall.  It contained the number 8 hit Ventura Highway, possibly my favorite America song, as well as a couple of other singles that didn't fare nearly as well.  Till The Sun Comes Up Again and Cornwall Blank are outstanding album cuts, with the latter showing how fine the electric guitar work can be for this band.  

Hat Trick (1973) - This would be America's first album that did not contain a Top 10 single.  Muskrat Love was the only single to show any sign of life, but it petered out at number 67.  With a Top 40 showing of number 28, the album has never been certified.  For me, it's certainly the most inconsistent album thus far in the catalog.  I mean, Muskrat Love is a song that, as a man, I'd be ashamed of recording.  Of course, you remember that The Captain & Tennille took it to number 4.  The lack of a hit single doesn't mean that the album is trash.  Rainbow Song, Submarine Ladies, Hat Trick and Green Monkey are all absolutely terrific songs.

Holiday (1974) - Holiday fared much better commercially than Hat Trick.  It climbed all the way to number 3 while managing a Gold certification.  The hit singles from this album were Tin Man (#4) and Lonely People (#5).  For my money, that is really all that is worth hearing here.  There's just nothing else that interests me.  Holiday would get my vote for weakest America album so far.

Hearts (1975) - Album number 5 contained a couple of big hits for the band.  Sister Golden Hair was the band's second(and final) number 1 song, while Daisy Jane landed at number 20.  Funny thing about Daisy Jane, I didn't recognize it by title, but I certainly did as soon as it started playing.  People In The Valley is a superb hidden gem, and the songs Half A Man and Midnight are also good songs.  By this time, all of the albums are beginning to run together, but I'd have to wedge this one in between Hat Trick and Holiday if I were ranking what I'd heard so far.

Hideaway (1976) - Hideaway isn't particularly good.  Amber Cascades, Letter, Today's The Day and Jet Boy Blue are all decent songs, but that's really all this album has to offer.

Harbor (1977) - We are now on the last studio album for this set, Harbor, and I for one am happy about that.  Are You There is really the only song that does anything for me at all.  It definitely feels like America had run out of fuel by this point.  

Live (1977) - This is a pretty pedestrian live album.  The song selection is okay, based on their catalog to that point, but a couple of those excellent album cuts I've mentioned previously would have been nice.  And Muskrat Love is even worse live than it is in the studio.  The feel of the album is very much non-eventful.  In between song chatter is practically non-existent.  Whether or not that's a bad thing is not something I'll attempt to answer, I'm just stating fact.  The vocals sound pretty true to the studio versions for the most part, but I do not see this as essential to anyone's collection.

I will say that after listening to this entire box, I never realized how much their harmonies remind me of Crosby, Stills & Nash.  Absolutely brilliant!  I mean, Donkey Jaw from the debut sounds exactly like it came from CSN&Y.  The biggest problem is it just sounds like they ran out of steam or ideas. If you'd like to see the complete track listing for this set, click HERE. This set is actually less expensive than it was two and a half years ago when I bought it.  It's running about thirty-six dollars (new) on Amazon (I paid forty and change when I picked it up).

[Scott]

I own this but have only listened to a few of the albums wholly...  I never really considered it a box set but I guess it is, I mean it does come in a box...  As much as I like this band, they did really drop off around 1975, but for me they got a second wind with "View From The Ground" in 1982 which this "box" does not contain...