Homecoming

Growing up in the 60's and 70's I naturally gravitated to the folk rock genre. From groups like the Eagles, Byrds,and Dan Fogelberg I always found solitude in the music. America was no different. Their unique accoustic style and three part harmonies would always take you away. I would also highly recomend America (the first album).

70s acoustic rock was never better than America's first five CDs. This one includes "Ventura Highway," the greatest pop song ever written. You can't go wrong with this CD.

It seems that these guys lived in the shadow of CSNY, Eagles, and some of the earlier "acoustic" bands that hit the airwaves late 60s early 70's. They received a lot of FM airplay and had their share of hits, but they never were really considered "serious" players by the critics etc. I personally liked "Horse With No Name" when it first hit the radio, but I have to admit that it took a couple of albums for me to accept them as something other than imitators. Once they were putting out tunes like Ventura Highway and Tin Man, I was a believer. They had a very tight and distinct sound with great harmonies. They stuck with their acoustic roots and I have always felt they deserved a bit more credit for their output. I would highly recomend that anyone who skipped America the first time around pick up Homecoming, Hat Trick, or Hearts, and of course the debut self titled album.

A great album! It was a big hit in 1972 and went Platinum in the US. Contains the classic Ventura Highway and the hits Don't Cross the River and Only In Your Heart. Nearly every song on the album received airplay in 1972/1973. They make more use of electric guitars and keyboards on this album than on the their first, but it still has a strong acoustic flavor. Plus it has one of my favorite album covers of all time!

While this is a great CD, it is kind of pricey and you can probably find other releases of this CD for cheaper.

This was my first America album "back in the day" and even though I preferred much heavier bands I just could not resist coming back to this when all my friends went home. In my mind it is one of the VERY best albums to come out of that time frame and is well worth owning.