The first greatest-hits collection from the soft-rock trio America, released by Warner Bros. in November 1975. It rounded up all eleven of the band's charting singles to date — six years of FM staples in one place — and ran straight up the chart, peaking at #3 on the Billboard 200 and going on to multi-platinum certification by the RIAA. For a long stretch in the late '70s and early '80s it was one of those records that lived in nearly every record collection in America without anyone quite remembering buying it.
The compilation is credited to producer George Martin, even though only five of the twelve tracks were actually recorded with him — the earlier hits, including "A Horse with No Name" and "I Need You," predate Martin's involvement and were given a slight remix (with the bass pushed up) for inclusion here.
Cool stuff:
- Peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified 4x Platinum in the US — over four million copies shipped
- The cover artwork was illustrated by Phil Hartman — the future SNL and NewsRadio comedian, who was a working graphic designer in the '70s and did several album covers for America (including Hat Trick and Holiday) before his comedy career took off
- Produced by George Martin in name — though he only produced about half the tracks on it. The earlier songs were remixed for the compilation, with bass pushed up on "A Horse with No Name" and "I Need You"
- Includes an edited version of "Sandman" from the debut, a popular FM track that had never been released as a single
- "Sister Golden Hair" — the band's second #1 single — had topped the Billboard Hot 100 just months before this comp dropped, which is part of why it caught fire commercially
Spin it for: the 12-track shortcut to America's run of 1972–1975 FM staples, with George Martin's mid-'70s production polish on the back half.
Standouts: "A Horse with No Name" · "Sister Golden Hair" · "Tin Man" · "Ventura Highway"
Sources: Wikipedia · AllMusic · Classic Rockers · Discogs