Most people who know me know that I love anything loud and heavy, be it metal, punk or anything to that effect. But what surprises people is when I tell them I LOVE America and their easygoing lite rock. “A Horse With No Name” is one of the first songs I can remember falling on love with that wasn’t on MTV. When their second album was released in 1972, critics at the time said it was a lot of the same old thing that had been present on their debut – but not so fast!
Recently reissued with super deluxe audio, the album is in need of rediscovery. Sure, everyone knows “Ventura Highway” and “Don’t Cross The River” because they were the album’s biggest hits. But there are a couple of deep cuts that deserve the same type of recognition.
One of America’s greatest strengths was the three part harmonies that the guys would use as background vocals. Not since the Beach Boys and the Mamas And The Papas had background vocals sounded so sweet. Dewey Bunnell’s beautiful “Moon Song” is an outstanding piece of work, beautiful harmonies and all. The great picking at the end of the song really does still sound amazing, even 40+ years later. The pristine audio on these releases really helps bring everything to the fore.
“Till The Sun Comes Up Again” is another great example where the superior sound quality really helps push the song to new heights, particularly during the middle where the guitars really sound like you’re right next to them. While certain songs like “Cornwall Blank” don’t work as well as they could, songs like this are overshadowed by amazing tracks like “Moon Song.” But this was a building album for them, one where they were still getting their feet wet before embarking on some of the biggest records of their career.
With the latest release, Audio Fidelity is really showing what they’re capable of with ‘70s easy listening. An interesting challenge for their next couple of releases would be to see what they can do with bands like Def Leppard or even Motorhead. All in all, this is another great release by a label who knows what they’re doing.
