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America sighting....
Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2005 6:17 pm
by eatswodo
Just watched a PBS Soundstage presentation of America in concert. After grumbling to myself through the whole thing about the awful sound of the Taylor acoustic guitars being played, while marveling at my wife's ability to recall lyrics from 30-year old songs, I was delighted to see a Jetglo 620/12 being prominently featured on "Horse With No Name", performed as the encore.
Another, competely irrelevant, surprise was to see Christopher Cross play a ripping solo on the same song on what looked like a Carvin solid-body of some sort......
Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2005 1:54 pm
by wayang
Horse With No Name would probably have been worth sticking around for...but I couldn't make it through the vast Sea of Cheese...
Songs like Muskrat Love and Sister Goldenhair make me want to hit the emergency stop button and crawl out the escape hatch in the elevator ceiling...
Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2005 4:11 pm
by jwilli
"Muskrat, muskrat .....blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blaaaaaaah! But then again, "Horse With No Name", I love that song.
Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2005 4:29 pm
by jingle_jangle
I allus equated ML with The Cap'n and Chenille...
Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2005 4:52 pm
by wayang
An accurate equation, to be sure...but I'm afraid America bears the blame for that rotten little tune. The band, not the entire society, that is. A lot of us bought it, though...
Not me, however...I'd like to make that perfectly clear...
Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2005 6:08 pm
by winston
HWNN was worth a listen. The rest of their stuff sounded like material the Monkees might have considered briefly and rejected.
The name "America" turned me off too I must admit. It was just a bit too presumptuous
Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2005 7:01 pm
by longhouse
Their name, if I'm not mistaken, stemmed from the band members being sons of American servicemen living abroad. They were a minority of sorts -'least that's what I'm lead to believe.
Their debut album was quite good. Gorgeous acoustic sounds and tasteful electic parts. The lyrics were to get a bit ...er... hazy on subsequent releases, but they were always good for a chorus. 'Tin Man', 'Ventura Highway'
Nice harmony vocals too.
As for 'Muskrat Love', that induces a sick shudder even now. Ew.
=noel=
Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2005 7:16 pm
by expomick
Loved the opening to "Sister Golden Hair"...and that's about it...and maybe the lead part as well.
Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 1:08 am
by dannyboy
I must admit that America was very popular in my hometown. And I kinda liked it too. I find that they had great melodies and awsome vocals!
Then again, at the time, Emerson-Lake & Palmer, Supertramp, Styx and Genesis were extremely popular here while they didn't do so good elsewhere!!!
Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 3:10 am
by jingle_jangle
Um, Danny--they all did good elsewhere. Real good.
Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 6:59 am
by wayang
In the case of Styx, far better than they deserved...
I was the son of an American serviceman living abroad, as well...four years in Asmara, Ethiopia (now Eritrea), a year in Verdun, France and two years in Zweibrucken, Germany. I'd hate like hell to be lumped into a group that includes these muskrat-lovin' schlockmeisters...and please don't even mention Katrina and the Waves...
I have but one thing to add: Officers' Kids...the term army 'brats' doesn't go anywhere near far enough to describe these weasels...most of us didn't get ferried around the streets of London by some poor miserable Corporal in Daddy's Staff Car...
Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 8:55 am
by highway_star
"most of us didn't get ferried around the streets of London by some poor miserable Corporal in Daddy's Staff Car..."
Which branch of service was that? I left active duty (Army) as a Captain in 1987 and never had a staff car.
Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 9:33 am
by steve_hershberger
So, somebody from America (the band) was responsible for "Muskrat Love"??? Somehow, I'm not too surprised. That explains a lot.
To me, any/all songs by America were halfway listenable - nice melody, nice harmonies, decent enough playing... But I'd usually make the mistake of listening to the lyrics too, and that's when I'd feel like strangling someone.
I mean, sheesh, I spent a lot of those years stoned too, but those guys make a freakin' *career* out of nonsense lyrics!
Same goes for Styx and Kansas songs too, but at least their lyrics make sense. For those bands, it's more the affectated singing/pronunciation that gets to me most.
In my old age, I've become more tolerant of all the above to some extent, and hey it's all cool with me - there's lots of people who loved that stuff and still do. I've got no problem with that.
I'm just glad I still know how to reverse the On/Off button when certain songs come on my radio.
Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 9:52 am
by eatswodo
"Muskrat Love" (aka "Muskrat Candlelight") was actually written by Willis Alan Ramsey, not America.
Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 4:12 pm
by britye
I'm with Paul on this Capt and Toenail.