America – Hearts – (remastered) (Omnivore Recordings)

Beatles’ producer helps the trio craft their most adventurous album to date

George Martin was originally brought in to steady the ship.

After two successful albums with multiple hits, America’s third album, Hat Trick, was a commercial failure.  Martin helped not only to focus the group’s strengths, but also to add lush orchestration and horns to their already great melodies.  Their fourth album, Holiday, put America back on track.

Martin returned for the fifth album, Hearts, and he helped coax out some of the band’s best, and most daring material.  The album opens with the sound of a heartbeat – a subdued way to set the mood, in Gerry Beckley’s “Daisy Jane.”  Martin’s presence is felt right away with the violin break after the song’s first chorus. 

“Half a Man” is an uncanny Dan Peek rocker which might’ve benefitted from less production.  Heavy electric guitars contrast with the horns and the funky rhythms.  A stripped down approach could’ve given this song more breathing room.  

“Midnight,” a rare songwriting collaboration between Beckley and Dewey Bunnell has an ethereal feel with gorgeous strings. “Bell Tree” features some Beatle-esque chord changes on this delicate number.  “Old Virginia” sounds very similar to another Dan Peek composition, “Lonely People.” 

“People in the Valley” is a Bunnell song which has circus-like verses, and a surprising acapella break.  “Company” features 12-string guitars and bongos, while the chorus reminds me of “Urge For Going” by Joni Mitchell.  

“Woman Tonight” is one of America’s most interesting singles.  Peek’s song has a reggae feel, a talk box (think Peter Frampton) and fuzz bass guitar solo. It was only a moderate hit, but shows that the band could deliver more than just MOR fare.   “The Story of a Teenager” benefits from Martin’s production – it features a lovely French horn part.  

Standing high above everything else is Beckley’s glorious “Sister Golden Hair.”  Why they buried this fantastic song near the end of side two is a head-scratcher.  It starts with an immediately-recognizable acoustic guitar riff, then Beckley’s heartfelt vocal, then a great, Badfinger-like slide solo.  Out of all of the band’s hit singles – this is their most infectious.

“Tomorrow” has a sing-song chorus, and features beautiful orchestration.  “Seasons” has a waltz tempo and a piccolo which reminds me of the Beatles’ “Penny Lane.”  

This new, 50th anniversary edition features several bonus tracks.  The Spanish version of “Sister Golden Hair” is pretty interesting, Beckley even says “uno, dos, tres, cuatro” at the end (instead of “1,2,3,4”).  There are special mixes that pull out certain elements, which give you a bigger appreciation for all the work that went into these songs.  For instance, “Midnight” has a version with just the vocals and orchestration and it’s breathtaking.  

Also cool to hear is the acoustic version for Peek’s “Old Virginia,” including some of the pre track banter.  “Daisy Jane” contains a mix with just vocals and strings- with the singing spread out over both the left and right channels, it gives you a real taste of how intricately woven the band’s harmonies really were. 

America would go on to release many more albums over the years, but Hearts is their last truly great one.  The extra bonus material and liner notes help make this the definitive version to own.  Let’s hope there are more deluxe versions on the way.  —Tony Peters