Do Steely Dan and America have anything in common besides existing in the same decade?
Maybe. "Ventura Highway" with an electric lead guitar instead of an acoustic?
― timellison, Friday, 18 August 2017 17:57 (six years ago) link
A more amplified "Tin Man?"
― timellison, Friday, 18 August 2017 18:41 (six years ago) link
I love America, though not sure I would rate them over Steely Dan (although, America did get George Harrison to play on 'Sister Golden Hair').
I don't believe that's Harrison.
― timellison, Friday, 18 August 2017 19:17 (six years ago) link
Next Alfred Soto blog post - "There Were Plants and Birds and Rocks and Things: The Best of America"
― timellison, Friday, 18 August 2017 21:34 (six years ago) link
this band is mediocre, there is no way they come close to the brilliance that is Steely Dan. apple to oranges have other have said...
― Bee OK, Saturday, 19 August 2017 02:22 (six years ago) link
*apple to oranges as others have said...
― Bee OK, Saturday, 19 August 2017 02:28 (six years ago) link
this comp is actually not on Spotify. :-(
― Bee OK, Saturday, 19 August 2017 02:44 (six years ago) link
would def rather listen to America than Steely Dan
― billstevejim, Thursday, August 17, 2017 2:38 AM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
^^^
― Say, I Heard You Had a Quarrel With Your Best Girl (Old Lunch), Saturday, 19 August 2017 02:54 (six years ago) link
Horse, Ventura, Tin Man, Magic, Daisy Jane are faves. But voted for Sister Golden Hair.
― jetfan, Saturday, 19 August 2017 03:34 (six years ago) link
these guys really shot themselves in the foot w/ their band name
voted sister golden hair
― iatee, Saturday, 19 August 2017 05:06 (six years ago) link
TS: Bread vs Americavoted 'I Need You'.
― campreverb, Saturday, 19 August 2017 06:07 (six years ago) link
"Sister Golden Hair" is a all-time classic. Not in the same league as Steely Dan.
― the future is now, Saturday, 19 August 2017 23:58 (six years ago) link
TS: Bread vs America
America all day.
― he doesn't need to be racist about it though. (Austin), Sunday, 20 August 2017 00:46 (six years ago) link
Ridiculous CSN ripoffs yes, but at their best they may have come up with tighter singles. "Ventura Highway" is my pick easy - first rate driving music, easygoing but with some hint of urgency and momentum. At some point when I hadn't heard it four thousand times, I really liked "Horse With No Name." "Tin Man" is decent.
Just listened to "Sandman" for the first time and can't get over the sheer clunkiness of "running from the man that goes by the name of the sandman."
― yellow is the color of some raisins (Doctor Casino), Sunday, 20 August 2017 01:07 (six years ago) link
Gotta give credit for the crystalline sound to George Martin, who produced 5 albums from '74 to '79 and remixed all the early singles for their first Greatest Hits in 1975.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History:_America%27s_Greatest_Hits#/media/File:America_(band)_-_History_America%27s_Greatest_Hits.jpg
Cover art by Phil Hartman
― Hideous Lump, Sunday, 20 August 2017 04:08 (six years ago) link
https://img.discogs.com/0vLUvH5eAWJdh0KOw5l0laMMZhI=/fit-in/450x450/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-2341489-1362927035-6881.jpeg.jpg
― Hideous Lump, Sunday, 20 August 2017 04:09 (six years ago) link
I've always wondered, is it the same Phil Hartman?
He had to have been really young at that point, if so.
― he doesn't need to be racist about it though. (Austin), Sunday, 20 August 2017 04:17 (six years ago) link
Yes, that Phil Hartman (spelled Hartmann at the time). America's manager was his brother John Hartmann. Phil did artwork or art direction for several America's, a bunch of Poco's, and one Firesign Theatre album.
― Hideous Lump, Sunday, 20 August 2017 04:26 (six years ago) link
but ILM doesn't seem to care about America at all.
― Bee OK, Thursday, 17 August 2017 23:43 (three days ago) Permalink
...
― rip van wanko, Sunday, 20 August 2017 06:25 (six years ago) link
i think they kind of got a bad rap because the lyrics to "horse with no name" are so terrible at times? but they were kids (late teens / early 20s) when that debut came out and you'd swear they were 30-year old laurel canyon burnouts
― reggie (qualmsley), Sunday, 20 August 2017 15:11 (six years ago) link
i feel like "Horse" is the song many fatigued guitar teachers use to teach their beginning students
― Neanderthal, Sunday, 20 August 2017 15:13 (six years ago) link
that's the subtext of "deacon blues" iirc
― reggie (qualmsley), Sunday, 20 August 2017 15:33 (six years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Monday, 21 August 2017 00:01 (six years ago) link
Can't see how "Sister Golden Hair" doesn't win this.
― When I Get To The Borad (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 21 August 2017 04:58 (six years ago) link
What songs did they rip off from CSN?
I've always heard Neil Young influence for sure. And imo America had a way more solid greatest hits album (comparing History with So Far).
― billstevejim, Monday, 21 August 2017 08:34 (six years ago) link
I'm also a fan of this video session thing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg-jf_vZTjQ
― billstevejim, Monday, 21 August 2017 08:39 (six years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Tuesday, 22 August 2017 00:01 (six years ago) link
The fuq
― Neanderthal, Tuesday, 22 August 2017 00:04 (six years ago) link
solid results imo
― yellow is the color of some raisins (Doctor Casino), Tuesday, 22 August 2017 00:08 (six years ago) link
huh always thought the dude in the video singing lead on "I Need You" was the guy who did lead vocals on the bigger songs
― constitutional crises they fly at u face (will), Tuesday, 22 August 2017 00:38 (six years ago) link
this sounds like old ilm coming back to judo new ilm
― the last famous person you were surprised to discover was actually (man alive), Tuesday, 22 August 2017 03:49 (six years ago) link
Lol
― When I Get To The Borad (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 22 August 2017 03:51 (six years ago) link
Anyone watch the whole Musik Laden performance? Pretty consistently great all the way through.
― timellison, Tuesday, 22 August 2017 05:21 (six years ago) link