America (America album)

America is the debut studio album by America, released in January 1972. It was initially released without "A Horse with No Name", which was released as a single in Europe in late 1971 and in the US in January 1972. When "A Horse with No Name" became a worldwide hit in early 1972, the album was re-released with that track.

America
Studio album by America
Released	January 1972[1]
Recorded	1971
Studio	Trident, London Morgan, London
Genre	Folk rock[2] folk-pop[3]
Length	46:14
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	Ian Samwell Jeff Dexter
America chronology
America (1972) Homecoming (1972)
Singles from America
"A Horse with No Name" Released: 12 November 1971 (UK)[1] (standalone, added in re-release) "I Need You" Released: 26 April 1972 (US)

The album went to the top of Billboard's album chart in the United States and stayed there for five weeks.^[4] It produced two hit singles, with "A Horse with No Name" which spent three weeks on top of the Billboard singles chart in 1972, and "I Need You" hit the ninth position on the Billboard singles chart.^[5] Several other songs received radio airplay on FM stations, including "Sandman" and "Three Roses". The album was certified platinum by the RIAA for sales in excess of one million units in the United States.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[6]

In his AllMusic review, music critic David Cleary called the band's debut album a "folk-pop classic" and concluded, "In spite of its flaws, this platter is very highly recommended."^[3]

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Riverside"	Dewey Bunnell	3:03
2.	"Sandman"	Bunnell	5:08
3.	"Three Roses"	Bunnell	3:54
4.	"Children"	Bunnell	3:07
5.	"A Horse with No Name" (bonus track on 1972 reissue and included on all subsequent reissues)	Bunnell	4:10
6.	"Here"	Gerry Beckley	5:30

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"I Need You"	Beckley	3:05
2.	"Rainy Day"	Dan Peek	2:55
3.	"Never Found the Time"	Peek	3:50
4.	"Clarice"	Beckley	4:01
5.	"Donkey Jaw"	Peek	5:17
6.	"Pigeon Song"	Bunnell	2:18

Personnel

Credits are per back cover of 1972 vinyl issue.^[7]

America

• Dewey Bunnell – lead and backing vocals, 6-string acoustic guitar (except on "Here" and "Never Found the Time")
• Gerry Beckley – bass (except on "Three Roses" and "A Horse with No Name"), 6 and 12-string acoustic guitars (except on "Sandman", "I Need You" and "Pigeon Song"), lead and backing vocals (except on "Pigeon Song"), electric guitar and chimes on "Clarice", piano on "I Need You" and "Clarice"
• Dan Peek – 6 and 12-string acoustic guitars (except on "A Horse with No Name", "I Need You", "Clarice" and "Pigeon Song"), lead and backing vocals (except on "Pigeon Song"), electric guitar (on "Sandman", "Donkey Jaw" and "I Need You"), piano on "Never Found the Time", bass on "A Horse with No Name" and "Three Roses"

with:

• Ray Cooper – percussion
• Dave Atwood – drums on "Sandman", "Here", "I Need You" and "Donkey Jaw"
• Kim Haworth – drums on "A Horse with No Name"
• David Lindley – electric guitar on "Children", steel guitar on "Rainy Day"

Technical

• Ian Samwell – producer
• Jeff Dexter – executive producer
• Ken Scott – engineering
• Nigel Waymouth – cover photos and design
• Flash Fox – logo and graphics

Charts

Chart (1971–1972)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[8]	3
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[9]	1
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[10]	9
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[11]	22
Spain (AFYVE)[12]	6
UK Albums (OCC)[13]	14
US Billboard 200[14]	1

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[15]	Platinum	100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[16]	Gold	100,000^
United States (RIAA)[17]	Platinum	1,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Great Rock Discography". p. 16.
2. Nixon, Neil (2003). "America". In Buckley, Peter (ed.). The Rough Guide to Rock (3rd ed.). London: Rough Guides. p. 24. ISBN 978-1-84353-105-0.
3. Cleary, David. America > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
4. America – America > Charts & Awards > Billboard Album at AllMusic. Retrieved 3 April 2008.
5. America – America > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles at AllMusic. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
6. Cross, Charles R. (2004). "America". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 16. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
7. America. America (Media notes). Warner Bros. Records. Back cover. LC-0392.
8. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
9. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 7711". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
10. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
11. "Norwegiancharts.com – America – America". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
12. Salaverri, Fernando (2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
13. "America | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
14. "America Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
15. "Canadian album certifications – America – America". Music Canada.
16. "great britain's million sellers, 1972-73" (PDF). Cash Box. 6 July 1974. p. 8, Part II. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
17. "American album certifications – America – America". Recording Industry Association of America.