Hat Trick (America album)

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Hat Trick
AmericaHatTrick.jpg
Studio album by
America
ReleasedOctober 19, 1973
Recorded29 May – 12 July 1973
StudioThe Record Plant, Los Angeles
GenreFolk rock
Length41:39
LabelWarner Bros. 2728[1]
ProducerGerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell, Dan Peek
America chronology
Homecoming
(1972) 		Hat Trick
(1973) 		Holiday
(1974)
Singles from Hat Trick
  1. "Muskrat Love"/"Cornwall Blank"
    Released: June 28, 1973
  2. "Rainbow Song"/"Willow Tree Lullaby"
    Released: November 1973
  3. "Green Monkey"/"She's Gonna Let You Down"
    Released: March 1974

Hat Trick is the third studio album by the American folk rock trio America, released on Warner Bros. Records in 1973.[2] It peaked at number 28 on the Billboard album chart; it failed to go gold, whereas the group's first two releases had platinum sales. The album produced the single, "Muskrat Love", which reached number 67 on the Billboard singles chart and number 11 on the adult contemporary chart. That song would become a much bigger hit for Captain & Tennille three years later.

Production[]

America employed string arrangements for the first time on an album, with the assistance of Jim Ed Norman.[3]

Reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic2/5 stars[4]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music2/5 stars[5]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide2/5 stars[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide1/5 stars[7]

In his AllMusic review, Mike DeGagne wrote that the album faltered "mainly because the songs lacked the cordial folk-rock melodies and mindful songwriting that prevailed on the earlier releases. "She's Gonna Let You Down" and "Rainbow Song" are the album's best cuts, but banal offerings such as "Green Monkey", "Willow Tree Lullaby", and "Molten Love" have Bunnell and Peek straying off course, sounding stale and musically feeble."[4] The Rough Guide to Rock called Hat Trick "one of country-rock's great lost albums."[8] The Rolling Stone Album Guide deemed "Muskrat Love" "an early nadir in cuteness."[7]

Track listing[]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Muskrat Love"Willis Alan Ramsey3:06
2."Wind Wave"Dewey Bunnell2:55
3."She's Gonna Let You Down"Gerry Beckley3:41
4."Rainbow Song"Bunnell3:53
5."Submarine Ladies"Beckley3:13
6."It's Life"Dan Peek4:00
7."Hat Trick"Beckley, Bunnell, Peek8:29
8."Molten Love"Bunnell3:10
9."Green Monkey"Bunnell3:38
10."Willow Tree Lullaby"Peek2:34
11."Goodbye"Beckley3:10

Personnel[]

Performance[]

America

with:

Production[]

Chart positions[]

Album

Year Chart Position
1973 US 28[9]
AUS 24
UK 41

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1973 "Muskrat Love" US[10] 67
US AC 11
Cash Box 33
"Rainbow Song" Cash Box[11] 102

References[]

  1. ^ "Top Album Picks". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. November 10, 1973 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ "America | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Warne, Jude (May 15, 2020). America, the Band: An Authorized Biography. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781538120965 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b DeGagne, Mike. "Hat Trick > Review". AllMusic. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  5. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Volume 1: MUZE. p. 157.CS1 maint: location (link)
  6. ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 25.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 14.
  8. ^ Buckley, Peter (February 18, 2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. ISBN 9781843531050 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ America – America > Charts & Awards > Billboard Album at AllMusic. Retrieved 3 April 2008.
  10. ^ "America : Allmusic : Billboard Singles". AllMusic. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  11. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2015). The Comparison Book Billboard/Cash Box/Record World 1954-1982. Sheridan Books. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-89820-213-7.
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