Holiday (America album)

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Holiday
Holiday album cover.jpg
Studio album by
America
ReleasedJune 26, 1974
RecordedAIR Studios, London
StudioApril 17 to May 7, 1974
Genre
Length33:21
LabelWarner Bros. 2808
ProducerGeorge Martin
America chronology
Hat Trick
(1973) 		Holiday
(1974) 		Hearts
(1975)
Singles from Holiday
  1. "Tin Man"/"In the Country"
    Released: July 10, 1974
  2. "Lonely People"/"Mad Dog"
    Released: November 27, 1974

Holiday is the fourth studio album by the American folk rock band America, released on the Warner Bros. Records label in June 1974. The album was produced in London by noted record producer George Martin.

The album was a big hit in the US, reaching number 3 on the Billboard album chart and being certified gold by the RIAA. It produced two hit singles: "Tin Man" reached number 4 on the Billboard singles chart and went to number 1 on the adult contemporary chart; and "Lonely People" which peaked at number 5 on the Billboard singles chart and also hit number 1 on the adult contemporary chart. Several other songs received radio airplay on FM stations playing album tracks, including "Baby It's Up To You" and "Another Try". The album was also released on Quadrophonic reel-to-reel tape for 4-channel enthusiasts.

History[]

Band member Dewey Bunnell was thrilled at the prospect of working with Martin as producer. He was quoted as saying that it "was great working with George. It was like we knew each other. We were familiar with the Beatles, of course, and we had that British sense of humor."[1] In a separate interview, Dan Peek recalled to Circus magazine: "Gerry (Beckley) had been in England, and we'd talked about using George Martin as our producer. He's such a hot arranger, thinking about all the stuff he's done. There were several other people we wanted to use, but that idea sort of flashed and George was available."[2]

It was the recording debut of America's longtime drummer Willie Leacox, who is in the car in the cover photo.

Reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic3.5/5 stars[3]

In his Allmusic review music critic Mike DeGagne noted the effect of George Martin's production on the album as well as the rebound from the failure of Hat Trick, writing "this album as a whole ascertained that the group was definitely showing their true potential once more."[3]

Track listing[]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Miniature"Gerry Beckley1:12
2."Tin Man"Dewey Bunnell3:27
3."Another Try"Beckley3:16
4."Lonely People"Dan Peek, Catherine Peek2:27
5."Glad to See You"D. Peek3:42
6."Mad Dog"Beckley2:39
7."Hollywood"Bunnell2:49
8."Baby It's Up to You"Beckley2:24
9."You"D. Peek2:25
10."Old Man Took"Bunnell3:10
11."What Does It Matter"Beckley2:18
12."In the Country"D. Peek2:58

Personnel[]

America
  • Dewey Bunnell - vocals, guitars
  • Gerry Beckley - vocals, guitars, keyboards, bass
  • Dan Peek - vocals, bass, guitars, keyboards

with:

  • Willie Leacox - drums, percussion
Technical

Chart positions[]

Album

Year Chart Position
1974 US 3[4]
AUS 25

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1974 "Tin Man" US[5] 4
US AC 1
AUS 46
"Lonely People" US 5
US AC 1
AUS 43

References[]

  1. ^ Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications), page 147.
  2. ^ Lonely People Songfacts
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b DeGagne, Mike. "Holiday > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  4. ^ America – America > Charts & Awards > Billboard Album at AllMusic. Retrieved 3 April 2008.
  5. ^ "America : Allmusic : Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
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