America

A practical, no-frills clamshell box set celebrating the soft rock/folk-pop hitmakers' '70s heyday, the Warner Bros. Years 1971-1977 rounds up seven complete studio albums and one live LP. Comprised of America (1971), Homecoming (1972), Hat Trick (1973), Holiday (1974), Hearts (1975), Hideaway (1976), Harbor (1977), and America Live (1977), all of which were remastered in 2014, the collection is aimed squarely at completists…

Art in America begins as delicate, somewhat elegant album with a pleasing mix of harp, guitar and keyboard that slowly changes to a more arena rock sound with progressive touches that make the band sounds like Asia meets Breathe. A pretty and slightly mystic album with hints of album rock and pop, Art in America was overlooked upon its release.

The Complete Greatest Hits is an awkward title, but it's more or less accurate. Less because there are two new recordings here ("World of Light," "Paradise") at the end that couldn't qualify as hits. More because it does contain all of the group's greatest hits, from their Warner recordings from the '70s ("A Horse With No Name," "Tin Man," "Ventura Highway," "Lonely People," and "Sister Golden Hair") to their smooth recordings for Capitol in the early '80s ("You Can Do Magic," "The Border"). Not counting Rhino's superb box set, Highway, this is the first collection to do this, and it makes for an excellent listen and a great, succinct summary of their strengths.

The Presidents of the United States of America (occasionally referred to as PUSA, The Presidents or Pot USA) was an American alternative rock power trio band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1993. The three-piece group's initial line-up consisted of vocalist and bassist Chris Ballew, drummer Jason Finn, and guitarist Dave Dederer; Dederer eventually left the group and was replaced by Andrew McKeag. The band released six studio albums and was best known for its hits "Lump" and "Peaches", released in 1995 and 1996 respectively. Another well-known song was "Kitty", which helped popularize their self-titled debut album.

Formed in 1969 by Gerry Beckley (guitar, piano, vocals), Dewey Bunnell (guitar, vocals) and Dan Peek (guitar, keyboards, vocals) who were all sons of US Servicemen stationed in England. They achieved success with their debut single "A Horse With No Name" which showcased their pop rock vocal harmony style. Further appearances in the singles charts followed with "Ventura Highway" and "Tin Man" along with album hits…

Everybody know that novelty bands have a hard time growing up, but the Presidents of the United States of America made a large leap toward that during their re-formation of 2000, with Freaked Out and Small demonstrating a decrease in their stylized silliness mellowed into something more genuine. It wasn't that the band rocked less, but their humor seemed less forced, a development that continued on 2004's Love Everybody. Evolution continues to be the name of the game on their 2008 follow-up These Are the Good Times People, as the group replaces departing guitarist (and founding member) Dave Dederer with Andrew McKeag, while they bring Seattle underground mainstay Kurt Bloch in as producer, all elements that help make These Are the Good Times People perhaps their most eclectic album to date.

Originally comprised of Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell, and Dan Peek, America was one of the most successful groups of the 1970s. The band blended elements of folk and rock with distinctive three part harmonies…