America: America (Rhino Reserve series, Start Your Ear Off Right 2026) [RHINO]

Why you'll love it

Matthew Lutthans cut this Rhino Reserve edition at The Mastering Lab straight from the original analog tapes, on 180g vinyl. The album spent five weeks at No. 1 in the US, "A Horse with No Name" topped the singles chart for three weeks, and it went platinum.

This edition

• Rhino Reserve series
• 180g vinyl
• Cut from the original analog master tapes
• Start Your Ear Off Right 2026
• Stereo mix

About the album

Three young guys with acoustic guitars and close harmonies don't usually sound like a revolution, and that was rather the point. Dewey Bunnell, Gerry Beckley and Dan Peek made a debut so easygoing it barely seemed to try, and early copies didn't even carry the song that made them famous; "A Horse with No Name" was added once it became a worldwide hit in January 1972.

Ian Samwell produced, Ken Scott engineered, and the sound is all six and twelve-string guitars stacked into a warm shimmer. "I Need You" gave them a second Top 10 single, while "Sandman" and "Three Roses" picked up plenty of FM airplay. David Lindley adds electric guitar to "Children" and steel to "Rainy Day," and Ray Cooper handles percussion. All three members sing and swap guitars throughout, and Peek even covers bass on the big hit, with Kim Haworth on drums.

AllMusic called it a folk-pop classic, and it still sounds like a long drive with the windows down. More than fifty years on, the horse remains unnamed, and at this point it would feel a bit rude to start.

Also at Kops: more America on vinyl · browse Rock

Tracklist

Listen

On Warner / Rhino (cat# RES1 2576), a reissue of the 1972 album.