The United States of America (album)
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| The United States of America | ||
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| Studio album by The United States of America | ||
| Released | March 6, 1968 | |
| Recorded | December 7 to 23, 1967 | |
| Genre | Experimental Rock Pop Psychedelic |
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| Length | 37:07 | |
| Label |  Columbia Sundazed Edsel |
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| Producer(s) | David Rubinson | |
| Professional reviews | ||
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Original Release Sundazed Reissue
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| The United States of America chronology | ||
| The United States of America (1968) |
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The United States of America is a 1968 album by The United States of America. It was originally packaged in a brown envelope with "The United States of America" stamped on the front; this envelope is pictured on the back of the CD booklet on the Sundazed rerelease. Although it was a critical success and stayed on the bottom of the Billboard charts for two months, the band broke up due to interband tension soon after its release.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
- "The American Metaphysical Circus" (Joseph Byrd) – 4:56
- "Hard Coming Love" (Byrd, Dorothy Moskowitz) – 4:41
- "Cloud Song" (Byrd, Moskowitz) – 3:18
- "The Garden of Earthly Delights" (Byrd, Moskowitz) – 2:39
- "I Won't Leave My Wooden Wife for You, Sugar" (Byrd, Moskowitz) – 3:51
- "Where Is Yesterday" (Gordon Marron, Ed Bogas, Moskowitz) – 3:08
- "Coming Down" (Byrd, Moskowitz) – 2:37
- "Love Song for the Dead Ché" (Byrd) – 3:25
- "Stranded in Time" (Marron, Bogas) – 1:49
- "The American Way of Love" (Byrd) – 6:38
- -Metaphor for an Older Man (Byrd)
- -California Good time Music (Byrd)
- -Love Is All (Byrd, Moskowitz, Rand Forbes, Craig Woodson, Marron)
[edit] 1992 reissue
The album was reissued by Columbia Records on CD in 1992 with two bonus tracks.
- "Osamu's Birthday" (Byrd) – 2:59
- "No Love to Give" (Moskowitz) – 2:36
[edit] 2004 reissue
The album was remastered and reissued on Sundazed Records in 2004 with ten bonus tracks.
The songs "Perry Pier", "Tailor man" and "Do You Follow Me" feature an entirely different band with only Dorothy Moskowitz remaining as a member from the original lineup. This marked an attempt at a less experimental, "L.A. rock" sound that rejected the intellectual experimentalism of their earlier work.
The last three are from their original demo tape sent to Columbia Records and features a slightly different lineup from the final album.
The vinyl re-issue doesn't include the bonus tracks.
[edit] Bonus tracks
- "Osamu's Birthday" (Byrd) – 2:59
- "No Love to Give" (Moskowitz) – 2:36
- "I Won't Leave My Wooden Wife for You, Sugar" (alternate version) (Byrd, Moskowitz) – 3:45
- "You Can Never Come Down" (Byrd) – 2:32
- "Perry Pier" (Moskowitz) – 2:37
- "Tailor Man" (Moskowitz) – 3:06
- "Do You Follow Me" (Kenneth Edwards) – 2:34
- "The American Metaphysical Circus" (demo version) (Byrd) – 4:01
- "Mouse (The Garden of Earthly Delights)" (demo version) (Byrd, Moskowitz) – 2:39
- "Heresy (Coming Down)" (demo version) (Byrd, Moskowitz) – 2:32
[edit] Personnel
[edit] The Band
- Joseph Byrd - Electronic Music, Electric Harpischord, Organ, Calliope, Piano
- Dorothy Moskowitz - Lead Singer
- Gordon Marron - Electric Violin, Ring Modulator
- Rand Forbes - Electric Bass
- Craig Woodson - Electric Drums, Percussion
[edit] Additional musicians
- Ed Bogas - Occasional Organ, Piano, Calliope
[edit] Technical staff
- Glen Kolotkin, Arthur Kendy – remixer
- Richard Durrett – instrument design engineer
- David Diller – engineer
[edit] Charts
[edit] Billboard 200
| Year | Chart | Peak Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Pop Albums | #181 |
[edit] Miscellanea
- On the album, "Cloud Song" is labeled to be inspired by Pooh and "California Good-time Music" is said to be inspired by Tom Nolan.
- "Love Song For The Dead Ché" was covered in 1993 by the band Northern Picture Library and released as a single.
- "You Can Never Come Down" is a demo of a track that eventually appeared in a much different version on The American Metaphysical Circus as "You Can't Ever Come Down".
