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 George Martin, the first of six consecutive albums he produced with America.
| Holiday | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 26, 1974 | |||
| Recorded | AIR, London | |||
| Studio | April 17 – May 7, 1974 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 33:21 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | George Martin | |||
| America chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Holiday | ||||
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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", which 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.
History
editBand member Dewey Bunnell was thrilled at the prospect of working with George 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."[2] 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."[3]
Holiday was the recording debut of America's longtime drummer Willie Leacox, who is in the car in the cover photo.
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [4] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [5] |
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."[4]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Miniature" | Gerry Beckley | 1:12 |
| 2. | "Tin Man" | Dewey Bunnell | 3:27 |
| 3. | "Another Try" | Beckley | 3:16 |
| 4. | "Lonely People" | Dan Peek, Catherine Peek | 2:27 |
| 5. | "Glad to See You" | D. Peek | 3:42 |
| 6. | "Mad Dog" | Beckley | 2:39 |
| 7. | "Hollywood" | Bunnell | 2:49 |
| 8. | "Baby It's Up to You" | Beckley | 2:24 |
| 9. | "You" | D. Peek | 2:25 |
| 10. | "Old Man Took" | Bunnell | 3:10 |
| 11. | "What Does It Matter" | Beckley | 2:18 |
| 12. | "In the Country" | D. Peek | 2:58 |
Personnel
edit- America
- Dewey Bunnell – vocals, guitars
- Gerry Beckley – vocals, guitars, keyboards, bass
- Dan Peek – vocals, bass, guitars, keyboards
with:
- Willie Leacox – drums, percussion
- Technical
- George Martin – producer, arranger, keyboards
- Geoff Emerick – engineering
- Peter Henderson – tape operator
- Gary Burden – art direction
Charts
edit| Chart (1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[6] | 25 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[7] | 3 |
| US Billboard 200[8] | 3 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[9] | Silver | 60,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[10] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ "Great Rock Discography". p. 16.
- ^ Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications), page 147.
- ^ Lonely People Songfacts
- ^ a b DeGagne, Mike. "Holiday > Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
- ^ Cross, Charles R. (2004). "America". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 16. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 3886a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ "America Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- ^ "British album certifications – America – Holiday". British Phonographic Industry.
- ^ "American album certifications – America – Holiday". Recording Industry Association of America.
