America: Gerry Beckley, Dan Peek (vocals, guitar, harmonica, keyboards, bass); Dewey Bunnell (vocals, guitar). Additional personnel includes: Larry Klimas (saxophone); Jeffery Foskett (background vocals). Producers includes: Ian Samwell, America, George Martin, Russ Ballard, Bobby Colomby. Compilation producers: America, David McLees. Principally recorded between 1972 and 1983. Includes liner notes by Barry Alfonso. Digitally remastered by Dan Hersch and Bill Inglot (DigiPrep). Personnel: Dan Peek, Gerry Beckley (vocals, guitar, harmonica, keyboards, background vocals); Dewey Bunnell (vocals, guitar, background vocals); Jeffrey Foskett (vocals); Larry Klimas (saxophone). Audio Remasterers: Daniel Hersch; Bill Inglot. Liner Note Author: Barry Alfonso. Recording information: Human Nature Studios, Sherman Oaks, CA. Photographers: Greg Allen ; Henry Diltz; Hugh Brown . America defined the soft-rock sound of the '70s. They wanted to be Crosby, Stills and Nash so badly that they figured out a way to not only pull it off, but beat CSN at their own game, logging even more hit singles than their chief inspiration. THE COMPLETE GREATEST HITS, true to its title, contains all those chart-toppers, as well as some songs that may be unfamiliar to the casual listener (if you weren't paying attention at the time, it's doubtful you'd recall the band's early-'80s comeback hit "You Can do Magic," for example). While nobody's making a case for these easygoing popsters as bold innovators, even a cursory listen to this studiously compiled collection reveals a level of unassailable popcraft that places them on a par with posthumously lauded bands like Bread and the Carpenters. It's not for nothing that Beatles mentor George Martin took the boys' production reigns for a while. Though things get dicey towards the end of this chronologically arranged package, the bulk of America's '70s material is as good as commercial folk-pop gets.

• Released: 08/21/2001
• Format: CD
• Genre: Pop