THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Digitized from the original vinyl, released in 1968 on Columbia Records.
Format: Mp3
Bit Rate: 320 kbps
ALBUM INFO:
Produced By: David Rubinson
Engineers: David Diller, Glen Kolotkin, Authur Kendy
TRACK LISTING:
The American Metaphysical Circus
Hard Coming Love
Cloud Song
The Garden Of Earthly Delights
I Wouldn't Leave My Wooden Wife For You, Sugar
Where Is Yesterday
Coming Down
Love Song For The Dead Che
Stranded In Time
The American Way Of Love
THE PLAYERS:
Joesph Byrd - Vocals, Keyboards
Dorothy Moskowitz - Vocals
Gordon Marron - Violin, Ring Modulator
Rand Forbes - Bass
Craig Woodson - Drums, Percussion
WEBSITE(S):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_United_States_of_America_(band)
http://www.terrascope.co.uk/MyBackPages/United%20States%20of%20America.pdf
http://www.cloudsandclocks.net/interviews/Byrd_interview.html
http://www.richieunterberger.com/united.html

REVIEW:
This is THE Underground classic of the 60's., August 20, 2004
By rash67 (USA) - (Amazon Customer Review)
This review is from: The United States of America (Audio CD) This is THE Underground classic of the 60's. The United States of America was, along with the Doors and Jimi Hendrix, one of the most played "alternative" rock albums when alternative rock meant something. After the 60's, some of these albums made it into the classic pantheon, others, just as good, like USA, are obscure. In 1968, 99% of the rock stations refused to play this because it was too good, too topical, too loud, too literate, too weird and, well, too psychedelic. Only low power college stations would dare to played it and boy, did they ever! Over and over all night! Dorothy Moskowitz had (has?) a voice with the beauty and power of the Jefferson Airplane's Grace Slick. Dorothy, it's good to hear from you. You were great, Dorothy, why did you stop?

USA, with their synthesizer and distortion violin and without lead guitar goes where no album had gone before and few since. The first rock album to make extensive use of synthesizer as a lead instrument. This was the first and as far as I know the ONLY rock album ever released on the prestigeous classical Columbia Masterworks label. Commander America said, "The US of A was...the most successful attempt to simulate the mental and bodily sensations of certain popular intoxicants of the Sixties". To be appreciated it MUST BE HEARD THROUGH HEADPHONES. "Hard Coming Love" hops around your head like a rattlesnake on a skillet in an attempt to simulate an orgasm between your ears! Full of musical and literary references, Byrd often sounds like late Charles Ives repeatedly quoting "Columbia the Gem of the Ocean". "Steppenwolf" (the book by Hesse, not the band) "the cost of one admission is your mind". "Winnie the Pooh". The visions of Hironymous Bosch's, "Garden of Earthly Delight" where Bryd descibes what he sees inside his girlfriends eyes. "Song for Dead Che" a beautiful ballad, "Agnus Dei" which compares the aftermath of love and memory to a nuclear blast "shadows on the pavement but no bodies do you find". "Coming Down". Don't be scared by Byrd's lead-off vehement anti-war diatribe about the military industrial complex, the "American Metaphysical Circus". I still can't listen to American Metaphysical Circus without a feeling of fear and loathing. From beginning to end a lost classic of the sixties.

Alternately lyrical, thought provoking, excessive, paranoid, beautiful, raucous, US of A is a classic with a short half-life which repeatedly appears and disappears from the marketplace. This is the real sixties, not the "Peace and Love - Flower Power" you usually hear about. USofA was a statment against all that was violent, trivial and puerile in America. There was a war on. Students hated this war and the draft with a anger 1000% higher than war opposition today. Kids were being drafted and sent to die in a war they violently opposed. In the midst of this war, blacks were rioting everywhere. It was a violent angry, dangerous, time. The DC, Detriot, Chicago, Watts were in flames. People were dying everywhere.

Today the 60's were viewed as flower-power and silly clothes and drugs, but in reality, these were escapist reactions to the ongoing madness over which they had little control. This album was definitely NOT viewed as a gimmick. It was the leading edge. The avant garde. Synthesizers were brand new inventions, there were only 3 very obscure Pop albums on the market that used them (Gershon Kingsly), no rock bands. This was the direction not taken in music because no one else had the wits and talent to pull it off. And no other record company had the guts to release it. get it while you can. five stars, my highest rating. a classic.

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