Remembering When America and George Martin Began a Long Partnership With a Hit-Laden Album in 1974

It was not a match that you might have predicted based on their previous work. George Martin was known for his ornate, ambitious Beatles productions. And America tended towards a folky, organic approach.

But the band and producer cultivated a long-running collaboration throughout the 70s. They certainly hit the ground running with the hit-filled Holiday album in 1974.

Asking for the Best

Considering the success that they’d enjoyed on their first two albums, you wouldn’t have predicted that America would need to change things up. Those two LPs contained three Top 10 hits and put the band on top of the heap when it came to 70s-style folk rock.

But their third album, Hat Trick, got away from them a little bit. The band was acting as their own producers at the time. But they lacked the wherewithal in that department to keep the recording process under control. Sessions for the album dragged. Costs skyrocketed. When it arrived, Hat Trick lacked the defining singles of its predecessors.

America’s record company suggested that they bring in an outside producer. They figured that they’d shoot for the moon with their first choice. The band asked if they could have a meeting with none other than George Martin, whose previous steady client was a little band called The Beatles.

By George

After the announcement of The Beatles’ breakup in 1970, George Martin mostly laid low for a couple of years. He handled a couple of production assignments, including helping Paul McCartney on the James Bond theme “Live And Let Die”. But he certainly didn’t take on any steady gigs.

He accepted the meeting with America. And, much like what had happened when he met The Beatles, he immediately took a liking to them as individuals. Martin agreed to produce the next America album, but he had conditions.

He insisted that the band record the album in London at his AIR Studios. Martin also warned the band that he wouldn’t be taking months to make the album, as the band had done on Hat Trick. The producer gave the band a one-month time limit for recording. As a result, Dewey Bunnell, Gerry Beckley, and Dan Peek, the three main singers and songwriters for America, came in prepared with their songs well-rehearsed.

Start of Something Big

George Martin brought out the pop edge in America. He emphasized their melodic strengths with subtle orchestration and a greater reliance on keyboards to drive the rhythms instead of acoustic guitars. The band also rose to the occasion with a sterling set of songs.

The chart results were immediate. Holiday delivered two Top 5 hits. Bunnell’s “Tin Man” offers an atmospheric, rambling tale. Meanwhile, Peek’s “Lonely People”, ironically enough, was fashioned as a kind of answer song to “Eleanor Rigby”, produced by Martin for The Beatles.

Not only was the album a smash, but it also solidified the relationship between George Martin and America. He’d go on to produce all of their remaining albums in the 70s, forging his steadiest relationship with an act since he shepherded The Beatles to their massive success.

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