Comments for America, Silent Letter

Some great cuts on this albumn, classic George Martin production(gorgeous vocal arrangements). Best cuts: All Around, Tall Treasures(almost haunting quality),1960(a very thoughtful autobiography),"All My Life"(Beautiful love song) "High in The City"(Nice blend of the two vocal styles)

I know I'm in the minority, but I think this is one of their very best albums. The disco era is the only thing I can think of to blame for its poor sales. Great stuff, and the last album on which they stuck with their totally acoustic, trademark sound. "One Morning," "High In The City," "Tall Treasures," "And Forever".....just one great song after another. I wish this and the previous few album had done better. Then maybe the band wouldn't have moved toward more of an electronic MOR style in the 80's.

I thoroughly enjoyed this album. Gerry Beckley's ballad "All My Life" is terrific as is "1960". What impressed me the most is the harmony that they added to each others songs. Most notably on "High In The City". "No Fortune" is their most "Beatlesque" collaboration with George Michael since the "Holiday" album. This record proved that the band would survive the loss of Dan Peek.

I was disappointed when I first heard this album. I must say it has grown on me over the years, but still not one of my favorites.

The album Silent Letter does Grow on you after awhile but I've always wondered about something.Why did they all of a sudden decided not to use the letter H and finally why did they start using it in the first place?

The H thing got started by accident. The second album was titled Homecoming because they returned to America their homeland to record it after recording America in England. Hat Trick was picked for their third album because a hat trick is 3 of something. Holiday was selected for the 4th album because they went on "holiday" (the British word for vacation) to England to record it with George Martin. They then decided to keep the H thing going on future albums. They abandoned it with Live because they felt it was confining. They alluded to it with Silent Letter. H is the silent letter in French and some other languages. They returned to H titles in 1994 when they released Hourglass.

I have been an AMERICA (GB) fan for almost 20 years. I have all of thier albums, but I must say, that SILENT LETTER, is my favorite album. The vocals on "All My Lfe" (all-time favorite), "All Around", and especially "1960", are outstanding!!. If you are a new fan, I defintely recommend purchasing this album. Long Live AMERICA!!

This America album sounds different than any other one--it's also my favorite. The harmonies are just perfect. I "loaned" this album to a girlfriend 15 years ago, and haven't been able to find it again until a few months ago. I'm not letting go of this one!! It's perfection in my mind.

some of the best music ive heard in twenty years all my life and 1960 are songs icould listen to forever great talent isnt always appreciated

In that it was their first LP for Capitol,after the inevitable estrangement from warner Bros., I had hoped for a sort of "new beginning" flavor to this one. I hoped Gerry B. and Dewey would ditch the production gloss and gauzy harmonies in favor of a more organic sound, something on the order of "Homecoming" or "Hat Trick." That probably accounts for my disappointment with it. All these years later, I have a better appreciation for "Silent Letter" and its subtle charms. Despite myself, I can't help but Like "1960." Beckley still has a tendency to get dangerously cloying, but somehow he gets away with it on this song. I find it poignant. "Tall Treasures" sounds to me like mid-period Dan Fogelberg - it wouldn't sound out of place on "The Innocent Age" or "Netherlands" by Mr. Fogelberg. "One Morning" still hits me like a fresh breeze and "No Fortune" is a good tune as well. "All My Life" is a song that my wife loves but it's a smidge too cuddly for my liking. Looking back, "Silent Letter" deserved better treatment in the market, but it does seem to lack a certain ingredient that was present in their earlier records. Some of the arrangements - "High in the City" for example - seem needless ornate and complex. And while the production is gorgeous, it veers toward slickness at times and the whole thing sounds rather chilly and fussily recorded.That said, you wouldn't want to be without "1960," "One Morning" and "Tall Treasures." Let's face it, if you believe in these guys' music you're going to want this record because it completes a whole picture. We've all gone through phases in our lives and wouldn't necessarily want to be painted into a corner by being only identified with one of those phases. I tend to think of this as a rather fallow period in America history overall, but I blame the record-buying public and the smugness of the so-called critics more than I do the group. They were following their artistic muse at this point, which had taken them into an exploration of complex harmonies and arrangements, as well as layers of tracks. It's not their best, but it still stands as an entertaining listen and far more enduring than a lot of the pablum that was foisted on us by record companies at that bleak time in pop music.

I love this album! "All My Life" is my favorite song, but the others are also wonderful. They never cease to amaze me with their talent.

Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley’s first studio album as a duo and last collaboration with George Martin. The production is outstanding, but the songs are a bit uneven. It produced three minor hits in 1979, Only Game In Town, All Around, and All My Life. Best songs are And Forever, Foolin’, and One Morning. Some songs feature the Tower Of Power horn section. Overall, too me it sounded like they were trying too hard on this one. Perhaps they were uneasy about being with a new label and not yet comfortable without Dan Peek.

First studio album for Capitol and without Dan Peek. Lastcollaboration with George Martin.