Dated today with what sounds like a harpsichord but probably an ARP Beckley performs this solo & sincerely.
The ‘74 demo for Beckley’s “Mandy,” is thin but a beautiful song. America is one long melodic groove.Īmerica: Gerry Beckley (lead vocals/acoustic), Dewey Bunnell (lead vocal/acoustic guitar) & Dan Peek (lead vocal/electric guitar) – assembled in 1970. It’s what made Grateful Dead jams interesting – especially when they got into a melodic groove. The rare instrumental ’71 acoustic guitar jam “Jameroony,” is 13-minutes of ideas that unfold as multiple other songs that were never written. It features Hal Blaine on drums, & Joe Osborne (bass). Recorded at LA’s Record Plant “Cornwall Blank (2),” sounds delicious if you’re an early America fan. But gradually “Ventura Highway,” & “Sister Golden Hair,” proved this band was original & similarities coincidental. I recall America’s “A Horse With No Name,” “Sandman,” & “Tin Man,” & was convinced it was great new music from Neil Young. This 13-track LP America – Heritage II – Demos/Alternative Takes 1971-1976 (Omnivore Records – vinyl drops 4/18 & CD 4/24). Martin produced 7 LPs for The British-American band America (2 Yanks & 1 Brit - formed in London). This release picks up where the first volume left off & focuses on Sir George Martin’s (The Beatles) era. Several demos here are recorded so well they sound like finished pieces. Feedspot Names ClassicRockBob.America – Heritage II – Demos/Alternative Takes 1971-1976 – Omnivore Records.“See, I’m overthinking all of this again!” he laughs. Now, it takes on more of a feel of isolation and contemplating-your-navel-type stuff. “It also used to be more about the sights and sounds and physical aspect of the desert that I loved. “The lyric-writing and imagery takes on new meaning,” he continues. “It has changed for me as I’ve gotten older,” he says. What has changed, he says, is his relationship with the song and its meaning, as the “Horse” was originally a metaphor for a vehicle to get away from life’s confusion into a quiet, peaceful place. And that didn’t go down so well with promoters or fans!” Bunnell laughs. When we were young and arrogant and we thought the song was ‘over,’ we took it out of the set. “I can honestly say that I’ve never gotten sick of it. The original trio: Gerry Beckley, Dan Peek, and Dewey Bunnellįor Bunnell, who wrote and sang lead on “Horse,” the band’s most identifiable tune is one he’s still happy to perform. While Peek left the group in 1977 to concentrate on Christian music (he died in 2011), Beckley, Bunnell, and a three-man group are still on the road. Formed by three sons of American military personnel who were barely out of their teens - Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek - the band would go on to have many other Mellow Gold hits including “I Need You,” “Ventura Highway, “Tin Man,” “Sandman,” “Sister Golden Hair” and “Lonely People.” These questions, and many others, will probably never be answered about “A Horse with No Name,” a No.
#DAN PEEK INTERVIEW FREE#
Why does the Horse have no name? Why can no one in the desert remember your name? And why the hell does the narrator let the horse run free after nine days? If the desert has turned to sea, shouldn’t he have traded the horse for raft, or at least a life vest? It is one of the ’70s’ most analyzed - sometimes in jest - songs. Read Part 1 and Part 2 of my piece in their entirety. Below is an excerpt from my interview with Dewey Bunnell of America, which originally appeared in The Houston Press.
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