Archives: August 2003

.....water!!! David, David, David!!! What a gentleman he is. And Maggie...she's a sweetie!

Who should I find on page 4A of today's Rochester Democrat & Chronicle? GERRY & DEWEY!!! I'm so psyched. In an ad that took up nearly a quarter page, Seneca Niagara Casino listed their upcoming entertainment attractions. Dominating the ad with one inch high font and their usual press photo, there were my guys. I must give credit where credit is due, Jeff found it. Nice of him to point it out to me though. I guess I'll keep him after all!! My tickets are on their way to me as we speaketh. See you guys in a few weeks. I know it's a bit of a long time, but try to hold yourselves together until then. The time will pass quickly. You'll see. Until then....

Do they park according to color of vehicle there? LOL thanks Gerry

Click here to see the view from Gerry's hotel window in Oklahoma City. Gerry also sent a bonus shot that you can see by clicking here.

Loo, go to Message #29165 on this Chat Folder for a link to the live version of "Norman". It will only be available for another week or so.

Alan, I've never seen Poco in concert but I do have their "Running Horse" CD. It's the only Poco CD that I own and it's great! I'm sure you'll want to get it.

I know there are many Poco fans on this folder because I have read quite a few Poco-relared posts. I just wanted to share my excitement as I heard on the radio today that they are playing a free concert at Harborfest in Rockland Maine on Sept. 13th. I have always been a big fan but never had the opportunity to see them live.

Has anyone here seen them live? I understand they put on a great show (at least the original band did). I have all of their albums except the latest "Running Horse" and I know they have had a lot of personnel changes over the years. In fact, Rusty Youg is the only member that has been with them start to finish. From their web site, it looks as though orginal drummer George Grantham has rejoined, and long-time member Paul Cotton is still with them. It should be a pretty good show (at least for free, I'm sure to get my money's worth LOL), although I would have loved to see them back when Richie Furay and Timothy B. Schmidt were still with the band. In fact, I almost did get to see the REAL original band (w/ bassist Randy Meisner who left the band in the making of their first album and ended up being listed as an "extra" musician), as they toured w/ Richard Marx the year the original line-up reunited for the "Legacy" album (probably because Marx produced the album). They were scheduled to come to the Augusta Civic Center - less than an hour from my home. Unfortunately, the show was cancelled (never found out why). Needless to say, I have been waiting a long time time to see them and had all but given up on it ever happening. But now, unless I get hit by the proverbial bus between now and Sept. 13th, I am going to finally realize my dream!

Incidentally, I think it is ironic that Schmidt went on to replace Meisner once again in The Eagles!

Besides sharing my excitement, I am looking for some feedback. Has anyone here seen Poco recently? How about ever? If recently, are they mostly promoting their latest album, or are they doing quite a few of the older tunes? Does anyone have "Running Horse"? If so, is it good?

Thanks for tolerating my lengthy OT post. Perhaps if I posted more often, I wouldn't have to ramble on so much each time!

Alan

Lucky you!

Hello there! I just inquired about the song "Norman" here, in the chat folder, a few days ago. Is this live version available here on the site? I have looked, but I cannot seem to find it. I LOVE that song! Thanks! Loo

Steve,
thank you SOOO MUUCH for this MP3 version of Norman live. It was great ot get to hear it at last.
Robyn, that probably brought along a lot of memories of the past... :-)
Gen.

<<I meant to mention to Gen that it was great that you were listening to "Sunday Sun" by Beck. (...)He is a great acoustic guitarist too, and it is nice when his songs feature his folk-rock acoustic playing in a very stripped-down setting(...)The album Sea Change is filled with songs like this (...)I would recommend it.>>
Oh yes, Rob. I have to fully agree with you. Beck is a 'complete' very talented artist. I bought this album at the end of last year and it regularly makes it to my player. Simple (poetic) lyrics with recurrent images... like the way the songs echo one another all through the album. I have a preference for those tracks with a sentimental feel to them (voice effects & violins) like Sunday Sun (my fave) & Lonesome Tears. But I also enjoy the folk-rock acoustic sounds in songs like (Baby i'm a) Lost Cause and some others... Actually, one of the (not so numerous) cds I can listen to non-stop for several hours...

Well, 2 days to go, and I can hardly wait. Jordan (my daughter) has been bugging me all week as to when she gets to pack for the concert. She has selected what outfit she wants to wear and has her Definitive cd with a sharpie ready to go to in hopes of an autograph. She may be nearly excited as I am!!!

Nancy - have you heard from Whit? I haven't seen a post from him in awhile so I'm not sure if he is going to make it or not.

I'll post full account when we get back.

Ya'll have a great (and safe) Labor day weekend!
Kim

Thanks Steve for posting this mp3. I was glad for the opportunity to hear this obscure America song. My reaction to it is that it seems like a very weird song, what a weird topic for Gerry to choose, and yet it sounds like a really nice song, the melody is pleasant. It kinda reminds me of "God of the Sun" a little, it has that sorta urban-production-polish-meets-folk-pop sound to it that Gerry Beckley does best. I hope that makes sense to everyone, I'm reading my statement again and wondering if it will make sense to everyone. Thanks again Steve, even though the sonic quality isnt very good. I was glad just to get to hear it. The harmonies sound really good on this one too. It wouldve been cool if they put it on the Alibi album, which has only ten tracks, I believe, and it could have had room for another track. But I guess they just chose to keep that song on the back burner.
By the way, I meant to mention to Gen that it was great that you were listening to "Sunday Sun" by Beck. I am a big fan of that guy, and he is definitely one of the really talented young songwriters on the music scene today. He is a great acoustic guitarist too, and it is nice when his songs feature his folk-rock acoustic playing in a very stripped-down setting. The album Sea Change is filled with songs like this, and it came out in 2002. I would recommend it.
Hope everyone enjoys their Friday. I'm about to go to work, but after that I can start my weekend.

-Rob

Hi everyone - hope you all remember me - I read the boards everyday since I do work at home and it really brightens my day! Nancy, keep those posts coming, you crack me up! Maybe someday I will remember it is a Wednesday and join you guys on the live chat - I keep forgetting! We are going to the oyster festival next Saturday, whatever that is! Have to say I've never been to one - but looking forward to seeing the guys again! The last 2 shows were unbelievable for me as you remember my posts - And yes, my hand is up - I Need You should definitely be recorded. Talk to you all soon! Linda

Re Warren Rhino put out a fine compilation "Genius" recently. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a sampling of his music over the years. The cd he struggled to get out has been released and I haven't gotten a chance to get it yet, but I do like his penultimate release, "My ride's here"

Cool regarding the live version of Norman. Makes me laugh about the dys we would smuggle in a tape recorder into a concert.

I am interested by these posts about that song "Norman" that America played live in the late 70s. I wish there was some way I could hear that song by America in like a studio outtake or something.

This is your lucky day Rob. I have an MP3 version of Norman performed live which I have uploaded to the Chat Folder and I'll leave it there for a week or so. Click here to download and/or listen to Norman live. It's not the best recording in the world, but you'll get the idea of what it sounded like in concert.

Jenna, Rob,
thanks for the precisions. WZ's cd is getting radio airplay here. G Lang (rtl) announced that he should be in France sometime in the weeks to come (if his state allows). We're all impressed by the courage he's shown so far. Georges plans to interview him. I'll let you know if I hear sth interesting.
Gen.

Hey there people,
I wanted to weigh in to a few current threads on the chat folder. I also watched that Warren Zevon special on VH1. He's a really good performer/songwriter and it's very sad about his terminal illness. Some of the bits of songs that I heard during the special from the new album sound like they were pretty good. These songs make me wonder if I would like buying some of his albums from his catalogue. All I've heard is "Werewolves of London" and "Lawyers, Guns, and Money".
I am interested by these posts about that song "Norman" that America played live in the late 70s. I wish there was some way I could hear that song by America in like a studio outtake or something. It would be cool if there were a whole CD of America rarities.
Just some thoughts.
-Rob

Steve, great photos! I'll have to plan a vacation there someday.

Robyn & Gen (or anyone else interested?) this is off topic, you mentioned the other day about a special on VH1 about Warren Zevon and how he's been facing a terminal illness; just noticed his new album will be released next week. Read an article that said his album was recorded over the past year and that his producer said his voice never gave out but his energy did so they had pace themselves. His doctors told him he had 3 months to live but Warren didn't use it as an excuse to give up and 9 months later he's still battling. It was very moving story. Some of his songs show his morbid/crazy sense of humor about his illness. Springsteen, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmidt, Jacson Browne
and others helped contribute to it.

Hi Everybody :) Finally a SUNNY morning, Finally the GREY clouds have gone away and the nice Blue Eyed sky is here and I can kinda see the Rainbow colors in the sky, giving some relief and Hope from the Strange Storms that have came on soo quickly the last 2 days! :)

Hi there Steve ~~ This was too much... just as I was clicking on your message Dewey started to sing "World Alone" what an appropriate song for this final picture in Alaska. :) I just gotta say that I love how the rainbow colors are visible in the night sky there as in the day skies... I could handle that for sure! ~~ Hmmm ~~ I do wonder tho how many people there in Alaska find it hard to sleep at night, being that it is soooo light out! ~~ But then again, I guess they would be use to this... Gerry is singing ~~~ Tiny little girl wakens in the night, was it just a dream, will she be alright, its hard to sayyy, there's sooo much more, beyond her door, hidden in the heart, buried in the soul, everybodys wondering where they are going going alone, carried on the wind, up above the stars alooone, a spark from a fire ignited a lonnnng time agoooo ~~~ Wow this song fits this pic to a tee too! Nice :) ~~~ I do like the perspective of your leaving Alaska pic, it kinda shows the way it would have felt standing there in the airport, looking out the window and kinda not wanting to board that great big plane.... kinda reliving the magic moments within that short time waiting to board the plane, yet being able to see the busyness of the airport lobby in the reflection of this pic.... WOW! Perfect timing ~~~ everything always comes together.... sooo much in sync .... Soo neat! ~~ Thanks again Steve ~~ For sharing you and your Mrs's Alaskan cruise experience with us .... I enjoyed every bit of it. ~~~ Hmmmm kinda neat how your final pic falls here in the final week of summer, with the Labor Day weekend coming and the seasons will be taking on a new color scheme.... Too much for sure! :)

Thanks for the fun last night at live chat everyone ~~~ I got there a little bit earlier, and it was a fun and interesting night... Mo & I talked till our eyelids couldn't stay open no more and then called it a night. ~~ Nice seeing Maggie Dickey stopping into join us no lifers! Red requested that David sing Hat Trick for us and this got David a singing in the background (Darn If only we could have heard this!) then Maggie said if you all could see David now he is singing Windwave... well that was enough for my fingers to start a singing too.... the show at Sweetwater is gonna be one Magical night for sure.... oooooh how I wish I could be looking out the airport window at a big jet awaiting to arrive there in Texas to indulge in this big chunk of AMERICA chocolate cake! ~~~ Nice of you to join us Sheldon.

Hey there Whit & Kim ~~ Can You hear Me Now~~ Are you guys all packed and set to go.... Hope you and Kim will get to meet, and you guys better come and fill us all in on all of the happenings.... Okay? :)

Hey there Cindy from the South ~~ I hear you loud and clear, the first time I got to see AMERICA was back in 1997 and let me tell you my heart was a pounding extra hard... I was instantly lost in AMERICA's magic with that familiar beginning "Riverside" strum on the guitar and sang and cried my heart out for sure! ~~ Sooo I am sure when you get to see them you will more than Survive, you will be refreshed like never before! :)

Hi Mark ~~ Thanks for the interesting info on the Monkees...

Hi Valerie ~~~ Hmmm let me see now, KarenL, Jenna, Me, Gen & now you... Looks as tho we have a good Idea here in wanting the George Harrison version of "I Need You" to be on the upcoming new CD from Gerry & Dewey.... Anyone else wanna put up their hands and add to the count on this?

Well I can hear Missy Maytag calling saying come hang up these clothes, it is a beautiful day... Soo I gotta get now, have a great day all! See ya, Nancy :)

~~~ every single moment, every waking hour, I can feel your beauty, like an open flower, just like a flower, won't you come back, come back to meeeeee, won't you, won't you come back, come back to meeeeee~~~ take it from there Gerry Gerry , Dewey Dewey , Jeff Jeff! :) :) ~~~~ sunrise out on the freeway in the morning, greeting you as the day as dawning, counting the minutes to goooo, Barstow, Bar of Soap, showcase of the southland..... :) :) :)

The last picture that I took in Alaska was at the Anchorage airport. It was a picture of the Boeing 767 jet that was waiting to fly us non-stop to Salt Lake City. There are some interesting reflections off of the window but the real reason I took the picture was to show how light it was at the time. Our flight left about 1:30 am and the picture was taken around 1:00 am. Click here to see the final Alaska view from the webmaster's camera.

Hi Nancy, thanks. I wonder if a person can actually die from excitement, because if I ever get to see them again, I might not survive.

Cindy...from the South

hi Danae,
Frankly no, I don't. I guess that IF the guys should come up with a new cd around next Spring, they might be likely to tour extensively and hopefully throughout Europe too (?) But as has been repeated many times here, they usually go where they are told to. ..meaning that promotors have to book them in the first place. THAT is precisely where problems begins for us Euro America fans ! ...

Hi Valerie - Thanks!! You know, I also enjoy hearing Gerry's story about talking to George Harrison about their songs with the same title. I heard him tell it back in May and again Friday night, and it was just as enjoyable hearing it the second time! Brings a smile to my face before he even finishes it. Karen

Do you know if they have plans about concerts in Greece?

Hi Karen L. I really enjoyed your review of the concert and Dubuque! And yes, I totally agree with you, I would LOVE to hear the America version of George Harrison's I NEED YOU on a CD! It is such a great addition to their concerts! It brings tears to my eyes! Bye, Valerie

This has been discussed before on the board, but what King Biscuit said about America being the first artists to debut with both a number 1 single and album is incorrect. The Monkees did it before them. I know they were a made for TV band and many don't consider them a "real" group - but regardless of what you think of them, their first single and album both went to number 1. They are the only artists that I know of who did the feat before America, but a few others have done it since. Elvis' first album went to number 1, but he had recorded a few singles that were minor hits regionally (in the south) but did not catch on nationally before he hit it big. Maybe that is what disqualifies the Monkees. While as a group they had number 1 debuts, but I believe Mike Nesmith, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork had done some recording work as individuals and with other groups before being selected to become a Monkee.

Hi Everyone ~~ Happy Hump Day! ~~~ Kinda Muggy and Dreary here this morning, but no bad storms last night! ~~ Hey Mo I read that article earlier this week, and upon reading that the last time this occured was in 1971 a SMILE came over my face too thinking of discovering HWNN and the start of my Love for AMERICA & their music. ~~ Hmmm did you happen to take notice too how all of the subject lines lately kinda spell this out too. Too Much! One more time, elevator to the Young Moon and Forever! WOW!!! Hey Gerry & Dewey ~~ Can You Guys feel the VousDous Vibes in the Air???? Gotta Have HOPE that this will come to be! :)

Hi Karen ~~ I loved reading your enthusiatic review of the show and your trip, thanks for sharing this with us. :) Yep, You are ooooooh sooo right ~~ If there were a way I woulda been there, we would have had lots of Mutual things to talk about! Hmmmm ~~~ This thought just crossed my mind, being that both you and Jenna have mentioned wanting to hear Gerry & Dewey do the George Harrison's "I Need You" on a CD, how about this be one of the cuts on the new upcoming CD, that would be a nice addition to the new songs, don't Ya think??? :) ~~ Nice that your whole trip was an enjoyable vacation! Once again it proves just how well our love for the Simple Joys & Magical Gems in life kinda tie everything together! :)

Hey there Cindy from the South ~~ I sure hope one of their shows will come your way soon, so You can enjoy a nice chunk of AMERICA Chocolate Live!

Hi Alan ~~ Thanks for bringing a Smile to my day yesterday, I loved reading that you heard the Elevator Music version of Young Moon, Ahhhhhh just the mention of that song Gives me the Tingles all Over. A One of a Kind Gem for sure. ~~~ I too have to work on the phone with our credit union's software support tech and have been put on hold many a time, just last Nov. while being put on hold I got to hear a part of Winter Wonderland while on hold and I like Vic have heard the Elevator version of Ventura Hwy. ~~ On Monday when I was getting ready for work "Sister Golden Hair" came on the radio, it instantly set my Mood for my Monthly Board Meeting! :) Hey ~~ I could be put on Hold For a Lonnnnnng Time if I keep on hearing these great songs! Take care :)

Welcome aboard John & loola~~ Nice hearing from you both! ~~~ John ~~ Just like Gen mentioned Don't Give up on the HOPE of getting to see an AMERICA show, believe me it will be WORTH the Wait to see them. Nice that you have all of their music to indulge in while waiting! ~~ Yes loola, just like Robyn mentioned ~~ Jeff Larson has Norman on his Fragile Sunrise CD, Hmmmm ~~ If you haven't heard this yet, I would recommend You go to Jeff's site or to www.amazon.com and listen to the song clips... I just wanna mention to that at the end of this CD you will get to experience Norman in a very Unique way, I just love it... ~~ I gotta say I envy you and Robyn ~~ getting to hear Gerry & Dewey do this at a show back in the 70's ~~ WOW!!! :) ~~ Please be sure and let us know how you like Jeff's version of this! :)

Hi Gen ~~~ You're very much Welcome! Glad I could help out! ~~ Yep, You are right it is sooooo nice the way Our Music inspires us at times. ~~ Continued good luck on your video project! Sounds Interesting! :)

Hey there Vic from the Desert ~~ I liked your choice of song lyrics to go with Mo's post regarding Mars... I have been taking every chance I get to Look into the night sky and check out Mars... I wish I had a telescope, so I could really take this in Fully.. Hmmmm ~~ I bet you walk around Smiling at work all the time getting to Hear Young Moon on the store radio network... :) All of this talk about Mars and the stars being in allignment had me a Hankerin to hear Moon Song ~~~ Yep it is playing here in my speakers right now ~~~~ and youuu and youuuuuu, and youuuuuuu ~~~ sing it and play it for me Dewey, Gerry & Dan ~~ What a great song! :)~~ I just love how it comes to life on my Homecoming DVD! ~~~ For sure Mo & Vic ~~ I could handle the stars alligning for AMERICA! Yes Yes Yes!!!!! :)

Hey it's Wednesday ~~ Time for Live Chat tonight ~~ Hope to see you all there! :) ~~~ Hey Red ~~ How about taking a break and Joining Us?

Hi Kim & Whit ~~~ 3 ~~ THREE more days till your show... I will look forward to hearing all about it. Have a great time, and Kim enjoy your big piece of AMERICA Birthday cake Ok??? :)

Well I gotta get now, take care all and have a great day! Nancy :)

~~~ Fascination with the light in your hair, a Celebration, nothing else can compare, an Invitation to share my life with YOUuuu, stepping Forward, Reaching our For Your Hand, hear the music of the sea on the sand, like a vision rising out of the blueeeee, Looking like a Young Moon in the Heavens, Mother to the stars ~~~~ WOW WOW WOW this is One Nice song and I can get Lost in it sooooooooo easily ~~~ I sure hope I get to hear Dewey sing it at a show one day! ~~ How about it Dewey would you consider singing it for us??? :) ~~ such a beautiful song!!!!! :) :):)

Hi Jenna - I'm glad someone else feels the same way about wanting to have AMERICA singing the Beatles' I Need You on an AMERICA CD. Let's hope they "hear" our request! Karen

Hi Cindy - I'm so glad you got something out of my long post; thanks for the reply! I hope you get to see AMERICA in concert soon! Karen

Nancy,
Thank you so much for the little help... Will come back to you soon. A bit busy, you know. Video project is going great now. Thanks for asking. Couldn't sleep the other night but got (what i believe to be) a great idea while listening to Beck's Sunday Sun... the power of good music, hey ! It seems to work for my friends too - we're enthusiastic people, so... Ah, the little miracles of life ! :-)

John,
Don't give up your dreams ! Actually there are 'big plans' to have the guys here in France around May/June 2004. I'm corresponding with Eric (a fan in Paris) now & then. He dropped a line yesterday to confirm they are working at it but of course you never know... (hope I got you right Eric :-).. bisous à toi aussi...) So, for the moment patience is the key word... Crossing fingers.
Gen

<<I'm not one to take stock in astrology, usually, but...America released America in 1971 and the stars were certainly alligned for them then, right? From the new release of the King Biscuit CD cover,"To this day, America remains the first band ever to begin its career with both a number one single and album." I would say that definitely constitutes favorable stellar allignment. Well, this alignment is here again. Will it bring similar good fortune for our guys? Well, I don't know about you, but it'd sure be okay by me.>>

I agree with you Moser! (Boy, the heavenly bodies must REALLY be aligning themselves.) : )

"So you think that star cluster shining bright in the sky
Will speak the fate of your evening, tell the truth to your lie"

Dewey Bunnell

Alan, you and I were listening to "Young Moon" at the same time today. I work for AMERICAn Home Furnishings, a furniture company here in Tucson, Az. I hear the "elevator" version about 3 times a week. I, like you, was surprised the first time I heard "YM". I also hear "Ventura Highway", the "elevator" version, quite often.

Karen,

Way to go! You got the long set list! I agree, George Harrison's "I need You" should be on a CD. Hopefully next one!? Another gem!

I was at SFO recently and I could've sworn I heard Matt Beckley's "Lownly" in a store at the airport. I was surprised to hear it, I had to stop and give it a listen. I thought that can't be muzak already?
Maybe it wasn't muzak...but it's getting airplay in San Francisco!

Kevin S., You had me in stitches. I hadn't thought about that sentence being odd, but you are right. It is odd. After thinking about why it would have been written that way, I have a theory. I wonder if the author intended to write that America remains the ONLY band to...and then found out they weren't the only band, but merely the first band to achieve this. This might explain the strange wording. Or not. Anyway, thanks for the giggle.

Speaking of giggles, has anyone been watching Queer Eye For The Straight Guy on Bravo? We just watched it. This is one hilarious and touching show. Carson, the fashion consultant guy, is a riot. If you haven't seen it yet, make a point to see it soon.

"To this day, America remains the first band ever to begin its career with both a number one single and album."

Does anyone else find the wording from the notes in the King Buscuit CD a bit funny? To this day America remains the first band... That implies that some time in the future, some other band could somehow travel back in time and be the first to do it. It's like saying to this day George Washington remains the first president of the United States. Hey, he may not always be the first president, but right now he is. His position on the one-dollar-bill is, for the time being, safe. But he's better watch his back, someone else might come along and be first.

My bet is that he'll remain the first for a long, long time. And, even though there will be some really great bands in the coming millenia, I will go out on a limb and say that America will, a thousand years from now, remain the first band to accomplish this feat. They are just that good.

To this day I remain the first person to make that prediction.

KevinS.

Hi Karen...Thanks so much for sharing with us your Friday night with our "obsessions." Since I haven't seen them in concert for a very long time, my favorite part of this chat folder is hearing from those who do see them. It's the next best thing to being there.

Cindy...from the South

There has been much talk here lately that with the resurgence of acoustic music and anything '70's-related, it may be prime time for a renewed interest in America's music. I'm not one to take stock in astrology, usually, but I was reading an article earlier tonight on MSNBC.com that got me to thinking. It was called, "Mars Makes HISTORY in the Night Sky," by Robert Roy Britt of Space.com. This article was about the fact that Mars is at its closest point to Earth in something like 59,000 years or so. Well you wouldn't think that has anything to do with America would you? Well you wouldn't until you read this line, "The unusually close approach — less than 1 percent closer than a similar event in 1971 — is created by a confluence of orbital oddities." Well, there it is. This similar event was in 1971. America released America in 1971 and the stars were certainly alligned for them then, right? From the new release of the King Biscuit CD cover, "To this day, America remains the first band ever to begin its career with both a number one single and album." I would say that definitely constitutes favorable stellar allignment. Well, this alignment is here again. Will it bring similar good fortune for our guys? Well, I don't know about you, but it'd sure be okay by me.

I've never heard YM, but I swear that I once heard an all-instrumental version of "I Don't believe In Miracles." I was also surprised once to see that a bar had a karaoke version of From a Moving Train.

Hi Nancy & Everyone! Nancy, thanks for asking about our Dubuque experience - OF COURSE, I'd love to tell about it! Get ready for a book. (About the VFTHWs, I'm almost sure Dewey & Gerry didn't stay at the hotel we were in. It had an indoor waterpark and tons of kids - unless they had their families, probably a place they'd prefer to avoid! I'm not saying they don't like kids, just that it might not be their first choice.) Our boys loved it, though - went to the waterpark three times.

BTW, I enjoyed hearing about your first day back to school experience because I can totally relate to what a struggle it is to get the kids off to school on a day where everything is NORMAL! We'll see how it goes for the Larson household next Wed., 9/3. Around 1:30 this morning, we had lots of lightning and wind, but no rain. I got up and shut most of the windows - all for nothing. And we really, really need the rain here in WI.

OK, about Dubuque - Nancy, you mentioned last week about wishing you could pack up and come along. I also wish you could have! We would have had no shortage of things to talk about - America music, our work with our common connection to credit unions, America music, cows, America music, our families . . .

Anyway, here's the short version. (Kind of like readings in church where they have the option of reading the short version or the long version.) The concert was fabulous, no - we did not get to say hi to anyone connected with the band, and we had a fantastic time taking in the sights in Dubuque and Galena.

Here's the long version. The concert was the first one ever to sell out for the Diamond Jo Casino. The casino is actually a Mississippi riverboat, so the concert took place outside, alongside where the boat was docked. The bugs didn't seem to bother us, but they were after Gerry & Dewey, and the rest of the guys on stage I imagine. Dewey joked about how he must have worn the wrong cologne and Gerry joked about how it was okay to have the bugs because he didn't eat much for dinner and they'd tide him over. Later he asked how everyone was holding up and said if he had to use one word to describe the show it would be, "FILLING" and patted his stomach. The guys were really funny and entertaining, in addition to the talent they always show in their music. They recognized Willie for being inducted into the Iowa Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I didn't notice, but our sons said they thought Dewey and Rich bowed to Willie. I also hadn't noticed at the other concert in May, but Dewey has some funny actions to go with the Hangover song. They played for at least 1.5 hours, I think. The songs included all their biggest hits, To Each His Own, Company, and Baby It's Up To You (I think). It was like a dream, so for some reason I wonder if Baby It's Up To You was just that we heard it in the car on the way there. With Kyle on my lap so he could see better, I couldn't jot anything down. (You'd think I'd remember - see what they do to me?) Of course, they also did the George Harrison "I Need You". ((Does anyone out there think they could ever put that one on a CD???? I love to hear them singing it!)) One frustrating thing was that I missed seeing the "Horse Dip"/"ZZ Top Move" or whatever it's called, AGAIN!!! In May I missed it because I was trying to get to where I might be able to get their autographs. (Yes, I'm embarrassed about it now.) This time, Kyle was telling me he had to find a restroom so I was bending down talking to him. My husband nudges me and says, "You missed the ZZ Top Move." (Now why couldn't he have nudged me a minute earlier and said, "LOOK NOW or you'll miss the ZZ Top Move"?!!?) I've just always wanted to see them do that.

A really nice security guard was actually trying to help us get in touch with the guys, but it didn't quite work out. (I told him not to go to too much trouble; I didn't want to be too bold.) We did get to see them being whisked away after the show in a vehicle.

If any of you have children and are going to be in the Iowa/Wisconsin/Illinois area sometime, I highly recommend the Port of Dubuque. (Purely by coincidence, Gerry was singing Ports of Call from our CD player as we pulled into Dubuque on Friday. I doubt that is one of the ports he was referring to, though.) After taking in a trolley ride through Galena, IL to see U.S. Grant's home, etc., once we got to Dubuque we didn't have to drive at all. Our hotel, the casino, the "Spirit of Dubuque" authentic paddleboat we rode on and the brand-new National Mississippi River Museum and Acquarium were all right there at Ice Harbor, bordering the big parking lot we parked in. There was also a beautiful riverwalk. We did some "power touring" and simply had a blast!

That's it (finally)! Nancy - are you sorry you asked? : )

Hello everyone,with the recording of a new album not that far off it has been mentioned on various web pages the release of a DVD seems to be a must,hope Gerry and Dewey may give this some consideration at some stage, particularly something they have full control over.Acoustic music seems to be all the rage at the moment.Has anyone had the chance to hear an American fellow by the name of Jim Lauderdale and Donna the Buffalo the tunes a stunner"Wait till Spring"and if that doesn't sound like an America style I dont know what does.

Hello all! Been away from the Chat Folder again for a while. I've been very busy, but I wanted to share this experience. While at work today, I had to call tech support for our banking software. The music-on-hold was "elevator music". While holding for a technician, a song came on that had a really nice and relaxing melody. Then I said to myself "This sounds familiar". After paying a little closer attention I realized that it was "Young Moon"!!!

It really surprised me that anyone would make an elevator version of such an obscure (but great) tune. It wouldn't have surprised me to hear any of their well-known hits such as Horse, Tin Man, Ventura Hwy, Daisy Jane, etc., but it just struck me kind of funny to hear YM(in a good way - I thought it was really neat).

Has anyone else heard this "elevator" version of YM or any other lesser known America tunes?

Alan

Hi Steve! THANKS for the reply!! (I hope you know I was just trying to be funny with the "Where in the world" pun : ) I'm assuming Gerry either didn't get a chance to take one or it just didn't turn out. Oh well. I do enjoy those pics! Karen

Jeff Larson has a wonderful version of "Norman" on 'Fragile Sunrise' I agree a great song, very powerful and those of us who were lucky enough to have heard it live, have never forgotten it. Why it never made it to an album/cd is a mystery.....

Hello there- I posted this message on the other board as well, hoping that the more eyes that see it will increase the chances of an answer...New poster here, with a question for fans and Gerry alike. I am curious to know if anyone remembers the song "Norman"? Gerry played it live, but it was never released on an album/cd. I remember it from a concert in the late 70's and I believe it was a tribute to Norman Bel Geddes. I can remember some of the verses and a bit of the chorus, but not all(not bad considering, I think, I was 11 at the time!). It was a very lovely song. So, the question I pose to Gerry is...Why was this song played live, but never released? Thanks much! Loola

I understand John. America seems to get out of the country every few years. Acutally they have had more commercial success overseas in recent years than in the US. From A Moving Train was a number 1 hit in Spain and the Definitive America CD went to number 1 in New Zeland.

Yep Me again! :)

Hi Karen L ~~~ I would love to hear more about the Dubuque show that you and your family took in over the weekend. ~~~ Hmmm that would of been neat if you had taken a pic from the same Hotel window as Gerry. I too found myself thinking Darn I shoulda brought the camera to take a view from the hotel window on the couple of Credit Union Workshops I traveled to take in as well as las Feb. when we took our son up to Seneca Falls to NYCC for his Acceptance Interview. Hmmm I hope I remember to take the camera on the 6th when we move him up there. I always have enjoyed looking at the sky and scenery, that is why Gerry's sharing these VFTHW pics with us makes me sooooo relaxed! Nice HuH! :) I hope your work is going well! I am sure you are still walking up above the clouds from seeing the AMERICA show. Enjoy it! See ya, Nancy :)

Hi Hoooooo Everyone ~~ Hmmm ~~ This was the kids first day back to school and let's just say it was unlike any first day backs that we have seen before.... It all started around 1 am with distant rumbles of Thunder and some lightning... well I kept falling in & out of sleep and then around 4am the Storm finally reached us full force, this summer we haven't had any thunderstorms, well this one more than made up for that... The Lightning was circling us nonstop and the thundercracks woke Laura & Nathan up, and they didn't go back to sleep, then our power went off at 5:15 am while hubby was in the shower... Nathan was still awake, Laura had fallen back to sleep, when I had to wake her up at 6 am she said Mom I just went to sleep... meanwhile Nathan (who didn't catch the bus till 8am) was still wide awake and full of excitement and energy... It was kinda neat them having to get ready for school by flashlight, kinda made things go smoothly! Laura's bus came at 7 am and then Nathan got dressed, our power came back on at 7:15, Nathan then at ease, sat down on the couch and fell asleep aroung 7:45, sooo I had to wake him up 10 mins later to go catch the bus.... he didn't leave the house as awake and excited, like he was 3 hours earlier... Sooooo this is probably gonna be the longest 1st day back to school for the both of them to say the least. We probably all will konk out before 8 pm tonight, if we last that long! LOL!!! ~~~ The weatherman says more storms are headed our way ~~~ Lookout! :)

Hi Jenna ~~ Thanks for replying back about Kenny L! I do like his music, but if I had the choice to hear either him or AMERICA for 2 hrs, AMERICA would be my hands down choice for sure! :)

Hi Danae ~~ Thanks for posting the lyrics to Simply Red's song "Sunrise" and for the site address. I did go and check out his site yesterday morning and took a listen to the song clips for his new "Home" CD ~~~ Hmmmm I really liked what I heard, nice lyrics in his songs, and his voice is a one of a kind unique. I happened to notice he did a version of another very well known 70's song, which I believe was done by Gladys Knight & the Pips, as well as the Stylistics called "You Make Me Feel Brand New" ~ Nice song :)

Hi there Steve L ~~ I checked out Jeff L's song clips on friday evening and I really liked them alot, I can say already that this Dreams song has caught me hook line and sinker... I like Jeff's voice in both of these and I love the harmonizing when they sing ~~~ I've got nothing on you, I've got nothing on youuuu~~~ Hey there Jeff L, keep on working on this new CD ~~ I am looking forward to hearing it in full! Nice to see you are getting to work with Gerry & Hank again!~~~ Nice lyrics ~~~ and I will not let you go, it's all the same you know, this ring around the Moon will never last, for it's more than make believe, and soon again you'll see this ring around the moon has come to pass ~~~ :) :) ~~ Thanks for making these song clips available for us to hear!

Hi Gerry ~~ I really liked the latest VFTHW pic, that is some pretty neat Fred Flinstone boulder display on those brick walls, I also think that is pretty neat how you managed to catch the roof sun windows outline in the big sky of blue. ~~~ Hmmm was that Dutch .... the name of this Hotel? ~~~ Hmmm ~~ I find myself wondering why this view is sooo limited to see. Hmmm Interesting pic, Interesting top of a building design... Thanks abunch for capturing this for us! :)

Hmmm last but not least ~~~ Regarding todays VFTWMC pics, WOW ~~ I hope you and your Mrs went for a train ride... Hey Red wouldn't this be a nice train ride, Slooooow and Steady that's the way to Gooooooo! :) Hmmm that was a neat pic of a Moose! I wouldn't want to come head to head with him! LOL! ~~~ Seeing this pic, kinda reminded me of us driving up to the Little Grand Canyon the other summer and on our way back we traveled through a small town called Benezette, PA and this town is mostly made up of year round hunting camps, the neat thing is that you can go there anytime and you will see Elk grazing right along the roads. We saw quite a few and we were even lucky enough to see some baby twin elks. The racks on these Elk can be very massive and are soo nice when they are covered with their velvet protective covering at certain times of the year. ~~~ Thanks again Steve, I am really enjoying all of this.

Okay I guess I have RAMBLED on FOREVER Again! ~~ Thanks Everyone for reading my posts.... Enjoy the rest of Your day! See ya, Nancy :)

~~~~ I drive to the Coastline looking for VISUAL PLEASURES to Catch MY EYE, the Sun turns around and hits me on the shoulder, I FLY AWAY ~~~ Due to the situation this morning, all in the worlds OK ~~~~ Sing it for me Gerry Gerry Gerry :) ;) such a neat song! :)

I really wished America were more popular in the UK and Europe so tha they would be encouraged to tour or at least play a gig here. With a young familly and a job that doesn't get me out much, I have no chance of getting to the US to see them. I make do with all their CD's and a concert DVD and envy all you American America fans. John

After spending 3 wonderful days in Denali we hopped aboard the Alaska Railroad and headed back to Anchorage. We enjoyed the train ride because it gave us a different view than we got riding the bus to Denali. Click on the links below to see the view from the webmaster's camera.

The Alaska Railroad train pulling into the Denali station
The train going around a bend in the river
A moose wandering along the side of the tracks
One of the many beaver dams that we saw

Karen, the only recent VFTHW photos I've received from Gerry were taken in Rapid City and Perry (not Dubuque).

Kim, it was the same on the old video of the concert. Did anyone here go to that concert?

I just received a message from Mike Baratta about a new concert in West Collingswood, New Jersey on October 17th (the southern part of NJ). I haven't confirmed this with Erin yet, but TicketMaster has tickets on sale for the concert.

America played in Dubuque, IA, at the Diamond Jo Casino's Grandstand Under The Stars last Friday night, 8/22. It was the casino's first SOLD OUT show EVER! Way to go, AMERICA! A very fun show for all who attended, I might add. Thank you!

Karen

Robyn,
I read some articles about Warren Zevon's struggle & how he means to say goodbye to his close ones & fans with this album. A really moving and edifying story IMHO.
Gen.

Just for the record, I Need You got some airplay tonight on RTL radio. G. Lang (the radio guy) mentioned the concert at the Greek with K. L. - said he was in LA at the time... He gave some details which got me to think he either reads this folder occasionally -or has connection with someone who does- or attended the concert. He was unclear on that point, so... well, as I said... JUST for the record.

. . . is Gerry's VFTHW in Dubuque? Just to be like Gerry, I also took a picture from our hotel room in Dubuque and wanted to see how his view was compared to ours, just for fun. : ) Just curious.

Just checking to see if this works!

Erin Edwards has confirmed that the September 19 show in Modesto, California has been moved from the State Theatre to John Thurmond Field. Rather than the two shows that were originally scheduled for the State Theater, there will only be one show at John Thurmond Field (hopefully, it will be the long show).

I'll be there in spirit! I want a full report too!
Did anyone else see the wonderful special on Warren Zevon on VH1 last night. If not, try to catch it when they air it again. It details this past year and the struggle he has been facing with terminal lung cancer. He has always been one of my favorite artists. The way he has faced his illness with humor and dignity and the will to complete this last album has been an inspiration.

6 days & counting!!! Have my tickets, have a room reserved, just counting the days now! I have heard tickets have been sent to folks as far away as Oregon, to New Mexico and Oklahoma. I am hoping they play the looonnnggg set, and even if they don't my one request is they leave in TO EACH HIS OWN. My all time favorite.

Whit - did you ever talk your wife into the trip from OKC to Sweetwater? And is anyone else out there going? I'd love to meet you if you are. I'll be there w/ my hubby and two youngest kids.

On another note--I finally watched my copy of the Central Park,which is great by the way. I loved hearing and seeing "Here" performed live. However at the end of the dvd when the songwriting credits were rolling I noticed they gave credit to John & Michelle Phillips for "California Dreamin" - I am almost positive that song wasn't on my dvd. Unfortunately I didn't have time to go back through it and make sure I'm not totally losing my mind (though I haven't ruled that one out yet either!). I am wondering if I maybe got an edited version of the original laser disc, and if this song appeared on other versions. Anyone out there know?

Ya'll have a great week!
Kim

Hey Nancy,

I think you asked if Kenny Loggins sang any new tunes last week at the Greek? He sang 4-5 from his new cd that he seemed to be promoting heavily. He did about 3 from the Loggins & Messina days, otherwise he did all his hits from the 80's (Footloose, Dangerzone) Dave Koz who was a surprise guest joined him onstage for one. But most of his tunes were pretty long and maybe Dewey & Gerry did a shorter set list since he was doing a 2 hour set list and promoting the cd...who knows?? Saw a few limo's parked in front so there were probably some Hollywood bigwigs or industry types there to hear his new material. They might've snatched up all the good seats so my friends and I got the nosebleed section! Wonder if he'll do a 2 hour show with Hall & Oates in PA? Anyone out there who likes Kenny & gets to catch him won't be disappointed! Here's hoping D&G will do 2 hour show when they're promoting a new cd!!!?

Happy Sunday to everyone. Well, Cindy from the South, thanks for thinking of me. Mo's Diner sounds like a neat place. Luckily, that Mo is not me or else the diner would not last long based on my very limited culinary skills. I do, however, make a pretty tasty mac 'n cheese casserole. And I'm not talkin' 'bout Kraft dinner!

I was also wondering which "that guy from America" Pharrell would have been referring to, Rob. My immediate thought was Gerry b/c...well, just because his voice is my favorite and, in my opinion, the most unique. Then, I thought, Dewey was the lead vocal in most of the bigger hits, wasn't he? And Dan certainly had radio play with Lonely People and others. So, who knows, it could have been any of the three I suppose. Any way you look at it, what a compliment particularly from someone involved primarily in a different genre of music. Maybe we're all just a bit biased but it sure seems like America is sprouting up everywhere these days. Ride the wave, boys, while surf's up.

I just caught portions of Ghost Busters II while my kids were watching it on Comedy Central. Wow, I didn't even know they had made a sequel. And from the looks of it, maybe they shouldn't have!!

Enjoy your Sunday, one of the last before this summer is History.

Hey everyone,
It was great to read everyone's positive thoughts about the upcoming America album. I'm really getting behind this project even though the guys probably haven't even recorded any of the songs yet that will be on it when it comes out. I'm psyched anyway even though it will be months till it comes out.
Thanks for posting Rich, it was cool to read that The Neptunes are America fans. I'm a hip-hop fan too, and I think that those guys are the tightest band in hip-hop today, although the Roots are pretty cool also. The Neptunes is what they call themselves when they produce songs for other artists and then they call themselves N*E*R*D* when they release their own material. Their own material (I've only heard one song, and it was cool) is supposed to be really good stuff, somewhere in between rock and hip-hop. That's a great compliment that Pharrell Williams paid to the guys saying that he "always wanted to sing like the guy from America." I kinda wonder which guy he was referring to. Pharrell sings the high notes very well just like Gerry, and he also has similar vocal qualities to Dewey kind of, and Dan. Hmmmm...maybe Pharrell will elaborate in a future interview.
Hope everybody's weekend is going well.
-Rob
"I was on a sleeper train
Bound for anywhere
And I was gazin' out the window
In a long stare
Watchin' the sage brush go by
And a pink and yellow sky
Thinkin' 'bout your eyes
Feelin' good to be alive ... great song from the Hourglass album.

Thanks for "Mo's News". I passed a very cool blue house in downtown Raleigh this week that I had not seen before. Outside was a sign..."Mo's Diner"...thought about you!

Cindy....from the South

Click here to see the view from Gerry's hotel window in Perry, IA. Gerry added that the rooftop installation is only viewable from the two rooms that look out onto it.

I know that many of you are also Jeff Larson fans so here's a link to a web page with some information about his forthcoming CD and some MP3 soundclips. You'll recognize a few names there such as Gerry Beckley and Hank Linderman.

Sunrise

As I look into your eyes I see the sunrise
The light behind your face helps me realise

Will we sleep and sometimes love until the moon shines
Maybe the next time I’ll be yours and maybe you’ll be mine

I don’t know if it’s even in your mind at all
It could be me
At this moment in time
Is it in your mind at all
It should be me, it could be me
Forever

Wandering through life will love come home to you
And the love you want forever, will they be true to you

Will we sleep and sometimes love until the moon shines
Maybe the next time I’ll be yours and maybe you’ll be mine

I don’t know if it’s even in your mind at all
It could be me
At this moment in time
Love’s indescribable
It should be me, it could be me
Forever

Easy, ready, willing, over time
Where does it stop where do you dare me to draw the line
You’ve got the body now you want my soul
Don’t even think about it say no go


If you want to listen a sample of the track go to www.simplyred.com, and in the discography section find the album "Home". In every song, at the bottom of the page, there is a small audio player. Just click "play" to hear the song.

Great fun you had obviously ! Thanks for being so quick to post the review & for sharing the fun with your usual humour.
Gen.

Simply Red's song "Sunrise" exists in the album "Home". It was released by a greek company called "Heaven". It exists in Greece since April.

ok back from another mB gig at genghis cohen. Here is the short review.
First of all the sound man announces that Matt has become ill (!!!) I think oh no not again, but then goes on to announce another band, Twisted Van Leopard, will perform instead. I relax as the band, dressed in the worst imaginable 80's regalia, take the stage. Mike has a Roger Taylor-Queen wig and the most garish mirror-ball shirt ( which Matt fesses up is his!) Matt has a white wig that looks like Debbie Harry's 'do, but Leonard outshines them all in an absolutly hideous brown curly MULLET! ( honestly, it looked like Davy Crockets coonskin cap) They launced into def Leopard's(?) Photograph, then on to DangeZone ( well a bit of itanyway) then on to Bon Jovi's "Dead or Alive" did a nice job on all of them. Then a crisis struck. Matt's guitar had a busted string so he was forced to play the whole gig on a twelve string. He did a very nice job handling the problem. The band is jelling nicely and they are looking more comfortable with the stage and each other. It was Kaumyar's Birthday (well ALMOST)so the crowd wished him a happy one. My dd and I were playing "Name that tune" as we came up with a set list --good thing, because Matt did not have a printed one I could have. So here it is to the best of our abilities, sorry Matt if we got any wrong!
Photograph
Danger Zone
Dead or Alive
Suzy Parks
Girlfriend
Pass tha Butta
Sara
All the things I shoulda said to you ( ok I forget the title of this one my notes say "swearing song" and Matt told me the title,but hey I am spacing here)
the disappointed
someday ( new)

We had a nice evening, spoke briefly with Matt, Leonard and Kaumyar. We also scored some cool mB pins which are very nice indeed. We did not take photos, as we are still tired from our trip to Vegas. More on that later.

Daisy Jane does The Staples Center...well not really. The Staples in Webster Center, NY. I heard it on the Muzak in Staples the other day. Had to report it, thanks.

In other retail connections...
Was at Old Navy in Victor, NY today. As I was checking out, I noticed a stack of CD's on the counter that were apparently for sale. The title was something like...Dim The Lights, Smooth Sounds of the Seventies, Old Navy. Well, you know I had to check the song list to see if our boys were represented as they should be. Sure enough, Tin Man was on there. Way to go, Dew and Ger. Marketing. Marketing. Marketing. Or...maybe that's Location. Location. Location. Well, they have that too, at the register is a GREAT location. Impulse buying and all.
Thank you for tuning in to MO'S NEWS.
The channel that has nothing better to do.

rc,
I had an English Comp teacher in HS who loved to teach us ways to remember how to spell difficult words. You reminded me of her tonight. You wrote, "accomadate an orchestra behind artists." For the word accommodate, a good way to remember how to spell it is...accommodate can accommodate 2 a's, 2 c's, 2 o's, and 2 m's. That's the trick. Sorry to be obviously obnoxious. It's just this thing I have in my brain. For more spelling tips, please write to mbufton@rochester.rr.com.
Happy Corona Day...I mean Friday, everyone!!
Mo

Did get your message and replied. Thanks. See you.

I quit.. Not my day to be posting. Mentioned strings in Tin Man when I was thinking of Minature that was played with TM in cincy..
lol
Sorry. :-\

I had mentioned in previous post about seeing about getting the guys on Soundstage. When I was reading about the new aspects of it, I read the stage is tiered and can accomadate an orchestra behind artists.
Now wouldn't that be great to have the guys playing with orchestra back-up on songs like Tin Man, The Border etc.. and others that had strings in original recordings? They did in Cincy last year. I don't about the rest of you , but I have always loved the orchestration in many of their songs and miss hearing the strings etc in live shows.
So this could be a state of the art live concert show for America fans to add to their collections.
Steve: would this be something Erin and management would have to look into?
http://www.networkchicago.com/soundstage/index.htm They have a way to contact them, don't know if that helps or not.

yikes.. Typed Dan Fogelgerg lol Fogelberg

lol Steve.. went all the way to alaska to take pics of squirrels? Pic is cute though.

Hi Everyone,
For anyone who is familiar with the old Soundstage shows on PBS, they brought it back this July. The stage is specially built for those these shows as well as new state of the art camera's, lighting, and audio.
Dan Fogelgerg recorded a show on Aug 8, 2003 that will be shown on PBS stations sometime in Jan. He did a 2 hours show but only an hour of it will be shown. Don't know yet if vhs or dvd of show that will be available to purchase will be the 2 hours or not yet.
Here is the set list of songs he played that someone posted who was in attendance that night.

set list from Soundstage show taped in Chicago.
Part Of The Plan, Heart Hotels, Hard To Say, Full Circle, Reach Haven Postcard, Run For The Roses,The Reach, Leader Of The Band, Same Old Lang Syne, Missing You, Raven, Blow Wind, Blow(blues song),Power Of
Gold
Sounds like last summer's play list with the exception of 2 from Full Circle.

From the reviews posted of several people who where there, they said it was excellant. So keep this in mind and watch PBS listings in Jan.

Now...Time to start a campaign to get Dewey and Gerry on Soundstage!! I have no idea how they decide who they will have play though.

Me Again ~~ :)

Hey Red thanks for sharing that info tidbit with us! I guess we gotta check out all of the signs, that are put in front of Us. Cause you never can really be sure just what is Lurking in the Unseen! ~~~ Hey Red get Nelleybelle all settled and head home early, enjoy your much deserved time off! :)

Thanks Steve ~~~ You gotta wonder if these are Hoaxes, why do they get started in the first place. I will say one thing for these perpertrator's they sure are good at making these things sound Convincing!

Hmmmm ~~~ Another song remake has been catching my ears.... Have any of you heard Simply Red's New song called "Sunrise" , Hmmmm if you haven't heard this, just keep your ears open for a very familiar Hall & Oates song music, mixed with some of the new techno sound.... I must admit this song is giving my fingers a test.... I am having a hard time keeping up with & deciphering these lyrics..... So I guess I will stick to Hall & Oates version when typing the lyrics. It is a catchy remake tho! Hmmmmm ~~~ I heard on the lunchtime show today, that the song Ghostbuster kinda ruffled Huey Lewis's feathers... that there was a big lawsuit regarding the way this song was sooo close sounding to his song Wanna a New Drug.... I am wondering if Simply Red had permission to add this familiar music to his new song... Oh Well ~~ "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) is one of my all time favorites of Hall & Oates, and when they sang it on their A&E Live By Request ~~ I think they did it the best of all their older songs that night... anothere fave is playing here now "One on One" I wanna play that game tonight, One on One, Boy there's no one else but you and me, I don't want no one else... I don't wanna play those games no more.... :)

Okay now that I got that out, I gotta get again! Nancy :) :) :)

Hi Everyone ~~ http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i7660id.html ~~~ here is a page from the links that Steve posted to check out these magpie's, terns & bald eagle info... I went back to the home listing page and found my favorite little Eastern Bluebird. They are such pretty little birds and they sing (warble) sooo nice. Thanks Steve for all of the Neat info! :) Hmmmm ~~ I am curious as to whether these Magpie's sing! Were You ever close enough to them to hear them, they are pretty marked birds. ~~ Yes I do enjoy checking out all kinds of Birds too!

Hi Rob, Rich, Mark & Speech ~~~ Bravo! Bravo! ~~ Very well said, all 4 of You. ~~~ Definitely the time is now, for all of the music critics to open their eyes and Discover what they failed to Miss in AMERICA and their 30+ years of Magical Music. ~~ If I can turn on the radio and hear that Hall'n Oates, Fleetwood Mac, & recently Kenny Loggins has a new song.... then I just know that I want to be hearing AMERICA on the radio with a Brand new song... Back when we were calling the radio stations about Holiday Harmony, I mentioned to my DJ friend that there were 3 brand new songs on this Christmas album and that if they were to get airplay I just know they would be Noticed. He said yes I agree with you, but You are missing one point, these new songs are Christmas songs, therefore limiting the time they can be played on the radio. Soooo like Speech I too feel this is the Right Time for a New Studio Album from Gerry & Dewey! ~~ You can betcha I will do my best to get it played here in my area. ~~~ Hmmmm ~~ Regarding the reviews being written now on AMERICA, Yes there are some really good ones showing Up, that tells me that there are lots of AMERICA Fans still around that too want AMERICA to be given their Deserved Credit. ~~~ No question about it, there is a Unique Quality to AMERICA's History of Old & New songs and I feel they Deserve to be Up in the Front Row. ~~ Yes Speech it is too much how everything is turning back to the 70's styles, Music and Clothing wise! ~~ All of the shirts and pants my 11 yr old daughter want to get for school clothes have the 70's written all over them. ~~ At the pool occasionally they would have the Classic Rock station on and they played some of the newer Hip Hop songs and I have been here racking my brain trying to remember the 70's remake song that I head by one of these newer groups...Okay now I remember, it was Gordon Lightfoot's song "Sundown", It wasn't the best remake I have heard, but isn't that too much that one of these Hip Hop groups even knew of this song! I think it is great that they are saying that they were influenced by AMERICA's and other's music style and wanted to sing like them, but I do hope that if they do remakes of these Magical Gems that they do them Justice and are not making a Mockery of them in a roundabout way. ~~ I feel that it being mentioned in the Thorns bio, or some of these other new accoustic influenced groups that it is a much appreciated tribute & respect geared towards AMERICA. In the case of the thorns, you have 3 individual talented guys that on their own have had some really nice songs. WOW by joining their talents together, it has brought back that Early 70's sound in a nice way. ~~~ I just wanna say Gerry & Dewey ~~ I will appreciate all of the hard work and effort on your part in going back into the studio and working on a New CD. You guys already do so much for us, by traveling around and doing shows, and yes we are spoiled by this big time. I just got a Gut Feeling that the Time is Now. I know One thing if there is a new CD released, I will appreciate it for the Here and Now Contributes and won't expect it to be like back in the 70's! You both have Aged like Fine Wine and getting better and better! :)

Hi there Mama on a Mission ~~ Sorry to hear about your little boy being so sick with asthma! That is really neat that you have sung AMERICA songs to him to comfort him. I do hope that You will be able to get Your CD signed by Gerry & Dewey! They are both very generous with their time when it comes to meeting, signing and being there for us fans. I am sure that if the time allowed, they would have been available for signatures there at the Stillwater show. Take care, and keep on enjoying all of this great music. ~~ I hope your son will outgrow his Asthma condition ~~ My oldest son had some pretty scary spells when he was younger. They aren't much fun to witness or go through.

Hmmmm ~~ Regarding this latest Squirrel Pic... I must say he already read the sign and is going for it! :) ;)

Gotta get now, have a great day all! Nancy :)

~~~~ seems I spend most of my life waiting for the things I never do, when you were here in love with me, there was so much I couldn't see and I watched you oooooh believing that you would never leave ~~~ I dream everynight about you, sometimes I'm On Target, sometimes I seem to Missssss YOU, Night after Night I lie awake, wondering how long its gonna take, till I hold you close beside me~~ Take it from there Gerry ~~~ Wow this is a really nice song, I can't believe it took me till now to discover it! :) :) :)

Funny how years of survival by a band gives critics the impulse to attribute new credibility to an act they once panned. Here in 2003, the time would seem right for some kind of critical, and marketplace, resurgence of America. We seem to be in the midst of a serious "ratcheting up" of appreciation for all things 60s and 70s, even by the retro-loving standards of the past few years. In S.W.A.T., one of the hot box office movies of the summer, the first soundtrack tune out of the gate is "Shattered" by the Stones, followed, not long after, by Jimi Hendrix' "Crosstown Traffic." On the nationally televised "X Games" broadcasts on ESPN right now, we hear music in the background -- and between feature events -- from 70s acts like War and Aerosmith (not to mention Steve Tyler and Joe Perry on motorcycles). And, what a coincidence, VH-1 has been running its I Love the 70s series. Also, looking at the back-to-school fashions being advertised, and the hairstyles of those doing the modeling, I'm flashing back to my freshman year in college. Time for a new studio album, boys!

After enjoying the spectacular view of Mount McKinley we started the 4 hour bus ride out of Denali National Park. We saw more wildlife on the road out and I got some wonderful pictures. Click on the links below to see the view from the webmaster's camera.

Another squirrel, this one is collecting building materials
An arctic tern, a bald eagle, and a magpie doing battle
A brown (grizzly) bear with her playful cub
A caribou
Telephoto shot of Dall sheep grazing on the mountain

There's quite a story behind the picture with the arctic tern on the left, the bald eagle in the middle, and the magpie on the right. The eagle was eating the eggs or young hatchlings of the tern as it tried to dive bomb the eagle and force it to go away. As the eagle was avoiding the attacks of the tern, the magpie would try to dive in and gather the spoils. In the end, the tern flew away disappointed, the eagle ate all of the young, and the magpie sat on a pole waiting for the eagle to finish its meal so it could eat whatever was left.

I've also noticed the reviews seem to be getting better...it may be that critics recognize that a band that has been around for 30 years, still has fans and still gets sampled/covered by artists of all kinds must have been doing something right.

I'm not sure if Red was being serious or just passing along another funny story. But, just to set the record straight this is a hoax that has been around for quite some time. None of it is true. Here is a link where you can read about the original hoax:

CIAC Urban Myths and Legends

I would hope they finally get the recognition they deserve. I remember several years ago when a slew of these rock history books started hitting the selves that most of the reviews or write-ups of America were pretty bad. It was obvious to any knowledgable reader that some of the critics hadn't even bothered to listen to America and were just parroting what they had read or heard from others. It seemed that UK writers were the only ones to acknowledge America's significant crontributions.

I have noticed editions released in recent years are less deroagtory than previous ones, but still America doesn't get the credit it deserves. As far as sales and chart success, America did better than any folk-rock act of the 70's except for the Eagles. It's about time the critics acknowledged their success and contributions!

I agree it would be great to see America get more critical acclaim. I think it is interesting to note that they have been getting some attention from, of all places, the hip-hop community. In addition to Janet Jackson's use of the guitar riff from Ventura Highway, one of the hottest production teams (Neptunes/N*E*R*D*) have covered America (horse w/ no name I believe) and have several times stated that they are America fans (most recently in last week's Time magazine). I have attached an excerpt from their website:

"The Neptunes reign as today's most successful hip-hop production team. Over the last five years, they have helped propel the talents of a number of artists, their punctuating beats and syncopated rhythms fueling a unique sonic aesthetic. They've worked with current chart toppers (Jay-Z, Mystikal, Backstreet Boys), thuggish hip-hoppers (Noreaga) and eclectic performers (soulstress Kelis, Ol' Dirty Bastard). And just recently finished work with longtime superstars (Janet, Mary J Blige, Babyface, Usher) and alternative ska icons (No Doubt). But those are The Neptunes. Now they introduce N*E*R*D and the album IN SEARCH OF…... The Neptunes are me and Chad producing and making music for other people. N*E*R*D is me, Chad and Shay, a friend from where we live, Virginia...We're influenced by so much, from Stevie Wonder to Steely Dan, Donny Hathaway to America. I wanted to sing like the guy from America when I was younger and I tried to imitate it on this record. And Queen is the shit. I love classic rock. It's all that, man. Those artists didn't give a shit. The music spoke to you. My family would move around a lot so instead of just hearing Kool & The Gang and Earth, Wind & Fire and The Spinners, I was hearing Lynyrd Skynrd and AC/DC because we lived right by the Renegades, the Hell's Angels. When the new wave shit came around I was listening to things like Tears For Fears."

In addition to NERD, I think I read somewhere that someone from Destiny's Child likes to listen to America when she wants to "hippie out." As for the Thorns - the America roots are clear, but I think its because the Torns pretty much pick up where CSNY left off. I see a closer connection between America and someone like Peter Yorn - very tuneful with lyrics that rely very much on imagery and "feeling" rather than the literal meaning of the words.

whew. that's my longest post in months. I'm tired.

Rich

I would like to alert all of you that frequent various rest rooms throughout the daily routine. Be careful where you sit, spit & whittle. Those in the East should pay particular attention to this story, due to all the rain you've had.

Great! Another reason to NOT use public toilets!
>
>
>
>Subject: Poisonous Spider....
>
>Three women in North Florida, turned up at hospitals over a 5-day
>period, all with the same symptoms. Fever, chills, and vomiting,
>followed by muscular collapse, paralysis, and finally, death. There were
>no outward signs of trauma. Autopsy results showed toxicity in the
>blood.
>
>These women did not know each other, and seemed to have nothing in
>common. It was discovered, however, that they had all visited the same
>Restaurant (Olive Garden) within days of their deaths. The health
>department descended on the restaurant, shutting it down. The food,
>water, and air conditioning were all inspected and tested, to no avail.
>
>The big break came when a waitress at the restaurant was rushed to the
>hospital with similar symptoms. She told doctors that she had been on
>vacation, and had only went to the restaurant to pick up her check.
>She did not eat or drink while she was there, but had used the restroom.
>
>That is when one toxicologist, remembering an article he had read, drove
>out to the restaurant, went into the restroom, and lifted the toilet
>seat.
>
>Under the seat, out of normal view, was a small spider. The spider was
>captured and brought back to the lab, where it was determined to be the
>Two-Striped Telamonia (Telamonia dimidiata), so named because of its
>reddened flesh color. This spider's venom is extremely toxic, but can
>take several days to take effect. They live in cold, dark, damp
>climates, and toilet rims provide just the right atmosphere.
>
>Several days later a lawyer from Jacksonville showed up at a hospital
>emergency room. Before his death, he told the doctor, that he had been
>away on business, had taken a flight from Indonesia, changing planes in
>Singapore, before returning home. He did not visit (Olive Garden), while
>there. He did, as did all of the other victims, have what was determined
>to be a puncture wound, on his right buttock.
>
>Investigators discovered that the flight he was on had originated in
>India. The Civilian Aeronautics Board (CAB) ordered an immediate
>inspection of the toilets of all flights from India, and discovered the
>Two-Striped Telamonia (Telamonia dimidiata) spider's nests on 4
>different planes!
>
>It is now believed that these spiders can be anywhere in the country. So
>please, before you use a public toilet, lift the seat to check for
>spiders. It can save your life!
>And please pass this on to everyone you care about.
>
>
> EZ2BHard
>

<<I musta been thinking of the new Cows that have taken up residence in the field next to our house.>>

And me who stupidly used to mentally associate tails with doves! How silly of me ! The cows definitely make much better fairies... hahaha! Thank you, Nancy!

Someone has to know how to get a stupid signed CD for my BOY! Hw is puffed up on striods so he can breath and only God knows if he is gonna make it through this right now! It would mean the world to him to have an autograh. Shit I almost got arrested at the last concert in my state. He wasn't well enough to go but, begged me to take him anyway. Well he fell asleep and I a 110 woman carried a 95 lb boy to the car 6 blocks away. Damn I wish I could express what this means to him. Please someone help me!

I need to get an autograph from Garry at the min. for my son. He has been sick most of his life with really bad Asthma and bad lung damage. I have sung America songs to him since he was a baby and Dasy Jane and Magic are two of his favorites. I tried like hell to get to Garry the last time he was in my state. Stillwater MN., but the security was really good and my Son was mortified. Dang how do I get to Garry to sign a cd for my boy?

The new King Biscuit DOES have a new cover and photos inside. But I would recommend not buying it directly from King Biscuit because even with the free shipping the CD will be more expensive than if you buy it from CD Universe. The CD there is 8 something plus the 3 dollars shipping, making a total of 11 something dollars (sorry for the impreciseness).

Yep It is CRAZY Me Again! :) ~~~ Only thing is I am a bit refreshed now.... Everyone is in Bed except for my 17 yr old son Adam he is unwinding playing NFL Football on Super Nintendo.... I sat out on our front deck for awhile and took in the night senses... then I headed to Calgon take me away, soooo it was quite funny now when I just read Gen's post... and realized that I did a Funny Ooooops.... Fairytails ~~ Hahhahahhaah I musta been thinking of the new Cows that have taken up residence in the field next to our house. Too Much ~~~ Sorry Celine! ~~~ Oh well! ~~~ Seal is here singing his song "Crazy" in my headphones..... No no, No No, we're never gonna survive unless we are a little crazy ~~~~ but we're never gonna survive unless we getta little bit crazy... Seal can get me going with this song....~~~ oh darling, in a sky full of people, only some want to fly, in a world full of people only some want to fly..... you're not crazy.... you're not crazy....oooooh but we're never gonna survive unless we get alittle crazy... Take it from there Seal :) :) :) ~~~ Thanks Gen for the smile, and Yep you were right I did need a break this week! ~~ I hope your work on your Video gets better ~~ Hang in there! Okay! :)

Alright Karen L ~~ That is great news that you got the day off tomorrow and that You and Your Family are heading to Dubuque ~~ Boy I wish I could pack up and head there.... Have a great time and I look forward to hearing all about the show when you get back.... :)

Hey there Mark from NJ ~~~ Thanks for the info on the "On Target" song and the Encore album.... that is too much I have heard the other 3 new ones from that album.... but not this one.... too much.... Yep I will have to add this CD to my AMERICA collection... Wow ~~ Another new Gem has come my way.... Thanks :) ~~ Too much you having the copy of this famous movie.... You Lucky Monkeyshiner You! :) You be sure and have a great weekend too!

Well Nitey Nite again all, Nice Dreams, Nancy :)

~~~ Another evening the rain fallin down, It's Been a Lonnnnng Time Since YOU'VE Come Around, a little Laughter and we had it all, it's soooo misleading the things you recall, turning the pages, we open the cages, now I knooooowww that Nothing's soooo Far Away as Yesterday, wooo Oooooh ooooooooh, Nothing's sooo far awaaaay, take a look at the person inside, you realize there is nothing to hide, I remember the things that we said, so very simple the lives that we led, turning the pages we open the cages, now I know that Nothing's soooo far away as yesterday ~~~~ I recall how it used to be, I can feel it, feel it surrounding me ~~~ Oh this is one great song for sure.... Sing it for me Dewey & Gerry :) :) :)

Hey everyone,
It's been awhile since I've posted on the chat folder. I thought that I would mention something that I've been thinking about for awhile. I visited the allmusic guide web site to look up the Thorns album and read the description of the band The Thorns on the allmusic guide a few weeks back. I happened to notice that America is listed as being one of the "Roots and Influences" of The Thorns. I was glad to see this as I feel like America definitely is a big influence to The Thorns based on the few songs I have heard by them.
Then I started thinking. Could it possibly be that this signals the beginning of some critical acclaim for America? I tend to like to read what critics have to say, and many times I think they make sense. I love the music of Bruce Springsteen, and so I am happy to read all the very positive reviews he gets for his music. Some of you on the chat folder probably don't care what the critics have to say at all, maybe you're just not really interested and of course that's fine. I just think it would be nice if America started to receive some of the critical acclaim that they deserve. I read in Rolling Stone and other music magazines and websites all this attention given to talented musicians like Neil Young, and bands like the Eagles and Big Star. I think just about everyone would agree that America deserves to be getting some more critical acclaim, some more hipness. We're all familiar with the derision that has been given to America by places like The Daily Show (and I love the Daily Show, I think it's usualy very funny), and now it's about time America had some critics and other media personalities saying that they were and still are a great rock and roll band, a high-quality consistent live act, and great songwriters. Maybe in the next few years, America will be talked about as being one of the great artists in rock and roll history, especially with this new trend of modern-country-rock by artists like The Thorns, Beck, Pete Yorn, The Jayhawks, NickelCreek, some tunes by The White Stripes and others. As these new songwriters get to talk on VH1 about how they like America's music, maybe we will see a renewed interest in the catalogue and in their current tour and upcoming album. Maybe they will even (okay, and now I'm being really optimistic) get a Behind the Music, or inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It would be nice if a renewed interest among rock and roll critics started to happen.
Either way, I will still listen to and go to concerts of America, their music is great even if critics give them little attention.
Just some ramblings, thanks for reading my post.
Hope everyone is enjoying these last few weeks of the summertime.
-Rob

Well, the Larson clan is off to Dubuque bright and early Friday morning! I have the day off at the office, and Mike is having a friend milk the cows.

Dewey and Gerry - if you remember the couple you met after the concert in Madison on 5/29 (Gerry, you might remember us as Karen and her husband, "Dairy Farmer Mike"), the ones whose son Kyle sent along a picture for you, that's us! We're bringing our three boys with us this time. We're hoping to get a chance to say hello to you (Gerry, Dewey, Willie, Michael, Richard, Pete, Bill . . .); but if it doesn't work out, I'm sure there will be other concerts!

We're going to spend Friday and Saturday taking in the sights of Dubuque and Galena (IL). The boys are excited because we're staying at a hotel in Dubuque with an indoor water park. The person who I spoke with on the phone when I bought our concert tickets said the concert is open to all ages because it is outside(?), even though it is at a casino. I hope he's right!

I hope everyone out there has a wonderful weekend ~
Karen

FAIRYTAILS??? :-D

Well, Nancy .... I love the image, anyway...
But guess we BOTH need a break, huh?

Hi Nancy,

I have every intention of letting Gerry know that I have the other VHS copy of California Dreamin'. Actually there are 3. I sent Steve my copy and he made a copy for himself. Actually, last year I saw Gerry and the whole was playing in Jersey and I saw them in their hotel after th concert. I told Gerry I would make him a copy next time he is in the area. After the show in Westbury, Gerry and Dewey left right away, so I gave the tape to Willie to give to Gerry.

The song you are talking about with Target in it is called On Target. It came from a CD called Encore- More Greatest Hits. It was released in 1991 by Rhino Records. There were 4 new songs-Nothing's so far away as Yesterday, On Target, Hell's on Fire, and the Farm. Then came You Can Do Magic, Hollywood, Another Try, Old Man Took, Today's the Day, Can't fall asleep to a lullaby, Survival, Everyone I meet is from California, Right before your eyes, Cornwall Blank, To each his Own, and The Border. You may be able to find it stores like Sam Goody or Tower or you can go to CDNow.com and get it there.It would make a good addition to your America collection.

Have a good wekeend.

Mark

Hi there Everyone ~~~ It seems like forever, since I posted last, thankfully my new McAfee is on the lookout for that nasty MSBlaster virus. ~~ Yep Mark you hit it on the head when you mentioned the Dog Days of summer... We are smack dab right in the middle of them here in PA. Kinda makes it easier to just drop everything and meet the kids demands to go to the Pool. Kinda sad to think that the Pool will be closing Labor day weekend ~~ Summer went by way too quickly again! Anyone here wanna sign my petition to add 7 extra days to the weeks of summer, that way you have 7 days to do your work and then the other 7 days to enjoy all of the simple things that make up for a fun SUMMER? :)

Hi there Jenna ~~ Yep it was me that mentioned the Greek show, thanks for letting us know about it.... That is a shame that you only got to partake in the short set ~~ that probably made you feel like it was over way too soon for sure. Hmmmm ~~ One question about Kenny Loggins ~~ Did he sing his brand new song "With This Ring" ? ~~ This saturday night Kenny Loggins & Daryll Hall & John Oates are gonna sing Full Sets each at an outdoor show at Seven Springs Ski Resort. ~~ Kinda gets me to wishin it was AMERICA there again! :)

Hi there Mark from E. Brunswick, NJ ~~ Looks as tho Hall & Oates & Kenny will be heading your way soon too, I noticed it being advertised on our NJ afiliated CBS station on our Dish Network. ~~ I hope you do get a chance to Holler out to Gerry that you have the second copy of the Calif Dreamin movie, at a show soon. ~~~ That is a Neat Montage you put together ~~ I have listened to it about 20 times now and I wrote down all of the song titles as I am hearing them, I must say there is one song on there that I hear Gerry singing that I am not familiar with... it is around the songs from the Heard album and I believe Gerry sings a line with the word Target in it... I would love to know what song this is. ~~~ Thanks for mentioning this nice Masterpiece Montage... You really managed to hit alot of my most favorite Lyric Lines right on Key! :)~~~ Hmmm is there a song for what a Woman like me would give to hear Gerry & Dewey do this Montage at a show???? ~~ That would be a Died & Gone to Heaven show for me! :)

Hi there Danae & Mark ~~~ Pretty neat You (Danae) watching the movie Stayin Alive, the night that the lights went out in NY,Conn,Canada, Mich & Ohio I watched the movie "Grease" , both John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John did a great job singing and dancing and swooning.~~ I can remember watching "Stayin Alive" at the Drive In the year it was released. ~~ For sure Shayne, I just love the Bee Gees Magic with the songs in this movie.

Ciao Bruno ~~~ Nice to hear from you, that was a good suggestion Jenna had, for you to travel to the States and take in a show. I heard about the Heat Wave over there in Italy on the news... I hope it breaks soon!

Thanks Gerry for the VFTHW pic ~~~ Hmmm Looks like you found the sign Gerry!~~ the one that, that vigilant Squirrel is looking for in Steve L's vftwmc pic! :) ~~ Hey Red did you take notice to that big blank billboard sign??? I wonder just what it says on the other side of this! ~~ Just goes to show, you should always stay focused on finding the sign Huh! ;) :) :) Too Much!!!

Hi Steve L ~~ Thanks a Bunch for pointing me in the Montage direction, I really enjoyed getting to hear it over and over again and again. ~~ Also thanks for these Magical Breathtaking Pics from Mt McKinley ~~~ I am especially loving the Opalescent Mystic these pics show of this Tall Treasure. ~~ Same goes for the Polychrome pics too, WOW that is some Awesome color scheme! WOW!!! Hmmm I was gonna post yesterday and say " I wonder what it is that Vigilant Squirrel is looking for in this Pic" It's nice how soooo many things just blend together nicely on this chat folder! :) ~~ Again thanks for taking us on this Visual cruise to Alaska! :) ~~ Upon seeing the pics today Sting's song "Desert Rose" came to my mind... I know this landscape is far from a Desert setting, but there is something about the way this Pic takes my breath a way that this song manages to capture. Just like you Gen :) I too found myself Speechless upon first sight of them. My next move was to right click and save this to get lost in when I want to. ~~ as Sting sings there is a Sweet Intoxication ~~~ Nice! :)

Hmmmm ~~ Pete ~~ As much as these pics remind you of Skiing, I am not that crazy about the thought of Winter coming! Sorry! :)

Hi there KarenL ~~ I will second your thoughts, I too never Tire of hearing my AMERICA songs, I could handle seeing them once a week for the rest of my Life singing them over and over again and again. :)

Thanks for the fun at live chat last night, I got there soooo late as usual. I am hoping with school starting next week that things will work out for me to get there earlier again. It was sooo nice to see you come some Red, what a shame we had to compete with Chrissy from Three's Company ;)! Nice seeing all the rest of you there too. Safe traveling AM Girl & Hubby & Traveler(have fun on your Magic Adventures). Come back again Terri, Paramedichuck & ElectronBlue! Hey Mo & Bones where have you guys been???? :)

Okay I guess that is about it for now, take care and Nitey Night all, Nancy :) ~~~ Hmmm the other song that came to my mind when I looked at the Mt McKinley pics was Celine Dion's "Halfway to Heaven" ~~ Boy did they take me there instantly! :)

~~~ Come and go with me, wherever I am I want you to be, walking with your hand in mine, feels so fine, when I'm close to you, I know what it means to wanna be true, never felt this way before, is there more, are you feeling the same as me Honestly, don't you think it's unreal, I'm not dealing in fairytails, if this fails, I don't know what I'll don't know what on Earth I'll do, cause I'm Halfway to Heaven ~~~~ When we reach that place, I'm dying to see the smile on your face, I'm soo sure you will wanna stay, I have so many dreams to share, let me share them with you ~~~~ We're Halfway to Heaven, Let's go all the way..... ~~~ What a beautiful song sing it for me Celine :):) :)

Yeah!.... this web place is a real ZOO ! Guess Rahul Dhesi would not disagree ! LOL

Better yet if you run windoz, time to switch to Linux both Red Hat and Mandrake are very user friendly. I only have one windoz machine in my home that it strictly a gateway to net, since Direcway requires it for connection.
Don't Fear The Penguins

Thanks for keeping us informed, Steve.
And thanks Gerry for the wonderful parking lot pic ! :-)

Click here to see Gerry's view from the hotel window in Rapid City, SD.

Thanks Gen and Pete for your kind words about the photos. I have a lot of fun with them.

Regarding the new King Biscuit release, I should be receiving my copy shortly (it was sent earlier this week). I'll try to get some info and photos posted as soon as I have time. The CD cover that they have on the VH1 web site is old. The new one has already been sent to me by King Biscuit and has been added to the bottom of America In Concert CD photo page.

Extremely beautiful pics, Steve. I'm speachless (or quite!)
Was wondering if Gerry would send his too... (?)
Hope everyone is perfectly fine.
I guess most of you have seen the vh1 America update concerning the KB Flower Hour cd that was re-released two days ago. If you are interested here's the link :
http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/america/18391/album.jhtml?_requestid=158649.
I'm not sure they really have changed the cover or added new photos (as, I think, was advertised)... we'll have to check this out, I suppose.

Well, back to the cave now.... with a terrible headache...due to the fact I've been working almost non-stop for two days now on a video project with/for some friends who plan to produce an 'enhanced' cd of some sort. A good project IMO, but I wish I had your talent with a camera, Steve ! This, plus working on my personal stuff... Hey, Nina, I'll be glad to get back to college & get some REST ! LOL... I'm NOT complaining, anyway. Just need a good "decapitation à la française"! :-)
See you.
Gen

They are beautifull pictures Steve. Gets me thinking about skiing season coming up.

On the way through Denali National Park toward the Mount McKinley view point, we passed an area called Polychrome which was aptly named because of the many colors in the mountain side. Then we continued to the view point where we actually got to see Mount McKinley. Even though we could see the mountain, it was difficult to make out because it's snow covered peaks looked more like clouds than a mountain. It towered above all the surrounding mountains and even when it's clear, it's surrounded by misty air currents which give it an eerie look. Click on the links below to see the view from the webmaster's camera.

View #1 of Polychrome
View #2 of Polychrome
View #1 of Mount McKinley - This picture of Mount McKinley was taken about 25 miles away from the base (that's as close as we got). The left and right peaks are still only faintly visible through the mist that constantly surrounds those high elevations.
View #2 of Mount McKinley - This view of Mount McKinley gives a wider angle view of the towering mountain. Even though it isn't the highest mountain in the world, it is the tallest when measured from its base to its peak.

I would suggest anyone running Microsoft® Windows NT® 4.0, Microsoft Windows® 2000 or Microsoft Windows XP to get a Mac.

ooopppps sorry for posting twice. Still working on my first cup of coffee this morning

The MSBlaster Virus is reeking havoc on the net. Per an email I received from my ISP "Those infected with the virus are causing severe service degradation for the entire user population." I would suggest that any of you running
* Microsoft® Windows NT® 4.0
* Microsoft Windows® 2000
* Microsoft Windows XP
Go to microsoft.com and download the security update

The MSBlaster Virus is reeking havoc on the net. Per an email I received from my ISP "Those infected with the virus are causing severe service degradation for the entire user population." I would suggest that any of you running
* Microsoft® Windows NT® 4.0
* Microsoft Windows® 2000
* Microsoft Windows XP

Bruno....maybe next year! Or maybe you could take a vacation/holiday to the states!? Hope it's cooling down in Italy!?

Talk about your dog days of summer, things have really slooowed on the old board here. Or maybe the computer worm just has everybody down.

Nina, i have indeed seen them about 3 dozen times and the sound has not always been great. i can remember absolutely retched sound at a 1978 or 79 show at university of illinois' assembly hall. in boston we were sitting just in front of the sound board prob 100 feet from the stage. except for gerry's louder vocals, this show sounded like the grand cayman cd sounds on my stereo! i suspect you guys were so close that you weren't hearing just the main speakers but, probably hearing much of the stage monitors. it's very likely that since you were hearing sound from 2 systems you weren't getting the best mix. the main speakers sounded fabulous without any distortion whatsoever! last summer at bensenville, il i went up to the side of the stage for pics during the first song and it sounded quite different than my seats 50 feet away in the center. there was plenty of distortion and annoying feedback at the stage. in boston i was very impressed that they got it to sound that good with all of those nearby buildings for sound to bounce back from! so i believe it is possible for both of us to have heard and reported what we did without being incongruous!

Hi Bruno ! Nice to hear from you !
Yes, America will HAVE TO come soon.
Hope you are not suffering too much from the extremely hot weather out there in Italy (?). Let us know how you are...

for report of great night at the greek...
you increase my strong wish to see America in Italy and Europe.
Ciao all
Ciao Genevieve, Johnny, Nancy,
bruno

Dr. Trivia (aka Johnny) is correct on one count. According to VH1 Pop-up Video show it was orginally titled "Buried Alive".

We hopped aboard the Denali National Park tour bus bright and early on the morning following the summer solstice. We were excited that the sky was clear because we were hoping to get a view of majestic Mount McKinley. Fewer than 20% of the guests get to see the mountain but we were feeling lucky. During the 4 hour bus ride to the McKinley lookout point we enjoyed a great view of the plants and wild life that inhabit the tundra wilderness of the park. Click on the links below to see the view from the webmaster's camera.

A moose and her baby
A vigilant squirrel
Dall sheep grazing high on a mountain
A caribou relaxing in a field near a large patch of snow

That's the ONE.

Half a Man.

Hi Jenna -

"The place went a little crazy when they started Ventura Highway since
it's just a few miles up the road/highway. Brought down the house with Tin Man & Sandman! " - - That's our boys!! That's great to hear! You know, they are just soooo enjoyable to see in concert that I wouldn't even mind if every concert was identical. I don't think I'd ever tire of seeing them and listening to them! Would have been really neat to see their kids. It's nice that they include them like that. I know that Gerry has two sons and Michael Woods has a very young son. What are the ages of Dewey's kids? Does Rich have any? Willie? Glad to hear you had a fun night, Jenna!

Mark and Johnny, I would be willing to make the same sacrifice to hear the montage. After all, you don't really NEED that body part. Just look at Lance Armstrong. ; ) Is there an America song that covers this subject? I can think of one! : ) : ) : )

Thank you, muchly.

Great night at the Greek on Saturday!! Nancy, I think you may have asked if anyone went the other night? Anyone else in LA go that night? Fantastic show as always, the band never disappoints, they just seem to top themselves every single time, great acoustics and sound as usual!! I spent a small fortune for the tickets and unfortunately had really bad seats but it was such a great night it was worth it! The Greek is a great venue, holds about 6,000 seats but I think there were 4,000 in front of me & friends. My seats were so far away the band looked like ants on stage, lots of people had binoculars. It was a good thing they had big wide screens! Weather was scorching in LA - great night for an outdoor show. The band was on stage for an hour but it seemed shorter than a usual short set list; just concentrated on the major hits, think they only did 12 or 13 songs. Wish they could've done Company, Ca. dreaming or Hangover or lots of other gems. The place went a little crazy when they started Ventura Highway since it's just a few miles up the road/highway. Brought down the house with Tin Man & Sandman! The band's kids joined them onstage for HWNN which was great! (Vic, unfortunately - no pidgeon song, I don't think it appeals to the masses?) Would've liked to see a two hour show that Kenny Loggins did who was great too! He's got some powerful vocals. Thanks for a great night in LA!!!

Johnny,

I know what you mean and I probably would do the same thing.

Mark

Mark ~ What would I give to hear the guys play the montage? A left body part, if you know what I mean. (wink, wink)

Hi Nancy,

At the next America concert I go to, if by chance Gerry says he has the only copy, I will jump up and tell him I gave him the 2nd copy in the world. Hopefully security won't take me away.

Mark

Hey Johnny,

How much would you pay to see D & G perform the montage live? They would probably defy gravity and other natural phenomenoms to do it.

Mark

One source says, "Saturday Night" while another says, "Buried Alive".

Original draft title, "Saturday Night"?

check your mailbox

hahaha..... Excellent, Mo! In high & low !

Stayin' Aloft?
Just kidding.

Speaking of the Bee Gees and Stayin' Alive, the original draft of the song dealt with a much different subject than the final version and had a different title. What was it?

Hi all! Am back in school setting up my classroom for arrival of kids next week. We start before Labor Day in Massachusetts. Wish we could begin AFTER Labor Day like we did when I was a kid, but not anymore!

Been trying to catch up on all the news I've missed this summmer, but I'm not having any success as there's sooooo much! I DID see a couple postings about the sound at the Hatch Shell concert in Boston. (Yes, I'm the one who mentioned it was less-than-perfect sound that night.) I wish I had an explanation for why some people thought it was the best they've ever heard the band sound. I hope everyone understands that I'm NOT trying to be critical of anyone. I've seen how hard Pete and Bill work getting the band set up and I'd never say a bad word against either one of them. And you all know how much I love "my boys", so I can't point in their direction either! I just know that some people in my section (which was directly in front of giant speakers, mind you)were unhappy with the sound of BOTH acts. I was happy as a clam, as I always am when I get to see America live! But even I had to admit to glitches in the sound. I guess love IS blind, but it's not deaf!!!

I was a huge Bee Gee's fan the first time I heard "Nights On Broadway". I was coming of age in 1977 (15 years old) and loved Saturday Night Fever (all 300 times I saw it). For some reason, I never got excited about "Staying Alive" (the sequel). However, my love of the Bee Gee's never wavered (even today). the only part of the sequel I liked was the song "Someone Belonging To Someone". This was, im my opinion, one of their best.

Nancy, the montage is still on the America Fans web site but the link to it has been moved to the Sound Index web page. Scroll down to the Miscellaneous section near the bottom of the page and the first entry in that section is the montage. Simply click on the blue notes icon to hear the RealAudio version.

Yesterday, I watched "Stayin' Alive" with John Travolta in the TV. The soundtrack was by the Bee Gees. You know something? I believe that kind of music is not bad. The 80's pop is mostly for dance. A perfect music for parties and discos. For sure, it's better than the music of today... That's my opinion. My classmates like rap, hip hop etc. And they think I am mad to listen "ancient music", as they say.
But I have made a progress! I also listen music from the 80's now, not only 70's!

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk,
I'm a woman's man: no time to talk.
Music loud and women warm, I've been kicked around
since I was born.
And now it's all right. It's OK.
And you may look the other way.
We can try to understand
the New York Times' effect on man.

Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother,
you're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin',
and we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive.

Well now, I get low and I get high,
and if I can't get either, I really try.
Got the wings of heaven on my shoes.
I'm a dancin' man and I just can't lose.
You know it's all right. It's OK.
I'll live to see another day.
We can try to understand
the New York Times' effect on man.

Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother,
you're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin',
and we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive.

Life goin' nowhere. Somebody help me.
Somebody help me, yeah.
Life goin' nowhere. Somebody help me.
Somebody help me, yeah. Stayin' alive.

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk,
I'm a woman's man: no time to talk.
Music loud and women warm,
I've been kicked around since I was born.
And now it's all right. It's OK.
And you may look the other way.
We can try to understand
the New York Times' effect on man.

Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother,
you're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin',
and we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive.

Life goin' nowhere. Somebody help me.
Somebody help me, yeah.
Life goin' nowhere. Somebody help me, yeah.
I'm stayin' alive.

First of all, I wrote last night about a cute BLOND golfer named Baggeley who has a nice tushy. Well, today, I realized his name is Baddeley. Aaron Baddeley. Sorry for the goof up. Today he looked quite fine again in his pink pants. Very cute. He was paired with Tiger Woods so you may have caught him during the TNT coverage from Oak Hill (since it seems that Tiger is what they cover even if he's not in or near the lead). I'm not sure what Aaron's final score was but it couldn't have been good (nor Tiger's) since they were done with their round and back in the clubhouse even before the leaders teed-off for the day.

Nancy, Oak Hill Country Club is in Rochester, NY, about 12 or so miles from my house. I don't know why your hub thought it was in Wisconsin--maybe because the 2004 PGA Championship is in Wisconsin. Not sure. But no I wasn't traveling again. Well, just down the road a bit, that's all.

It was a fun day again. Micheel lead throughout the day. Nice that he won since he is a first time winner, young, and has a preggernant wife. Way to go.

Six degrees of America for the day:
#1 I got in the car to go to the PGA.
#2 I turned on the radio.
#3 Sister Golden Hair was the first song to come on.
#4 I knew it would be a good day right then.

Happy Sunday, ya'll.

Hi Everyone ~~~ A Sunny Sunday here! The Hourglass & Human Nature songs were playing here over and over today! :) :) :)

Hi Mark from E. Brunswick, NJ ~~ Hmmm that was pretty generous of You to send Steve a copy of the California Dreamin movie. I hope at the shows You were at of AMERICA's that You called out when Dewey talks about this movie and wondering if there is anybody out there that has seen this movie... then Gerry says something like I believe there is only 1 copy, and I have it... :) ~~~ Regarding your AMERICA montage... I started reading and posting on the chat folder here back in March of 2002 so if this Montage was on here before that I wasn't lucky enough to get to hear it... Now Me and My wondering mind is wondering is there any way for me to get to hear this Montage now, does Steve have it anywhere in the Archives? I would love to hear it!

Congratulations Vic ~~ Great Job getting those all right! Hmmm ~~ that was just too much Gilbert O'Sullivan being the one that said about not getting involved in a love affair! Too Much! ~~ Hey Sergio looks like the one that you and I had right was Elvin Bishop's comment. ~~ I really liked his song "Fooled around and Fell In Love" ~~~ I just can't picture Cliff Richard saying that if you see John Lennon tell him I think he's a load of Old Rope.... and I am still trying to recall what it was that was making me think that Jerry Garcia was the one that said "before rock'n roll I was going to be a Dentist ~~ AHA I see now Johnny why in your hints you made the remark that you wouldn't want this person (Greg Allman) working on your teeth... that is a hard thing to Imagine Greg Allman being a dentist.. LOL!!!! Well just like Sergio said Johnny ~~ I too think you better go easy on us the next time around and give us the Dick & Jane version of trivia comments! :P

Hey there Traveling Mo ~~ Dummy Me thought that you were taking in the PGA Golf Madness there close to you in NY... Hubby turned on TNT to get ready to watch the Nascar race from Mich... and the PGA Oak Hill coverage was still on... I had mentioned earlier that you had gone to check out this.... He looked at me and said I thought that Mo was from Calif or NY... I said she is from NY, he said well this Golf Tournament is being played in Wisconsin, not NY.... Dummy Me just assumed that they were playing at a golf course there near to Rochester.... Ooooooh well! :) I did get to see this young Australian golfer... my daughter took notice to him first and said who is that boy with the light blonde hair playing golf... I looked and sure enough it was this young man... then Hubby made some kinda comment about the way he was dressed and had his hair and and and.... Oh well to Each His Own! :) Gerry is here singing Ports of Call... :) ~~ That Six Degrees of AMERICA game you play is pretty neat... I guess indirectly I do that at times too, I will be someplace and something will happen or there will be something that will take my mind to a certain AMERICA song or something that we talk about on here... The one time that comes to my mind that reminds me of this was last summer... We were invited to this cookout at the neighbors and I wasn't really in the mood to go to this... but we went and it turned out he had hired a Man that plays the guitar... well this guy wasn't half bad... He was playing songs and everyone else was getting something to eat or drink and kinda bustling here and there, not really listening to him play... Well I said to my hubby I wonder if he knows any of AMERICA's songs... he said well ask him... Sooo I did, Can you play HWNN and he said I sure can... well of course I sang right along with him word for word, and then he played ventura hwy... I sang along again... He played Only in Your Heart.... and even Sandman, with each AMERICA song he played I was that much more happier that I went to this cookout. .. Him playing my AMERICA songs made me feel right at home and blocked out any of the uneasy feelings I went there with... After He was done playing, I went and told him how good he was, and that I enjoyed his playing alot.. He said Something tells me You are a big Fan of the group AMERICA, I said You Got That One Right! For Sure! :) :) :)

Awwwwww Geeeee Sergio ~~~ Thanks a Bunch for sharing a big Pout with me :)

Well the Nascar race is on here, it is also a beautiful day in Mich. ~~ Go Rusty ~~ Go Ryan ~~ Go Tony ~~ Go Ward ~~ Go Dale Jarrett & Go Little E Hey there Red Mark Martin is in 7th position right now... and guess who is right behind him My Rusty Rusty Rusty.... Yes Yes Yes! ;) :) OUCH there was just a Nasty Firey crash.... Todd Bodine went up into Kenny Wallace's car and Kenny's car bursted out in Flames.... It is Simply Amazing how fast these guys get out of these cars.... Hubby just said he thinks this happened right about where our Son would be watching the race from.... Geeze that had to be downright Scarey to see this up close!

Hmmmm ~~~ If there is Anyone out there in sunny Calif, that went to see the show at the Greek last night ~~ I sure am curious about it, and would love to hear all about it.

Hey Kim, Hey Whit ~~ August is here now and the weeks are counting down, Your big show is coming up at Sweetwater in about 13 days... That is gonna be one great show I bet! Hope you both will be sure and tell us all about it.

Hey there DanC ~~ Hmmmm will you be taking time from work and fun in your Pool to head to one of the shows coming up in either Dubuque or Perry Iowa???? It has been awhile since we have heard from you.... I hope all is alright! :)

Okay I gotta get now, see you all later! Nancy :)

~~~ Hold on tight, tell me woman, tell me what went wrong, I'm alright, I will lay down beside you till the night is gone.... Sometimes Lovers won't act like they should, Sometimes Lovers don't do what they will, Sometimes Lovers will hide in the covers of innocence and blame ~~~~ Yep Gerry is singing Sometimes Lovers here on my puter speakers.... :) :) :)

Attaboy Vic! You got 'em all right.

Serge, your comments had me chuckling. :0)

Gregg Allman's desire to be a dentist if rock 'n' roll hadn't worked out, I thought was the strangest comment of them all...sort of scary.

Vic and Lass,
You go to the "Head of the Class"...Congratulations!

Nancy,
We have the dubious distinction of getting one and two answers correct, and we have one right answer in common, now we are really cooking...I guess we can comfort ourselves in one big giant pout...;oD

Johnny,

So far you've got a failing class...I think next time we need the "Dick and Jane" version...:oD

Sergio (Sir Joe)

I just know that if I got mixed up in a love affair, then it would affect my work. It would ruin everything for me. That's why I'm denying myself." Gilbert O'Sullivan

"If you want to hear pretentiousness, just listen to John Lennon's 'Imagine'. All that 'possessions' crap." Lou Reed

"I hang my laundry on the line when I write."Joni Mitchell

"If you see George Harrison, you can tell him I think he's a load of old rope." Cliff Richard

"I hope this record sells - I'm definitely tired of sliding through life on my good looks." Elvin Bishop

"Basically our situation is on the borderline of collapse all the time anyway." Jerry Garcia

"Before I got into rock 'n' roll, I was going to be a dentist." Greg Allman

I guess my hints weren't very good. Vic, like Lass, you got 3 correct.

Regarding the artist who I said reminds me of a hillbilly, he has an album that contains quite a number of songs with hillbilly-sounding song titles (in my opinion, anyway).

Nancy ~ For now, I'll just say that the one you got correct is one of the ones Sir Joe got correct also. Only you two got that particular artist right.

I just know that if I got mixed up in a love affair, then it would affect my work. It would ruin everything for me. That's why I'm denying myself." Gilbert O'Sullivan

"If you want to hear pretentiousness, just listen to John Lennon's 'Imagine'. All that 'possessions' crap." Cliff Richards

"I hang my laundry on the line when I write."Joni Mitchell

"If you see George Harrison, you can tell him I think he's a load of old rope." Elvin Bishop

"I hope this record sells - I'm definitely tired of sliding through life on my good looks." Greg Allman

"Basically our situation is on the borderline of collapse all the time anyway." Jerry Garcia

"Before I got into rock 'n' roll, I was going to be a dentist." Lou Reed

Mark ~ I thought your America montage was one of the coolest things an America fan has submitted to Steve. Now, if only we can get D&G to perform it live! :0)

Spent most of the day at Oak Hill today. Sat on the right side of the 12th green where we had an awesome view from tee to green of 12 as well as a good view of the 3rd green. We stayed long enough to see the whole field go by on 3 and about half go by on 12. Most players did better on the 12th than on the 3rd hole. Only about 2 birdies on the par 3 third hole. Hal Sutton chipped on from the rough on the left side of three, hit the pin and sunk it for the first (I think) bird of the day. There were many more birdies on 12 which is a par 4.

Tiger is not doing well and you can see it in his face. This guy's got a nice tushy. Hey, a girl's gotta amuse herself somehow on a hot day at the golf course. What better way to use those binoculars, right? Another cutey is Baggeley, a young BLOND from Australia. (I may be detecting a trend here.) Again, very nice tushy. He was wearing a pair of vertically stripped pants a la Greg Brady. Very gutsy. Cute, sort of. But definitely gutsy. It turns out that Jasper Parnevik (sp?), the guy who always flips the bill of his hat upward, was wearing the exact same kind of pants. Jasper at least had the sense to wear a shirt that coordinated. Baggeley did not. His blues clashed. These guys need to call each other tomorrow morning and make sure they don't dress like twins again. It was distracting. Well, it was distracting to all the men sitting around me whom I had recruited to pay attention to whether these guys were actually wearing the same kind of pants. We all concurred, def the same pair of pants. The belt was the same, the rear pockets were of the patch variety (like blue jean pockets). And one enterprising male fan even noticed that both men's pants had a zippered vent at the cuff. Very observant. I am impressed. This guy's gonna show up on Queer Eye any day now!!

In other news, Jeff was interviewed by the local Fox affiliate and a portion of it was aired on the 10 o'clock news. It was very exciting. One down side to it though...there goes his 15 minutes of fame, darnit.

Oh, sorry to mention, Steve Lowery didn't make the cut. I was bumming.

Just so I can rap this rambler up by connecting it to America somehow, I want to explain a game I like to play. It's called six degrees of America. You may have heard of the concept in regard to Kevin Bacon. I like to try to connnect things to America in six or fewer steps. So far this week without trying very hard at all, I've been able to make two connections in only 3 degrees. Here's the first one: #1 I'm at the PGA. #2 I watch Steve Lowery tee off at the PGA. #3 A guy by the same name (albeit different spelling) runs the America Fans Website. You may have guessed that one already. Here's the second one: #1 I'm at the PGA. #2 I see a fellow spectator wearing a WHERE THE HELL IS ELLICOTTVILLE? Ellicottville Brewing Company t-shirt. #3 I saw America play at Holiday Valley in Ellicottville last July.

Another trend I'm noticing: I lead a sad, sick little life.

Hi Nancy,

It was my pleasure sending the tape of Gerry's 50th birthday on WCBS-FM 101.1 in New York. For your information I also sent Steve a copy of the wonderful and multi Oscar nominated movie, California Dreamin', so that he can tape it and have it as part of his collection. Nancy, you may also remember that I'm the same guy who did the America montage a couple of years ago.

Mark
East Brunswick, N.J.

Good luck getting your hands on that tape. I would love to see and/or hear that performance. I don't know what type of performance it was, but back in those days it was frequently just the three of them with their guitars - a great sound!

lol...don't have a cue! My brain is fried....to much php programing for a web site I am putting together for a client. I do know I got Joni Mitchell's quote right
Sir Joe, Nancy, perhaps Vic....go for it!

Okay Lass, Nancy, Sir Joe, and anyone else. Here are some hints:

"I just know that if I got mixed up in a love affair...." (Hint: This artist sang a verse about the death of his/her mother or was it his/her father or both?)

"If you want to hear pretentiousness, just listen to John Lennon's 'Image"...." (Hint: I don't know much at all about this artist. I do remember seeing him/her performing on stage at an awards show on television and a large number of the audience booed him/her as he/she sang.)

"I hang my laundry on the line when I write." (Hint: If he/she does hang his/her laundry on the line, he/she may do it in the nude. Just ask Gerry, Dan, or Dewey.)

"If you see George Harrison, tell him I think...." (Hint: He/She just needs to be a little in love."

"I hope this record sells - I'm definitely tired of sliding...." (Hint: Henry Lee Summer covered one of this artist's biggest hits. Joe Walsh played guitar on Summer's cover. John Batdorf who co-wrote "You Could've Been The One" off of "Alibi" performed background vocals. The artist who said the quote looks sort of like a hillbilly to me.)

"Basically our situation is on the borderline of collapse...." (Hint: This artist once belonged to a band that's one of Dewey's favorites.)

"Before I got into rock 'n' roll, I was going to be a dentist." (Hint: Brother, I wouldn't want this artist working on my teeth... not a single one of them much less all of them. He/she can share the pain with someone else.)

Well then....I guess a hint or two is in order Johnny. This is a toughie!

Me again :)
Thanks Johnny ~~~ Geeze I did BAD.... I coulda sworn I was right on the Jerry Garcia one..... Sooo I only got ONE right .... was it my Gilbert O'Sullivan guess????? Hmmmm Nope ~~ I just looked back over the other's posts.... it has to be my Greg Allman guess that was the only one I had right.... Darn these are tooooo Hard!!!!!!

Okay gotta get! Nancy :) ~~ Ambrosia's songs are playing here.... cause I wanna go see them! :) a Poutin Nance ;)

~~~~ Need your lovin here beside me, need you close enough to guide me, I've been hopin you would find me, You're the Biggest Part of Me, wellll make a wish babyyyyy, make a list baby of the things I would do for you..... Take it from there Ambrosia :) ~~~ gotta a feelin that forever, we are gonna stay forever.... You're the Biggest Part of Me..... ;)

Hi Nancy ~ Welllll, one out-of-seven right is better than none out-of-seven. :0)

Unfortunately, the one you got right wasn't the one you thought was Jerry Garcia. :0(

Hi Everyone :) It is an Overcast~Foggy~Dreary Day here in PA ~ the past couple of days have been downright Hot ~ the heat index was wayyyy UP there! I ain't gonna complain tho, cause it has been a beautiful summer sooooo far and Our Power didn't go off! ~~ Gerry just started that oooh soo familiar song off with "Great Hits of the 60's" Yep "What Does It Matter to Me" is on here ~~~ it's only just a memory, just a little history ~~ Sing it Gerry Gerry Gerry ~ Dewey Dewey Dewey ~ Dan Dan Dan ~~~ everybody sing along now chu chuuuuu :)

Hi Steve L ~~ Thanks for the great pics you shared with us, you can be sure I right clicked and save as on a couple of these pics to use off and on as backgrounds on my puter. I loved the different color of the blue eyed sky you captured in some of the previous pics. and the 12 am Sunset pic was AWESOME ~what a sight that had to be! I love when the sun is out and you can still see Mr Moon's sihlouette in the sky ~~ it stops me in my tracks everytime. :) ~~ I downloaded the WCBS segments last night ~~ It was neat getting to hear these. Thanks for posting them for us. ~~~ Hey there Mark Schneer if you are reading this ~~ Thanks for sending these in to Steve L, that was pretty neat Gerry's 50th birthday being documented on the radio! :) I called my dj friend the day Gerry turned the big 50 and requested he play Daisy Jane and I said today is Gerry Beckley's 50th Birthday, and not only is he still sounding good, he also is looking good too! :) he put my Birthday message on the air! :) ~~ Gerry is here singing Inspector Mills, another great song for sure! ~~ I love all the different nice ways Gerry's voice comes through on songs and interviews! :)

Hi there howardlee ~~ Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the Hatchshell show ~~ Pretty neat ~~ You hopping on a plane and heading the whole way from Chicago to Boston to take this in... I got a chuckle out of the part about it being no fun taking the chairs that you bought at Lowe's, back on the airplane flight! ~~ Yep I agree it was great getting to hear Company again, I saw them on April 1st,2003 and got to Indulge on the Lonnnnnnnng Playlist of Songs. :)

Hey there Mo ~~ I enjoyed your post, glad to hear your power wasn't off tooo lonnnnng. ~~ In 2 weeks we will be heading up your way to get our son moved into his room at NYCC. I thought to myself, how terrible this had to be for all of those people in New York City & Manhattan... that was too much watching those 14,000 plus walking across the bridge to get home on thurs evening... It was encouraging tho to see all of the people waving and kinda smiling at the tv cameras. I am sure there were lots of people that found this to be apprehensive and frustrating! ~~ Too neat that you are checking out the PGA Tour there, I too found myself taking a double look at the TV screen when the hubby was watching the recaps of the day on Sportscenter and they said the name Steve Lowry (Lowery), I thought WOW that Webmaster of Ours is a Man of Many Talents! :) ~~ I will look forward to hearing all about your adventure getting to talk to Tiger W & the others. ~~ Hmmm Some of these guys are not bad looking at all! ;P Have fun Mo! :) Gerry's instrumental "What Happened" is playing here now.... Nice background music for your experiences, wouldn't You say??? :)

Hmmm Johnny ~~~ Okay here is my Guesses, the only one I am really sure of is ~~ Jerry Garcia ~~ Before I got into rock'n roll I was going to be a dentist.

Joni Mitchell ~~ "If You want Pretentousness, just listen to John Lennon's "Imagine" :)
Gilbert O'Sullivan ~~ I Hang My Laundry on the Line.... (seeing this brought some really neat songs of Gilbert to my mind, songs that I shared with a special friend... Smiles for sure! ~~~~ What's in a Kiss, have you ever wondered just what it is, more perhaps than just a Moment of Bliss, tell me What's in a Kiss ~~ What's in a Dream, is it all the things you'd like to have been, all the places that you haven't yet seen, tell me What's in a Dream ~~~ Oooooh anytime you need a Light Refreshment, You can count on me...I am your very own Delicatessin, well Equipped to supply you with your every need... Sing it for Me & My friend ~ Gilbert :) ;)
Lou Reed ~~ "If You see George Harrison....
Cliff Richards ~ I just know that if I got mixed up in a Love affair...
Elvin Bishop ~~~ I Hope this record sales.....
Greg Allman ~~ Basically our situation......

Jason & Lass ~~ Thanks for the info.... Good Luck in finding this clip Jas. ~~~ Lass I will be sure and go and check out Richard's site, it has been a while since I checked it out. :)

Hmmmm Rob & Speech ~~ I agree with you both about the song Donkey Jaw & Green Monkey.... I also find when Iam in a bad mood, I like listening to Third Eye Blinds song "How's It Gonna Be" and Staind's "It's Been Awhile" (with all of the explicits beeped out of course) I don't know why he had to put all of that crap in this song, it had an effectiveness to it without them... I like Linken Parks "In The End" also....

Hey Red ~~ Well I got my sons all packed and they were on the road for Ohio early this morning... I wonder how Rusty will do at his HomeParent track at the race in Mich. on Sunday.... Hmmm my Call wave just rang and it was Jeff calling on his cellphone... they are there at our relatives safe and sound... :) I hope they have a great time at the race. :) Get all your yardwork done today sooo You can sit back and Enjoy the Race! :) ~~ Oooooh I didn't have any luck winning ticket's for the Hall & Oates & Kenny Loggins show at Seven Springs on Aug. 23rd.... Booooooo Hoooooooo !!! I tried all day long, but the odds musta been against me this way too.... :)

Darn ~~ Tonight is the night Ambrosia is playing at the Wine & Food Festival at Seven Springs.... I made one last attempt mentioning this to the Hubby, hoping he would say Okay we will go.... but no such luck... It just ain't Fair he isn't into to going to see all of these great concerts that are here in PA this summer... :(

Enjoy the rest of your day everyone! Nancy :)

~~~ Ooooh Life could be a dream, if I could take you up in Paradise up above, if you would tell me I'm the only one that you love, Life could be a dream sweetheart~~~ Oooooooh Life could be a Dream, if only all my Precious Plans would come true, If you would let me live my whole life loving you..... Take it from there Gerry, Timothy B and Andrew Gold ~~~ What a neat rendition of this classic song by 3 of my favorite guys! yaddadadadada ShhhBoom Shhhhh Boooom :):) :)

Lass ~ You did a tad better. You got three correct. :0)

Jas ~ Good luck on yet another quest!

Johnny~ just taking a total guess here....let's see how well I do!

1. I just know that if I got mixed up in a love affair...ELVIN BISHOP

2. If you want to hear pretentiousness...LOU REED

3. I hang my laundry on the line when I write...JONI MITCHELL

4. If you see George Harrison...CLIFF RICHARD

5. I hope this record sells...JERRY GARCIA

6. Basically our situation is on the borderline...GREG ALLMAN

7. Before I got into rock 'n' roll...GILBERT O'SULLIVAN

Moser ~ are your sure it wasn't you who turned out the lights?!? We only lost power briefly here in NE PA. It was kinda wierd because I live right on the PA/NY state line, looking across the road to my NY neighbors who were without out power for hours

Just went by Rich Campbell (aka-Doctor Dawg) web site, he has a link to an interesting news article that was featured in the Chico Enterprise Record, regarding himself. He also has recently added links to VH.com and the Fan Site. If you haven't been there yet, check it out! Access Backstage with Rich Campbell -
http://members.aol.com/doctordawg/index.htm
Direct link to news article: http://www.chicoer.com/Stories/0,1413,135%7E25096%7E1543772,00.html

There I was last night sitting in my lounge the TV on but not really watching it when suddenly 3 guys appear on the screen I immediately recognise with long hair, sitting on stools, playing guitars. Unfortunately, I had the TV on mute and by the time I'd found the remote this little gem of a snippet was over. However, I did see the legend on the screen "Old Grey Whistle Test".

This then must be the fabled AMERICA set off the very 1st OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST a BBC music program which I've never seen and have been searching for for ages. I'm sure no one on this site has seen it either (let me know if i'm wrong).

The program this snippet came from was a news item about a London concert venue called the SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE which for years was owned by the BBC and used to record live chat shows and sit-coms as well as music. The BBC haven't owned this venue for years which is now a normal concert venue in West London.

I'll try to find out what programme this news item was on because their researcher must have found this AMERICA live footage to include it in the news item and hopefully we might be able to get a copy.

There has been a compilation video/DVD of the OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST footage which came out last year but didn't include the AMERICA set. I emailed the company then but never got a response. One problem with the BBC is that they used to trash old footage quite regularly in the old days so there was always the possibility that it had gone for good. Having seen the snippet last night hopefully means it still exits.

I'll do some digging and let you know how I get on. If anyone out there knows any more info that may help me can you let me know.

Cheers

Jas

America didn't come to Chicago area this year so we went to them in Boston!! Big thanks from the band should go to oldies 103.3 as they advertised the HECK for this show! they gave away preferred seats evey hour for at least a week (while we were driving thru maine and the white and green mountains of vermont & new hampshire)! In addition, they played America interview excerps as well as 1-2 America songs every hour. They didn't get this much major market airplay during the Warner years of the 70's! We stopped at Home Depot and picked up some chairs which we put out 4 hours before the show just in front of the sound board. this hatch shell area became completely crammed with people, possibly 4-5 thousand with many standing 4-5 deep around the perimeter of the whole area. To the person who reported bad sound with feedback i have this to say: having been fortunate to have seen them over 30 times since 1975, this has to rank among the best sound i have heard. Pete spent the entire Orleans set tuning the guitars and they sounded great. the only musical mistake was Gerry restarting "Baby it's up to you" after the first 7-8 notes. otherwise, they sounded about as clear as the grand cayman cd!! only Gerry's mike was maybe a bit too loud on some of the loudest vocals. the set was about 20 songs, a bit shorter than what they've played last summer, but gee did it sound good! - in spite of all the big buildings for sound to bounce off of in Boston! I would have liked to have heard more than just the greatest hits but i understand why they play them all. Company sounded great, thanks Dewey! Orleans played a tight set. it was good to see them after having last seen them during Chicagofest in the late 70's!! The only bummer was dragging those chairs on the airplane back home!!

On September 13, 2002 WCBS-FM in New York featured America in honor of Gerry Beckley's birthday which was the day before. They played 7 or 8 of America's biggest hits sprinkled in with some comments and a couple of interview clips from Gerry. Mark Schneer was kind enough to send me a copy of the program and I have digitized Gerry's interview clips. Click on the links below to download or listen to the MP3 soundclips.

Segment 1
Segment 2

The soundclips will remain on the chat folder for a week or so.

Serge ~ I didn't know you had posted your latest message until after I had submitted mine.

Regarding your selection, you have two correct. That's really not too bad.

Sir Joe and all who are interested ~ For the "Who Said What", each of the musicians I listed said only one of the quotes. It's not one musician who said all seven. I'm sorry...I wasn't clear about it.

Johnny,

Very early this morning I posted a embarrasingly incomplete answer and I apologize...I guess I was still half asleep... Then I had to go to work,now I am back home,and here are my best guesses~

"I just know that if I got mixed up in a love affair, then it would affect my work. It would ruin everything for me. That's why I'm denying myself." JONI MITCHELL

"If you want to hear pretentiousness, just listen to John Lennon's 'Imagine'. All that 'possessions' crap." JERRY GARCIA

"I hang my laundry on the line when I write." GILBERT O'SULLIVAN

"If you see George Harrison, you can tell him I think he's a load of old rope." CLIFF RICHARD

"I hope this record sells - I'm definitely tired of sliding through life on my good looks." ELVIN BISHOP

"Basically our situation is on the borderline of collapse all the time anyway." GREG ALLMAN

"Before I got into rock 'n' roll, I was going to be a dentist."LOU REED

Greetings from the land of, "Hey, who turned off the lights?" "Wasn't me." "Not me." "It's your fault." "Nuh-uh." "I'm tellin'."
Luckily, it was a lovely summer day, as opposed to the days and days without electricity in April during the ice storm when it was utterly freezing. (I have fond memories of the ice storm even though most people don't because I was headed toward Casino Rama for two lovely days of vacation with my hub and two America shows. Ahhhh, great weekend.) Okay, back to reality, here. As I was saying, how bad can it be to go without electricity in August? Okay, so some food had to be thrown out and some folks had to live without their air con, but hey, that's not so bad. I suppose it was a bit more complicated in NYC with the subway being shut down and all. Okay, that would not have been cool.
I was online (BIG surprise, huh?) when the computer just shut down. Now once in a while it will freeze up on me but it doesn't usually just go off. My first thought was, "Did I miss paying the electric bill?" After a quick call to the neighbor to confirm that our house was not the only one without power, and thus confirming I had not forgotten to pay my bill, we headed to the neighborhood pool just as we had planned to. Power or no power, I figured we could still swim. Well, that was true for about 45 minutes when they decided they would have to close down the pool since the pump wasn't running. As we were leaving the pool, I overheard someone say they were getting a bit freaked out since it seemed that all of the city (Rochester) was without power and possibly all of the Northeast and Toronto. Not being one to overreact, I figured it was scuttlebutt. Just the same, we listened to the radio on the way home from the pool and heard the news that it was a widespread outage. Of course my next thought was whether it could be the work of terrorists. Before even finishing the thought, the radio announcer was saying that it was not a suspected terrorist attack. The possibility lingered in my mind for a while b/c of course they would say that to allay public panic. Of course, as it has turned out, my suspicion was wrong. Unfortunately, my teenager, Kaity was suspicious all night long and too afraid to sleep. I tried to reassure her that everything was fine but she would not have it. She apparently stayed up all night long with her (majorly big) flashlight and read a book. She woke me at 5 AM to make sure I knew that the power was back. I really appreciated the news.
Well I've got to go pick her up so I'll write more in a few minutes. The PGA is here and I have news from there...biggest headline...I got to see Steve Lowery tee off. (That is the correct spelling.) Funny, huh?

Regarding the "mood" of Donkey Jaw, I agree. Another song that sort of works that way for me is "Green Monkey" from Hat Trick.

As I mentioned before, we were in the Anchorage area during the summer solstice and it became very obvious why they call it the land of the midnight sun. On June 22nd (the day after the solstice) we were at the McKinley Chalet Resort just outside Denali National Park. I happened to get up at midnight and when I looked outside it was perfectly light. I took a picture of a beautiful sunset and then took a picture of my atomic clock so I would remember what time it was. We had to get up around 4:00 am for an early tour of the Park so I took another photo then of the sun coming up over the mountains. Click on the links below to see the view from the webmaster's camera.

Sunset at midnight
Atomic clock showing the time
Early morning moon over the mountains

Johnny, "Google" hasn't helped with this group.

I say it's Lou Reed...

Thr truth is out there, but I forgot the URL....;-D

Cliff Richard

"I just know that if I got mixed up in a love affair, then it would affect my work. It would ruin everything for me. That's why I'm denying myself."

"If you want to hear pretentiousness, just listen to John Lennon's 'Imagine'. All that 'possessions' crap."

"I hang my laundry on the line when I write."

"If you see George Harrison, you can tell him I think he's a load of old rope."

"I hope this record sells - I'm definitely tired of sliding through life on my good looks."

"Basically our situation is on the borderline of collapse all the time anyway."

"Before I got into rock 'n' roll, I was going to be a dentist."

Greg Allman, Elvin Bishop, Lou Reed, Joni Mitchell, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Jerry Garcia

As a student of American pop culture, I find speechwriter's comments really astute and I agree with what you're saying, speech. Let me add to my previous comments that, even though I am amazed in a way about the popularity of ICP, I do understand what teenage kids are getting out of their music: it's angry, loud, scares their parents, and lets out a great deal of rage. They're still not my thing.
Even though America tends much more towards the mellow, reflective side of things, let me just mention one America song that I can listen to when I'm in an angry young man mood: "Donkey Jaw". I would like to hear that one live one of these days.
-Rob

... never heard one lick of Insane Clown Posse, but a journalism prof I had in college many moons ago imparted a thought I've always valued ... in talking about art, particularly popular art, the word "talent" is virtually meaningless. I've had people tell me "America is not talented." I figure what they mean is, "I don't like America." Keith Emerson is a virtuoso pianist, and John McLaughlin a virtuoso guitar player, but I find their records (Emerson with The Nice, ELP) and McLaughlin on his solo stuff, etc., to be monumentally boring. Others swear by them. Are Emerson and McLaughlin un-talented? What does the term even mean? I think making music, or blending music and words, in a way that gives people pleasure involves a lot of individual charisma and luck. But I still don't know what people mean when they appear taken aback by the rise of artists who lack so-called "talent."

Hey Shayne and everyone,
Insane Clown Posse do sell a large amount of CD's. I work at a Strawberries' CD store and every few days some kid will come in and buy one or two of their CD's. We are even selling promotional merchandise by this band. I have only heard one of their songs, but it was really very bad. They seem to be ridiculous, it's almost as if they have no desire to have much artistic integrity at all. Yet, somehow, millions of people like them and go to their concerts. I suppose taste is taste. Still, I would love to see Shaggy and Violent Jay (Those are their stage names) do a guitar solo on stage like Dewey, Gerry, or Woodsy, who would be better (in my opinion) even on their worst night.

Thanks for sharing that link Shayne! The partial article makes me want to go find the magazine. I blame the "Progressive rock" movement of the late 70's. I seem to recall a friend of mine being enamoured of a song, the only lyric of which was "dumbo the clown, the clown who loved Christmas" It went on for five minutes.....

And I bet they CD's while bands like America, who actually HAVE talent, don't. I promised myself I would never say this when I got old(er), but I'm breaking my promise...WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE YOUTH OF TODAY???

Shayne
"Now you're built of faith and fear trying to make it through the year, it's hard to figure out a place to start, I know When you're only a kid at heart."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?1tmpl=story&cid=769&ncid=1776&e=1&u=/nm/music_worst_dc

There are worse ways to spend money. It looks like they had a pretty good time celebrating that milestone.

Elton just wanted to see guys in shorts and bent over all the time. HaHaHaHa.

The internet searches are making short work of my questions from a rock 'n roll quote book I have.

Steve, you got it right. Indeed, it was Rod and Elton with their verbal feud. Who would have guessed that Elton was the chairman of any sports club? He just doesn't strike me as the type.

I knew Dewey's quote. The expletives gave Grace's away. Admittedly, "Google" made quick work of the others.

Robsl and Jenna, Yes, it is definitely "Pidgeon Song". Thanks for playing, you too Nancy. After reading it again, it seems more correctly, an "amplified version", than a "Roget's version"

Also Nancy, I just don't know about that video any more. I no longer believe that I could do justice to such a project. You don't forget, do you? : )

Jenna, the reason I said, "I thought of you as I was putting this down" was, I remembered you posting here, not long ago. I believe you said that you were going to a concert, and that you hoped that the guys would play "Pidgeon Song".


"I don't know why I done it"
I admit that there can be no explanation for my actions.

"Honest, it ain't like me"
With a clear conscience, I can truthfully say that my behavior is entirely out of character, with regard to the manor in which I would normally conduct myself.

"But I ain't sad now I done it"
However, having committed the aforementioned deeds, I must confess that I am completely without remorse.

"'Cause a baby boy has got to be free"
There can be absolutely no constraints put upon the behavior, of the very young, of the masculine gender."


I don't know why I done it
Honest, it ain't like me
But I ain't sad now I done it
'Cause a baby boy has got to be free

I know that Elton John had a 25-year association with Watford and resigned as the Chairman and director of the Watford Football Club in May of 2002 (click here to read about it). So, it probably was Rod Stewart and Sir Elton.

In 1977, one musician said the following about another musician. The second musician replied back. Can you correctly guess who the two were?

Musician A: "I don't think he was ever born to be a rock 'n' roll star. He was probably born to be Chairman of Watford Football Club, and now he's beginning to look like the Chairman of Watford Football Club as well."

Musician B: "I am capable of being a rock 'n' roll star and the Chairman of Watford Football Club and I sell more records throughout the world than him. Anyway, he should stick to grave-digging, 'cos that's where he belongs, six feet under."

David Bowie and Mick Jagger

Rod Stewart and Elton John

Graham Nash and Neil Young

Pete Townsend and Eric Clapton

John Lennon and Paul McCartney

Vic, I'll be another one to say Pidgeon song or Call of the Wild?
I give up...

Thanks Steve for pointing out exactly which post Terry K submitted to the folder in June, and thanks Karen for being willing to help find it.

I re-read Terry's post to the folder more closely this time. I was glad to see in his post that he didn't mention how much he contributed moneywise to bring the guys to Madison. I still find the mention in the news article of his contributing $10,000 unnecessary and boisterous. Maybe he had nothing to do with the newspaper knowing the amount he contributed. Whoever was responsible for informing the newspaper of the money amount shouldn't have in my opinion.

Very close, Nancy. Vic, you got them all correct and so quickly! I was surprised.

Thank you, Steve, for helping me with the post from June. I'm relatively new to this chat folder and am still catching on to some of it. It was fun reading his post and the article again. It was a very cool thing for Terry to be able to do, and I certainly appreciated seeing AMERICA in a small setting.

Mike & I and our boys are going to the 8/22 show in Dubuque and have seats in the 18th row on the aisle. The guy selling me the tickets said those are good seats, but I don't know about that after being able to stand by the stage at the Madison show. We're looking forward to it anyway! Our 7-year-old Kyle sent us to the concert in Madison with a picture for Gerry & Dewey since he couldn't be there. Now he finally gets to see them in concert! (I wonder if they'll ever come to Luther's Blues in Madison again?)

Vic, this is a tough one...I'm stumped (have to go through the catalog again or think of hidden metaphors?) Thought the quotation matchup was easier. Would it be too big of a hint to say whether it's a tune from the 70's, 80's or 90's?

uhhhhh Hmmm is that the last verse of Pigeon Song in a "Roget's version"?
Just my guess on this one.
Rob

On June 21st (the summer solstice) we arrived at the McKinley Chalet Resort one mile north of the entrance to Denali National Park. We thoroughly enjoyed our time there because it was warm (70 degrees) and dry. It never did get dark so we always had to look at the clock to see if it was time to get up or time to go to bed. Click on the links below to see the view from the webmaster's camera.

A colorful magpie eating a snack
The Nenana river with it's surrounding trees and mountains
A closer view of the Nenana
The McKinley chalets nestled in the pines

Johnny: I think it's pretty cool that someone could hire America to play at his 50th birthday party. As far as being bent out of shape because they weren't his first choice, guess what? They wouldn't be mine either. They'd be my second choice.

First I'd choose the Beatles. Now that would be a coup.

And if I had the money, I'd hire America. Then secretly invite Dan Peek. Now that would really be a coup.

Kevin.

FYI, it's message #28401 in the June archives.

Hi Johnny, I'm looking for that post from Terry Kurth about his America birthday party, and I'll have to continue my search this evening or I'll be late for work : ) I do remember that it was posted almost exactly one month after the concert, so at the end of June. The concert was 5/29. I have a hard time remembering which message board I see things on because I read both this one and the one on vh.com regularly. (What's a quick way to find an old post on this one? I don't think it's in the archives quite yet.) Sorry, Johnny - I'll get back to you on this tonight. Have a good day! Karen

One more thing~~~

Yes I saw Vic's post and had to take a guess at it as more of my songs played in my headphones...
Vic ~~ In Other words could it be ? Railroad smoke sifting through the strong southern sky
I always knew that one day I'd see you die
Said the man at the junction
To the boy in conjunction
With the murder of a man
With the murder of a man ~~~ Hmmm the song Mitchum Junction?

Nitey Nite again ~~ Nancy :)

~~~ Listen to the ways everything communicates, will it ever be, anything more than Wishful Thinking, Ooooooh nooo there you go, look to where you miss the show, how much wasted time will you survive... Feel the blades of grass, how it brings you back, it will always be only as green as you can seee, oooooh nooo there you go, look to where you miss the show, how much wasted time will you survive, oh yeah fooled again, don't know how, and I don't know when, not much else today but Wishful Thinking ~~ Little breakdowns coast of town, they come suddenly ~~ crashing over you, they come easily, falling through the sky, and frozen places ~~~ take it from there Duncan Sheik (Wishful Thinking) ~~ Hmmm I wonder what ever happened to Duncan, he has some nice accoustics in his songs! :)

Yep Me Again ~~ Yep it is late here! ~~~ I was just here listening to my songs and catching up reading this and that!

Thanks Traveler for posting this March 2003 news article ~~ Nope I have never seen this before! I enjoyed reading it! ~~ Gerry is singing leads on "Watching the Time" here in my headphones ~~ Oooooooh how I love this song! ~~~ I was happy to watch the time go by, eye to eye, watching the time goooo by ~~ day for night, watching the time go by... and then the world changed, there was Hope in the distance, till it raised up around us, and preceded to shine, like a MOONLIGHT full of wreckless abandon, we would reach for the stars cause there was room at the top, and food on the table, we were doing quite well at such an early stage, and no one could see, the time go by ~~~ Sing it for me Beckley Lamm & Wilson :)

Well Johnny here are my Guesses ~~

Grace Slick ~~~ I have no respect for Jim Morrison ....
Lou Reed ~~~ I'm a John Denver freak....
Ringo ~~~ I love Beethoven, especially the Poems!
Don Henley ~~ Money was a much saner goal....
Dewey ~~~ We were being exposed to more and more sophisticated people & there were times that I found myself with my foot in my mouth!
Peter Townsend ~~ I was born with a plastic spoon in my mouth...

Nice dreams everyone ~~ Nitey Nite ~~ Be sure and check out Mr Moon tonight if you are still up and reading this! Nightowl Nancy :)

~~~ Songs of the Songbird, and his hopes for tomorrow, Ooooh Songbird, won't you carry me away, oooh carry me away now, oooooh carry me away, there is a songbird, and I listen as he wakes the day, and in my mind, I feel it dawning, and a brand new understanding of my way, I let the music carry me awaaaaay, I let the music carry me awaaaaay ~~~ Sing it Dan Fogelberg :) ~~ Away to my dreams :)

"I admit that there can be no explanation for my actions. With a clear conscience, I can truthfully say that my behavior is entirely out of character, with regard to the manor in which I would normally conduct myself. However, having committed the aforementioned deeds, I must confess that I am completely without remorse. There can be absolutely no constraints put upon the behavior, of the very young, of the masculine gender."

The above, is a sort of "Roget's version", of a verse, from an America song. Anyone care to take a shot at what song it's from?

Jenna, thought of you while putting this down.

"I have no respect for Jim Morrison. I didn't even feel sorry for him when he died." Lou Reed

"I'm a John Denver freak. I don't give a #@*&^ that he looks like a $@!~&* turkey!" Grace Slick

"I love Beethoven, especially the poems." Ringo

"Money was a much saner goal than adoration. They'll both drive you crazy, but if I'm going to blow my brains out for five years, I want something to show for it." Don Henley

"We were being exposed to more and more sophisticated people, and there were times that I found myself with my foot in my mouth, saying things I wish I hadn't." Dewey

"I was born with a plastic spoon in my mouth." Pete Townshend

The quotes and authors matched up exactly as you had them listed.

Can you correctly match-up the following six quotes to the correct musician?

"I have no respect for Jim Morrison. I didn't even feel sorry for him when he died."

"I'm a John Denver freak. I don't give a #@*&^ that he looks like a $@!~&* turkey!"

"I love Beethoven, especially the poems."

"Money was a much saner goal than adoration. They'll both drive you crazy, but if I'm going to blow my brains out for five years, I want something to show for it."

"We were being exposed to more and more sophisticated people, and there were times that I found myself with my foot in my mouth, saying things I wish I hadn't."

"I was born with a plastic spoon in my mouth."

Lou Reed, Grace Slick, Ringo, Don Henley, Dewey, Peter Townsend

Hi Karen ~ I'm glad you enjoyed "The Possibilities". The way it was written in the article did cause one to wonder. :0)

You mentioned in your post the following: "I had searched for this newspaper article when Terry posted about his birthday party...."

Did Terry post it here? I don't remember reading it. Can you (or anyone else here) point me to exactly which post it is?

Hi Everyone :)

Thanks Vic for the Hint ~~ I am just now checking in and see that Red got the right answer and Mo was on the right track. Way to go you guys. Hmmmm ~~ Witchy Woman ~~ what a song! :)

Regarding the Newspaper article on Terry Kurth ~~~ Good one Johnny ~~ It was kinda unclear. It is a neat way to celebrate your Birthday tho! I hope his getting to hear AMERICA has rekindled his love for their music!

Cheers Margaret ~~ Hmmm Getting to see 4 AMERICA shows ~~ Nice :)

Take care all and enjoy your day! Nancy :)

Hmmmm ~~ One more thing ~~ I never really meantioned the Singer's voices that I thought were earcatching to me ~~ I love Stevie Nick's, Dido's, John Mayer's, Eric Clapton's, Bob Seger's, Boz Scaggs & Richard Marx. I like Donna Lewis's voice too.

~~~~ Summer came and went without a warning ~~ All at once I looked and you were gone, and now you're looking back at me, Searching for a way that we can be like we were before ~~~ Now I'm back to what I knew before you ~~ Somehow the city doesn't look the same ~~ I'd give my life for one more night of holding you tight ~~ Oooooh Please take me there again ~~ Oooh Oooh ~~~ Sing it for me Richard Marx (Endless Summer Nights) :) :) :)

Traveler, thanks for the link. If it had been mentioned here, in the past, I missed it.

I may be repeating something someone already posted: since this new article was from March but...
http://www.canoe.ca/JamMusicArtistsA/ahorsewithnoname.html

Moser, you got the right band and album, from the Eagles' debut album, "Eagles", not quite the right color. Good "left field guess".

Red, You got it! "Witchy Woman".
"There's some rumors goin round. Someone's underground,
She can rock you in the night until your skin turns red"
Did my "hint" help? I figured that you would get it, even without the "hint".

Johnny, didn't think of "To Each His Own". It almost fits, except for the "...and turning green" phrase.

"To Each His Own" has:

Familiar faces that I've seen
Turnin' red and turnin' green

My guess is Witchy Woman by the Eagles(who else).

I know you want to love her, but let me tell you brother,
She's been sleepin in the devil's bed.
There's some rumors goin round. Someone's underground,
She can rock you in the night until your skin turns red

Left field guess:
(I'm not positive these lyrics are correct, they don't sound exactly right. I copy/pasted them from a fan site.)

Peaceful Easy Feeling

I like the way your sparkling earrings lay,
against your skin so brown
and I wanna sleep with you
in the desert tonight
with a billion stars all around
'cause I gotta peaceful easy feeling
and I know you won't let me down
'cause I'm already standing on the
ground
And I found out a long time ago
what a woman can do to your soul
Ah, but she can't take you anyway
You don't already know how to go
and I gotta peaceful, easy feeling
and I know you won't let me down
'cause I'm already standing on the ground
I get this feeling I may know you
as a lover and a friend
but this voice keeps whispering
in my other ear, tells me
I may never see you again
'cause I get a peaceful, easy feeling
and I know you won't let me down
'cause I'm already standing on the ground
'cause I'm already standing...
on the ground
oooo, oooo

Johnny - I had a good laugh about this, thanks! Awhile back (a month ago or so?) I had searched for this newspaper article when Terry posted about his birthday concert, because I attended the concert (no connection to Terry - I was part of the general public). Anyway, when I read the article I was wondering who saw who naked. I needed the laugh, so I'm glad the article was written that way - made my day!

Nancy/breckland/Johnny/anyone, you're looking for another song, from the early to mid 70's, that mentions the turning of one's skin, red, not necessarily by the sun. Ask the color, "he'll" know the answer. There's your hint!

Sorry, I left out an h. It should have been birthday.

This brings back special memories to me. We were able to see four America concerts in beautiful New Zealand as well as two in Sydney last year to celebrate my birthday. We were undecided initially about whether we should go to New Zealand because the Australian shows had not been announced at the time the tickets for the New Zealand shows went on sale. My husband came home from work to tell me that we had tickets for the concerts and the flights. If the Sydney shows hadn't happened we both felt that we would have regretted not going to NZ when the guys were so close to us. We also met jimbob at two of the shows. Hi Jim.
The Sydney shows were an extra bonus and we really appreciated the effort that went into organising them.
I can't imagine a better way to celebrate a special birtday. Thanks Gerry and Dewey for such wonderful memories.

One of the sentences from the article regarding Kurth's hiring of the guys had me laughing: "One of Kurth's friends said the song was playing the first time he saw his girlfriend, later his wife, naked."

Let's call Kurth's friend, "Bob".

1) One of Kurth's friends [Bob] said the song was playing the first time he [Bob] saw his girlfriend [Bob's] later his wife [Bob's], naked.

2) One of Kurth's friends [Bob] said the song was playing the first time he [Kurth] saw his girlfriend [Kurth's], later his wife,[Kurth's], naked.

3) One of Kurth's friends [Bob] said the song was playing the first time he [Kurth] saw his girlfriend [Kurth's] later his wife [Bob's], naked.

4) One of Kurth's friends [Bob] said the song was playing the first time he [Bob] saw his girlfriend [Kurth's], later his wife [Kurth's], naked.

Well, I know I can't afford $10,000 dollars to have America play at my birthday. I think it would simply be be easier to attend a concert on or near the date. Since my birthday falls on a Saturday next year, it might even be possible that they will have a concert scheduled on that date. Next, I have to hope it is somewhere I can go. Fingers crossed....

I don't know if it's just me but something about Terry Kurth hiring the guys to play at his 50th birthday doesn't set well with me. First of all, his first choice would have been the Eagles if he could have afforded them. His second choice was Bread who isn't together any longer. It sounds like he "settled" for America next. Plus, he seemed to be a bit surprised (for lack of a better word) at the number of America songs he recognized after he heard them. It just seems to me that Kurth should have been a die-hard fan like us instead of a somewhat casual fan who deserved to have America perform at his birthday party even though he was willing to help pay the fee. I don't know...maybe it's the extravagance that doesn't set well with me since I've never been impressed with how much someone is able to spend.

SteveL! I turn 50 in '04 also. (I just scared myself) I think a party, with some singing, may be necessary.

Ok, Gerry...this one is my favorite so far...

I swear some of these shots look like Universal's Back Lot! Thanks for taking us along, Gerry!

Yeah Nancy, we were both right and wrong. It is a parking lot alright ...
Thanks for the message. Speak to you soon.

Me Again :)

Thanks Steve for posting the VFTHW pics.... Hey Gen ~~ It is a parking space and there is a big tree off to the far left hand side... and Yepppereeeeee that sure does look like Gerry's shadowed profile there in this pic.... Too Much :) :) :) ~~~ Hmmmmm (deep breath) WOW Double WOW ~~~ What a View from your Hotel Window there in Ark.... Geeze talk about Majestic, talk about Garden of Peace, talk about them Might Cotton Ball Clouds in that oooh sooo nice blue-eyed sky.... and I love how you can see the sunlight shiing down in radiant streams.... It sure is a beautiful sight to behold... Thanks Gerry ~~ You just chased away my dreary ~ rainy day blues! :)

Hmmm I just wanted to add that my reason for singing Ventura Hwy.. is that we sing this to Ikky our little geicko lizard... I have to admit, he sure seems addicted to this song, as soon as we sing it to him he just closes his eyes and drifts off into alligator~lizard heaven and probably dreams of one day sharing his glass aquarium with a Lizzie geiko lizard. ;) :)

Okay gotta get now.... I will check out the newspaper article later... Thanks Gen for sending it to Steve to post...

See ya, Nancy :) ~~~~ Hmmm Paradise ~~ who wouldn't wanna be in Paradise.... Like a weather vane following the wind, the sun & rain, the ecstasy and pain, and all thats in between, cause in the morning summer breezes will be coming my way, and in the evening,I believing I'll be ready to say, that I'm living here in paradise, balancing the darkness with the light ~~ Sing it for me Dewey & Gerry :)

Hi Everyone ~~ It's just another rainy Monday here! ~ I am caught up in the song Piano in the Dark! ~~ Thanks Johnny for sharing some of the lyrics with us.

Hey there Vic from the desert ~~ I think we should talk to Ms Oleta Adams and see if she will change the lyrics to ~~ cross the desert on a horse with no name~~~ too much. I have been giving your trivia question some searching... and I keep coming up with Steely Dan ~~ but when I go to his lyrics the only song that contains the word crimson is Deacon Blues.... Hmmm is it a song by the Beatles? I just checked Emerson Lake & Palmers songs... but none with these lyrics... You do have me curious... I also went to the Doors song lyrics, they have alot of songs that talk about the Sun.... Is there another clue that you can give us that won't just give it away?

Hey there Red ~~ I guess my raindance backfired on me.... It poured soooo hard here saturday afternoon and evening we had flooding.... Darn ~~ Just when I thought I had it all figured out how to send some of this Rain your way.... Hey my butterfly bush finally bloomed and boy is it beautiful... I have 3 big butterflies that come to it already and the big Yellow Jackets are loving these sweet smelling clusters of Purple.... Hummingbird Joe came along and said Move Out of my way this is a something new here to check out... :)

Johnny ~~ I am glad you got to hear the Steve O ~~ Dewey Interview, I too was listening to it over again this past weekend! I too loved hearing Dewey talk about the song "And Forever" it was an instant favorite of mine upon hearing the Silent Letter album for the first time... and "All My Life" was my Gerry favorite from there, with All Around coming in second....

Dewey is here singing Garden of Peace ~~ With all of this rain we have been having this summer ~~ One look from my front deck takes you to a nonstop Garden of Peace for sure! ~~~~ sooo follow the path through the knowing trees, and each time you Laugh it is Love You Release, that Love will come back in the Garden of Peace ~~~~ Sing it over and over again Dewey! :)

Okay I gotta get the kids their dinner, geeze it just seems as tho they ate breakfast... I have my little 4 yr old neice Miss Megan here with us today too... She even joined in singing ~~~ ventura hwy in the sunshine where the days are longer the nights are stronger than moonshine, You'll never goooo I knoooooowwwoooowowowowoowowow, cause the free wind is blowing through your skin(changed this to fit Ikky Lizard) alligators lizards in the aiiiiiiiiiiiiir, in the aiiiiiiiiirrrr ~~ dodoododododoododododododoodooodoo :)

Have a great day all, see ya Nancy :)

~~~~ He holds me close like a Beat of the Heart, He plays a melody, one toooo tear me alllll apart, the silence is broken & no words are spoken but oooooh Just as I walk to the door, I can feel your emotioooon Yeaaaaah ~ It's pullin me back, pullin me back to love youuuuuuu ~~~~ Oooooh sing if once again for me Brenda Russell :) :)

Genevieve shared a link with me about Terry Kurth who helped hire America to play for him for his 50th birthday. It's a very interesting article. Click here to read the story from the May 31st article in The Capital Times web edition of the Madison, Wisconsin newspaper.

Let's see, I turn 50 next January and I haven't figured out what I want to do yet.... hmmmmmmmmmmm

Click here to see the view from Gerry's hotel window in Hot Springs, AR.

Sorry it took me so long to post this view from last Friday but I have been on a wonderful vacation in Island Park, Idaho (just outside the west entrance of Yellowstone National Park). I really didn't want to come back to work, but I guess the bill collectors wouldn't understand (LOL).

Click here to see the view from Gerry's hotel window in Columbus, GA.

<<you are asking from an early 80's time slot. Another question please>>

Not so fast there breckland! "A Horse With No Name" is not from the early 80's era. Let's call the era, early to mid 70's. That'll narrow it down. Besides, "Burnin' Up", by Madonna, does not contain the lyrics that I specified.

<<Everyone knows the best way to cross the desert, is by Horse.>>

Good one, Vic!

Charlene, Charlene! You trivia answering machine!

I assume it's "Charlene" and not "Charo".

you are asking from an early 80's time slot. Another question please

madonna 1984- "Burnnin' Up"

"Summers gone and I hope you're feelin' the same?" At least that's what's my 5 yr old keeps saying about acquatic sports vs. school.

Always thought that the lyrics, to "Get Here", were silly, ie., "You can reach me by caravan, Cross the desert like an arab man". Everyone knows the best way to cross the desert, is by Horse.; ) The heat was hot today. Hit 116 degrees. The desert fun will turn your skin red in a lot less than 3 days, more like 15 minutes. Trivia Question: What other song, of that same era,(a few years later) also mentions "one's epidermis being altered to a crimson hue"?

Hi all,

Is anyone out there interested in swapping some music. I had this idea that it would be nice to burn a CD of music I like which may appeal to AMERICA fans and which is not well known or hard to get.

I find it very frustrating that the UK radio stations seem to play nothing new these days and therefore it's very hard to discover new music. Most of the time I buy a CD blind after reading a good review (as in the case of THE THORNS). However, this can be expensive if you end up not liking the CD.

So I thought if I did a compilation it may introduce people to some new music. I'd be happy to post a few CDs to different people as long as they'd be happy to do a similar thing and send me a CD of music they like which may be lesser known.

If enough people were interested maybe the thing to do would be to send the CD to one person, they copy it and send it to the next, etc, etc. Therefore the cost is not too great to just one individual.

I know technically copying music is against the law. However, by introducing people to artists/bands they may not have heard it can only generate more interest in their music and maybe more sales for the artists concerned.

The CD i'm working on now will include 3 tracks of an individual artist/band so that you would get a fairly good overview of their style.

I thought of including bands that have been discussed on this site before which I know are hard to get like BATDORF & RODNEY, LONGBRANCH PENNYWHISTLE (pre-Eagles band), Maybe some OZARK MOUNTAIN DAREDEVILS and some more recent UK music which taps a similar acoustic vein like THE THRILLS, DEL AMETRI, etc.

Let me know what you think and how it is best to work this. If you want to email me directly please do on: helen.jason@btinternet.com

Cheers

Jas

This afternoon at the public library, I finished listening to the interview SteveO had with Dewey. It was very interesting to hear Dewey's comments about "And Forever". Until I listened to that segment of the interview today, I had no ideal what Dewey thought of the song. I thought it was particularly interesting because I had listed it as my favorite song of his off of "Silent Letter". It has me wondering the same about Gerry and one of his songs from the same LP. I seem to recall Gerry mentioning that he's quite partial to "1960," but I'm not absolutely positive.

Thanks again to SteveO for conducting the interview; to SteveL for posting it here; and, of course, to Dewey for taking the time to give the interview.

Oh, one other thing. I thought it was also interesting to hear what Dewey had to say about posting answers to questions by fans. Although it was really cool to read what Gerry had to say in answering some of the fans' questions on VH.Com when he did back when, it did make a person feel somewhat badly if their question wasn't addressed. So, I think it's better to not answer any fan questions rather than to answer selected ones. That's just my opinion, of course.

<<California Dreamin'?>>

Well, extremely close but not exactly. Okay, okay, close enough. LOL

The LP is "CALIFORNIA DREAMING" which contains, of course, the song "California Dreamin'".

Michelle Phillips sang the song, "Forever", and we all know that she was one of the members of The Mamas and The Papas.

Boy, that was a really drawn out triv question.

Mo, Rob & Robyn,

I did get into Matt's at 6 and at first just kept hearing the song Girl from Epinema playing... altho it kept saying connected to Matt Beckely live... I did get to hear bits and pieces of the interview and the tail end of Disappointed... Just like you all have mentioned, mine too just kinda cut off right when Matt was deciding how many more songs to play... I tried signing in again, but got a Windows Player Error that said the server encountered an unexpected condition,which prevented it from fulfulling the request... Whatever that means. I could only hear the voices... was there to be live pics with this too? It sounded as tho Matt and his band were having fun with this interview and this young girl that did the interview, definitely liked her job doing this... She did ask questions if any of them were dating someone steady... Matt's answers to her questions were enthusiastic and detailed... He did mention about the different types of songs on his cd when she asked How do you feel if people don't like your songs, he also mentioned about his getting sick on stage at Rusty's and feeling as tho he were dying, he said that all of the hard work in rehearsals are worth while for the feeling he gets from performing for people in places like Rusty's and such... If only my windows media player didn't have to stop and buffer soo much... Oh well it was neat to hear parts of this. Thanks Matt, continued success to you and your band and on your new upcoming songs. :)

Hey Rob ~~ Thanks for sharing that pretty neat triv with us about the Movie songs to That Thing You Do being done by Fountains of Wayne.

Hmmm ~~ Johnny I do vaguely remember something about this being discussed, but it is foggy to my mind.

Gotta get again, Nancy :)

Yep, same for me. With my WM7.1 I could hear -not visualize!!!- (almost) all the interview from the beginning but I lost connection before they started the 3rd song. The guys answered the questions we had posted in the forum pages. Matt said a word about what happened at Rusty's & how he felt about it, but sounded really fine by now. The guys also said how helpful & supportive the fans have been. Matt commented on the new set of songs & how they are a bit more rock than the songs on the debut cd, as the four of them are working together on them. I have to recollect my thoughts for further details, but don't worry, there should be a re-encoded video for us to see very soon...hope it's not a vaporvideo, though....

Rob and Robyn,
I got to hear portions of the webcast but it was very choppy on my end. I don't think I have enough RAM to have a nice steady stream. Mine did cut out at about the same time that Rob describes so I wonder if something failed on their end. Oh well, got a bit of it. Nice idea but frustrating for me.

California Dreamin'?

Hey Robyn,
I got in for a while and I got to hear some stuff by Matt and his band, Mike and Kaumyar. Matt mentioned that their bass player Leonard had to work today so he couldn't be there. I heard them do a song called "Suzy Parks" I think and then a song called "The Disappointed". Both songs sounded pretty cool. The drummer is great, and cool interplay of his drum work and the acoustic guitar. The webcast kind of seemed to cut off in the middle for me while the host of the webcast and Matt were discussing whether to play four songs or just three for the webcast. Thanks Matt for giving us this opportunity to hear your material and your great lyrics. I hope soon your CD gets nationally distributed. Keep up the great music!
Rob

I tried but in it's usual custom my computer kept dumping me out into never-neverland. did anyone get in I would love to hear details!

Hey Rob ~ No problem with being the third person or so to guess. You were right with your answer, though. :0)

Yes Nancy ~ It's "Dinner With Gershwin". Way to go! As far as the LP cover that lists the guys' names along with Brenda Russell, no, she doesn't sing a song herself. She's merely a background vocalist. Which song, I don't know. It doesn't specify.

The song Gerry and Dewey sing is a song we are all very familiar with. So much so, that it's one of the songs on their box set.

Another hint: Gerry's name is listed as "Jerry Beckley". Dewey's name is listed as "Lee Bunnell". Got it yet? We've all talked about it before but maybe a year or two ago.

Additionally, Willie is listed as "William Leacox". Tom Walsh is "Thomas Walsh"; Jimmy Claire is "James Claire". There are two songs on the LP by Burton Cummings formerly of the Guess Who as well as a song by Flo & Eddie who were members of The Turtles. I mentioned Dewey's song, "And Forever," in a previous post. It's not on the LP, but there's a song that's very closely titled the same. It's "Forever" sung by someone who has sung the same song D&G sang on this LP during the heyday of her career when she was with a very well-known group.

Me Again :)

Johnny that is too much that I happened to hit a lyric line in my last post to this song that Brenda Russel wrote for Donna Summer... Hmmm is it "Dinner With Gershwin"? ~~~~ I wanna have dinner with Gershwin, I wanna watch Rembrandt sketch
I wanna talk theory with Curie, ooh, impossible, I guess
I wanna talk moods with Picasso on a rendez-vous
I wanna fly double with Earhart, I wanna get next to you
Ooh, next to you So close, just as close as I can get
The rain of your worry can’t affect
What I feel is what I feel
One touch of your greatness is what I need
My circle of fantasy would be complete, oh woh oh oh oh ~~~ I have never ever heard Donna sing this song!

Hi Gen ~~ thanks for the email, I will get back to You soon. I must say You sure have Managed to sum up a whole bunch of weaknesses in one Powerful word ~ emotion ~ life necessity. WOW!!! :) ~~~ Hmmm I too was led to this very site by Love also.. Too Much! ~~ All I can say is I sure am glad that AMERICA's magic has been a very big part of my life... I am very thankful for the great friends it has brought my way! :)

Hmmmm ~~ So this isn't an AMERICA LP that you are referring to Johnny... a question.... is this album directly associated with Brenda Russell, any of her other songs?

Thanks Sergio ~~~ It is nice we all have such great taste in music! :)

Okay gotta get again! See you, Nancy :)

Hey everyone,
I just realized that my answer to the trivia question posted by Johnny was like the third person to answer it. Oh well. That's kind of embarrassing. Oh well.
I wish I had seen America and Three Dog Night in Columbus, GA for their show. I live in Massachusetts so it would have been hard for me to make it. I wish I could afford to buy tickets to the Radiohead concert that will be this Wednesday in Massachusetts but I couldn't afford tickets.
I'm a poor college student.
Someone mentioned that they bought a Fountains of Wayne CD at FYE , I think it was Mo. Fountains of Wayne is a cool band, and I am thinking of buying that CD as well. Matt and Mo, good taste in music. I like the songs I have heard on the radio by Fountains of Wayne. Here is a bit of trivia: Fountains of Wayne played the music that was used in the mid-90s movie "That Thing You Do" and it (the songs) were credited to the Wonders. The Wonders were really The Fountains of Wayne.
I am going to try to log on to Matt Beckley's live webcast tonight at 6pm in my time zone. That should be cool, hopefully my computer and internet hookup will be functioning at that time. I think it's great that the son of a member of my favorite rock&roll band (America) is now producing music in the same style of rock music that I am also into lately. It seems like Matt is in the kinda independent/emo/garagey vein, like some of favorite contemporary bands: The Strokes, Maroon 5, Jimmy Eat World, Ben Kweller, Weezer, etc. I am psyched for tonight's interview/webcast.
Rob

Thanks for the pics, Robyn. I'm looking forward to seeing them, & if I can get your kind permission, I will add them or some of them to my mB pages.
Regarding your post, don't feel sorry. I'm sure your reaction was a totally natural one. And Matt, as the class act he always is, wanted to reassure everyone - yes, Traveler, he's the kind to hit ALL his birds with only one stone ! Very effective :-)

For the record, I have only one weakness, & my only weakness is... LOVE ! It takes me everywhere & sometimes ANYwhere (to my own despair) BUT it's love that drove me to this very place a couple of years ago, & I believe it's been a value-added relationship since the beginning, if you see what I mean... :-)

I can answer your question 1...it was Oleta Adams.
Rob

First let me appologise if my post about Friday's show caused anyone distress. I am glad Matt ( who must have known I would do something dumb) posted right away. I promise to be more cicumspect in future posts!
I downloaded the media 9 in hope that I will be able hear the live webcast. My computer however usually has other ideas.

Gen, gonna try to send along some shots of the band. One is particularly good. I have already sent them on to Matt.
BTW we will be at the Rusty's show , or at least I hope to be. Matt what's the date?

Well Sir Joe ~ Welcome back to the fold(er) after a day of absence...

I remember sidewalk laughter down New Orleans, LA
A hot wet night at the fight with you

(From Sir Dew's "And Forever", of course)

Traveler ~ I bet it was the latter... the syndication. You did great to remember the program's name from so long ago.

Nancy ~ Yes, the writer of "Get Here" is indeed the same writer of the song, "Piano In The Dark"... Brenda Russell. More accurately, the song was co-written with Jeff Hull and Scott Culver with accompanying vocalist Joe Esposito (according to the notes in the CD leaflet).

BUT, this still leaves us with which LP cover that mentions the names "Beckley, Bunnell, Dickey, Leacox, Woods" (as well as Tom Walsh and Jimmy Calire), and Brenda Russell's name who was credited as a background singer but not on the one song that America sang. Ahhh, not a full-fledged America LP. Actually, there's just one song on the LP that's sung by America.

HINT: This LP was associated with AIR. That's "American International Records" not AIR as in Sir George Martin's studio. It was released approximately in 1978.

Nancy or anyone else ~ Do you know the Donna Summer hit that Brenda Russell also wrote? You mentioned part of the song title in your last sentence of your last post, "I got my dinner to get ready." Another part of the song title is "Ger...."

"PIANO IN THE DARK" lyrics

Where is it leading me now
I turn around in the still of the room
Knowin' this is when I'm gonna make my move
Can't wait any longer
And I'm feelin' stronger but oh
Just as I walk through the door
I can feel your emotion
Pullin' me back
Back to love you
I know I'm caught up in the middle
I cry just a little
When I think of letting go
Oh no, gave up on the riddle
I cry just a little
When he plays piano in the dark

Yes, Johnny that would be him. (Imus in the morning) He must have moved to the Philly station at some point or they did a syndication of his show as well from the Philly station.

I was away from the chat room yesterday,and I came back this morning and what great activity I found...Yesterday, my wife, daughter, a friend and I went to see a very beautiful and interesting exhibit at the New Orleans Museum of Art. It juxtaposes Napoleon's France against Jefferson's America, the rich excesses of Imperial France and the quiet dignity of our fledgeling Republic and the way each helped each other at that period in time. I highly recommend it to anyone who may be in the area this August. As usual, I had my "America Radar" on I saw a picture of Maria Cosway, the lady that inspired President Jefferson to write his "Head and Heart" letters. (I believe this was the answer to a trivia question in this chat room earlier this year)

Speaking of "Head and Heart", Nancy, what great taste in music you have. "Homecoming" is THE ALBUM, that album just holds something really special for me.

Juanito,

I almost fell off my chair laughing at your Mall Rat lyrics. Go Johnny! Unfortunately I can't figure out which album all those names appear on. I knew Oleta Adams sang the song, given I have her 1990 album "Circle of Life" which contains it.

Mo,

I have an extra mint "never before played" cd of "Harbor". E-mail me if you are interested.

Mike Cannon,

Welcome to the board! Thanks for your concert review and playlists. I have never seen Three Dog Night in concert. How do they sound in comparison to their great oldies.

Weaknesses...I can count 9 of them, but I think I will only divulge 7-America music of course, Carole King music, collecting, oldies (late 50's, all 60's and 79's and some of the 80's stuff), old Sophia Loren movies and stills, pastries, and my immediate family, my better half, Lourdes, my son, Michael and my daughter, Angela.

Have a great Sunday you chatters and lurkers out there,
Sergio

Hi Everybody ~

Hey Johnny I did another one of my Ooooops when I put that Anita Baker sang Get Here, I know that Oleta Adams sings this..... I don't know how I let Anita Baker pass through my fingertips.... LOL!!

Hmmmm ~~ I am wondering if you are referring to Brenda Russell and her song "Piano in the Dark" I just love this song.... I don't know much more than that about Brenda Russell... I am stumped on which LP either Oleta or Brenda's name can be found... I have Your Move & Perspective on cassettes and not much can be found on the title insert page... Bummer!

Hmmmm ~~ My six pleasures.... I will have to post later... I got my dinner to get ready.

Have a good day all! Nancy :)

...famous. Oleta Adams, that is.

Alas, it's Vic! Rather, Lass and Vic! :0)

No Vic ~ not Vanessa Amorosi. I'm not familiar with her at all.

Yes Lass ~ Very good! One of the answers is Oleta Adams, but she wasn't the songwriter. She's the singer who made the song.

Nancy ~ It was Oleta Adams instead of Anita Baker. I can see how you thought it was Baker. Both have a deep, sultry voice.

SONGWRITER HINT: She had her own smash hit whose title is similar to this: "Keyboards In No Light". This songwriter also wrote a song made very famous by Donna Summer.

Vanessa Amorosi had the hit??

Hey Johnny! I think part of the answer to your triva question is Oleta Adams, she was the songwriter but I am not sure what LP cover her name appears on with the guys

<<...my six weaknesses in life ...shoes, Robert Redford movies, cashews, CDs & DVDs, Krispy Kreme donuts AND cute guitar-playing/singing guys!>>

My six weaknesses aren't "too much" different: No cash, only a few shoes, no life, AND America, America, America!


(Yeah Gen ~ Maybe next time on a different triv question.)

Ooolala...Robert Redford and Krispy Kreme donuts...maybe I have more than 6 weaknesses after all!! Yes, Mr. Redford is a fine example of a man...a blonde man...in the same vein as our gorgeous and beloved blonde, Mr. Gerry. Right up my alley.
Thanks, Cindy from the South, I enjoyed your list.

<<...if I recall (correctly) the morning DJ was called IMA in the morning ... or something very close to that)>>

Sounds, perhaps, like Don "Imus In The Morning" who was stationed out of NYC in the early 70s, I believe, but that's just my speculation.

While I don't know what radio stations you used to listen to as a kid, in the 70s a lot of the "cool" FM stations used to play album tracks (non-singles) all the time. I remember hearing a lot of the songs from the first 6 albums (America through Hideaway) on the radio frequently. It seemed to come to a halt with the release of Harbor. Some of the songs I heard so often that I thought they must have released them as singles (Three Roses, To Each His Own, Baby It's Up To You, Another Try, Old Virginia, Jet Boy Blue ...). Ahh the good ol days ...

Hi Jenna,
No, Rich(who was OUTSTANDING with America) didn't sit in with 3 Dog Night, although both groups mentioned that he had worked with them. However, Jimmy Greenspoon, 3 Dog Night's keyboardist, did sit in with America on "Horse with no Name".

Hi Mo,
My dishes and laundry are done for today, so here are my six weaknesses in life ...shoes, Robert Redford movies, cashews, CDs & DVDs, Krispy Kreme donuts AND cute guitar-playing/singing guys!
Happy Weekend!
Cindy....from the South

I am fairly certain it would have had to have been radio play. Back in that time period WMMR 93.3 FM out of Philadelpia was the rockin' radio station of the area. (if I recall (correctly) the morning DJ was called IMA in the morning ... or something very close to that)

I could have had the 45 back then but if I did I should have know who the artist was. There is also the possibility that my Brother and sister, one of their friends, or my cousins (I was youngest of 37 cousins) played the song, and I heard it that way. It is hard to tell at this point in time.

But I can trace my Love of Harry Chapins music to 1974 when my brother at freshman at the University of Scranton came home to tell my sister about this singer/songwriter he had heard play in the bars up there. (Being the baby sister I wasn't actually invited but tagged along anyway) He played the Verities and Balderdash album that had just been released for her and I was hooked, and have been a fan from that point on. (It got so bad with me still all his and her records that stopped from saying I couldn't play them anymore -- but just asked I use their turntable to do so instead of my children's record player) I still have that same vinyl that he brought home that day.

>>Traveler ~ You have me curious. Where did you hear "Mad Dog" being >>played if not off of "Holiday"? Was it on the radio back during >>the mid-70s since it was the 45 flip-side of "Lonely People"?

Hi Johnny,
good one that Mall Rat Love song! :-)
Have to admit your triv question is much too hard for me... leave it to the numerous experts on this folder. But don't go considering my career as a triv finder is toast, though. I'll try to impress you next time...

You are VERY welcome indeed! Thanks for your review of the show. And I also mean to say here that I think I know exactly what you mean by 'the freshness of their music' . I share this viewpoint, for sure.

Mall rat, mall rat Yankee candlelight
Shoppin' the town and shoppin' it right

By the way, welcome from me too, Mike Cannon!

"Power Surge" and Nance ~ No guesses to the triv questions yet? You can do it! Vic ~ Are you still out there somewhere?

Traveler ~ You have me curious. Where did you hear "Mad Dog" being played if not off of "Holiday"? Was it on the radio back during the mid-70s since it was the 45 flip-side of "Lonely People"?

Hi Mike,

Sounds like it was a great night! Just wondering if Rich Campbell (new bass player) joined Three Dog Night for anything onstage? He probably didn't...but Rich used to tour with 3Dog Night - so just wondering??

Howdy. I'm not usually a mall rat but found myself in need of a trip there today for a couple of reasons. It's a rainy Saturday here, so what the heck, I figured, while I'm there to do the required errands I may as well indulge myself. I have six major weaknesses in life. I took care of three of them today--chocolate, Yankee candles, and CD's. Which brings me to my point...yes, I have a point. At the media store at the mall (it carries too many things to be called a record store), I always check the America bin to see if they have anything I may want to buy. I'm always in search of Harbor on CD, the last of the non-compilation, non-live albums that I have yet to acquire on CD. No luck with that one, however, I think it's worth mentioning that there were 14 different America titles for sale at this store. Pretty good, I thought. I doubt that I can remember all of them, let's see...Highway, Hourglass, Live (the one with the trio on the cover all playing acoustic), Complete Greatest Hits, History, Perspective, Alibi, Ventura Hwy. & Other Faves, Homecoming, View from the Ground, (okay I'll have to check the album list...hold on) America, Silent Letter, and Human Nature (funny that I would forget those 3 which are among my faves)...and one more...Encore. That's it. This was at FYE (For Your Entertainment). I bought the Live, The COMPLETE Greatest Hits, and a CD recommended by mB from Fountains of Wayne called Welcome Interstate Managers. Pretty good haul, I think. Well, gotta go. Dishes and laundry are calling my name.

For the curious of mind, the other three weaknesses that could not be indulged at the mall today...the hub, Jeff...cute guys in rock bands...and cross-stitch kits...pretty much in that order, too. Happy Saturday everyone.

Nancy's mention of the song, "Get Here," has me thinking of a trivia question or two. Who can be the first to answer all of the following questions:

1) Although Anita Baker is a very soulful-sounding singer, who actually is the female artist who sang "Get Here" and had a MAJOR hit with the song?

2) Who is the female artist who recorded "Get Here" first (and was the songwriter) but didn't have the commercial success like that of the second female singer?

3) On the back of which LP cover will you find the name of the writer of "Get Here" as well as the last names: Beckley, Bunnell, Dickey, Leacox, and Woods?

First of all...thanks Gen and Nancy for making me feel welcome here! I'm sure my playlist for the Columbus concert will be incomplete but...America's set included A Horse with no name, Tin Man, Sister Golden Hair, California Dreamin', Daisy Jane, Don't Cross the River, Hangover, Lonely People, Sandman, You can do Magic, I Need You (theirs and George Harrison's), Ventura Highway, The Border, and Woman Tonight. I know there were a couple of others...maybe someone can fill in the blanks for me. Three Dog Night's set included Family of Man, One Man Band, Chest Fever, One, The Show Must Go On, Black and White, Easy to Be Hard, Mama Told Me, Out in the Country, Joy to the World, Liar, Celebrate, Never Been to Spain, and at least a couple of others from newer sessions.
As much as I hate to admit it, I was a young deejay back when "Ventura Highway" was first released, and when the opening riff to that song began at the concert, I was overwhelmed with the memories, and then "I Need You" pretty much finished me off! The one thing that amazed me during the concert was the freshness of their music. It sounded as good last night as it did the first time I heard it all those years ago. I kept turning to my date and saying, "God, this is great!" The vocals were as refreshing and vibrant as any I can remember, and the music was just as good. Being an amateur (bad) musician, I tend to notice the little things, and I kept watching the drummer and thinking, "This guy is soooo tight...every lick is perfect." And when they announced that he'd been with the group for 32 years, I understood why!
I'm sure everyone's tired of the rambling by now, but if the group ever reads this, I just want to say thanks for a great show and for bringing back some wonderful memories...and doing it with style!

Hi Everyone ~~~ Kinda a Dreary Overcast Saturday here! I listened to my Homecoming DVD until the wee hours of the morning. Oh How I love all of the songs on that... Nice :)

Hi SteveL ~~ Thanks for sharing Scott West's Lyrics to his new upcoming song release and the pic to portray this song. I have read these lyrics a couple of times now and this song has a couple of neat perspectives. I find myself wondering if Blue is to be the Sky and how it is seen through the eyes of a very special Lady in Scott's life. I hope we will get to hear these lyrics with the music one day... I would love to get the whole feeling from it! ~~ Hmmm regarding your recent VFTWMC pics of Anchorage... Wow this city is different then the rest there in Alaska... So neat how the busy and laid back contrasts came to life with the Horse drawn buggies driving down through the main street. ~~ Thanks again for taking us on this visual experience of your cruise! :)

Hey Matt ~~ Thanks for posting and letting us know that You are Okay. I was happy to read that you decided to leave the show on a high note music wise. You Rock too!! I am sure that everyone there will look forward for your returning to Rusty's for another show. I third Robyn's & Gen's sentiments ~~ Please take care of yourself, get some extra rest and be sure and eat right... Hmmmm ~~ that was a dejavous line... seems I have been saying the same things to my 23 yr old son lately too! Just know we aren't nagging here, we just care about your well being, and want you around to get the most from your dreams. :)

Hi Danae ~~ Thanks for sharing your 2nd trip to France installment, I get a kick out of your added expressions.

Welcome back Brad Askew ~~ I too was wondering about the Columbus GA show last night. That had to be a neat combo 3 Dog Night & AMERICA!

Welcome Mike Cannon ~~ Hmmm ~~ I like how you summed up your night at the Columbus Show. I love how you leave their show with that above the clouds feeling, and definitely leaves you wanting more and more from them. Hmmmm ~~ Now that you posted that you left loving them more... I too like Gen would love to hear more about the show last night.... could you share the songlist for both of them with us? We would love to hear anything you want to tell us. Thanks :) We are a pretty easy pleasing bunch of people here!

Hey there Gen ~~ Hmmm which VFTHW are you talking about in your post? The one I recieved in my email for the Columbus view doesn't seem to have any trees or landscape in it... In fact I am not quite sure what is in this pic... It is soooo Blurry... I will take a stab at it tho... it kinda looks like a top of another buildings roof or a parking lot with lots of lowlying fog... but what are those white pipes for ..... that is what is making me think it is a roof of another building. Upon first glance at this pic in my email... the song "Another Rainy Night in Georgia" came to my mind, I could hear Van the Man Morrison & BJ Thomas singing it clearly! ~~ Hmmm then upon reflecting on all of the VFTHW pics ~~ Anita Baker's song "Get Here" really sums up the way I feel about AMERICA and their travels ~~~ You can reach me by railway, you can reach me by trailway, you can reach on an airplane, you can reach me with your mind, you can reach me by a caravan, cross the desert like an errand man, I don't care how you get here, just Get Here If You Can, you can reach me by sailboat, climb a terrain and swing rope to rope, take a sled and slide down an slope into these arms of mine,you can jump on a speedboat, cross the border in a blazer.... If I had my way, surely you would be closer, I need you closer.... Hey Gerry & Dewey be careful not to burn yourselves out! I am Hoping to Have You Guys around for a Lonnnnnng Time for sure! :)

Yep Mo ~~ I love coming here each day and posting... It is definitely a nice Stressbuster that I wanna hold on to for a lonnnnng time!

Take care everybody and enjoy the rest of your weekend! ~~ There are fireworks scheduled here at our local Firemen's Festival ~~ I hope they don't get rained out.... See you all, Nancy :)

~~~There's a Lover's Moon tonight, as I look down over my shoulder, all the stars are shining bright, just like the nights when I used to hold her, she's out there somewhere under the Lover's Moon ~~ Lover's Moon won't you shine on me, I'm dancing with a Memory, I wish I may I wish I might have one last chance to hold her tight, Maybe she's waiting, I know she's waiting for me under the Lover's Moon..... There's a Lover's Moon tonight, shining down on the world tonight.... Sing it for me Mr Glenn Frye & the Eagles ;) :) :) :) :) ;)

When I read the post from Robyn followed almost immediately by the update from Matt, my first thoughts were that he might be trying to reassure his Dad that he was OK. Just in case, Gerry managed to check the chat folder after the GA gig or where ever they might be on the road at the present.I can imagine that could have been a scary feeling if one read that one's son was sick on here (chat Board) without futher reading that he was fine. Especially if you were unable to get in touch with them immediately to find out he was alright. THanks Matt for the consideration to check the board at such an unGodly hour or it might have caused undue anxiety.


>>Matt I'm glad to read you are better. Thanks for reassuring the >>fans. You know we care for you & your health ! Guess you'd better >>follow Robyn's prescription :-)

well you scared the you-know-what out of me! I am glad you are bertter DON'T DO THAT AGAIN!

I have to agree with Robyn. I also happen to like Hidden Talent on the Momemt to Moment CD. However, my favorite song from that CD is Pages. I first heard this song when Dewey sang in at a concert in March 2001, and bought the CD based only on wanting to have this song. This is one of those songs I would like them to add to the concert list on occasion.

Another song they should return it to the Concert list more often is Hangover. This was another CD that I bought solely on the basis of hearing Dewey sing the song live in concert in August of 2001.

For those concerts where Hangover is on the concert list, a song which would complement the lineup wold be MadDog from the Holiday CD. This was a song I loved for years but never knew who the artist were until I bought the "Holiday" CD.

WEll, If the band ever really does check this board, maybe you could think about adding these few songs on occasion (Perhaps even the Delray Beach concert -- hint, hint)

Witkin's pic is actually entitled 'Woman once a Bird'. Errare humanum est...

Btw, thanks Gerry for posting your VFTHW to those on the mailing list. I fully appreciated this sort of surrealist monochromic auto-portrait :-) I loved the composition, the way the trees accentuate what we French call 'les lignes de fuite'... Giving both a mysterious but peaceful impression. I just hope your experimenting new techniques won't bring you/us to a post-romantic period à la Witkin ( not that i don't like his work. I DO. Especially the 'Lady that was a bird'- an hommage to Man Ray's "Le violon d'Ingres")... Anyway, JUST KIDDING of course.
One more thing, I'm not sure the photo file in the gallery on Vh.com works properly.
Gen.

<<They stole the show.>>
YEAH, BABY!

Thanks Robyn for taking the time to post the review and nice to hear you took your new digit cam. Put aside of course the moment when Matt got sick, you sure had a good time ... I hope it shows on the pics :-)

Matt I'm glad to read you are better. Thanks for reassuring the fans. You know we care for you & your health ! Guess you'd better follow Robyn's prescription :-)

Mike, GREAT to hear America 'stole the show' in Columbus, even if I'm not surprised. Very happy for you that you got to live this wonderful moment. Tell us more about what you particularly liked or what for ex captured your attention during the show.

ok...confession time. I've always liked America, but I went to the concert to see 3 Dog Night. But, I came away LOVING America. They stole the show. Great performance and wonderful memories!

just to head off any unnecessary stress or concern, i'm totally fine. had a flare up of a condition i've known about for a long time (that passed in about 25 minutes), and made a decision it was best to end the night on a high note rather then to come out and do the encore poorly.

one heck of a crowd though. and apparently rusty's wants us back, so those interested can hear the secret encore song next month.

once again, big ups to all who came out. you rock.

mB

ok strange night. went to Rusty's with family and friends, celebrating my dd's sweet 16 ( which is actually Monday for those keeping score) The band sounded pretty good although Rusty's is a hard place to mix and a lot of the vocals sounded pretty muddy. The band was tight though. At one point, both Matt and Kaumyar ( I hope I am spelling that right if not I am sorry!) peeled off clothing and I thought "wow, nice nite to be a girl" they did a few new songs and a kick ass version of Paperback Writer. They looked like they were having a lot of fun. Then Matt got sick. Really sick. Scary sick. He could not continue and the band left the stage to a shocked silence. Matt, I hope you get A LOT OF REST and feel better soon. Eat your veggies. I hope to see you soon. Kaumyar, it was nice to talk to you as well. Nice to meet Mike and Leonard, you couldn't have been nicer! Thanks guys and see you next time. we are checking to see if we got some decent photos which we will send along (new digital camera!)

Hello, everyone. I have not been on the folder in recent months. Good to be back. The boys are playing in Columbus, GA tonight, about 3 hours from my house. I could not make the trip but was wondering if anyone out there was attending the show.
They are appearing with Three Dog Night, so I imagine they are doing a short set. I will try not to be such a stranger. Brad Askew

We finally arrived at the college near 4 o' clock. They told us to go with our stuff to the central building. We went to the amphitheater, where we heard a speech about the college. i remember myself thinking:"Damn it! When are they going to let us go to our rooms? I' M TIRED!!!"
Well, the speech finished, we got our keys, but we had to write a test, because the classes were sorted by level.
Then, to the rooms!
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I had to carry my suitcase to the building F,and then, go to the second floor by the stair! I did it... My roomates and I got the room 224. We opened the door. It's amiracle I still have my hair. The room was terrible (in my opinion, always)! A grey carpet, and four beds -two double beds, the one over the other, i don't know how to say it-. I believe the room was dirty.Marilina and Angeliki, my roommates liked it. We shared the shower with two girls that stayed in the room next to ours (every two rooms were separated by one shower). We put our stuff in the wardrobe and we left for dinner.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The restaurant was in another building. The food was not too bad- fried chicken with rice. Fortunately, I like both chicken and rice. In addition, we had eat nothing since the morning. I didn't know what we would eat the days following!
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We returened to our rooms. We discussed a litte and we fell asleep. You can't imagine how tired we were!

To be continued...

it was very cool to see mo at the show. yo. d'oh! she was kind enough to supply us with (for us should be) a lifetime supply of sharpies so we always have one to sign something with. very cool.

leonard "eye candy" jackson was very flattered by your remarks, and is all of the sudden pushing for us to tour florida soon, for some strange reason. i meanwhile am looking for a less attractive bass player to make myself look better in comparison.

best, (or fourth best as the case may be)

mB

Yep. There's one in every crowd!

Robyn: So YOU'RE the person who likes that song. I figured someone had to.

Kevin.

Anchorage is known as the air crossroads of the world and it's famous for a few other things such as the port with one of the biggest swings in tide (over 30 feet) and a city where it doesn't get dark in the summer. We were in Anchorage on June 21st which is the summer solstice and the longest day of the year. The sun did set around 1 am but it came right back up around 4 am and it never dipped very low below the horizon. Click on the links below to see the view from the webmaster's camera.

Air crossroads of the world sign
A couple of parks and buildings in the downtown area
Horse drawn carriages in front of the famout 4th Avenue Theater

Note: In 1964 a 9.2 magnitude earthquake hit the Anchorage area and destroyed a good portion of the city as well as other nearby cities (click here to read more about it and to see some pictures). My wife was living in Anchorage at the time and it completely demolished the Government Hill elementary school that she was attending. Fortunately, the earthquake occurred on Good Friday so the kids were out of school. The 4th Avenue Theater pictured above was the only building in that area of the city that survived the tremendous quake.

Some of you may not know that Scott West is the owner of the RockAndRollUSA.com web site which is the host to this America Fans chat folder. In addition to being a big America Fan, Scott is also a singer-songwriter who is working on a new album. His latest composition is called "Blue" and he also created a painting to go along with it. Even though I haven't heard the song yet, the painting and the lyrics make me imagine that it's a great song. I hope you don't mind if I share them with you here.

blue

<<AND, I think you're too smart not to recognize bait when it's staring you in the face.>>

I'm sure you really meant: "AND, I think you're too smart not to recognize baitch when it's staring you in the face.>>

JUST KIDDING!!! :0)

Go Mo!!!

Go Mo!!!

By virtue of having two X chromosomes, I am entitled to being a bit contradictory. It is my birthright. AND, I think you're too smart not to recognize bait when it's staring you in the face.

Mo ~ I'm glad to read that you're not deterred by any of my comments because, believe it or not, I do enjoy reading your posts even though I may often disagree with what you have to say. In the same breath, I tend not to let things slide if I read something that's - in my opinion - a bit contradictory. I think you're much too smart not to realize that when you (or anyone else for that matter) criticizes one of the former trio members or one of their traits - Dan's singing voice in this particular case - someone is apt to come to their defense.

Better late than never here’s my list


America
Fav-Here or HWNN , after all it started it all
Least fav- hard to pick one but Rainy Day

Homecoming
This is my favorite album and there is not a bad song in the bunch IMHO

Hat Trick
Fav- Green Monkey
Least fav- Willow Tree

I will weigh in on the Muskrat controversy, while I think the song contains some of the dumbest lyrics and subject matter ever, I really like the tasty bass line and what the rhythm section is doing.


Holiday
Fav -Another Try (my favorite of Gerry’s songs)
Least Fav- Baby it’s up to you

Hideaway
Fav- People in the Valley ( I just love the way Dewey’s voice and the downbeat come in at the same time
Least Fav- Story of a Teenager

Hideaway
Fav- Letter
Least Fav- Can’t you see


Harbor
Fav- Sarah
Least Fav-These Brown eyes

Silent Letter
Fav-All My Life
Least Fav-High in the City

Alibi
Fav- Catch that train
Least Fav- One in a Million

View from the Ground
Fav- Right before your eyes
Least fav- Jody (which has the most annoying refrain, just bugs me I guess)

Your Move
Fav- The boarder
Least fav a tie between the title track and Honey

Perspective
This is my least favorite cd. I never did care for the mid 80’s pop, so I guess that accounts for how I feel about it.
Fav Can’t fall asleep to a lullaby
Least Fav—so many to choose from but Stereo is my very least favorite.

Hourglass
Fav Sleeper Train
Least Fav Young Moon

Human Nature
Fav-Pages
Least Fav-Town and Country
( yes Kevin I like Hidden Talent)

Terri, Sheldon

Man, what a small world, I have family & friends who live in Delray (great small town an hour north of Miami!) I've got a friend who works at the Town Hall who mentioned they're still finalizing the details of the Friday night concert series. She said to check back in about a month and it should be listed on the site at that time. Check out their website at www.oldschool.org

She also said Boz Scaggs might be performing too but still working out the details. Enjoy!

Moser, I did think that you meant sometimes things said on the folder might send you away. I'm glad that's not true. It that happens, it can be ignored! I personally, did think some things said in the past to you were unnecessary. That's what I was referring to.
Bye for now.

Cindy.....from the South

Thanks for the compliment, Cindy from the South. If I read your comment correctly, I think I may have given a wrong impression to you. If I were to stay away it would be because I sometimes think I use too much precious time reading and writing on the folder--sometimes, perhaps, to the detriment of other things or people in my life. But it is true what Nancio said once, it is not only fun, it is a stress buster...for sure. So, here I am and here I'll stay...much to some people's chagrin!!

Moser...from the rainy, thunderous Northeast

I just received this email from Terri - does anyone have any information about this December 12th gig?? Thanks - Sheldon

Hi Sheldon, Terri P. here, could you please post (as I can't) that the newly posted show
For December 12, 2003 at the Old School Square Entertainment Pavillion in Delray Beach, IS NOT Listed on their web site or calander. I live there and am waiting for a call back as to if this is confirmed and just not updated?????

After boarding the bus in Seward we followed the Seward Highway to Anchorage along the Turnagain Arm inlet. English explorer Captain James Cook is credited with first exploring and describing the Anchorage area in 1778 during his third voyage of discovery. Mistaking one of the arms of the inlet for a river, Cook named it River Turnagain because he kept traversing it looking for an outlet and had to "Turn again, and again, and again". The inlet was later renamed Turnagain Arm by a subsequent British explorer, George Vancouver. I have included a few views of the scenery that ran along the highway and the inlet. Click on the links below to see the view from the webmaster's camera.

Green fields, trees, and snow covered mountains shrouded in clouds
Seward Highway and mountains on both sides of the inlet
Beautiful flowers (there weren't many so that made them all the more beautiful)

P.S. Johnny, I'll leave the Dewey soundclips until next week.

Moser...from the Northeast, "Gerry Girl", you stay on this folder. Your posts are a highlight to me, ignore all the "other stuff" if you know what I mean. It is cool here, we are cool, YOU are cool.

Cindy.....from the South (specifically, Raleigh, hometown of our Clay Aiken!)

Like Neil would say, lets roll.

Neil Young definitely has one of the best "bad" voices ever. I love that song "Helpless" which is on the "So Far: The Best of CSN&Y" album.

Right you are. It's just not fair that they are good looking AND talented!

One detail I should have included regarding mB and his band--they were really good. Not such a minor detail...sorry to have gotten carried away.
Thanks, Cindy from the South. Every now and then I swear I'm not gonna hang here any more but I'm always drawn back. It is a cool place to be among fellow fans.

Moser from (for another 10 years or so) the Northeast

There is a phrase running thru my head "it's the singer, not the song that makes the music move along" as for "bad" voices, sometimes it is just what the song requires. I was thinking about that no one could have given a better performance of the AC/DC classic "Dirty Deeds (done dirt cheap).

I wish I had Neil Youngs bad voice.

"not to forget", rather.

"Bad" voices/great performers....gotta be Neil Young for me, and of course Bob Dylan, maybe Stephen Stills, Ian Hunter, Willie Nelson. For me, when it comes to music heart wins out over vocal chords everytime.

SteveL - I hope you'll keep SteveO's interview with Dewey available until this Sunday so I can hear the rest of the segments at the local public library. I'd really appreciate it! :0)

Mo - Regarding Dan's singing voice being like nails-on-a-chalkboard to you, I seem to recall you admiring Dan's song, "Saturn Nights", and not to forgot about "Head And Heart" being "strictly" Gerry and Dewey's vocals, no?

Moser...I have to say, this Chat Folder would not be the same without you. Glad you're back. And you're right (I am a Dewey Girl but) that Gerry is a HUNK!!

Cindy....from the South

<<Another question to ponder. Does the sound of the lead vocal's voice make a difference as to whether or not you listen to a song/artist/group?>> Absolutely, without question for me. Favorite voices for me: Gerry Beckley, Bonnie Raitt, Sting, Karen Carpenter, Patsy Cline, etc. Chalkboard voices for me: Dan Peek, Tracy Chapman, Olivia Newton-John (except Hopelessly Devoted To You from Grease...I know--sappy but, hey, I was 13 or so at the time), John Fogerty, and Meatloaf.

I'm sorry not to take part in the favorite/least favorite poll. I would not be able to do it very easily b/c I have so many faves and so few unfaves. Also, I rarely listen to the mid-period albums so I wouldn't be a fair judge of them. Besides, I've always been a Gerry Girl so I would say I'm biased toward choosing his work. Even so, I can easily say two of my most unfaves of any album are You Can Do Magic and Jody. Heeeeebbbbyy Jeeeeby's for sure. Sorry, Ger.

Nancy--There are pics of the mB experience but I don't think I am in any of them since I took most of them. They are not yet developed. I promise to share any decent ones once they are developed.

While we are on the subject of mB, I've been meaning to spill some juicy tidbits. Matt is a very gracious and friendly person. More friendly than his dad but, not as cute. I say this because even though Matt is not as cute as his dad, he is still easy on the eyes. Having said that, let me say that his new bandmates are even cuter. The drummer comes in third on the cuteness scale. I believe his name is Kaumyer. He is a geeky kind of cute. Picture argyle socks with shorts and you'll have a glimpse into his fashion sense. Mike is second runner up in the cute-o-meter. Quiet, nice. Good body, too. And then there's Leonard. When Matt said recently that, "Chicks dig our bass player," he was not kidding. I'm no chick any more, but, hey, I'm not dead either. Leonard is eye candy. And Jeff (the hub), says he plays the bass really well too. I hadn't noticed. I know these comments may be a) misguided for a woman my age to admit to; b) totally sexist; c) boring to you men; and d) on the wrong chat folder BUT none of those things have ever slowed me down before.

Okay, I'm done now. For the moment anyway.

Had the privilege to see Aimee Mann while she was with 'Til Tuesday in the Spring of '81 at our college's annual clambake. Love her music with them but I am not familiar with her solo work. I'm sure it's great. Enjoy the concerts.

Just thought I'd mention that "Till The Sun Comes Up Again" happens to be one of my very favorite America songs. I would love to hear Gerry sing this live. I think the song did pretty well in the song tournament too. Interesting how some least favorite songs happen to be the favorites of others. So many fantastic songs!!!! It would be too hard for me to come up with a list of favorite/least favorite songs because I really do love them all. Probably my least favorite albums overall are Your Move and Perspective and favorites are America, Homecoming, Hat Trick and Hourglass. I love them all though, but probably listen to Your Move and Perspective the least. For me those two albums seem to be the biggest departure from their other work.~~Cathy

Nancy, that's funny how we were on the same wavelength regarding the monkey for the monkeyshiner's convention. I think he'd be just the ticket for your grocery store loan promotion. As I said, with working so hard my brain is almost gone and all I needed was that monkey to crack me up. I now work as an accountant at a hospital and yes, we are already involved in the 2004 budget along with month-end right now. But, prior to this job I worked 19 years in banking so I can relate to all this loan promotion stuff, etc. And it's always tough when you are in the middle of an audit.~~I can't wait to see Firefall and I'll keep trying to get that place to book America for a show. Wish me luck!!!!~~~Cathy

I agree with those who have posted about the "likably bad" voices of Rod Stewart (I like "Stay With Me" and "You Wear It Well" and "Maggie Mae") and Brian Johnson (that's the singer for ACDC since about 1980 or so I think
Another singer with scratchy vocals is Bonnie Tyler, whom I believe actually had medical problems relating to her vocal cords and yet still continued her singing career. It's kinda weird, I've always liked her throaty vocals on "Total Eclipse of the Heart" but I have always found her first hit "It's a Heartache" to be like fingernails on a chalkboard.
-Rob L

Hey, how about ACDC lead singer. Now there's a rough voice but I like the music they play.

Thanks for your input.. Love the term "likeably bad" ! That describes some artist's voices well..
RC
(aka Robin with the "I" lol

Rob, I would put Rod Stewart in your class of "likably bad" voices. Every time I hear "Maggie Mae" or one of his other 70's classics I just love the songs even though his vocal chords sound like they have been shredded.

FYI - the reason you couldn't access the links to Dewey's interview from the Archives is because all of the temporary links are removed when they are placed in the archives. The link that RC gave you was the direct link that is still in the main chat folder. It will work for a few more days and then it will be deleted. Unfortunately, these interviews take up to much room to leave on permenantly. --SteveL

The comment was from the other Robin, the one with an "i", bu t i agrre no matter how lovely the song if the singers voice makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up in a bad way then it just doesn't matter.

I enjoy Aimeee Mann, what a unique voice she has! Have fun with Arlo, we call the bench in our office "the group W bench"

Thanks RC. Worked like a charm. (Sorry about that double post...don't know why that happened.)

Great interview...really gives you some great insight. Also, small world...Keith is from Wisconsin...grew up in the Dells...we go back there a couple of times a year to visit his family. Wisconsin really is a beautiful state. Dewey has good taste!

Hey there people,
I just wanted to post about a few different things. Robyn, I see what you mean about the sound of a voice making a person's songs difficult to like. I like Dewey's rough, folkie/soul voice the best out of the three guys, so maybe that is the reason I tend to favor the songs that he sings. There are some Aerosmith songs where I wish Steven Tyler had a better singing voice, sometimes he is kinda screamish for my tastes. Although there are some singers who have what I call "likably bad" voices, and they have a hard time staying in tune but their vocals are great just based on the passion and emotion in the voice. Examples, and of course this is all just my opinion, include Bob Dylan, Joe Cocker, Bruce Springsteen, soul singer Otis Clay, Jack White from the White Stripes, and Howlin' Pelle Almqvist from garage rock band The Hives. Just thought I would throw in my two cents worth to this interesting debate.
Also I wanted to share my excitement about two upcoming concerts that I will be going to over the next few months. I am going to see Aimee Mann in a few weeks, that should be a cool show. I was wondering if any people on the folder are fans of her music, very interesting singer-songwriter material. I am also going to probably go to see Arlo Guthrie when he plays in my area this coming fall. He should be great as well, and hopefully I will get to hear the full fifteen-minutes or so version of Alice's Restaurant.
Hope everyone is having a great week.
-Rob L

Just wondering if anyone knows where I can find the links or location to listen to the most recent segmented intervew. I looked back in the July archives and there were no links.

Also had to comment on our Westbury experience. What a great show! We left our vacation home on the beach (Long Beach Island, NJ) and travelled up the Garden State Parkway and through Manhattan (mistake-bad directions) to get to Westbury. All in all it was well worth it. We got to meet up with Linda and her family and met Cathy. Also had the opportunity to get Gerry to sign our CD and take a few quick pics. We regret that we didn't have the chance to chat with him. Maybe next time. Well...we've seen America 3 times this year and could see them 10 more. We just get lost in their show and music once they start playing. It's a real "escape". What a wonderful way to relax.

Take care everyone!

Deb and Keith

Deb and Keith
Here is the post number where the segments for interview is located. Copy and paste into the location bar for your browser. It should take you right to it.

Post #28730

RC

Just wondering if anyone knows where I can find the links or location to listen to the most recent segmented intervew. I looked back in the July archives and there were no links.

Also had to comment on our Westbury experience. What a great show! We left our vacation home on the beach (Long Beach Island, NJ) and travelled up the Garden State Parkway and through Manhattan (mistake-bad directions) to get to Westbury. All in all it was well worth it. We got to meet up with Linda and her family and met Cathy. Also had the opportunity to get Gerry to sign our CD and take a few quick pics. We regret that we didn't have the chance to chat with him. Maybe next time. Well...we've seen America 3 times this year and could see them 10 more. We just get lost in their show and music once they start playing. It's a real "escape". What a wonderful way to relax.

Take care everyone!

Deb and Keith

Another question to ponder. Does the sound of the lead vocal's voice make a difference as to whether or not you listen to a song/artist/group?
I was thinking about this when doing the favorite/least track thing and many songs that I considered least where songs that Dan Peek was lead vocal..Now the songs themselves are ok but I never liked the sound of Dan's voice. Harmony wise it's fine.. Always preferred Dewey's and Gerry's.
I have noticed this with other artists. One is Steve Perry(harmony wise it was tolerated lol)..I never liked Journey for that reason even though they had a lot of good stuff. To me his voice is like fingernails on a chalkboard lol.. Eric Carmen was another one that wasn't pleasant to the ears. There are singers you can listen to for hours and others it's like get that away from me lol..

So does it make a difference to you? Or does the music/lyrics of a song over-ride the lead vocal.

Take Care,
Robin C.

Hi Johnny,
Like the way you did your post on this subject. Favorite/least favorite by each person.

We finally arrived at the college near 4 o' clock. They told us to go with our stuff to the central building. We went to the amphitheater, where we heard a speech about the college. i remember myself thinking:"Damn it! When are they going to let us go to our rooms? I' M TIRED!!!"
Well, the speech finished, we got our keys, but we had to write a test, because the classes were sorted by level.
Then, to the rooms!
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I had to carry my suitcase to the building F,and then, go to the second floor by the stair! I did it... My roomates and I got the room 224. We opened the door. It's amiracle I still have my hair. The room was terrible (in my opinion, always)! A grey carpet, and four beds -two double beds, the one over the other, i don't know how to say it-. I believe the room was dirty.Marilina and Angeliki, my roommates liked it. We shared the shower with two girls that stayed in the room next to ours (every two rooms were separated by one shower). We put our stuff in the wardrobe and we left for dinner.
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The restaurant was in another building. The food was not too bad- fried chicken with rice. Fortunately, I like both chicken and rice. In addition, we had eat nothing since the morning. I didn't know what we would eat the days following!
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We returened to our rooms. We discussed a litte and we fell asleep. You can't imagine how tired we were!

To be continued...

The cruise portion of our Alaska tour ended in Seward. We arrived about 4 am but in the land of the midnight sun it was plenty light by then. If it weren't for the clouds, it would have been very bright. As the ship pulled straight into the port we were greeted by LOTS of buses and the Alaska Railroad ready to carry away all of the ship's passengers. There weren't any spectacular views in Seward, but I took several early morning photos from the deck of the ship and they were nice. Click on the links below to see the view from the webmaster's camera.

Buses, cars, and a train
Mountains and factory buildings
Small boat harbor
Water and mountains
Another ship and the unloading dock
The way to Anchorage

Hi Everyone ~~ WOW ~~ What a Full Menu of Subject titles to reply to! Of course it has been way toooo lonnnnnng since I've posted ~~ sooo here goes take it from here fingers! :) ~~ Did any of you watch QVC today? Those adorable Boyd's Bears were on as well as some really beautiful lifelike landscape paintings by Thomas Kinkaid.... :) :) :)

Thanks Steve L for telling us about mB's & Jeff L's updates! ~~ You can betcha I will be tuning into Matt's live webcast this Sunday ~~ Hey Gen that is a pretty neat way for You to be able to partake in this. ~~ Thanks Matt for what you said in your post on your message board ~~ that this is a way for all of us who would like for you to come to our areas to get to hear some of your Magic Live! :) ~~~ Hmmm ~~ My inquiring mind is wondering if Jeff Larson's Complete Works CD set is available over the net from anyplace here in the states, I am sooo close to adding it to that little shopping cart on www.melodyblvd.com ~~ I just wanna make sure that it isn't available anyhere here before I order it... While checking out Jeff Larson's CD's on Amazon... I noticed that this Zimmerman, has also done a review on Jeff's music too ~~ Yep just like I thought this guy is a Fan of this great music just like us ~~ Nice :) ~~~ I still gotta read the Wood & Steal review, I was kinda glancing at it while watching the Boyds Bears, but I must admit those Bears have a way of capturing my attention in a really neat way! :) ~~ Now if I can only figure out a way to get a job working for Boyd's and Naming these Bears! :) ~~~ Regarding these Food Fun pics, that had to be neat to sample all of these creative foods in a Visual & Tasting way!

Hey Gen ~~ Nice to hear you had another fun Wine & Food Fest ~~ I will echo your inquiring as to whether there are any pics of Mo & Robyn with Matt... I would love to hear more about this night and to see a pic or 2 from it. ~~ Hey there Mo did you happen to drive by or near Sunnyvale or San Jose, Calif? ~~ Soo neat you getting to check out Barstow ~ Halfmoon Bay as well as Yosemite ~~ I think it would be neat to see this video of you and your family sing the oooh sooo nice Bar of Soap song :) Hmmm how close to Cornwall Blank were you? ~~ Dewey is here singing this great gem now!

Hi there Cathy ~~~ WOW ~~ you and I were on the same Wavelength looking at these VFTWMC-Food Fun pics ~~ I was laughing when I saw that watermellon cut to look like a Monkey and Yep the first thought that entered my mind was that this would be a Gotta Have Center of Attention for the next Monkeyshiner's Convention ~~ Too much LOL!!! :) ~~ Yes, I did enjoy seeing Styx on Live with R&K ~~ I am glad you got to see a show of theirs. ~~~ Hmmmm ~~ regarding your post on the other venturahwy board... where you mentioned you need a vacation, and that you have been working too hard on your 2004 budget.... well I have been working with the Auditor on our annual Audit, as well as setting up a Loan Promotion at our local grocery store... Take out a loan and get a Gift Cert. to buy some groceries! I sure could use one of those Watermellon Monkey centerpieces as an added Drawing card! :) ~~~ Wow You too are getting to see some really great music shows this summer... I would love to see this Firefall show in Pittston on the 29th. ~~ Seeing Gen's Wine & Food Fetival subject title brought to mind the Wine & Food Festival at Seven Springs on the weekend of Aug 16th & 17th, and the group Ambrosia will be there on the 16th for a show... I sure am a Hankerin to take this show in, I just love their song "The Biggest Part of Me", as well as Holdin on to Yesterday & You're the Only Woman... :)

Alright Cindy :) ~~ I was happy to see you got to hear the Dewey Interview! ~~ Yep I agree with you saying this is a Nice place to come and get Addicted to! For Sure! :)

Hi Danae ~~ Nice to hear from You ~~ I will look forward to hearing more about your learning experience at Paris. ~~ Good luck on finding more AMERICA Albums! :)

Regarding the Best & Worst songs from AMERICA's albums ~~ I started to make up my list and it was way too hard to do this... I just love them all ~~ what more can I say! I enjoyed reading all of your lists tho, but like Gen when I would see one of my favorite songs listed in the worst category.... I felt Sad... I really love Gerry's voice on Til the Sun Comes Up & on Submarine Ladies ~~ Both are such great songs.... Hat Trick is playing here now.... what a SONG what a Song! :) :) :) ~~ I guess when it comes to AMERICA's Albums I would have to Order the whole works to be Completely Filled Up! ;)

Hi noodles ~~ I just wanted to say Welcome and sorry for taking soo long to getting around to posting this.... that was pretty neat you coming here to take in the AMERICA shows out in sunny Calif, as well as the Eagles show in Washington DC ~~ WOW You had to be Flying High, before your plane even took off for back home! :)

Hey there Reddd ~~ Be sure and get your Vacation Time scheduled the summer is flying by.... Hmmmm ~~ Catch a train and head to the Dubuque or Perry, Iowa show, or better yet hurry up and Follow the Signs to the Georgia show, to take in AMERICA with 3 Dog Night WOW ~~ that would be one great show! ~~ Nelleybelle will Miss You for sure when you do take vacation! :)

Hey there Jimmmmmm(bob) ~~ Can You Hear Me Now! :)

Hey there DanC ~~ Are you gonna head to the Dubuque show or wait and take in the Aurora, Ill show in Oct? ~~ I hope you had a great time in Sunny Florida! Did you get to take in some nice music there? :) :) :)

Oooops ~~~ Hi Kristal & Valerie ~~ You both are Lucky Lady's getting to take in some really great music shows this summer ~~ thanks for sharing all of this with us.

Thanks Steve Gross ~~ For those Neat AMERICA concert pics from back in the 80's ~~ I was a smilin for sure checking these out, some really great pics. :) Also a big thank you to Jimdee, Linda and the rest of you that shared the great pics with us from the recent shows. Lots of Happy Smiles there for sure!

Okay ~~ Just like Porky Pig says at the end of the Cartoons "Adebebedeb Thats All Folks" ~~ Nitey Nite all, Nice Dreams ~~ Here I come big soft pillow! Nancy :) bigggggggggg yawwwwwwwn!

The silver clouds in August
Lover's names on trees
Imagine running water
You wadin' in knee deep

So, oh baby, hurry here to me
Oh baby, come see me
Oh baby, let the hours flee
Oh baby, come see

There's a world waitin'
Just for you to unfold
How are you to know
If you don't see, if you don't see

Those yellow racin' dreamboats
On California air
There's a ticket waitin'
I guess I'll catch you there
I guess I'll catch you there

So, oh baby, hurry here to me
Oh baby, come see me
Oh baby, let the hours flee
Oh baby, come see ~~~ Sing it for me Dewey & Gerry :):) :)

It was fun reading the "Best and Worst Tracks". Here's mine but done slightly different. Listed first is my favorite track followed by my least favorite. In some cases the least favorite was selected merely by default if you know what I mean.

AMERICA
Gerry No real favorite nor least favorite
Dan No real favorite nor least favorite
Dewey "Riverside" and "Three Roses"....."Pigeon Song"

HOMECOMING
Gerry "Till The Sun Comes Up Again"....."Only In Your Heart"
Dan "California Revisited"....."Saturn Nights"
Dewey "Ventura Highway"....."Moon Song"

HAT TRICK
Gerry "Muskrat Love"....."Goodbye"
Dan "It's Life"....."Willow Tree Lullaby"
Dewey "Green Monkey"....."Molten Love"

HOLIDAY
Gerry "Baby It's Up To You".....(tie) "Mad Dog" and "What Does It Matter"
Dan "Lonely People"....."Glad To See You"
Dewey "Tin Man"....."Hollywood"

HEARTS
Gerry "Sister Golden Hair"....."Daisy Jane" (strictly by default)
Dan "Woman Tonight"....."Old Virginia"
Dewey "Company"....."Midnight"

HIDEAWAY
Gerry "She's A Liar"....."Watership Down"
Dan "Today's The Day"....."Can't You See"
Dewey "Amber Cascades"....."Hideaway"

HARBOR
Gerry "Sergeant Darkness"....."Sarah"
Dan "These Brown Eyes"....."Don't Cry Baby"
Dewey "Political Poachers"....."Down To The Water"

SILENT LETTER
Gerry "Foolin'"....."1960"
Dewey "And Forever"....."One Morning"

ALIBI
Gerry "Right Back To Me"....."One In A Million" (by default)
Dewey "Might Be Your Love"....."Hangover" (by default)

VIEW FROM THE GROUND
Gerry "You Can Do Magic"....."Right Before Your Eyes"
Dewey "Love On The Vine"....."Even The Score"

YOUR MOVE
Gerry "Love's Worn Out Again".....too hard to choose
Dewey "Tonight Is For Dreamers".....too hard to choose

PERSPECTIVE
Gerry "Stereo".....(tie) "5th Avenue" and "Cinderella"
Dewey "Can't Fall Asleep To A Lullaby"....."Lady With A Bluebird"

HOURGLASS
Gerry "Mirror To Mirror".....none
Dewey "Young Moon".....none

HUMAN NATURE
Gerry "Wednesday Morning"....."Overwhelming World Suite" except "Barstow"
Dewey "Wheels Are Turning"....."Town And Country" (since I have to pick one to match Gerry's)

MISC CD
Gerry "World Of Light"....."The Farm"
Dan "Simple Life"....."James Holladay"
Dewey "California Dreamin'"....."Mitchum Junction"

Steve, neat pictures of what can be done with food. Thanks for sharing. Some people are so talented. I got a kick out of the picture of the monkey. Maybe they could use something like that at the monkeyshiner's convention~~lol. Nancy, what do you think of this idea?~~Cathy

Mo, you didn't ruin Barstow for me. I just get a chuckle when I hear the song and think of that. Kids say and interpret things in the cutest way. I know what you mean about being sorry to see a vacation end, but feeling good to be back in your own bed. There's no place like home.~~Cathy

Yep, and matt says they'll be taking some questions live... I wonder where these guys get their GREAT ideas :-)
It makes overseas fans able to take part, (.....despise the BIG time difference). Sooo great ! See you there...

Jeff Larson isn't the only one with exciting news on his web site. Matt Beckley's web site has a lot going on, too. Among other things there is a webcast live interview and a mini-concert announced for next Sunday.

Thanks for the update, Steve. The new samples are wonderful even if the songs are still in the making. Makes you feel you're a little bit part of the process. It's a real priviledge.
And the review is indeed very positive about the music of America as well as about their contribution to Jeff's FS cd. Can't wait to hear this new opus!

Hi Cathy - thanks for thinking of me. The Reo/Styx/Journey concert was incredible. Tommy, Tommy, Tommy was looking good! I should have gone to the concert with you at the Bryce Jordon center. Darn it! I left a few details on the other board. Yes, it wasn't Gerry, Gerry, Gerry ... Dewey, Dewey, Dewey or Richard, Richard, Richard ... but boy was it good!!!
Kristal

I was checking Jeff Larson's web site (www.new-surf.com/jefflarson/) and I noticed that he has made a few updates that some of you might be interested in. There is a link to the "Wood & Steel" review of his page(s) with some nice America comments. There are also some new sound clips out there from one of the links. Enjoy!

Hi Steve,
Isn't amazing what creative stuff can be done with flowers, food, and frozen water? lol.. Mom has a friend that does Ice Sculptures. Oh my you should see some of the things he had done.. One, if you can believe this, was a gazebo, with a dancer in the middle! unbelievable..Was for a competition I think. Me? I'm lucky if I can make a palm tree out of a carrot and a green pepper lol..
Now I'm hungry going to get some watermelon..
Take care,
RC

After viewing the Hubbard Glacier we spent the rest of the day on the ship because we didn't have a port of call that day. It was a great chance to relax and they had some fun things happening on board. One of the activities was a food fair where the chefs showed off some of the fun things that they can do with food. Click on the links below to see the view from the webmaster's camera. Remember, everything you see was made out of something edible.

Flowers
Ice sculptures (a swan and an eagle)
Sea creatures
A happy monkey
More flowers and a pagoda

Just a word about the GREAT monthly session I had with my friends yesterday night... I personally could not 'top' my April performance. But it was a lot of fun again !
BTW, mB entered our 'set list' for the first time, with Sexy Guitar Queen Bea from Barcelona getting 'em boyz crazy. Maybe one day we'll be joined by Queen Moser as well ? :-).... Hey, Mo & Robyn while I'm thinking about it girls , if there are pics of you meeting mB that you would like to share with us, there's room left on this mB's page I did a while ago...
See you all.
Gen

ps: makes me a little sad that some of you should mention 'Till the Sun' among your least faves... one of the songs that literally 'glued' me to America. Had to say it. But well, as we say in France, les goûts & les couleurs....

Hope to hear more of your TRIP (of course!) in France soon...
Sorry about that.

I think Jimnak is quite right. One of the best & quickest way to get imports (cds, dvds or books) is via the internet.

Actually many years ago I had the same problem as you finding the more recent albums. One of my friend who owns a small but ALWAYS CROWDED record shop in the town center told me that the big stores were paradoxically the least susceptible to get you the 'small' labels import cds. This could explain why you can generally find the Warner era albums & why it's more difficult to find the post-Warner era ones... with an exception though with Virgin in Paris. They have a west coast music section where America has 'une place d'honneur' ...
But most of the time, I stay away from those huge stores, prefering my local music shop (a place where you meet all the local professional musicians & dj's & where you can share your opinions about music with really concerned HUMAN beings !!!) - well, I confess here I NEVER buy my fruit & vegetables or any 'vital' products in supermarkets either, so... :-)
Anyway, you'll easily find all America's albums on the net & depending on your order, you can even get a free shipping.
Bfn. Hope to hear more of your tip in France soon.
Gen

Hi Danae,
Nice to hear you spent some time in France. Sorry, I don't know this town where you stayed. Hope you had a great time there anyway... Too bad the weather in Paris was rainy when you arrived. Hope the clouds didn't hide the sun for too long. Actually, here in the south (in the Golfe du Lion area) we have had to face a very hot, canicular period for more than a month. Now we are going under some water restrictions ( concerning cars, gardens & swimming pools). But I guess, living in Greece, you know what I mean.
Regarding your question, I've never heard of any America concert in your country, but I could well be wrong. What we know for sure is that in the 70's, 80's & 90's they toured in England, Spain, Germany, Italy & France. Well, again, my personal info may be very incomplete...

Thanks Cathy! This site is such a fun place to visit. I am totally addicted to it. I am always lurking!!

Thanks, Cathy. I'm glad to be back...sort of. It's good to get back home to our own beds and stuff but the trip was so much fun it was a bummer for it to end. It's so cool to see other parts of the country for yourself. Descriptions and pictures don't do it justice. Sorry to have ruined the Barstow song for you, I never thought about that when I wrote about what my kids think the lyrics are. Ooops. I second the motion of thanks to Steve O., Steve L., and Dewey for the interview. I finally got to listen to it today. Fine job, men. 'Ppreciate it.

Firefall is doing a show in a very small venue in Pittston, PA on August 29th. This is only about a half hour away from where I live. My sister and I are going to the show. When I called the venue to inquire about it I put a bug in their ear that they should book America for a show. The guy told me that he deals with a promoter for the shows and will look into it. I really wish this would work out!!!!!! I believe Firefall opened for our guys not too long ago, but can't remember when or where, but I've always enjoyed their music so this will be fun.~~The number 29 seems to be coming up a lot for me lately for good things. This Firefall show is on August 29th, the Westbury show was on July 29th and Styx was on Regis and Kelly on the same day. Gerry, I am liking your number more and more. Maybe I should play this in the lottery.~~Nancy, I am glad you liked Styx on TV last week. I've been a fan of that band since my teenage days. Tommy is a very versatile performer. I am anxious to hear how Krystal enjoyed their Hershey show last Friday.~~Cathy

Rob,

It is very difficult to find the "best" track, or in my case, I'd rather say "favorite" track, because this is a very subjective exercise. I usually like many songs in any given album for many different reasons, so it is almost impossible to quantify the level of "preference", however, I like to play games, and I will give it a try. Except I will modify your categories, I'll put "Favorite" in lieu of "Best track", I am adding another category for close second-"Runner up" and "least favorite" in lieu of "Worst track", here it goes:

"America" (self titled album)
Favorite: "A Horse With No Name"
Runners up (a three way tie): "I Need You", "Sandman" and "Three Roses"
Least favorite: "Clarice"

"Homecoming"
Favorite: "Ventura Highway"
Runners up (a tie): "Head and Heart" and "Don't Cross the River"
Least favorite: "Till the Sun Comes Up Again"

"Hat Trick"
Favorite: "Muskrat Love"
Runners up (a three way tie): "Hat Trick", "Windwave" and "Rainbow Song"
Least Favorite: "Willow Tree Lullaby"

"Holiday"
Favorite: "Tin Man"
Runners up (a three way tie): "Lonely People", "Hollywood" and "Another Try"
Least Favorite: "In the Country"

"Hearts"
Favorite: "Daisy Jane"
Runner up: "Sister Golden Hair"
Least favorite: "Bell Tree"

"Hideaway"
Favorite: "Today's the Day"
Runner up: "Amber Cascades"
Least favorite: "She's a Liar"

"Harbor"
Favorite: "Sarah"
Runner up; "These Brown Eyes"
Least Favorite: "Down to the Water"

"Silent Letter"
Favorite: "All My Life"
Runner up: "All Around"
Least Favorite: "High in the City"

"Alibi"
Favorite: "Survival"
Runner up: "Hangover"
Least favorite: "Right Back to Me"

"View from the Ground"
Favorites: A tie! "You Can Do Magic" and "Right Before Your Eyes"
Runner up: "Inspector Mills"
Least favorite: "Even the Score"

"Your Move"
Favorite: "The Border"
Runner up: "She's a Runaway"
Least favorite: "Honey'

"Perspective"
Favorite: "Can't Fall Asleep to a Lullabye"
Runner up: "We Got All Night"
Least favorite: "Lady with a Bluebird"

"Hourglass"
Favorite: "Young Moon"
Runner up: "Sleeper Train"
Least favorite: "Ports-of-Call"

"Human Nature"
Favorites: "Wheels Are Turning" and "Town and Country"
Runner up: "From a Moving Train'
Least favorite: "Oloololo"

"Holiday Harmony"
Favorite: "Christmas in California"
Runner up: "Winter holidays"
Least Favorite: "White Christmas"

Sergio

Hi Moser. I'm glad that you and family are back and enjoyed your trip. Wow, 21 states. That's pretty impressive. What nice memories you must have of this. Nice that you got to meet Robyn and Matt B. I hope he heads to the east coast. I would love to see one of his shows.~~ Too funny about Barstow. I can just picture your family singing "bar of soap" there. I think of bar of soap everytime I hear that song now.~~Cathy

Cindy, glad you were able to listen to Dewey's interview. I really enjoyed it too. My thanks to SteveO for asking such great questions. It's always refreshing when a fan interviews our guys because they ask what we'd really like to know. Also, thanks Dewey for participating and being so candid. Love ya. And SteveL thanks for posting it for us to download. I appreciate all the work you do to make this site so much fun.~~Cathy

Always glad to help, Cindy. I'm glad you were able to hear them.

Hey SteveL....from the Rocky Mountain west! Many thanks for the tip. I was able to download the segments onto my desktop and then listen to them in Windows Media Player. Great interview SteveO, thanks...it was fun listening to our guy Dewey.

Cindy....from the South

If you do Amazon.com, they seem to have a very nice collection of AMERICA, of course you will have to check Amazon in your country. Good luck & enjoy the music of AMERICA forever ...

I've had enough. Every time I go to "Metropolis" (that's a big music store), I find every time fewer new cd's! Last time I found only one! It was the live album from 1977.
I have been seeking Alibi, Your Move, and Human Nature for more than nine months! And I haven't found them yet!
What about going to "Virgin" (another big music store)?

I returned from my 15-day school trip in France on July the 15th. Since then, I have been resting! I didn't expect that I would get so tired.
We stayed at a small town outside Paris, called Antony (I suppose Genevieve knows it), at a college under the name Chatenay Malabry.
Departure: July the 2nd. We had to be at OUR school in Athens at 6 o'clock in the morning. I was very nervous and excited the night before so I slept very late. I woke up at 5 o'clock. At 6 I was at school. We left for the airport at 06:30. I think we arrived there at 07:30.
Our flight was at 09:45. We arrived to France at one o'clock (LOCAL TIME). We stayed at the Charles de Gaule airport for three hours because we couldn't find the bus driver who had to bring us to the college!
The weather was bad: cloudy, the sky had a perfect grey colour and it was ready to rain.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
More details to come. I am typing a text in my computer with all the interesting facts of this trip. I'll post it when it's ready.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Last Wednesday I was watching a film in the TV. During the commercial break, I saw the ad of a music collection called "Singers & Songwriters".It's music from the 70's. I heard many songs from many artists (Bob Dylan was the first). Suddenly, I heard a familiar melody: "I've been through the desert on a horse with no name"... I looked at the screen. I wasn't wrong. Three guys were playing the guitar. From left to right, Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell, Dan Peek. They were all very young in that video.
Then the video stopped. Next artist? I don't remember!
**********************************************************************
Does anybody know if America has been in Greece for concerts?
**********************************************************************
FYI, America was a very popular group in Greece in the seventies. And they still have their fans here. Even a classmate of mine, Lefteris, has told me last year: "You must know absolutely nothing about music if you don't know America". Wise words...

If you had come to the Valley, you would have seen minivans galore! also Urban assault vehicles, I mean SUVs. Glad you had a nice trip. It was cool to meet you too

Gerry, Better keep the shade down on this one!

Cindy....from the South

Click here to see the view from Gerry's hotel window in Brandon, Manitoba.

Hey there, RC ~ no problem : ) Sara lives near me, in the midwest - so she's not likely to find one of the ducks, BUT she already responded to me that she loved the story!! Thanks again!

Nice of you to ask, Valerie. The short answer is no. The longer answer is, we were in California for nine days total. Five days we based our vacation headquarters in West LA basically at the intersection of Sunset Blvd. and "the 405." From there we made some day trips to other so. Cal. places like San Diego/Coronado Island, Santa Monica/Malibu, and Long Beach/Venice Beach. On the sixth day, we uprooted and went to stay in Buena Park to "do the Disney." Then we headed north via an inland route (thereby missing the central coast area) through Bakersfield to see Sequoia, Yosemite, Half Moon Bay, and San Francisco. It was a lot to see in that short of a time so I will return some day to soak up some more of your sun. We really enjoyed it.

Hi there Moser, So glad to know that you and your family are back, safe and sound! I was wondering if you made it up to the Central Coast of California on your vacation. Hwy. 1 or Hwy 101? San Luis Obispo County? (My part of the Country.) Just wanted to know! Bye, Valerie

Jenna, you are soo right girl!

Cindy.....from the South

My best & least liked track choices change on a daily basis
America
Best: Donkey Jaw & Pigeon Song (a little diddy with lots hidden meaning)
Worst: Never Found the Time
Homecoming
Best track: Corwall Blank
Worst: Saturn Nights
Hat Trick
Best: Hat Trick of course and Molten Love (Dewey can carry me over "a threshold of fireflies" any time)
Worst: Submarine Ladies
Holiday
Best: Old Man Took (a classic Dewey Track)
Worst: Hollywood
Hearts
Best: Sister Golden Hair & Daisy Jane ( I will never grow tired of these 2)
Worst: Bell Tree
Hideaway
Best: Watership Down
Worst: She's a Liar
Harbor
Best: Monster, Political Poachers, Are You There
Worst: Hurricane
Silent Letter
Best: The whole album, not a single bad track
Alibi
Best: Catch That Train & Hangover
Worst: You Could've Been The One
View From the Ground
Best: Inspector Mills
Worst: Even The Score
Your Move, Perspective & Hourglass: Never listen to these (not by choice they are on my list to add)
Human Nature
Best: Wednesday Morning
Worst: Town and Country
Holiday Harmony
Best: Winter Holidays, Christmas in California & A Christmas to Remember
Worst: Silver Bells

I stopped using the AOL chat room and I'm guessing that it doesn't exist anymore. Do any of you AOL subscribers know if it's still around? AmericaSL
Steve: If you're referring to the America AOL music message board, yes it is still around. There are a few of us who didn't want to see it go away after most of the regulars came over to your board. No criticism of your board intended. Your site is A+ and is much more than a message board. But, way back when the AOL board was the only place and was were so many of us long-time fans first connected.
Tim

Cindy,

Old Man Took is a classic! And Muskrat Love, Hidden Talent, (think there's more than a few of us that love those tunes) All of Homecoming/Hourglass/HN...the list goes on & on

Jenna

How can anyone put "worst" in the same sentence with "Old Man Took"?? There is simply no such thing as a worst America song.

Cindy....from the South

I forgot to mention this. The very first California traffic jam that we encountered was in none other than Barstow, Barstow, showcase of the Southland. There was a construction zone of only two lanes there made worse by the breakdown and subsequent towing away of an old couple's nearly as old motor home. We have some obnoxious video of the scenery as we were driving thru Barstow with Gerry cranked on the radio and us singing Bar o' Soap, Bar o' Soap at the top of our lungs in the background. Hopefully this footage will never make it to the internet!! If it does, you might want to pass on that download!! By the way, Barstow also took the prize for the highest temp of our trip at 120 degrees. Now that is hot.

Robyn,
You are right, meeting you and your family was the highlight of my trip...although going to the beach, seeing the Sequoias, Old Faithful, El Capitan, the Tetons, and Mt. Rushmore was kinda cool too. Getting to meet mB was right up there, too. He's a really nice kid and I know he's gonna be a HUGE star. I'd love to come back to California for the show at Rusty's. But, sadly, I can't. I loved everything about California except one thing...can you guess what? The traffic, you say? Yes, how did you know? Man. Brutal. No wonder there are so many nice cars out there. You have to spend two-thirds of your life in the car, it may as well be a nice one!! I'm sure we gave ourselves away as tourists in the first three seconds there. Never mind the NY license plate, or me with the videocam, or the luggage bubble on the top. Those were all big clues, I admit, but the biggest clue of all was merely being in a mini-van. I noticed that there are like no mini-vans out there. I think I may have seen three the whole time we were there. The ratio of minivans to luxury sports cars is inversely proportional to that ratio here on the East Coast. Yowsa. Jeff was in heaven.
Well, anyway, enjoy the show at Rusty's. It sounds like it will be a rocker.

oops sorry I misread your post there lol..You didn't say anything about her looking for one. But I hope she enjoys the story.
RC

Hi Alan,
Glad you like the new CD..There isn't a song that I don't like on it. And yes I wish it was longer as well..We were discussing it a little here back in May/early June when it was released. Check the archives.
Now in regards to what you and Speech said regarding him losing "The Muse" I don't agree at all.. He never lost it, he followed it in the direction it took him. His muse carried him to explore music the way he wanted to. Windows and Walls was a hand at journalistic writing, Exiles, the divorce album and his hurt and anger come through in lyrics,vocals and music. Wild Places and Rivers of Souls was his waying of saying what he felt about the environment etc. High Country Snows was fun for him and explored the mountain bluegrass. No Resemblance whatsoever was the follow up to Twin Sons and once again the composed music. Those albums were not about commercial viability..
He has stayed true to himself and the music. He sees himself as a musical artist and not just an musician/songwriter. He explored his art form. That is what the song Icarus Ascending is about.
Just my Opinion :-)
Take Care,
Robin C.

You're welcome :-) Hope she finds a duck!! That would be cool.

Well normally I stay out of these types of discussions because as I said to Steve in previous post, it's really individual preference.
But this is what I will do.. The LISTED songs for each album are ones I listen to or skip over..Just depends on the mood at the time when listening lol... The ones NOT mentioned are the ones I listen to ALL the time...Is that way Ok? Confused now? lol and the rest of you stop laughing at or rolling your eyes at my picks lol..

America: Pigeon Song(never did like that one)
Homecoming: California Revisited
Hat Trick: Hat Trick(ducks from incoming lol) Goodbye
Hideway: Lovely Night, Don't Let if Get You Down, Can't You See, She's Beside You, Today's The Day, Jet Boy Blue. *As you can see I don't listen to this one often.
Hearts: Half a Man, Old Virgina,Woman Tonight, Sister Golden Hair(*sigh, yes I get tired of this one..Maybe because I am a brunette!! :-p LOL)
Holiday: Mad Dog, Baby It's Up To You, You, In The Country
Harbor: These Brown Eyes, Down To The Water, Hurrincane
Silent Letter: 1960, Foolin'
Alibi: Valentine, One In A Million
View From The Ground: Jody
Your Move: Tonight Is For Dreamers, Don't Let Me Be Lonely, Someday Woman
Perspective:
Hourglass: Ports of Call, Everyone I meet is from California, Magic(un-necessary fillers in my opinion)
Human Nature: Wed. Morning, World Alone, Overwhelming World Suite ,(do like the Barstow part though) Oloololo
As I said, the songs listed are ones I listen to at times or skip past.
Robin C.

<<which made me angry and put me in fighting mode! Nobody messes with MY GUYS! Lecture time! Needless to say, this friend of mine had a LONG ride home, with me spouting the virtues of America the entire distance of 60 miles!>>

Nina, YOU GO GIRL!! You tell 'em. This is Gerry Gerry Gerry and Dewey Dewey Dewey we're talkin' about here. Let's be reverent, shall we?

Hmmm, this took some thought and is subject to change without notice:
America (1st album)
Best Track: "Three Roses"
Worst Track: "Pigeon Song"
Homecoming
Best track: "Ventura Highway"
Least-best track "Head and Heart" but not a weak song on this album!
"Hat Trick"
Best track: "Hat Trick"
Worst track: "Molton Love"
Holiday
Best track: "Baby It's Up To You"
Worst track: "Old Man Took"
"Hearts"
Best track: "Sister Golden Hair"
Worst track: "Woman Tonight"
"Hideaway"
Best track: "Today's the Day"
Worst track: "She's Beside You"
"Harbor"
Best track: "God of The Sun"
Worst track: "Are You There"
"Silent Letter"
Best track: "And Forever"
Worst track: "1960"
"Alibi"
Best track: "Valentine"
Worst track: "One in A Million"
"View From the Ground"
Best track: "You Can Do Magic"
Worst track: "Even The Score"
"Your Move"
Best track: "The Border"
Worst track: "Cast The Spirit"
"Perspective:
Best track: "Stereo"
Worst track: "See How The Love Goes" gets my vote for all-time worst America song!
"Hourglass"
Best track: "Whole Wide World"
Worst track: "Greenhouse"
"Human Nature"
Best track: "Wednesday Morning"
Worst track: "Town and Country"
"Holiday Harmony"
Best track: "White Christmas"
Least-best track: "Sleigh Ride" but not a bad song on the CD!

Speechwriter,

I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of this wonderful new DF album. Like you, my only complaint is the length. A couple more songs would have been nice. I also think a couple of songs could have been a bit longer. My early favorites are "Full Circle", "This Heart", "Once In Love" and "Reach Haven Postcard" (the latter because it is about Maine - well, sort of).

Alan

Just a quick reply on the first thing that comes to my mind here, without going into every album. (That will take me awhile to figure out!) From Hourglass, I just LOVE "Call of the Wild" and could listen to it over and over and over. It's so "bouncy" sounding! I don't think I've heard too many of you mention that song at all, but it is my favorite on that CD. As Robin mentioned, it's all a matter of personal preference! "Come save me, from things I shouldn't do . . ." Sing it, Gerry!

Hey Steve,

I am also one of the five America fans that likes Muskrat Love! I am also one of the three America fans who like Hidden Talent and Hot Town (although I have to admit they are my least favorite tracks on Human Nature)

Also, I din't notice any problems w/ the sound at the Hatch Shell. I thought clarity of sound was great and noticed no feedback. We were quite near the stage but on the right-hand side, whereas Nina and her friend were to the left. I don't know if that made a difference. Maybe this was just my imagination, but I thought Woodz came in just a split-second late w/ the slide guitar at the beginning of Sister Golden Hair. Being a guitarist myself, I know musicians make mistakes from time to time (I make more than my share when playing publicly). But that was the only thing I noticed and wasn't any big deal. Most people probably didn't even notice.

Alan

Thanks for your reply, Robin! Also, I checked out your link to the rubber ducks story and am going to forward it to my 15-year-old niece. She collects rubber ducks - maybe she can add the story to her collection! It was cute - a real day brightener.

Hi Karen,
Just wanted to say I didn't take it that way at all. Everyone here knows that Pete does the best he can under each circumstance. Accoustics and sound mixing is different in each venue. And there are times, I am sure, when there isn't enough time to a good sound check like he would probally like..
You have a great weekend too!

Hi everyone! After reading Nina's post about the show in Boston, it made me realize I might have come across in a way I didn't mean to last Sunday when I posted a reply to Chuck's post about the Stillwater show. He was mentioning a problem with the acoustics and I replied saying how frustrating that must be for the band. I hope it didn't sound like I was referring to Pete or anyone else that does the setup, etc., for Dewey, Gerry, Willie, Woodsy and Rich! I certainly wasn't blaming them at all. Actually, I have no idea how that whole thing works and will just leave it up to the experts ; ) I just like to sit back and enjoy the show, no matter what!

Have a great weekend, everyone!
Karen

Hi Steve,
I think Kevin meant that he didn't feel M.L, H.T. and most of perspective were the groups best stuff.. lol but I could be wrong because of the way he worded his post..

But I DO like Muskrat Love, Hidden Talent and all of perspective LOL..
America's version of Muskrat Love is sweet and the music and harmonies are gentle..Just like I think it was meant to be.. I never liked Captain and Tenille's version of it. *gag*
It's all subjective though.. Not everyone likes the same things. Just like the song Hat Trick.. Everyone goes on and on about it. I like the song but it's not one of my most favorites. *shrugs*
Ok I am ducking out of this one and back into lurkerdom..
lol
Take Care,
Robin

Other than Muskrat Love, which is a no-brainer on Hat Trick...

I agree with you Kevin, it's a no brainer that Muskrat Love is one of the best tracks on Hat Trick!

(I just love it when this controversy gets rekindled, even if I am one of the few who likes Muskrat Love)

Robsl:

That's a tough one for me. I can't think of any rationale, reason, criteria or anything else for why I would consider songs on most of their albums as "worst" or "least best." Other than Muskrat Love, which is a no-brainer on Hat Trick, Hidden Talent from Human Nature, and much of Perspective, I honestly can't say there's a single America song that I could rate lower than others. This isn't being a starry-eyed fan as much as when I justify one, I quickly take it off the list for other reasons. Hard to say which are the "bests" because that changes with each listen. But I'll give it a go this weekend and see where I come out.

KevinS.

Hi all...I had a good time at the Boston show last week-end. It was hot, hot, hot...but as the night wore on the breeze from the Charles River cooled things off! Got to see Alan and family from Maine. Although I didn't get to speak to Gerry or Dewey, I did talk with nice guys, Pete and Bill before the show, mostly to see if Alan could get his America stuff signed. Sorry it didn't work out, Alan. I was hoping you'd be able to catch them at the gate as they were leaving. Guess not.

I brought an old college friend who was very critical of the show...saying things like "I guess they can't hit a homerun every time they're up." The only thing I noticed was problems with the sound equipment. I've been to enouigh America shows to know that it takes a lot of time to get the mics at the right level for each voice. With Orleans playing first, there was limited time to set up for Gerry and Dewey. Neither Alan, nor Rob, mentioned any funky sound problems so maybe it was just audible to the people closer to the stage. We heard feed-back and mic problems...mostly Gerry's, at both piano and center stage. Dewey's mic seemed fine. My companion seemed to want to blame the performers, which made me angry and put me in fighting mode! Nobody messes with MY GUYS! Lecture time! Needless to say, this friend of mine had a LONG ride home, with me spouting the virtues of America the entire distance of 60 miles!

As far as I could see, Dewey and Gerry worked just as hard as they always do to bring the crowd a good show. I was tempted to trek to the New Hampshire show the next day, but decided against it. We've been very lucky this year here in New England....about 7 or 8 America concerts planned! Looking forward to autumn and Topsfield Fair in my home state of Massachusetts again! Thanks Gerry and Dewey for returning again and again to New England! We love you here!

I know this is way off topic but I thought it was cool. People in the NE and possibly farther down the east coast, keep an eye out for these if you hit the beaches because it could be worth a $100 savings bond if you find one.
You can read the story at the link below. It was on the news a few weeks ago and I saw it again last night.

Rubber Duckies Map the World

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/07/31/eveningnews/main566138.shtml

RC

Hi Everyone ~~~ TGIF ~~~ Its a Dreary, Muggy Day here ~~ thats ok tho cause I got work to get caught up on. :)

I agree Gen these VFTWMC today are too much for sure, I hit the save this pic as on the Final Closeup shot ~~ AWESOME for sure ~~ Thanks for taking us there Steve L! :)

Hi Alan ~~ Nice to hear your thoughts about the Hatch Shell show. Glad you all enjoyed it. Cute story about the frisbee! :)

Hey Gen regarding the VFTHW pic ~~ I would say you got this one wrapped up Hands Down ~~ LOL, I was kinda thinking I could see a chin in this shot too along with the neck and a brown colored shirt.... anyway, this added a nice unique view to this view! Thanks Gerry! :)

Hey there RobL ~~ I will work on my best worst list and probably post it sometime this weekend. Neat Idea! :)

Well here it is friday already, I hope everyone can get their desks cleaned off and all of their work done early (Hey Red Park Nelleybelle alittle early and head home to have a Moondance with your Mrs) :). Enjoy your weekend all! See ya, Nancy :)

~~~ Sooooo many kindsa Treasures to be found in Alaska ~~~~ :)

WOW, Steve. Don't know where this 'Disenchanted Bay ' name comes from, but these views are definitely a real enchantement for the eyes. Great job.

Stretching over 90 miles long and covering over 1,350 square miles in area, Hubbard Glacier is the largest tidewater glacier in North America. It is also one of the most impressive, a 300-foot wall of ice rising sheer and jagged from the ocean.

On June 19th we went north past Glacier Bay and on to Yakutat Bay where the famous Hubbard Glacier meets the sea. We actually sailed through tons of ice into Disenchanted Bay so we could get a good look at Hubbard and two other glaciers. Click on the links below to see the view from the webmaster's camera.

A solitary ice berg as we approached Disenchantment Bay
More ice bergs add a blue hue to the green covered mountains in the background
Coat clad passengers look at the glacier as the ship moves slowly through the ice bergs
Telephoto view of the 300-foot glacier wall where it meets the sea
Ice bergs and ice chunks in the water at the side of the ship
Final closeup of the glacier walls, the dark blue color is caused by the very dense ice which only allows the blue spectrum to escape

SteveL...from the Rocky Mountain west...Thanks so much. I will do as you advise. You do such a terrific job of providing all this great stuff about these fantastic guys, that I want to have access to it all! It's killin' me right now that I can't listen to this interview!! Especially since I'm a "Dewey Girl"!! Thanks again for your expert advice!

Cindy....from the South

Cindy (from the South), the only reason I used AOL back in the late 1990's was to access the America chat room on AOL. But I didn't like anything else about AOL. Their service was much slower than my regular ISP and you've already experienced the AOL help desk nightmare. After I created this America Fans Chat Folder, I stopped using the AOL chat room and I'm guessing that it doesn't exist anymore. Do any of you AOL subscribers know if it's still around?

I would suggest that you look at some local ISP's in your area to see who has a good deal ($19.99 or less) but is also reputible. Talk with others in your area and see who they use. Personally, I use Sisna and they're pretty good. I've also heard good things about Comcast (www.comcast.com). There's a web site called TheList at www.thelist.com which might help you find an ISP. Good luck.

SteveL (from the Rocky Mountain west)

Hey SteveL....from the Rocky Mountain west! Thanks so much, and I will try what you suggested. What do you suggest instead of AOL? I am definitely open for suggestions since I'm enjoying my new laptop but don't know a lot about my options. And that AOL help desk was a nightmare....all they wanted to do was sell me more stuff! Thanks!

Cindy.....from the South

Johnny,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and interesting story on B.J. Thomas. I hope you eventually get to ask your question...I too really like the two songs you mentioned-"Mama" and "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", I still have my 45's that I bought in 1966. He's a performer that really sings with his soul and a tear in his voice. Those two songs still get to me whenever I hear them, especially "Mama".

Have a great weekend everybody,
Sergio

Oh, also had a ridiculous joke about needing four hands for bridge, but i'm glad I resisted... :-)

Wow, Gerry, it's great fun watching this one pic ! Indeed, we can see the 'hand' of a genius on this VFTHW ...:-)
Also enjoyed the NY view very much. Someone around me mentioned the clouds forming a sort of inverted question mark.
Anyway, so gooood to have news from your touring selves at first hand -LOL.
Keep them coming... you really have all your fans' hands on that ! =:-D

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Last Revised: 4 September 2003