This 1994 release by the duo of Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Buckley may sound at first like a "why bother?" but surprisingly, HOURGLASS is not only not embarrassing, it's actually quite good. On their '70s hits, Bunnell sounded uncannily like a sweeter-voiced Neil Young; the decreased vocal resemblance here probably has more to do with the ravages of Young's own vocal cords, but it gives the harmonies much more of their own character.
The glistening folk-rock of hits like "A Horse With No Name" and "Ventura Highway" is all over this disc, with Bunnell and Buckley both contributing several surprisingly full-bodied pop songs. The inclusion of a nothing-special remake of their old hit "You Can Do Magic" at the end is an ill-considered exercise in nostalgia, a trap the rest of HOURGLASS admirably avoids.
Recorded at Human Nature Studio, Sherman Oaks, California; Sound Recorders, Inc., Omaha, Nebraska; Do Not Erase Studios, London, England; Sound City, Van Nuys, California.
Engineers include: Ron Dabbs, Doug Van Sloun, Gerry Beckley.
Personnel: Gerry Beckley (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, mandolin, harmonica, keyboards, drums, bass drum, percussion, keyboard programming, drum programming, percussion programming); Dewey Bunnell (vocals, guitar, background vocals); Hank Linderman (guitar, electric guitar, steel guitar, lap steel guitar, background vocals); Michael Woods (electric guitar); Steve Levine (keyboards, programming, drum programming); Brad Palmer (bass guitar); Willie Leacox (drums); Joey Gulizia (congas, percussion); John Boylan (programming); Carl Wilson (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Mark Linett.
Recording information: Do Not Erase Studios, London, England; Human Nature Studio, Sherman Oaks, CA; s; Sound Records Inc., Omaha, NE.
Photographer: Henry Diltz.
Arrangers: Chip Davis; Dewey Bunnell; Gerry Beckley; Steve Levine.
Personnel: Dewey Bunnell (vocals, guitar); Hank Linderman (guitar, lap steel, background vocals); Michael Woods (guitar); Gerry Buckley (vocals, guitar, mandolin, harmonica, keyboards, bass, programming); Steve Levine (keyboards, programming); Brad Palmer (bass); Willie Leacox (drums); Joey Gulizia (congas, percussion); John Boylan (programming); Carl Wilson (background vocals).
Producers: Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell, Steve Levine.
Average. This album is a little dissapointing in my view...I expected a little more. I think the 'sound' of America is still there, but I don't think Beckley's voice in particular was used enough on this album.
By that I mean there are not enough songs that sound or remind me of 'classic' America - Beckley has a lovely mellow voice, and I would have liked to hear it used more appropriately here.
Still, a good try, and worthy of three stars. Submitted by Phoenix43 (Australia) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
ANOTHER MASTERPIECE HOURGLASS is another winner from AMERICA. IT includes remakes of EVERYONE I MEET IS FROM CALIFORNIA and the hit YOU CAN DO MAGIC. Other highlights include YOUNG MOON,MIRROR TO MIRROR,GARDEN OF PEACE,CALL OF THE WILD,WHOLE WIDE WORLD and the rocker GREENHOUSE, Submitted by Joel (Miami Fla.) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Good as usual but not great America has gotten their due in some arenas of the music world over the years and rightly so - In fact they have been better than documented - Their single selection over the years has been questionable. The album Alibi had hits all over it but they chose the wrong songs and it kind of help in their public decline - too bad radio is like it is today because they have a new cd called Here & Now in 2007 which is great stuff. Hourglass has it's great moments. Garden of Peace and Hope are two fantastic songs - there are several good songs but this album wasn't one of their bests but still good stuff Submitted by dcb (Wallingford,Ct,USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Great Stuff! This is an all-around excellent CD! I am a life-long America fan, and I now number "Whole Wide World," "Garden of Peace" and "Mirror to Mirror" among my very favorite America songs. Submitted by a reviewer (Savannah, GA, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
This Album Is A Hidden Gem Waiting to Be Discovered! Hi~~ Let me start by saying I have been a Fan of this Great Group for almost 31 years now. I have all of their albums, at least I thought I did a year and a ahalf ago. Then I discovered this album through a friend from Germany. Upon hearing it for the first time, I cried, "Young Moon" is one great song, Dewey's poetic way with the lyrics and the way he sings this song, captures you right from the start. "Hope" touched me sooo deep inside, Gerry sure has a way with sincere lyrics, this song has such a possitive message to it. "Sleeper Train" is full of that AMERICA Magic sound for sure. "Mirror to Mirror" Gerry's great artistic touch on here, a catchy song that stays with You. I first got to see them live in concert back in the summer of 97 and they did this song there, it hooked me right then and there. I wondered where in the world did this song come from. I wrote down the name "Hourglass" on a piece of paper that day and started searching for this album. "Garden of Peace" Dewey created a Masterpiece here, beautiful lyrics and the accoustic guitars sing back and forth to each other. "Call Of The Wild" This song by Gerry is filled with mystery and nice music. "Whole Wide World" WOW! Another great Love song, Dewey steals your heart with this one. "Close to the Wind" Gerry does his magic on this neat song, it kinda has a touch of the Beach Boy's sound, the lyrics are oooh sooo nice too. "Greenhouse" is a real rockin song by Dewey, thrill seeking metaphorical lryics in this song. "Ports of Call" Gerry & Dewey take you on an imaginery voyage with this great song, very descriptive lyrics and nice music. "Everyone I Meet Is From California" this is a version remade, Gerry & Dewey both add their personal touch to this, and I think it is great to have 2 versions of this song, the original one with Dan, Gerry & Dewey & this one, both filled with the AMERICA Magic that catches your attention. "You Can Do Magic" Such a great song they re-released it on here.... A case of Can't get enough of a good thing for sure. I hope by now, You are ordering this great Hidden Treasure. It is a Must Have for all AMERICA Fans, and if you are new to AMERICA's music, all I can say is this one will Capture you and You will want more and more. I am sooo glad that I finally found this Hidden Gem, I will treasure it forever. Thanks Gerry & Dewey for all of these AWESOME SONGS!
Bye for now, Nancy :) Submitted by a reviewer (Pennsylvania, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Average.
ANOTHER MASTERPIECE
Good as usual but not great
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