jimnak
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From: Huntington Beach CA.
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Article in Taylor Guitars mgazine
Posted on: 11/20/2019 03:22 PM
Here is the text version, great stuff on AMERICA !
Source: Taylor Guitars magazine.
50 Years of American History
est. 1970
AMERICA
5OTH ANNIVERSARY
THE COLLECTION
What were you doing 50 years ago? Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell were living in London and on the verge of launching what would turn out to be an enduring, hit-filled career as the band America that continues to this day. Beckley (multiple 6- and 12-string custom maple Grand Auditoriums) and Bunnell (custom 614e), whom we profiled back in our Fall 2015 edition, are revving up for the band's golden anniversary in 2020 with a series of special releases that longtime fans are bound to love.
The first is a multi-format anthology. America - 50th Anniversary: The Collection (Warner Bros./Rhino) dropped this summer as a 3-CD, 50-track box set; a vinyl 2-LP set (24 tracks); a single-disc greatest hits compilation (for big box retailers); and digital versions.
Here at Taylor, we've been spinning through the 3-CD box set, soaking up the band's classic vocal harmonies on tracks like "A Horse with No Name," "Ventura Highway," "Tin Man," "Lonely People," "I Need You." "Sister Golden Hair," "Sandman" and more. Devoted fans will enjoy hearing some of the other, more obscure cuts in the collection, including rarities, demos ("Sister Golden Hair"), alternate takes ("Ventura Highway," Take 4), and live recordings (a couple of tracks from the BBC's The
Old Grey Whistle Test TV show).
Though founding member Dan Peek left the band in 1977 (he passed away in 2011), Beckley and Bunnell continued to write, record and tour, and they still play about 100 shows a year. In the liner notes for the box set, Beckley reflects on the band's longevity.
"We've had more success than many artists achieve, but we've never flown so high that we've been scorched beyond repair," he says. "On the other hand, we've never bottomed out or had to reform. It's a consistency we're quite proud of".
Beckley will be adding to his robust Taylor collection soon. As of our press deadline, he had just ordered a Grand Pacific with a custom star inlay to match his other custom Taylors. Meanwhile touring guitarist Steve Fekete, who handles much of the lead work on stage, has been playing a sunburst-top Grand Pacific 517e.
Coming soon from the band: a concert DVD and 2-CD release, Live at the London Palladium (recorded in 2018), and in 2020, a 50th anniversary tour, an authorized biography and more.
jim
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