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An American Dream
United Artists Records
1979
Any Nitty Gritty Dirt Band fan who thought the smooth soft rock of 1978's The Dirt Band was a fluke was proven wrong by the following year's American Dream, which took the template of its predecessor and improved it with a streamlined production and some very strong material. Chief among these, of course, was the title song, a winningly polished take on Rodney Crowell's clever "American Dream" that became a hit, climbing all the way to 13 on the pop charts and thereby establishing the band in the public's eyes as the soft rock act they'd become. It's a brilliant single, one of the best Californian soft rock songs of its era, and American Dream the album delivers at least on the level of sound—sonically, it's a sleek and appealing collection of mid-tempo pop songs, ballads, and lazy jams. American Dream glides by on its smooth surfaces—all electric pianos, slick guitars, saxophones, and glistening polish—and songs as light but appealing as "In Her Eyes," "Take Me Back," "Dance the Night Away," "Do You Feel the Way That I Do," and "What's on Your Mind." This won't win over the fans lost on The Dirt Band—it would be some time before they returned to the progressive country that made their reputation—but this is another small late-'70s soft rock gem.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All-Music Guide
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Track Listing (choose a title below for lyrics):
I beg your pardon, mama, what did you say?
My mind was drifting off on Martinique Bay
It's not that I'm not interested, you see
Augusta, Georgia is just no place to be
I think Jamaican in the moonlight
Sandy beaches drinking rum every night
We got no money, mama, but we can go
We'll split the difference, go to Coconut Grove
Keep on talking, mama, I can hear
Your voice, it tickles down inside of my ear
I feel a tropical vacation this year
Might be the answer to this hillbilly fear
I think Jamaican in the moonlight
Sandy beaches, drinking rum every night
We got no money, mama, but we can go
We'll split the difference, go to Coconut Grove
Voila, an American dream
Well, we can travel, girl, without any means
When it's as easy as closing your eyes
And dream Jamaica is that big neon sign
Just keep talking, mama, I like that sound
It goes so easy with that rain falling down
I think a tropical vacation this year
Might be the answer to this hillbilly fear
Voila, an American dream
Yeah, we can travel, girl, without any means
When it's as easy as closing your eyes
And dream Jamaica is that big neon sign
Just think Jamaican in the moonlight
Sandy beaches, drinking rum every night
We got no money, mama, but we can go
We'll split the difference, go to Coconut Grove
Do You Feel the Way That I Do |
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