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Holiday is the fourth studio album by the American folk rock band America, released on the Warner Bros. Records label in June 1974. The album was produced in London by longtime Beatles record producer George Martin, the first of seven consecutive albums he produced with America.

Holiday
Studio album by America
Released	June 26, 1974
Recorded	AIR Studios, London
Studio	April 17 to May 7, 1974
Genre	Folk rock pop rock
Length	33:21
Label	Warner Bros. 2808
Producer	George Martin
America chronology
Hat Trick (1973) Holiday (1974) Hearts (1975)
Singles from Holiday
"Tin Man"/"In the Country" Released: July 10, 1974 "Lonely People"/"Mad Dog" Released: November 27, 1974

The album was a big hit in the US, reaching number 3 on the Billboard album chart and being certified gold by the RIAA. It produced two hit singles: "Tin Man" reached number 4 on the Billboard singles chart and went to number 1 on the adult contemporary chart; and "Lonely People" which peaked at number 5 on the Billboard singles chart and also hit number 1 on the adult contemporary chart. Several other songs received radio airplay on FM stations playing album tracks, including "Baby It's Up To You" and "Another Try". The album was also released on Quadrophonic reel-to-reel tape for 4-channel enthusiasts.

History

Band member Dewey Bunnell was thrilled at the prospect of working with Martin as producer. He was quoted as saying that it "was great working with George. It was like we knew each other. We were familiar with the Beatles, of course, and we had that British sense of humor."[1] In a separate interview, Dan Peek recalled to Circus magazine: "Gerry (Beckley) had been in England, and we'd talked about using George Martin as our producer. He's such a hot arranger, thinking about all the stuff he's done. There were several other people we wanted to use, but that idea sort of flashed and George was available."[2]

It was the recording debut of America's longtime drummer Willie Leacox, who is in the car in the cover photo.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[3]

In his Allmusic review music critic Mike DeGagne noted the effect of George Martin's production on the album as well as the rebound from the failure of Hat Trick, writing "this album as a whole ascertained that the group was definitely showing their true potential once more."[3]

Track listing

Personnel

America

• Dewey Bunnell - vocals, guitars
• Gerry Beckley - vocals, guitars, keyboards, bass
• Dan Peek - vocals, bass, guitars, keyboards

with:

• Willie Leacox - drums, percussion

Technical

• George Martin - producer, arranger, keyboards
• Geoff Emerick - engineering
• Peter Henderson - tape operator
• Gary Burden - art direction

Charts

Chart (1974)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[4]	25
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[5]	3
US Billboard 200[6]	3

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[7]	Silver	60,000^
United States (RIAA)[8]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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