America-Hearts (1975)

The first half of the 1970s was the most fruitful period for the Anglo-American band America. However, with three albums released and a number one hit with "A Horse With No Name" (1971), the single from their debut album, they decided to make a complete about-face in 1974. They chose the legendary George Martin, famous for his work with the Beatles, as their producer, and he would go on to produce their next seven albums. By that time, the band had positioned themselves at the forefront of folk rock alongside contemporaries like CSN&Y, Bob Dylan, The Byrds, and Simon and Garfunkel. The second album produced by Martin was "Hearts" (the first being "Hat Trick" in 1974), recorded in Sausalito, California, and released in 1975. These were times when bands released an album every year, something unthinkable today. It included the band's second number one hit, "Sister Golden Hair", which has since become one of their most iconic and famous songs of all time, and was written by Beckley. In addition to "Sister Golden Hair", the singles "Daisy Jane" and "Woman Tonight" propelled the album to number four on the Billboard charts and earned it a gold record for sales in the United States.