Reviews (page 6 of 8)
Some weird, wacky and fun things here but not a lot that really made an impact with me. I may revisit this.
i thought this was The Presidents of the United States of America and was soooo excited ...
Weird and trippy, very "of the times." Not my cup of tea, but I acknowledge that their contributions were far-reaching.
Alternativ rock, eksperimenterende, mærkelige lyde blandet med almindelig rock
Day249 - what did i just listen to. i can just hear the parents tell kids to turn down this noise
Hair vibes, some cool songs
September 8, 2024 "Cloud Song", "The Garden of Earthly Delights, "Where Is Yesterday", "Coming Down", "Love Song For the Dead Che" Almost anti-musical at times (a la Throbbing Gristle, if that's not too extreme a comparison), but a majority of tracks are disarmingly pretty. I missed a lot of the satire/politics, though, maybe that's a lack of 60's education on my part (though it shines through on titles like "Love Song for the Dead Ché" and "The American Metaphysical Circus". Delirious and dreamy
Batcrap crazy and lots of fun
Possibly influential. Not for me.
Some kinda interesting 60’s lsd experimental music stuff it sounds like but they are able to maintain they thought and focus with each track. Nothing here really caught my attention.
No los recordaba, pero ya tenía una canción de ellos en mis favoritas. Si te gusta la psicodelia es un disco a conocer. Me he guardado: The garden o earthly delights en las dos versiones del disco extendido de 20 temas, Where is yesterday, Coming down, Stranded in time y No love to give. Volveré a escucharlo.
"The United States of America" is the only studio album by American rock band the United States of America. This album "combines rock and psychedelia with the then-uncommon electronic instrumentation and experimental composition, along with an approach reflecting an anti-establishment, leftist political stance." I don't think I can give a better description. Commercially, the album only hit #181 in the US. It did receive wide-spread critical acclaim for its pioneering style and techniques. The band doesn't mess around wasting time experimenting. "The American Metaphysical Circus" opens with five musical layers including a calliope, two marching bands and two electronic sounds. It transitions to wobbly and pyschedelic music. Dorothy Moskowitz singing about anti-consumerism, anti-Christianity, anti-tv, anti-media and anti-government. The next song, "Hard Coming Love" is more rockin.' It's either an electronic violin, harpsichord or something else which sounds like a guitar. This is very pyschedelic especially with that ring modulator. "The Garden of Earthly Delights" uses that soft-loud-soft dynamic I Iove. There's laser sounds in the background. Very bass forward. It's inspired by "The Garden of Eden" and its temptations and urges getting humanity out. My favorite song on the album. Strings are added to "Stranded in Time." This is a dead ringer for "Eleanor Rigby." The album closes epically with the three-part "The American Way of Love." The first part is more rock and ragtime with the organ and off-kilter sounding violin. The second part slows it up a bit before ending it with a cacophony of musical layers, similar to how the album started. It's another song stressing the media as manipulators. This was one heck of a weird ride. The music is experimental, pyschedelic, very late 60's and, ultimately, very interesting. There's very nice harmonies and lead singing by Dorothy Moskowitz and Joseph Byrd. The musical styles include experimental, pyschedelic, rock, baroque pop and ragtime. I found the sound of the pyschedelic guitar without the guitar quite interesting. I'd say if you're a pychedelic music fan, there'll be plenty to enjoy on this album.
Ok, so when this started, I had to pause it to make sure there wasn't an add playing in the background at the same time, because it is literally just 2 different songs playing at the same time. This album is experimental and innovative, but not always good. It has a lot of interesting idea, not all of them pan out, but it is enjoyable at the very least. I am not a huge fan of the female singer, but she is a lot better than the male singer. Some songs do sound a little too derivative of specific Beatles' songs, but I'm not sure which would have come out first.
i actually really really liked this and anyone who says it is too pretentious is prob 6 mentally and would not survive any beatles album in the world
1/5 Yeah, no.
bland
Rock psicodélico muy ecléctico. Curioso. Un 4.
Psychedelic rock. bah.
Echt psychedelisch, bij vlagen fantastisch, af en toe te meanderend.
hippyish late 60s sound, not terrible
Wow, really enjoying this--kind of out of the blue for me. Psych meets electronica and their baby is exploring the world.
Erm, never heard of this lot but could hear early Grace Slick and Marianne Faithfull. Couldn’t hear a coherent through-line. Interesting but not compelling.
Interesting album. Very psychedelic and late 60s vibe. I'm conflicted about investigating them further since I'd never heard of before last Friday and they never did any beyond this one album. I love other bands of this genre and era but I feel indifferent about this group. They have already begun to fade into obsurity in my little world.
This album didn’t seem to have a cohesive through line. It was a hodgepodge that was pretty annoying most of the time. I did like the song about the wooden wife.
I was skeptical going into this, based on the little I read about the album. Just the whole experimental "synths before synths were synths" element made me wary. But this surprised me in all the right ways. Interesting compositions, arrangements, and sounds. Cool blend of electronics and analog instruments and voices. Sounds like it was influential, or at least predicted elements that later bands would use — Portishead, The Flaming Lips, and The Move among them. Kept me invested throughout.
Yeah I don't know. I admire the spirit behind this but not the execution. It often felt like the singer was imposed upon the music as opposed to the two reinforcing each other. Some cool moments, but overall, this fell flat.
Whoah...this band completely escaped my radar in my hard 60s era. I dig. My cat seemed entranced by Cloud Song - he jumped on my desk and was doing a strange open-mouthed purr. We dig!
Uncle Sam wants you to listen to this album! The United States of America were Insane Clown Posse(ICP) before ICP. With a name like that, it's no wonder they were a one-album wonder. Overall, I enjoyed this in a Juggalo-kind-of-way. Favorite Track: "The American Way Of Love".
These guys got the OG username of USA hey. Terribly boring with bits of interesting weirdness. Not enough to keep my attention though.
Interesting idea, but falls short.
I have never tried psychedelic drugs, so maybe I'm missing something! Clearly an influential album but every time it got a good groove going it would spiral into some weird nonsense.
That was a pretty cool album
Not bad but wont be listening again
Far out man.
I’m still Coming Down from this one. Feels like I was Stranded In Time.
I get that this was influential for psychadelic rock...but my goodness this was a tough listen. Like a much crappier version of Jefferson Airplane.
Didn’t really get this one. Not approachable for me.
Nearly listened to the extended version tracks, checked just as I was nearly finished the last one. Also fell for thinking the release year of the extended version (2008) was the actual year. Was very impressed of how authentically 60s it sounded! Now I know it's actually of that time, it's very much in keeping with experimental pop rock of the time, reminiscent of the Beatles, the kinks and others of the times. Maybe a bit more forward thinking, bit doorsy in places. Does a lot of adding to random noises to songs which is the worst type of experimental. Probably would appeal to fans of the genre but not me really.
Quite challenging - it veered rapidly between morose and dull and irritating. Big miss for me.
These guys must have enjoyed quite a few psychedelics! Didn't mind it, but not quite my thing. Sounded of it's time. Likely won't be back, but ok 2.5
ive listened to this before
A variety of some very cool psychedelic sounds. This was an ambitious undertaking, I think.
This one took a few tracks for me to warm up to. I thought that I maybe this would just be one bad ride. But it managed to leave me not hating it all...some interesting sounds for my ears.
Fantastically trippy! Psychedelic but accessible. I loved this!
I have never heard of this audaciously-named band with only one album… so this was a real surprise. A completely crazy ride that I enjoyed from beginning to end! I kind of love it when an album becomes a sort of funhouse filled with surprises. And even better when done so well! Terrific!!!
Very good album from a group I was not familiar with.
Early experimental. Really interesting but im unlikely to replay. Have a *** for your spunk.
I have no issue with stealing this much from The Beatles if you do it this well! Wonderful experimental psychedelic record.
Joseph Byrd is an under appreciated genius. This is far ahead of its time. Pushing boundaries and both provocative and innovative in themes as well as production.
Music is a great medium to express political discontent, but I still need a reason to listen in the first place. It got more enjoyable as the album went on, but it came out so strong as overly political without enjoyable music to back it up.
Of all the bandwagon jumping late 60s psychedelic albums I've heard on this list, this gets the award for trying to copy the most acts. The Mothers, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Doors, Jeffersson... they are just trying to sound like everyone and sounding worse than everyone. I think this is the kind of album you'd buy after seeing the band live when you were off your face and thought they were amazing, then got it home and thought... yeah this is actually bollocks. I do quite like the random insertion of Hollywood strings and music that sounds like it's from a 50s soap commercial, but then that's just copying The Who. Again, this one is not in the pantheon for good reason. Interesting though and worth being on the list to show that in any great wave there are always the hangers-on.
There were 2 decent songs and a few moments, but I don't do drugs and you need to be in a different place to get this.
a chill psychedelic rock album, with a few folk surprises like choirs and soft string instruments and almost a Coming Back To Me vibe. Would listen to again.
Trippy. I like the use of violin and cello in place of electric guitar. It definitely makes them stand out.
Nope
Late 60's Psychodelia that forked off into a weird tone of strange vocals and synths. Not too pleasing on the ears. 2.5/5
This is easily one of the more strange albums that I've heard on here lately. It starts out with creepy carnival sounds, and later has a whole song about how tying and whipping his lover is "fine" and "grand", but he can't leave his "wooden wife for you, sugar". Totally ridiculous, pretty fun. This is an American psychedelic rock album from 1968 and it's weird, I'm guessing there were some drugs involved here. Lots of fuzzy electronic sounds in the background, but it also rocks pretty hard compared to what was coming out at the time. If you squint really hard you get the sense that some of the more experimental Velvet Underground songs are in a similar vein to this. I'm not exactly sure what I liked about this, but it was pretty solid. Definitely not my favorite thing ever, but this is a generally positive review for me. I can get on board with weird, and the sound on this was just interesting throughout. I also really liked the female vocalist, I've said it before but that's definitely underrepresented in music from this era. This is probably a 3.5 for me, but I think it falls a little short of rounding up. While I enjoyed it overall, there weren't any songs that really stood out, and a few fell pretty flat. Generally enjoyable though, I like an album that doesn't take itself too seriously. Favorite song: Cloud Song Other: Hard Coming Love, The Garden Of Earthly Delights, I Won’t Leave My Wooden Wife For You Sugar, Love Song For The Dead Che, Stranded In Time 8/3/24
why is it 20 songs. its an hour... the american metaphysical circus- i understand. 6 or 7 hard coming love- a yo??? 6 cloud song- im scared. 4 the gardens of earthly delights- 6 or 7 i wont leave my wooden wife for you, sugar- 7 or 8 where is yesterday- agnes dei???? 7 coming down- 7 love song for the dead che- 6 stranded in time- 7 the american way of love- 7 osamus birthday- 5 or 6 no love to give- 7 i wont leave my wooden wife for you, sugar- second times the charm? 6 or 7 you can never come down- perry pier- 5 tailor man- 5 or 6 do you follow me- 7 american metaphysical circus- 6 mouse- 6 heresy- 6 a strange one but i like it
Kind of boring. Could have easily cut some of the songs on the album. 2/5 Probably won’t listen again
I'm sure groundbreaking, it's definitely avant garde but it's also not really a selection of songs, it's a selection of sounds. A curiosity so I'll give it an extra star.
decent
Sometimes is sounds like older Bond movie music, sometimes it's kind of like the Beatles. Really different from anything I have heard before. Not sure I need to hear it again but it was worth listening to.
-ok so this is a very interesting album. def a little disorganized and harder to listen to at times but I think it aged suuuper well especially for something that came out in the 60s. Cool electronic experimentation -Favorites are Hard Coming Love, Cloud Song, and The Garden Of Earthly Delights
Quirky, psychedelic. I probably won't revisit it, but it's not the worst from that era. At least it's pretty original.
The birth of electronic "sounds" and political dramatism in popular music. Sounds starkly like other politically motivated 60's music, especially reminiscent of Jefferson Airplane's White Rabbit. I wish there was more detail of the production and songwriting on the wiki
This is what you get when you turn psychedelia up to 11. Very good album with just one downside: it is a bit incoherent. 4/5
After a listen, it’s not for me. Folky and psychedelic, the music never pulls me in. It’s weird, but not in a way that I enjoy. 2/5.
this feels so far ahead of its time. innovative sounds, cool riffs, leftist politics, sign me up
Interesting. A few odd bits. A few good psychedelic bits. Probably wont listen again
Started off rough but by the end I kinda liked it.
Interesting, reminds me of Velvet Underground & Nico. It was released in the 60s but it still sounds fresh. 3.5
Alternativo e bem experimental. Bem bacana e underground
Experimental for sure. Never heard this before. It’s work to listen when melodies are absent. 2.5.
The ring modulator on her voice is actually pretty cool! I had begun thinking that this list had two types of 60s rock albums on it: predictable and repetitive. This is neither. This is psych rock that actually sounds experimental and interesting, as opposed to experimental for the sake of experimentation (for which there is a place, but usually, I'd argue that place isn't on record). That said, this is too long.
Experimental, high pitched, and unfun
Wow what a trip. I'll say my fvourites are The Garden Of Earthly Delights and the hot mess that is the closing track, The American Way Of Love.
This is awesome! I like that late 60s psychedelia vibe and this is an exceptional example - the electronics make a great addition to it, and certain chunks sound way ahead of their time. The closing minutes of "The American Way of Love" wouldn't seem out of place on a late 90s downtempo / turntablism type record, for example. Fave track - "Where is Yesterday" - I am a sucker for that sort of falling violin sound effect.
this shit goes crazy for the 60's and i should give it a relisten later
This is wild. I hate this album but I also kinda like it at the same time. Guess that deserves a middle-ground 3.
So this is a good reason to be following this 1001 albums generator - discovering unique albums I would likely not discover otherwise. Reminiscent of the late 60s Beatles (in huge part b/c it was produced in 1968), The United States of America offered up a lot of great experimental and avant-garde tunes that I will likely return to hear again.
It was okay. A little odd/weird.
Knowing when this was released, it not only fits perfect with the time period but is clearly quite innovative. Highlights for me included: “The Garden of Earthly Delights,” “Coming Down,” and “The American Way Of Love.”
The United States of America is a vivid capsule of the late 1960s, merging psychedelic rock with avant-garde electronics. Each track offers a kaleidoscopic journey with unconventional structures and surreal lyrics. Joseph Byrd's male vocals provide a grounded presence, while Dorothy Moskowitz's haunting female vocals add an ethereal layer that can feel disjointed. The avant-garde nature often feels like it demands an altered state of mind to fully appreciate its experimental depths. The complexity can be overwhelming, making it a challenging listen for those unaccustomed to such an unorthodox approach. This quality, however, makes the album a remarkable piece of its era, pushing the boundaries of rock music. It captures the spirit of experimentation and the search for new musical frontiers. For those embracing its eccentricities, The United States of America offers a unique and rewarding auditory experience. NUMBER OF BANGERS - 0 STAND OUT TRACK - None
Great. Starts of sounding more Pink Floyd than Pink Floyd, the rest is more like an improved version of Jefferson Airplane. Their music should be as popular as those bands. I don't know how much of an impact they had when they were new. That could be a reason why they're not as popular today. Plus the playing is too sloppy at times. Favorite song: the garden of earthly delights
It was ok
I thought I would like this album more than I did. I've been really enjoying the psychedelic stuff on this list. But this one was just too weird for me. It had some good moments, but it had a lot more weird ones. It's taken me a while to add my review since listening to it, and to be honest I can't really remember much about it now. But I know I wasn't really feeling it. I was planning to listen to it again, but I've got quite a backlog building and it just doesn't interest me enough to try again. 3/5
I’ve listened to some bad albums on this generator, but this is the absolute pits. A steaming pile of horse poop that stinks worse than a skunk convention on a hot day. Even worse are the clowns telling everyone how great this is. Zero isn’t possible, so a reluctant 1.
I can't believe I've never heard of this psychadelic gem!
Great late 60s psych
100th album! nothing too special though
Lovely. weird. Ugly. Surprising. Lovely
Definitely in my top 1000 albums of all time.
1/5. There are so many great prog/experimental rock albums you could have had on this list. This is not one of them.
Maybe if I was tripping. 2
The 60s man. There are still a million bands making music like this today online, but they wouldn't be considered mainstream enough to get any serious consideration or airplay. It's worth a listen if you dig that 60s vibe.
Psych and ambient - probably the earliest example of 'ambient music' I've been recommended so far. The album is relatively 'safe' for what it is, so I'm not sure how to rank it properly. It's nowhere near bad but doesn't "grab" at me and cannot be compared to similar bands of the time, like Jefferson Airplane and Strawberry Alarm Clock. Probably a good thing the band broke up when they did.
The USA's only album simultaneously contributes innovations to American psychedelia and has the sweet and romantic qualities of the original Mersey beat.
I like every song Dorothy Moskowitz sings on, the other songs feel gimmicky even if the techniques and approach is edgy it just feels sophomoric. But som of Dorothy’s songs are worth the listen.
hard work
I'd never heard of this, but really enjoyed it. It does sound like an insane clown is going to kill you, but there are some real nice songs on here and I'm a big fan of Psychedelia
What a ride. Very Grace Slick/Jefferson Airplane sounding. I liked it a lot. Four stars.
No
Bueno. Muy raro
Makes me want to move to North Korea
Nahhh
This might be the worst thing I've ever heard in my life. This album is clearly a CIA torture device.
Nice. Enjoyable vibes, but the songs aren’t catchy enough to bump up the album to four stars.
A fascinating time capsule which at times reminds me of Jefferson Airplane and at others early Mothers. An enjoyable psychedelic voyage, though at over an hour it overstayed its welcome a bit.
I had never heard of this and was excited to listen. I was disappointed. I’ve heard way better psychedelic music from the 60s. This reminded me of Velvet Underground and Jefferson Airplane, but worse.
I think these kids were on acid.
Expected nothing but was impressed. It's so "60s" but at the same time. it's pretty experimental and ahead of it's time. Something like this could even be released nowadays as indie experimental project. 90/100!
weird and cool, loved
Very cool avant garde rock. The use of synths is remarkable given the year of release
Asså psykadelisk rock är min favoritgenre men detta var lite väl avant garde för mig. Det gick att lyssna på och så det är bara det att jag hade lite högre förhoppningar. Det lät som en blandning av Sgt Pepper och Pink Floyds debutskiva. Inget större fel med det. Tänkte bara att det skulle vara en massa bra låtar men istället så skulle det vara ett unikt och udda konstprojekt. Jävla hippies asså de ska hålla på. Jag vet inte vad jag tycker om omslaget. Det är clean och basic på ett positivt sätt, men kunde kanske varit bättre färger eller något sånt.
I really enjoyed this, the vast majority treads the line between kitsch/hippy dippy and groovy very well.
OK so I just saw that there's only 10 songs (not 20 like there is on YouTube). That's a W for my time, however this album wasn't too bad. A mixed bag with some interesting Psychedelic ideas and hard rock aspects, but then some stuff that's a bit far. Fav songs: The first couple of tracks
Прикольно, местами смешно дико от музыки алкоальбом: настойка на орехах со вкусом киндер буэно
Ээээээээээээээээээээээээ... А где смеяться?
Hmm, I don’t like it. I’m not really interested in music that cares more about making a statement than being music. It’s a dreamscape soundtrack, but not in a good way. The female vocalist was decent, though. 2.3
"Stranded in Time" and "Coming Down" really stand out for me. I'd return to this album for those songs, and probably listen to (most) of the others while I'm there. They take big swings with some of the electronic sounds, which I like, and I occassionally catch hints of Beatles or Beach Boys. Despite its soft spots, it's a really good album. 4.1
Never heard of this band. And after listening, that doesn’t surprise me. The recording itself was very poor. But there was nothing remarkable here for me.
whoa
Bordering on irritating, which is what I reserve one star ratings for. Some jangly guitar parts and sweet harmonies makes it a one-and-a-half, and thus the weakest two stars of the first 150 records on this project.
It has it's moments but mostly sounds like a band goofing off with their new casio keyboard settings
1968 was the year of disarray not just around the world, but for The United States of America. Politicians shot down and scare mongering their way to the top, the counterculture being more prevalent than before, riots burning down the cities and music became the powerful voice of revolution. What better way to document that rising tide than a group whose ethos recall both the sounds of the supposed good old days and the then far out future. It's really not that difficult to see where the influence of The United States of America lies in that distant future, hearing the fingerprints nestled within the likes of Stereolab and Broadcast and other library music folk. Cacophony and cohesion collide here for one strange yet inimitable album. How much fun it's been. Favorites: The American Metaphysical Circus, Hard Coming Love, Cloud Song, The Garden of Earthly Delights, Where is Yesterday, Coming Down, The American Way of Love, No Love to Give, You Can Never Come Down, Tailor Man, Do You Follow Me.
Nog meer psychedelica uit 1968. De vaagheidknop wordt nog een standje hoger gedraaid. Het is afwisselend en creatief, soms fladdert het richting de Beach Boys, hier en daar een poging tot iets Beatle-esks, soms een rauw randje. Maar om nou te zeggen dat het prettig luistert, zo ver zou ik niet willen gaan.
Ergens in het begin krijg ik een sterke punk-associatie. Natuurlijk, het is heel andere muziek en er wordt gezongen. Maar ze lijken wel erg hun best te doen om hun eigen muziek te verpesten. Geen idee waar ze mee over de snaren wrijven. Maar het lijkt geen strijkstok. Zo gek wordt het gelukkig niet meer. Maar de band is wel continue op ontdekkingsreis. Met rare geluiden en elkaar raar opvolgende fragmenten. Soms pakt het goed uit. Maar zoals wel vaker in deze lijst; het was wel fijn geweest als ze zelf die selectie hadden gemaakt.
Had ik het gisteren over vergeetbare boomermuziek, krijgen we vandaag een band waar ik nog nooit van heb gehoord. Ik heb wel van de Presidents of the United States of America gehoord. Die maakten vrolijke 90s gitaarmuziek. Anyway, ik laat me verrassen, maar ben voorbereid op het ergste. De eerste tonen zijn van een draaiorgel, dat belooft veel goeds. Het eerste nummer is sowieso rijkelijk versierd met vage geluiden, waarbij je ongetwijfeld een flinke dosis Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds voor moet hebben genomen. Het heeft ergens wel wat weg van Jefferson Airplane die de Beatles na doen. Het tweede nummer doet gewoon pijn aan mijn oren. Het lijkt wel alsof alle instrumenten expres vals moeten klinken. En zo gaat het maar door, het is één grote wazige bende. Op het moment dat er een soort van ritme in begint te komen, dan klinkt het op zich best aardig. Maar ze hebben een onbedwingbare behoefte om de muziek te verdrinken in een golf aan wazigheid. En dat is niet een golf waar ik vrolijk op mee surf. Geef me dan maar the Presidents of the USA, die ga ik nu lekker opzetten. Dit album krijgt een wazige 2.
Listening to that first song whist trying to concentrate on work is near impossible
'How much fun it's been' he says at the end. The answer is none. None fun.
Verrrrry cool
What a freaking unexpected treat!
Sometimes weird in a great way, sometimes weird in a terrible way. 2.5 stars.
5/10 Interesting, but not particularly pretty. As if you took a Jefferson Airplane album and then randomly reshuffled all the notes. Highlights: The Garden of Earthly Delights The American Way of Love
Listened to this while playing A Feast For Odin. I first listened to this album in like 2002 when I first started smoking weed. It blew my mind. The beginning reminded me of Charles Ives, but even more twisted. The reprise of album moments at the end also tickled the music geek in me. Listening to it now...I'm not quite as smitten as I was back then...but it still has some genuinely fantastic moments.
This is the debut, eponymous, and only album from "The United States of America." Dating back to the late 60's, this album is credited for being revolutionary for their psychedelic, experimental rock, and for being an early adapter of electronica. Many tracks contain absolutely distasteful and disturbingly distorted clown music which undermine the musicianship within the album.
Didn't grab my attention
No. 2.
Beatles meets Daft Punk
The word 'interesting' is the damning with faint praise applicable here. A bit Byrdsy a bit Bandy a bit Jefferson Airplany. Electronics are 'interesting' and three stars for an 'interesting' listen.
As a huge Broadcast fan it seems I am destined to absolutely lap this up. Slightly saddened to discover they lifted huge parts of their sound from this, but damn, they were good, so that's ok. Also it appears the USA didn't decide to make a whole album like the first track, mixing it up with standard 60s acid freakouts and differently weird stuff, so Broadcast came along and filled that void beautifully. Stop talking about Broadcast. Basically I prefer them to this but it turns out they're quite different. Second half of the album really picks up after a little bit of slackness creeps in. Where is Yesterday and Coming Down are cracking. Overall this is a fun, mad as a box of frogs album. I can only imagine what it sounded like in 1968 when everything was kicking off left right and centre across the globe.
After the first couple of tracks, I thought I was in for a rough ride. And while I didn't love it, it was definitely better than the opening few songs would have you think. It has moments that are just weird and annoying, but equally many that are playfully experimental, and even a few songs that are really melodic and have some great vocal performances. On the whole, it's very inconsistent, but there is definitely something about this that makes it unique.
Listened Before? N Super interesting slice of musical history. A bit noisy for me but I like the themes and the story of the band/record. Too bad they didn't last a bit longer, because they probably could've refined their sound into something great. Added to Library? Songs added to playlist: The Garden Of Earthly Delights
Some really weird and wonderful stuff
R L Y experimental 60s psychedelic rock/electronica. The intro track hooks you immediately with a weird collage of old-timey big band/orchestral sounds, which are prevalent across the album Released 1 year after Sgt. Pepper's was released - the resemblance is uncanny. But it strikes its own identity and doesn't mimic Sgt Pepper's
What in the Yoko Ono is this? I'm not against a bit of psychedelic sound in the right dose but that was definitely too much.
Bonkers
Probably very original for it's time but hasn't age well.
I don’t have enough years in my life to justify wasting time listening to 20 songs of this. I liked Cloud Song. I can imagine the strange movies all of this music would make great soundtracks for, but it’s not for me. Gave it a 3 because I think it’s a good example of its genre—I just don’t like the genre.
Jesus Christ there's more psychedelic rock on here?! Isn't there enough already? Whatever. I don't like this album very much. I think that "The United States of America" is both a terrible album and band name. That's the name of a country not a band. Anyway, as far as music is concerned, this is annoying. I was able to respect this album for having a female lead vocalist, which led to the album standing out in comparison to its competition, but then she just stops singing about halfway through and suddenly it turns into every other psychedelic rock album ever. There's some parts that are just really noisy for no particular reason. While it does fortunately lean closer to something like Frank Zappa than something like Throbbing Gristle, I still think the album's bad, just not as bad as the latter. Still, not as good as the former. Also, the writing is just kind of okay. I've seen multiple people on this site compare this album to both Sgt. Pepper's and Os Mutantes. This album is nothing in comparison to those albums. I really like those albums, this one is just kind of annoying. At least the strings are good. High 2/5. It's at least better than the other 2/5s on account of the fact that I'm considering a revisit of this album in the future when I'm in a better headspace.
Interesting. I liked it better than Frank Zappa’s stuff.
Good stuff. Freaky and fun. I like it. Favourite track: I won't leave my wooden wife for you.
Terrible. God I've had a terrible run of albums lately, hope the next one is listenable.
Starts of with a goofy ahh beat, but after that its some nice experimental 60s psych music.
Is this the most patriotic band of all time? No but the name would make you think otherwise. This is a very early band with a lot of variance in their performance on this and most of was before their time. This album wasn’t the most enjoyable but it had that late 60s sound with the experimentation and psychedelic mess that makes it stand out. Wouldn’t listen again but I can respect it. 6.3/10
Would I want to listen to this again? Probably not, but to be honest, it was actually super interesting of an album
Lotta trippy 60s stuff…it has some really fun moments (standout track for me is “The Garden of Earthly Delights”), but a lot of the tracks go a little overboard on the sci-fi and slide whistle sound effects. Overall still a fun listen.
Apparently, this was the only album from this band. It was one album too many. Absolutely dreadful.
The United States of America’s The United States of America is undeservedly hated on. It features some trippy layers throughout the tracklist. I believe the main gripe with this album, for others, is that it feels awkwardly out of sync and not focused. However, in this particular case, I feel ir works well for the album. Take the serene Cloud Song, or the upbeat Hard Coming Love. This album is full of tone switches, and thats what I think I liked the most about it. All in all, The Untied States of America is a good album. Best Song: Hard Coming Love Worst Song: The American Metaphysical Circus
I was intrigued by this for the first two songs but it the avant garde sounds layered the over the contemporaneously popular psychedelia and blues sounds of 1968 just didn’t do it for me as the album progressed.
This must have been Mexico's response to Pentangle
It's cool, I get it. Just kinda meh for me.
fasharteh. damn this shit is so ..freaky. kinda mitski like tbh idk. noisy. maybe give another listen tho
I didn’t mind it but I’m not sure I could listen to them for any length of time
Interesting lyrics. Love her voice
What in the ungodly hell bunch of hippies experimenting with strong acid and playing instuments randomly is this. Although solid, 20 songs is a bit much even more when its a repetitive tune. 14 would have been better. Not great other bands from this era ara much better. Didnt dislike it but not top 1,000 for sure.
Perhaps if I was "medicated" with some of the special medicine from the 60s.
sound is all over the place. can't get any traction on this one... pass.
It was fine.
groovy
Too psychadelic and weird to get into
Albums and bands like this make me question whether marijuana today really is much stronger than it was in the 60s' and 70s'.
60's psych rock is my poison. The singer adds a lot here. Her voice is kind of whimsical but also grounds the more experimental aspects with a pleasant and poppy sheen. Really interesting story behind them too. I dig it!
Starts irritatingly enough but in fairness the experimentation and electronic instrumentation gradually grows in interest. Hit and miss. Acid is a terrible drug.
I thought this was the Presidents of the United States of America, which it definitely is not. Instead of early 90s American rock it was a late 60s experimental rock. The Garden of Earthly Delights (a nice homage to Hieronymus Bosch) is by far the most digestible. The other songs are okay, but other than tGoED I wouldn't seek out this album.
This is what ADHD sounds like
I thought this was excellent actually! Felt very Beatles influenced, but that's not a bad thing. I liked it's meandering experimental style. It had jarring stuff in there, don't get me wrong, but some pretty stuff too. Didn't know what to expect next!
Not bad. I didn't know this band at all, weird name for a band. I liked it but it didn't blow me away
Why?
Gear: Fostex TH610 Artwork: überraschend weder experimentell noch sonderlich beeindruckend - bei der kreativen Energie und mit dem Namen hätten sich so viele spannendere Artworks geradezu aufgedrängt... Mix: (be)rauschend, holografisch, Drums spielen auf anderem Planeten (aber immer brav im rechten Kanal), genialer Bass in "Where is Yesterday" Musik: psychedelisch, avantgardistisch und teils grenzwertig herausfordernd - aber immer spannend! Gerade der Einsatz elektronischer Musik ist echt beeindruckend - für ein über ein halbes Jahrhundert altes Album. Werde ich wieder hören (müssen)! 👍 Wertung: 🗽🗽🗽(🗽)/5
This was a bit too strange for me - one of those albums that's probably more important than it is listenable.
Listen if I only made one album in my life it would be to get rich being a sellout or to make a ton of garbled nonsense like this. Just stretch out Revolution 9 to a whole album and here ya go. Its pretty grating, to say the least, if psychadelic experimentation is your thing this might be for you.
Weird and annoying. Mostly annoying. Is this album on here as a prank? A joke? A yuck’em up?
Interesteting Album. Not my favorite but for sure not as bad as some reviews say. It was something different and I enjoyed listening to it... Even with the circus theme 😁
Hippie bullshit
The only good parts where when they weren't over the top trying to be obnoxious
seeehr experimentell
Pretty bad album, essentially just a bunch of random noise. These hippies took too much acid.
Whimsical yes, but not comfy listening.
I'm always so disappointed when it says Psychedelic on the label and then it's just bluesy folksy pop-rock, but in bell-bottoms and someone may have had a joint. This here is the good shit. Yes. Bit cartoony at times, some tracks are like skits but I don't mind them in the flow of the album. Good one!
2 stars. clearly influential and groundbreaking but not especially interesting to listen to - navel gaze-y
I listened to the entire thing... it just isn't for me. 2/5
Thiis is The United States Of America's only album. After all these years, it is still receiving praise. It is sad that disagreements between band members, particularly leader Joseph Byrd and others, about the band's future direction led to a break-up shortly after the album's release. It is also said it had limited commercial success at its time. But the album has stood the test of time for its uniqueness, to which I attribute its enduring relevance and elevation to a cult classic status.
Wow. They really captured the theme of the first song. Sounds someone ran over a carousel with a steamroller... Then I had flashbacks of the final scene of Animal House... Then we're taken into Hard Coming Love. What? Definitely does not age well. Why does Stranded in Time have a Beatles feel to it?
It's hard for this genre to survive to modern day and be much more than an interesting sideshow. There is definitely an adventurousness in the variety of electronic and psychedelic sounds... which sometimes gets overdone (Earthly Delights, American Way of Love), while there a several more traditional hippie pop/rock songs that are fine (Hard Coming Love, Where Is Yesterday, Stranded in Time). An interesting adventure. I also note that this is definitely not a name that folks could get away with these days... much like the band "Live", this would be an artist that would be very confusing for an internet search.
It's really good for what it is. It's hippie music and it does it really well mixing the psychedelic with some pop sounds. It gets a bit to avant garde for me at some points, but then has some well-written songs like "Stranded in Time" that require talent.
The United States Of America was a really weird case for me. The album left off a rather bad first impression with its weird composition ideas which did make it sound like random sounds at random times. But unlike most albums on this project, This album actually benefitted from its length because it allowed me to get used to all the weirdness. And when it was all past me, the album could have a few interesting ideas. It isn't a perfect album but i have done far worse on this project. Best Song: Cloud Song Worst Song: The American Metaphysical Circus
Very surprised to see this on the list. Some pretty deep psychedelia right here. Extremely ambitious for the time. I believe they did not use any electric guitars for this album (besides the bass). Lots of early electronic experimentation. Also a lot of experimentation with stereo separation. My vinyl copy is mono so I'll have to grab a stereo copy soon. I can't begin to image what this must've sounded like to listeners in 1968, cause it still sounds hella weird even today. But it's a good type of weird. Not like "wtf turn this off" weird but more like "what the hell is this, I'm intrigued" weird. Obviously had a huge influence on more modern psych acts such as The Flaming Lips. **Fun Fact** Mac Miller sampled the track "Coming Down" off this LP for the song "Smile Back".
Loved just about every track and even a lot of the bonus tracks were good. Very surprised by this one. Rating: 4.8
Tried to give it an honest listen. This has been a tough one to get through.
Flott plata fyrir þessi tímamót, er nú ríflega hálfnaður. Þetta er mjög góð sjöundatugar psychedelía, stundum læti jú jú, en oftar en ekki frekar töff. Söngurinn góður, cacaphónían hófstillt og töff og á köflum grípandi lög. Mæli með.
Trying to be Jefferson Airplane, but never quite gets there. Okay, psychedelic rock.
hard no. bailed halfway through.
This felt ambitious. There was a lot of cool stuff on this album. The instrumentation was great, some really cool bass lines, and all around interesting choices. Where the album falters for me is in the actual songwriting and the vocals. These are not the best singers and for me it ruined a lot of the songs. I think this would’ve worked better as an instrumental album. Also, while some songs were exploratory, most of them were, at the heart, pretty standard blues rock songs with some zany effects over them. I know that is what a lot of 60s psychic rock was like, basically blues rock with a twist, but for all the talent this group seemed to have I felt like they could’ve done more.
Doors und Everything but the girl mit Klamauk. Great!
Their music was unavailable on Spotify apart from one track and what I heard from it didn’t interest me to try and time find it elsewhere
I really liked the trippy psych rock aspects of this one which I wasn’t expecting at all from the name. Also shout out the Chad move of taking that band name, dropping one album, and then dipping (3.5/5)
Nah
Terrible amateur art school bullshit.
This is a glorious celebration of psychedelic experimental rock. Definitely not something I'll listen to all the time, but it's a fantastic album, and was really a groundbreaking album in its day.
I have a rule to only listen to albums in their original form, not the bloated bonus tracks that come on Spotify. So here I stopped after track 10, ignoring the further 10 tracks from some reissue done years later. There were some very good parts where everything seemed to come together perfectly. However, there were a few duller sections, often in the same songs, where it just wasn't as interesting. I could hear shades of many other bands that may or may not have been influenced by this album, everything from Hawkwind to Stereolab. I particularly enjoyed the electric violin. I loved the fact that, even halfway through a song, the album changed tack and went off in an entirely different direction. But it wasn't quite enough for 5 stars, so I'm awarding a strong 4 stars for this.
La psicodelia no es lo mío.
Solid psychadelic rock. Sounds like Floyd meets experimental era Beatles.
This is probably one of those albums that has cultural merit, but I know nothing about that and I only know the music. Music is fine. It's discordant and ethereal, but I didn't appreciate those features.
Had stuff going for it, but it was very uneven. Some songs I couldn’t stand. Some were catchy. I definitely didn’t enjoy this one enough to revisit.
Pfff - this album is difficult to rate: given its classic status and influence on bands I like a lot, I listened to it several times over the years. The material really switches between 1 star and 5 star and is the ending brilliant or just bit of a gimmick. I am not sure.
A pleasant surprise, with The Garden of Earthly Delights as an absolute highlight. There were a few moments where the psychedelics sounded a bit too jarring for me, but overall a very strong album.
A couple of nice melodies drowned in an incoherent swamp.
8/10 Excerpt what this list should be for - interesting and good albums that have passed me by Never heard of them (kudos for the un-googleable name) and really liked it Sounds like a current band doing a pastiche of a 60s psychedelic album, a tribute to the production sounding way ahead of its time Elements of older/traditional, 60s contemporaries like the Beatles, Kinks, Beach Boys, and sample/electronic elements Really interesting and varied sounds Definitely drugs involved Reminded me of acts like Stereolab Best: Stranded in time
prepsihodelija
Probably needs another listen to appreciate, but it didn't grab me at all on first pass
Not bad at all
Песни так себе, но женский вокал очень понравился
loooved
Album 347 of 1001 The United States Of America - The United States Of America Rating : 3.5 / 5 Interesting album. Psychedelic stuff. Certainly representative of the time. Not sure how well it has held up. A good listen and a good one to share with those who enjoy the genre.
Odd and probably requires multiple listens
Different. Not always in a good way, but it has its moments. The Garden of Earthly Delights was my favorite and the Mac Miller sample caught me completely by surprise.
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: The garden of earthly delights
Nah
I can not fathom the amount of drugs consumed while creating this album.
You've had what you thought were some normal garlic mushrooms on toast, and you've gone on a waltzer. Wait. Those weren't normal mushrooms at all! 37 minutes later you exit the waltzer, confused, scared but maybe a little exhilarated. This album is that, and it's definitely worth somewhere between 0.1 and 5.0
i normally like music from this era. late 60’s psychedelic rock. eclectic, but not really in a good way, this album felt disjointed and schizophrenic. didn’t really enjoy this one.
Some good but mostly just weird. Not very memorable besides the “weird”.
Very whimsical
Zero starts
"The United States of America" by The United States of America is a pioneering album in the realm of psychedelic rock. Released in 1968, it features a blend of experimental sounds, avant-garde compositions, and electronic elements that were ahead of its time. The album's standout tracks include "The American Metaphysical Circus" and "Love Song for the Dead Che," which showcase the band's innovative approach to music. The use of electronic effects and tape manipulation adds an otherworldly quality to the music, creating a sense of unease and disorientation. However, the album can be challenging to listen to at times, with its disjointed compositions and abstract lyrics. Some listeners may find it difficult to connect with the music on a deeper level. Overall, "The United States of America" is a groundbreaking album that pushed the boundaries of rock music, but its experimental nature may not appeal to all listeners. It earns a 3/5 rating for its innovation and influence, but its lack of accessibility holds it back from a higher score.
Totally unfamiliar with this band or this record, but man this was interesting, fun and far out. Super solid record all around and really enjoyed it. I actually listened to the extra half hour of bonus stuff that the streaming release has, which I never do for albums on this--so I think that is really saying something.
some cool parts some just boring. overall interesting but probably won't revisit
2.5 it was quite a trip! Sometimes it was normal music, and sometimes I felt like I was at the circus or really high or in a horror movie or all three at the same time
I dig the psychedelic vibe on this album. It kinda reminds me of Jefferson Airplane. Perhaps a little too “spacey” if feels like not much is happening at times. 3.25*
I'd not heard of them before. But I loved it. Great feeling to the album.
Pretty uninspiring 60s psychadelica. Not sure how this made it on here.
Foundational - influenced so many bands I love, and still sounds so fresh
A one way ticket to the asylum.
Det blir ett ”nej tack” till vad det var jag egentligen lyssnade på! Min favoritlåt från albumet var Hard coming love. Albumet får 1/5 stjärnor
Why are 60's albums so long
This was weird as hell, and I liked it! Reminds me of a strange fusion of George Harrison-penned Beatles tunes, a little Frank Zappa and Nico on the vocals.
freaky and fun, late-60s psychedalia. 3 stars.
Nope.
If the Beatles are a good acid trip, this was a bad one. So many anxiety inducing songs. Cool sound with a lot of unexpected elements. Not my thing. Standouts for me: The Garden of Earthly Delights Stranded in Time Do You Follow Me
Intriguing.
Honestly a high 3 stars. Songs were so fucking weird but sometimes moments would be pretty good
Meh, too weird
Most likely revolutionary at the time, but it did not hit for me.
Bizarre, but interesting.
Weird 60s experimental hippie stuff. Don't have much to say about it to be honest. S'alright.
I listened to this while working out. This is not a working out album, this is a getting high album. The Garden of Earthly Delights was wild and Coming Down was fun. It really was a decent psych folk album, I just wish I could have been high today. 3.5 stars but probably 4 if I were high
Glad to have listened to this (once).
I appreciate what they were trying to do and love to see a female-fronted rock group, but unfortunately, it was not my style and hard for me to get through.
I really liked how experimental this sounded
I quite enjoyed this. Not enough to listen to it a second time, but it was at least interesting and original.
Not half bad. Will listen to "I Won't Leave My Wooden Wife for You, Sugar" again. The Simpsons reference: Genuinely impossible to research given their name, but I doubt it.
After Duck Stab, I knew exactly what to expect when reading the opening song title, "The American Metaphysical Circus". In the end, it wasn't too bad. But nothing particularly enjoyable about it either. ⭐️⭐️
This is what I imagine happens when you take lsd at the circus. Would not recomend
This just made me angry. Some of it was alright but most of it was shit and just weird and yeah I'm not going to think about this album ever again.
The more I listen to psychedelic stuff from the 60s the more I am convinced that the Beatles only made it so enormous is because everyone else is just terrible
Fucking weird, it really didn’t click with me to be perfectly honest but I did like it on some level so 2/5?
You can’t get this time back. It’s everything bad about this era of rock. Kind of like a really bad and boring Jim Morrison dream only with worse musicians and inferior vocals.
Too far out for my taste
Interesting instrumentation. Ambitious. I’ve never heard about this band or album before - kind of weird. It’s a pretty wild listen - must have been influential? Grew on me pretty well over a couple of spins.
This album was basically a test to see if they could get the most obnoxious instruments on an album. Gong? Bang that bad boy. Kazoo? Betch your ass. Car horns? Yeah we can probably make that work (don’t know if they were actually car horns but it sounded like traffic at one point and I almost shut it off at that point)
I understand that this is supposed to be one of those albums that ushered in a new sound or genre or recording process, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.
This one is completely new to me, and I thought I wasn't going to be in to it based on the first track. But, it won me over. There's a lot of cool stuff going on in here.
It was interesting, not my favorite but still alright.
3 stars for pushing the envelope, but I can't imagine I'll be coming back to this one.
Ughhhhhh experimental
trainwreck of an album, avant garde or bad lol
I really liked this. Far out!
Interesting album. Not necessarily one that I'll go back to repeatedly, or that I can spin start to finish and enjoy the whole thing, but there are enough interesting moments -- instrumentation, vocals, genre-bending -- to make it mostly enjoyable. Some parts are a bit too acid-trippy/avant-garde for me though.
Somewhere in between annoying and tolerable. There's an excessive use of experimental sounds and instruments. Sometimes they land, sometimes they miss. At times it is exciting, at times it is boring. Just all over the map for me. Kind of feels like this album was an assignment for a group at an arts college where they were required to use X number of instruments. If this is supposed to be psychedelic rock, I really feel bad for anyone who made the decision to trip while listening to this. Seems like a recipe for a really bad time.
Ehh definitely aiming high for something but didn't work. Interesting for the time period for sure.
Really cool instrumentation. I was beginning to think all old psychedelic music sounds the same but this showed me different
Interesting. I liked the first few songs but I do not feel inclined to add anything into my normal rotation. The middle of the album gets creepy and on my nerves. Last part of the album is BORINGGG. The United States of America starts off strong but then falls flat pretty fast. Started off pleasantly surprised by the album but quickly shifted to just waiting for it to end.
2 because it was rad how it was made and the creativity but it’s just weird and not in such a good way for me
Demasiada psicodelia, en general no es un género que aprecie.
Maybe a bit too out there for my taste
This is an experience
The word "experimental" is always a bad sign, but parts of this weren't nearly as bad as expected.
Weird little psychedelic trip of an album. Ran long and a few songs felt not needed.
Strange album. Electronic sounds seem to be over the top of tracks not part of them. Probably ground breaking for its time
Seemed pretty good
The chaos of this album is mesmerizing. The further I go, the better it gets.
Excellent and totally unpredictable. The array of sounds and inspirations from different musical traditions is insane and I'm here for it. I was just thinking all the time - what else can they to to surprise me?
I went on quite a journey with this album. At first I hated it. Then there was a run of songs I found enjoyable. Then I hated it again. I probably need to relisten at some point but for now I’m rating it 2.5/5
Broke my “don’t look up the albums” rule for this one after the first song and I’m glad I did! Original ten tracks are only 37:07. Whew. Some parts were pretty and some songs were straight up unlistenable
Pretty good.
They should have made the entire album their female vocalist and whoever (if the writer was separate) wrote her songs those 2 or so songs were good the rest? Insufferable twee stuff.
Can’t believe I’m giving this a 1, but I straight up just don’t see the merits of this album.
Ended up burning my ears off with a bucket of acid! I'm all for pushing the boundaries, but this is the equivalent of punching the boundaries in the bollocks. I couldn't make it through the whole album.
Embryonic, but the door was opened for psychedelic electronic experimentation. High points include some great song writing and proto-freak out rock. But there was some cacophony.