The United States of America (band)

This article is not about the 90's alternative group, The Presidents of the United States of America.

The United States of America was a progressive rock and psychedelic band whose works are an example of early electronic music in rock and roll. Theirs is one example of a rock music group where the claim that they were "ahead of their time" can be given without irony.

Formed in 1967 by Joe Byrd, the band membership consisted of the following: Joe Byrd (electronic music, electric harpsichord, organ, calliope, piano, and Durrett Electronic Music Synthesizer), Dorothy Moskowitz (lead vocals), Gordon Marron (electric violin, ring modulator), Rand Forbes (fretless electric bass) and Craig Woodson (electric drums and percussion). Ed Bogas also performed on the record with occasional organ, piano, and calliope; he became a full member of the band on its first and only tour.

The record was recorded and produced by David Rubinson, for CBS Records in 1967, and released in 1968. It was rereleased on CD by Sundazed Records in 2004.

The songs were:

1. "The American Metaphysical Circus"
2. "Hard Coming Love"
3. "Cloud Song"
4. "The Garden of Earthly Delights"
5. "I Wouldn't Leave My Wooden Wife for You, Sugar"
6. "Where Is Yesterday"
7. "Coming Down"
8. "Love song for the Dead Che"
9. "Stranded In Time"
10. "The American Way of Love"

The 2004 reissue adds various alternate takes, demos, and outtakes.

The USA was one of the most revolutionary and ground breaking groups of the late 1960s. Their sound drew from a multiplicity of musical sources, avant-garde, psychedelic, and progressive. One of the stranger points of the band is that it had no guitar player, which, for 1967 and 68 was quite radical, as the electric guitar occupied a central position in rock music of the time. Instead, they used strings, keyboards and electronics, including primitive synthesizers, and various audio processors, including the ring modulator.

Despite widespread support of music critics, the album was badly marketed by CBS, sold poorly, and soon disappeared. The tour for the record didn't go well, (members of the band were arrested for drug possession, and they had a number of serious equipment failures - these and other tensions made Byrd increasingly difficult to work with, and the group largely unmanageable) and resulted in the band splitting up.

Byrd went on to form Joe Byrd and the Field Hippies, who released an LP, The American Metaphysical Circus, in 1969. He presently (2004) runs a bed and breakfast in northern California near the Oregon border, and occasionally teaches musicology at a local college.

Dorothy Moskowitz later worked with Country Joe McDonald's All-Star Band, married, has two daughters, and lives in a suburb of Oakland CA. She writes for and teaches music to children in her local school system.

Gordon Marron became a Los Angeles studio musician and now lives in Hawaii.

Craig Woodson teaches percussion in Los Angeles and has toured with the Kronos Quartet.

Ed Bogas composed soundtracks for Peanuts and Garfield TV cartoon specials and for Ralph Bakshi's film Fritz the Cat.

Rand Forbes' current whereabouts are unknown (anyone?).

A band very similar in structure and somewhat similar in sound to USA was the early 1970s British Progressive Rock outfit, Curved Air, which also featured bass, drums, keyboards/synths, electric violin, and female vocals. Curved Air was more classical and largely apolitical in the content of their music. The USA was a profoundly political band, with a decidedly leftist political vision. Perhaps it was their uncompromising political stance that prevented the success they deserved, but it is that same intensity of vision and social conviction in both the content of their lyrics and the avant-garde form of their music that has made this record the enduring classic it has become over the years, since its release in the heady times of Spring, 1968.

Amongst current artists, Broadcast are devoted fans of USA, taking the USA sound a bit further as well as introducing a whole new generation to electronic psychedelia.

The USA were also thanked by the triphop group Portishead in the liner notes of their 1997 album Portishead, for the song Half Day Closing which bears a more than superficial resemblance to American Metaphysical Circus.