10 Perfect Soft Rock Music Albums Of The '80s
7. America - View from the Ground
The folk duo's beloved 10th LP arguably sees them reach the zenith of their talents.
Boasting impressively high production value and an effective hybrid sound of both soft rock and their typically preferred folk, 'View from the Ground' managed to wow listeners and critics alike. At the time of release, America had been widely dismissed as a past-their-prime outfit due to diminishing returns after founding member Dan Peek had quit the group in 1977 to pursue a career in Christian pop music.
Lead singles 'Right Before Your Eyes' and 'You Can Do Magic' both cracked the Billboard singles charts upon release, with the former ultimately proving to be America's most successful single ever. At the time, both hits received almost universal praise while the album itself enjoyed positive, but noticeably more subdued, reactions overall.
While many dismissed it as a relatively too straightforward a piece of work at the time, 'View from the Ground's legacy has swelled in the decades since. Providing a near flawless take on the soft rock style of the time, the LP essentially functions as a kind of musical time capsule to modern listeners, taking them back to a key time period in one of rock's tamer subgenres.