Art In America

No conversation about 1980s progressive rock would be complete without the mention of Art in America, an American band that, upon their arrival, blazed new trails in the art rock scene, and then simply vanished. Their sound fuses elements of classical, symphonic, singer-songwriter, hard rock, and pop, with a twist: Art in America is the first-known rock band to feature a concert pedal harp as a key component of their lineup. Their first album, Art in America, was produced by progressive rock legend Eddy Offord, whose work with iconic artists like Yes and Emerson, Lake and Palmer made him the only natural choice to produce Art in America. Their video for the album title track “Art in America” was featured in heavy rotation on MTV. They toured extensively in support of the album, headlining their own shows and opening up for such bands as U2, King Crimson, Bill Bruford, and Roxy Music. The band’s instantly-classic album cover, designed by the late renowned artist Ioannis, is celebrated in Michael Ochs book “1000 Record Covers” as one of the best album covers of all time. In conjunction with the band’s new album, Rise, Art in America’s self-titled first album is reissued in CD format, now completely remastered from the original master tapes by mastering engineer Vic Anesini. The re-release also includes two never-before-heard live bonus tracks, “Won’t It Be Strange” and “Insult The Fashion.”