Having been signed by impresario and former Bowie manager Tony Defries in the mid-late 1970s, Johnny Cougar set about recording the wealth of original compositions and cover versions that would comprise both his debut album, Chestnut Street Incident and the later Kid Inside (released after the commercial breakthrough American Fool LP). Under Defries’ tutelage, Cougar’s trademark blue collar, heartland rock identity began to take shape, making this compilation a vital study in the formative years of a future star and icon.

Including songs originally recorded by Bowie, Roy Orbison, Ray Charles, Elvis and The Doors, alongside fantastic original compositions, and featuring previously unreleased material long thought lost, ‘American Dream’ pulls together both albums recorded during the period alongside the non-album ‘US Male’ EP and ten previously unheard demos, early mixes, alternate versions and the near-mythical electro funk of ‘I Just Wanna Be Black’.

Complete with insightful new sleevenotes and previously unseen imagery from the MainMan archive, American Dream is a must for the Cougar’s established fanbase, and a long-overdue insight into the beginnings of a career which continues to endure.