We continue our look back at the music of 50 years ago……
By this time you knew what you were going to get from a John Denver album. Some good originals mixed with some uneven covers…tasty acoustic playing from Denver and his band…and the sameness of his voice. In 1972 the album Rocky Mountain High was more of the same.
The title track was a monster hit that you heard all over the radio in the late summer-fall of 72 and it delivers the charms of the Colorado mountains that so many musicians were escaping to in the early 70’s.
The things that work include the Denver originals “For Baby (For Bobbie)”, “Prisoners” (an interesting take on an anti-war theme), and “Goodbye Again”. I also like his cover of the Beatles ‘Mother Nature’s Son” which takes McCartney’s slow tune from the White Album and injects some nice energy to it.
His suite on the seasons is pretty enough.
I know he likes the music of John Prine but his version of “Paradise” doesnt come close to the original and a cover of “Darcy Farrow” falls flat.
Denver’s band includes Mike Taylor, Dick Kniss, Frank Owens, Gary Chester and Paul Prestopino with Eric Weissberg adding some banjo & steel guitar. They play very pretty.
The album went to #4 on the charts.
As I’ve said before…I can take Denver in small doses but eventually the sameness of his voice drives me away.
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