Customer Reviews

Desiderata

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Les Crane's performance of Desiderata, with high-pitched female gospel-like backup and 70's quality electronic music is not the recording that inspired me during my teenage years. (That was a few decades ago.) Two tracks on the Les Crane CD are okay, "Nature-Wilderness" and "Love-Children Learn What They Live". The other tracks are overdone.


Updated on 2010-09-25

It took years of searching, but I finally found it. The recording I would heard late at night when the radio station was signing off the air is by Dave Allen, an Irish comedian. The recording is on a 45 RPM. The title is "A Way of Life". The other side, which I'd forgotten about, is titled "The Good Earth". Both are inspirational.

[...]

Updated on 2010-10-26

And, for those who care about who was first, Mr. Allen's 45 RPM was released in 1969 according the YouTube post.

In 1966 I entered the Army and between 1966 and 1969 I was in Vietnam two years and when I returned home it was a nightmare, the people was divided, America was in turmoil and the returning Vietnam Veterans was called everything from baby killers to animals. In november of 1971 Desiderata came out and made it to the number 7 position on the R&B Charts. The song was a breath of fresh air for me and it was a release of pressure in the years after I came home from Vietnam. I have been hunting for the song for around 25 years, I have contacted every body but no one even know the song but finially I got on the internet and foung it in Amazon.com. Anyone who hears the song will have their life changed.

Be gentle with yourself, let life surround you and enjoy life because it can be gone in a wink of an eye.

Contrary to what some have posted, this is the original recording of Desiderata by the original artist, Les Crane. If you'll do a little digging on the web, you'll find that Les won a grammy for this song in 1971 for Best Spoken Word Recording. Excellent rendition. Worth every penny.

I first heard this song in Germany back in 1983 when I was 17 and visiting there. The woman I was staying with had it and as I played it she told me that this song stopped her from committing suicide. That stayed with me always. Many years later I was working at a Women's Shelter and saw the words to Desiderata hanging on my Supervisor's bulletin board in her office. It all came back to me. I just had to get the song again. This is a beautiful song and I am now going to give a copy to my sister in law who is having some real problems. Hopfully it can inspire her, like it did the woman in Germany I stayed with.....

My dad picked this 8-track up at a clearance rack once when I was a child and my family LOVED it. Finding this cd was a true delight. For christmas I bought all of my sibs a copy and all reported listening to it on their way home that night! An unusual group of takes, but truly worth the risk.

In my opinion if everyone would listen to not only the title cut but the other cuts and learn to practice them in ereryday life there would be far less problems in the world!

I was 12 years old when I heard the beautiful Go Placidly. (about 1970.) I ordered the Les Crane version thru Amazon, and while it is still inspiring, it is NOT the original recording. The original speaker had a more powerful, and more inspiring, and deeper voice. (and like this powerful poem from my childhood, a voice I will never forget). An earlier commentator mentioned the original voice belonged to Davison. Unfortunately, I cannot find a copy anywhere. Any ideas?

I'm not sure why some of the reviewers write that this CD is not like the original. I still have my album (white jacket, poster and everything) and a turntable on which to play it...this CD sounds EXACTLY like the original...minus the few wear and tear sounds of my 30 something year old album.

I was excited to finally find a CD version so I could add it to my MP3 player.

I always found this was one of those recordings (talking about the entire set of tracks) that you should listen to alone and in a quiet place. Since it's primarily a recitation of poems and such; having others around talking really becomes annoying.

Listening brings a flood of memories! Of all the tracks Beauty and Happiness are my least favorite...they're just too...too sweet. I didn't care for them originally, and my opinion hasn't changed.

I agree with the reviewers who say that this is not the voice recording that we remember from the early 70s. The voice that I remember was lower and more soothing than what I heard on this recording. The back ground music seems more distracting than I remember as well. Since I was looking forward to the old sound, I was disappointed,

... and it is awesome! It was great hearing these familiar lyrics from my childhood. My intent is to pass them on to my only child. My hope is that she will use these kind and insightful words to help mould her life.