Customer Reviews

An Evening With John Denver (2CD)

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If you are going to own only one John Denver recording, this is the one to buy. I have been a huge fan of John's since I was a kid (some twenty years ago). I've always found that most live recordings just do not sound good. It's a tough way to record music, there are no second chances, etc. But this cd is an exception. The music is of a very high quality. I actually prefer many of the songs on here (Rocky Mountain High; Poems, Prayers and Promises) over the studio versions. This cd contains most of the classics, and with John singing better (in my opinion) than on the earlier studio versions. I couldn't recommend this cd higher. It's the best John Denver cd I've heard, and it's the best live cd I've heard.

It has always been a source of frustration to find a favorite double album condensed into a "single, specially priced CD." Fortunately, in the case of "EWJD," this has finally been corrected. Granted, the original edit deleted only two songs, (Today; Boy From the Country), but to anyone who owned the LP, these were far from throwaway tracks. They were, in fact, among the best songs in the collection! So to begin, I say kudos for restoring a wonderful concert album to its original greatness.

On "An Evening With John Denver," John is just as we remember him: warm, disarming, engaging - a gifted storyteller. His voice is strong and unmistakably unique. The song selection ranges from sunny ballads (Mother Nature's Son; Grandma's Featherbed), to catchy new entries (Annie's Other Song; Pickin' the Sun Down) to humorous observations (Forest Lawn; Saturday Night in Toledo, Ohio) to the obvious soaring hits (Take Me Home, Country Roads; Rocky Mountain High). It is indeed 80 minutes of listening pleasure.

On the other hand...

As nifty an idea that is the bonus cut, I only wish these could have been chosen a bit more carefully. For instance, why was it necessary to include a second version of "Saturday Night in Toledo, Ohio?" Side note: Why was the song renamed "Toledo" when the album first came out on CD, and why is it presented here under two different titles? Nitpicking aside, the Red Rocks version, in my opinion, is actually better than the Universal Amphitheater version. However, "Intro" simply means John saying "Good evening!" A nice touch would have been to include the oft-told story about the three folks from Toledo who once paid John a visit back stage after a concert.

"Follow Me / Leaving On a Jet Plane" is a pleasing medley that presents probably the prettiest versions yet of these heartfelt songs.

"City of New Orleans" benefits from a funny insight into the origin of the song. It is an infectious, lively rendition and immediately engages the audience. Only one problem, however - John flubs a line! Arrgghh! You will no doubt hear it coming every time, just like a *pop* on an old LP.

The "Zachary and Jennifer / For Baby (For Bobbie)" medley lends itself well to this collection. John invites the audience to sing along for the last verse of "Baby."

"I'd Rather Be a Cowboy," maybe the best cut on Farewell Andromeda, is tailor made for a concert venue. In this case, however, while John's voice comes through crystal clear, it sounds as if the orchestra was recorded with the Dolby B switched on! Also, true Denverphiles will catch the single word miscue in the second verse.

The most surprising cut of all, though, was saved for last. "Amsterdam," while not generally thought of as a Denver staple, is a powerful, moving, albeit far from glowing testimonial to a forsaken seaport. It is John at his best and should have brought the house down.

Do I recommend the record? Yes. Could it have been better? You bet. In fact, for me it raises the questions: How much more unreleased concert footage is out there, and will it ever make its way to a true box set complete with outtakes, studio sessions, alternate takes, etc? Boy, would that be something!

The first concert I ever went to happened to be a John Denver concert, where he performed in front of giant screens that showed pictures of nature and my girlfriend had to explain to me what that strange smoky smell in the air happened to be. This 1975 "double-album" show cases Denver at his best, with live performances of basically every hit he had up to that time, from "Take Me Home, Country Roads" to "Farewell Andromeda (Welcome to My Morning)" and "Thank God I'm a Country Boy." The concert was recorded at the California Universal Amphitheater in August-September of 1974 and is actually a typical performance because Denver is being backed by an orchestra this time around. The boys in the band are Steve Weisberg on guitars, Dick Kniss of bass, Herb Lovell on drums, Hal Blaine doing percussions, and John Sommers filling in on everything from guitar and banjo to fiddle and mandolin.

There is a sort of thematic arrangement to the songs, which clearly show the various strengths of Denver's music. Beginning the concert with "Farewell Andromeda" seems an obvious choice ("Welcome to my morning, Welcome to my Happiness"), but notice how he uses humorous songs like "Toldeo" and "Grandma's Feather Bed" to set up the pathos of the beautiful "Annie's Song." Ballads are used to set up the more powerful songs, such as "The Eagle and the Hawk." The only thing this live album reaffirms for me is that John Denver's best songs were never his big hits from the pop charts but songs like "Poems, Prayers, and Promises." Two songs, "Today" and "Boy from the Country," are omitted from the CD reissue for time reasons, but since they are a pair of minor covers it is not a painful loss. Even with those losses "An Evening with John Denver" is a superb live album, one of the best of the Seventies and a good addition to your music library regardless of how many John Denver albums you currently have in your possession. For me, there is the added advantage of this being pretty much the concert I remember hearing back then (probably Fall of 1973, maybe the spring of 1974).

From that wonderful brief salutation, this concert album was one of the best live performances ever released. Indeed, this album is a precious gift that John Denver left for all of us to remember him by, giving us all such a sweet glimpse into not only his spectacular musical prowess but also his warm and charismatic charm. Anyone who was lucky enough to have either seen him live in concert or to watch perform on TV are aware of how special he was, and what a wonderful present he has left us to remember him by. This is a wonderful compilation of John Denver's greatest hits performed live even as he was continuing to make them. There is a collection of great hits albums, but this terrific representation features many of the monster hits that propelled him into amazing popularity and superstardom in the early 1970s. In his heyday no one was outselling his albums or out-booking John for concert appearances, and considering the incredible talents on the scene at the time, that is a pretty good indication of just how popular he was, and just how universal John Denver's appeal was. No one else sang of the wide-open possibilities and seemingly limitless prospects for a good life awaiting those who would free themselves from the bonds that confined them and just dare to soar along with him in the wild open spaces.

All the tracks here are absolutely terrific, from the stirring opening number, "Farewell Andromeda" to a later "Take Me Home, Country Roads", the breakthrough country-pop hit that launched him onto the public stage, from a nice version of "Rocky Mountain High", his paean to appreciating the beauties of nature and the natural life to a stirring rendition of his "Rocky Mountain Suite". He, more than any of his contemporaries, actively caught the public's imagination regarding the wonders of the natural environment, and in a time when environmental concerns were splashed all over the headlines and the evening news, John's vision of popular concern for and stewardship of the natural world was immensely important. I love all the songs here, including "Annie's Song", "Rhymes And Reasons ", "Thank God I'm A Country Boy", " The Eagle And The Hawk", and my own special favorites, "Poems, Prayers, And Promises" and "Matthew". This album represents a wonderful overview of the early work of John as he thrilled a whole generation with his own perspective of a meaningful life lived in the natural splendor of nature. Far Out!

From FAREWELL ANDROMEDA to THIS OLD GUITAR, every track was sung with love. John Denver had a great rapport with the audience . Listening to that album is like sittin' by a campfire with many of your best friends. There are no faults with this CD. Well maybe just one. The bonus tracks has some songs that were already included in the show, but others than that, the CD is PERFECT. I especially loved TODAY and BOY FROM THE COUNTRY. ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH took me well above the stratosphe. What was so great that when I thought TAKE ME HOME, COUNTRY ROADS would take you high, he took you even higher with ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH. I loved that part when he sang the last verse ("Rocky Mountain High......Rocky Mountain Highhhhhhhhhh.....Rocky Mountain Highhhhhighhhhhhhhh...dooo dooo dooo!!") It brought tears to my eyes! I first bought this album in LP format way back in 1975, then shortly afterwards, I bought the cassette. In 1993 I bought the CD(less two songs..grrrr!!!) When the expanded version came out, all hell broke loose. I think I bought the first one out of the shipping box at the music store. The same day I bought the CD, my wife and I went to Shenandoah National Park and listened to it during our trip. One for the ages. AN EVENING WITH JOHN DENVER belongs up there with ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND LIVE AT FILLMORE EAST.

My parents got this on Album in 1975 when I was only 2. They tell me I insisted on their playing it for me before I went to sleep. First words of childhood? You guessed it, John Denver lyrics (kind of). Purchased the CD three years ago and have enjoyed it a great deal. One thing the listener can pick up on is the astonishing sound quality of the recording. The Album sounded just as good (unless you tortured it like I did) and more modern recordings dont have this warmth. Another feature is the beautiful orchestra- it adds atmosphere the other (studio) recordings didn`t capture. Look at the inside of the booklet(pictures of John`s folks and whatnot) and you will see this is a precious gift. I would like to say that my favorite songs are "Matthew","Country Roads",and "Poems,Prayers,and Promises". If you`re not a music fan who insists on having whatever is "Relevant" this week, get a copy of this and love it for all time.

I live in a country (Holland) where the very mentioning of the name John Denver as one of your favorite singers/songwriters causes raised eyebrows - in surprise, in condescension or maybe even in contempt. That is a pity, I believe. But well, we do live in extremely cynical times where the honest and warmly sympathetic art of John Denver would seem to be out of place ... A pity. Anyhow, for better or for worse, I do love his music, however 'sentimental' people may think it be.
There is, I think, no better way than to immerse oneself in the art of John Denver and the musicians around him, than to listen to this great concert from 1974 - when he was seemingly at the height of his career. The singing is excellent - the music-making is excellent (with small orchestra of violins, with flute, mandolin, banjo, dobro etc.) - the live atmosphere is wonderful and only enhances the feeling of a 'special occasion' that surely must have been going on then - and of which we now can be part again whenever we want to be soothed by John Denver's sweet singing ...
The selection of songs sung by John Denver on these CD's is quite generous (more than 22 at the Universal Amphitheatre, with some 8 more from another live occasion at Red Rocks). I for one will not need any other CD, so very wide and beautiful is the selection of songs here, with many of his greatest hits and many, many more, all ranging from the intimate to the grandiloquent to the humorous and back again. And also, I really love the live atmosphere, giving an axtra glow, energy and inspiration to the singing and music-making, aside from the nice concert hall acoustics.
Far Out!

If you were never fortunate enough to see a John Denver concert, this CD will give you a taste of what you missed. I was lucky enough to attend every concert John did in my home town and each time the sound quality and personal presentation was the best of any concert I have ever attended. From the fun songs, to the soaring Eagle & The Hawk, from the soft Today and My Sweet Lady, to the classic Take Me Home, County Road & Rocky Mountain High, this album is a treasure.

In my humble opinion this is the best live performance given by this underestimated (and unjustly hated and ridiculed by many) singer/composer.
He was young, in awe of his newly gained fame, thankful, honest, and his voice and guitar abilities were in top form.
The songs are incredible. The lyrics and the orchestra: inspired.
Corny? Dated? I dare anyone to actually listen and pay attention to this concert and remain cold after it. Its THAT beautiful.

NOTE:
The legacy of John Denver has finally been given justice.
This compilation was only available in vinyl LP in its original form.
A CD was issued in 1993 (I bought it of course) that cut Today and Boy From the Contry for 'timing' (and unjustifiable to me) reasons. This has finally been corrected in this 2 cd set, restored and remastered too.
The new tracks added to this new CD make the Deluxe Set earn its name. Priceless jewels from a concert John made before "An Evening..."; the songs have to listened to be believed.
Please buy it, listen, enjoy, laugh, cry and share the joy of life that this man so sincerely conveyed through his voice and guitar.

This is John Denver's first live concert CD. When it was first released in 1992 they did not include Boy from the country and Today. In this re-release they are included plus some additional tracks recorded at a Red Rocks concert in Colorado, including Amsterdam, a song found on a very rare album. This is a must have CD for every John Denver fan.