Customer Reviews

Peter, Paul And Mary (1st LP)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

How many forty-year old albums do you still listen to? Probably not too many, but this should be one of them (it certainly is one of mine). For a young group on their first album, this was meticulously produced and already showed their incredible sense of professionalism. From their close harmonies to tightly interleaved guitar picking, each song radiates perfectionism. Mary's voice is a lilting bird reaching above Peter's tenor and Paul's bass, adding brilliant highlights and enforcing the sense that these songs just couldn't be sung any better.

Probably anyone who was alive at the time of this album's release still remembers If I Had a Hammer and Lemon Tree, the two top hits from this album. But over the years I have found that my own personal favorites are Cruel War, which already showed some of the group's dedication to anti-war and other political messages, as highlighted by the Civil War age of this song; Autumn to May, which showed another prime marker of the group of children's songs sung so beautifully that they are difficult to dismiss; and Where Have All the Flowers Gone, which perhaps might be called the ultimate anti-war song.

But the other tracks here have power also. (Man of Constant) Sorrow, as re-written and performed here, reaches beyond its Appalachian roots to touch your soul, 500 miles is haunting with Mary as lead soloist, This Train and Early Morning show the third trademark of this group, their deep religious feelings, and Bamboo shows just what they can do with a very simple song.

In short, this album is a must for all lovers of folk or pop-folk music, with every track offering something to immerse yourself in and enjoy.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

Peter, Paul And Mary is a self-titled album that gives us here on CD all the songs from their first record album. The sound quality is great and I love that artwork! Peter, Paul & Mary could never be forgotten.

"Early In The Morning" starts off the CD with a stunning melody--Peter, Paul & Mary sing and play this without a superfluous note! The beat is somewhat sped up, a tad more so than I've heard it before, but it still holds its own very well. Peter, Paul & Mary sound absolutely great on this track! "500 Miles" is another touching ballad that moves me whenever I hear it; they harmonize so well and the guitar work again enhances the natural beauty of this classic folk rock ballad.

"This Train" has them harmonizing in such a way that they mimic the sound of a train whistle; and when they break into song this number really takes off like a jet! The guitars weave their usual magic and all together "This Train" is a very solid number on this CD. Great! Listen also for "Bamboo;" this number uses percussion and drums as they sing a song that sounds somewhat like a Caribbean melody. Peter, Paul & Mary again harmonize to perfection and this really impresses me a lot.

"It's Raining" features Peter, Paul & Mary singing a classic children's song; but they do this so well you'd never know it's a children's song unless you had heard it as a child or sung it to your own child! "It's Raining" truly gets the royal treatment from Peter, Paul & Mary. "If I Had My Way" picks up the pace a bit and Peter, Paul & Mary really belt this out!

"Lemon Tree" is a great song that compares love to a lemon tree; they explore just how difficult and painful love can be when things don't work out well. "Lemon Tree" is a major highlight of this album and it's also one of their best hits of all time. "If I Had A Hammer" features Peter, Paul & Mary squarely front and center--and that's all right by me! This folk rock song about the need for a better way of life reflects the mood of the turbulent 1960s in America.

"Autumn To May" is a very pretty ballad; and the CD ends very well with Peter, Paul & Mary performing "Where Have All The Flowers Gone." "Where Have All The Flowers Gone" is a tender, poignant ballad and Peter, Paul & Mary ace this effortlessly.

Overall, this is one fine debut album from the great trio named Peter, Paul & Mary. I highly recommend this for their fans who don't already have this CD and people who enjoy folk rock will like this album too.

No lover of folk music should be without this album. OK, It's Raining is corny, but take that song away and you are left with an incredible parade of songs made all the more timeless by one of the truly great groups ever. The singing is so graceful that only if one really concentrates does one realize how intricate and complex the solos and harmonies are, transforming ordinary songs into extraordinary ones and excellent songs into anthems. Autumn to May, on its face a silly children's song, is a magical fairy tale in their hands. Where Have All the Flowers Gone, a fine enough song in the original, becomes the lament of a generation. And so on. Perhaps because of their close association with children's music or perhaps because they mostly covered songs of other artists this trio does not get enough credit as serious musicians, but in my opinion this album (as well as In the Wind, another masterpiece) shows they are truly worthy.

My life of music would have a hole in it without this classic folk album. To this day I still think that this is one of the prettiest records ever made. Cruel War is on it. That's the one about the woman begging her man to let her go to war with him dressed as a man. It is historically accurate. Many dead soldiers in the Civil War were discovered to be females in men's clothing. The angelic voice of Mary Travers blends with Peter's tenor and Paul's bass on some gorgeous harmonies. I recently played about 60 old albums and liked this one best of them all.

When I repurchased this album recently, I didn't expect the reaction I would have listening to it again. I've spent decades giving the Beatles most of the credit for my musical taste, my philosophy, and my political viewpoint, but I was wrong. I now realize I was singing "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" and "Cruel War" before I'd ever heard "I Want to Hold Your Hand," and the consciousness-raising Beatles stage was years in the future. A week after I heard this album again I was vacationing (without my CDs), and these songs filled my thoughts day and night. I don't mean that to sound either profound or trivial, it's simply true. Obviously, they have lost none of their impact on me. I cherish this music, from the gorgeous blend of the three voices to the lyrics, to the hopeful times I remember through them. If this sort of memory sounds familiar to you, do yourself a favor and raise your voice with PP&M again. You'll thank yourself, you'll empower yourself, you'll remember to try to make the world a better place!

I have had this cd for several years as well as the albums "In the Wind" "Peter Paul & Mommy" and "The Best of PP&M (Ten Years Together)". About three weeks ago (as this is being written) they were part of a PBS fundraiser, and I got intererested in playing the dedut album again. There are so few artists making vital music now that I have been craving to listen to music with meaning, power and passion. When I replayed this album, its majesty and beauty really hit me. I can understand and appreciate how popular the album was. I read the reviews here and noted that one mentioned that the "Peter, Paul & Mary" album was not the biggest of 1962. Of course not-it was released mid-way through the chart year. What he failed to state was that it was the #2 selling album of 1963. It was also one of the Top 10 selling albums of 1964. It charted into 1965, spending over 180 weeks on Billboard's album chart. It was a powerhouse seller because its music mattered. This album is essential listening. Where Have All the Flowers Gone; their Grammy winning performance of If I Has A Hammer; their original Cruel War; Bamboo; Autumn to May; 500 Miles...music from heaven. Vocally, the trio are inspirational, and Peter and Paul's guitar playing is magnificent. This is what music is all about.

When I was young I loved to sing while mom vacuumed, and the album playing was "Peter Paul and Mary" (1stLP)Since then I love to listen more and what I treat when I found this album in the seaman's chest where the HiFi is located with forty years of dust collected on it. I sat down and ordered the CD immediately. I am reliving the Beat generation with this album and other writings and poetry. I am part of the generation that this group influenced heavily. Time to remember, time to rethink why. Peter, Paul and Mary are timeless and precious. I'd of paid five times the purchase price to hear a cyrstal clear recording in the sixties. Now I get to hear their best in digital mastered sound for the price I'd pay to see a documentary on the Vietnam War in a movie house.

You know how some albums can be chock full o'filler? Not this one! This first album by Peter, Paul and Mary is pure enchantment. I'm not much into the 60's or liberal causes, but I am truly wowed by this trio.

If you were alive in the early 60s, you certainly heard Peter,Paul and Mary on the radio and occasionally saw them on TV. Of course, back then the sound quality of either medium was less than stellar and those beautiful harmonies were very likely blurred. People fortunate enough to have then state-of-the-art hi-fi's or early stereos fared better, of course, and certainly the group's elegant vocals and skillful, straightforward instrumentals are even better served on today's equipment.

It's easy to treat this, their first album, as a trip down memory lane for aging boomers and pre-boomers. Their numerous PBS appearances in recent years are certainly nostalgia fests (not that there's anything wrong with that), but they're more than that. Musically this recording holds up well 45 years after its release. "Lemon Tree" and "If I Had a Hammer" were bona fide hits, of course, but the group's versions of "500 Miles," "Man of Constant Sorrow," and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" could just have easily have charted during those early days of the folk boom. I'll let others debate over which of the many versions of these tunes are "definitive." Suffice to say, that PP&M's are excellent.

The lesser cuts are all performed with polish and understated passion. A novelty number like "It's Raining" holds up only to just so many hearings, however. Gospel purists may find "This Train" or even Paul Stookey's own gospel-tinged "Early In the Morning" a bit on the tepid side. Most listeners will accept them for what they are, however, earnest, understated interpretations of a tradition that the singers chose to honor even though it wasn't quite their own.

Of course, later on, PP&M would occasionally be criticized for "pretty-fying" the edgier contemporary folk compositions of Bob Dylan and other young troubadors of the era. They'd say the same thing about Judy and Joan, of course. But all those singers did their bit to popularize the genre, and make those compositions more palatable to the masses. And, yes, unless you really are an absolute purist, you have to admit that their takes on the material--and I'm talkin' Dave Van Ronk or Rev. Gary Davis here as well as Dylan--were certainly valid.

This album was played EVERYDAY in my highschool cafeteria when it first came out. I also have the original l.p. I bought (in highschool!) 1962? uh! This is just as I remembered it...the greatest folk singing trio to ever record. Favorites- This Train (it moves!) Bamboo If I Had My Way What harmonies - truly great to listen to, brings back good memories.