Customer Reviews

Peter Paul & Mary Album

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I must be getting old; I find myself revisiting my youth more often these days. Or maybe it's just the high comfort level of the old familiar things. Either way, I found myself humming a song from this album the other day, and wondered if it was out on CD. Amazon is usually my first stop for things like this and a few minutes of searching netted the correct item. I felt as if I'd found an old friend.

It didn't disappoint either. The things that made me play the vinyl album half to death back in the 60s still appeal: gorgeous harmonies, the sweet voice of Mary Travers, and songs that are easy to sing along with. I found myself playing it over and over, belting out "And When I Die" at the top of my lungs, harmonizing on "Pack Up Your Sorrows" and trying vainly to make out the words to "Mon Vrai Destin" which was the song that sent me on my search to begin with.

Most of the songs hold up well, though "Norman Normal" still irritates me almost as much as it did when I was a teenager. Sure, there's a little saccharine here; what 60s folkie group didn't occasionally suffer from that particular malaise? But it's bearable, offset as it is by tunes such as "Well, Well, Well" and the aforementioned "And When I Die." Bottom line, in my opinion, is that if you're familiar with PP&M and like their work, you'll like this album. If you don't know them but are curious, it's a good place to start. (Any album with no trace of the ubiquitous "Puff, the Magic Dragon" is a good place to start.) Give it a try. Sing along.

One complaint, and it's not big enough to detract from the five star rating since I gave high marks for nostalgia and the comfort of a childhood friend: I really would love to see the song lyrics printed here. There's more than enough room; how hard would that have been? It'd be nice to sing the right words to "Mon Vrai Destin" for once.

After a brilliant 'See What Tomorrow Brings' this 'follow up' was different but equally as fine. A departure in that they used members of Paul Butterfield's Blues Band , this is a very strong album and the last, for me, of the albums when they couldn't go wrong. Wonderful tracks include, 'Sometime Lovin', 'Hurry Sundown', 'The Good Times We Had, 'And When I Die', 'Kisses Sweeter than Wine'. Again they managed a definitive cover version-this time Fred Neil's 'Other Side of this Life'. From their first album until this one, Peter, Paul and Mary produced music and records of an incredibly high quality.It surprises me that Peter Yarrow doesn't think they got the sound right and were searching for a style here. Listening to this on CD now some 35 years after I bought it as a 15 year old it sounds wonderful. This is a very beautiful record. The title might suggest they couldn't think of a title. But these songs are, largely, all about time. It remains my favourite PPM record. The next one 'Album 1700' was okay but didn't seem quite to carry on the excellent direction of this album.

I had every Peter Paul and Mary album on the market when I was in high school, and the songs on this one have stayed fondest in my memories. I still sing lots of them to my kids at bedtime: Kisses Sweeter than Wine, Mon Vrai Destin ("mommy, what does 'quel domage' mean?"), and For Bobby. Very singable. There is some great soulful singing by Paul (my personal favorite) on Well Well Well and Norman Normal (a wonderful song once you get used to it.) Huge variety among the songs. Among their early albums, perhaps only "See What Tomorrow Brings" is as fine.

The simply titled ALBUM, by Peter, Paul and Mary, is this folk trio's greatest work. Contained within it are some of the most poignantly beautiful songs ever written. Harmonies and musicianship here are outstanding. The overall mood of ALBUM is one of sadness, so it's generally not for those seeking fairy tales, whimsy and lightness. The rewards this set holds for the engaged listener however are immeasurable.

The finest, most unforgettable song here is in French, and is called "Mon Vrai Destin." These are the lyrics:

La la la......
Dans mes reves j'entends une voix
Qui me dit "Ne pleure pas",
Quel dommage mes yeux sont des source claires.
Dans mes reves j'entends une voix
Qui me dit "Ne souffre pas!"
Quel dommage mon ame n'est pas de pierre.
Mais les voix de mes fantomes ne connaissent pas la douleur de l'homme
Pourtant les cloches m'annoncent toujours mon vrai destin.
La la la ......
La la la ......

Dans notre maison fragile et grise
Nous partageons le reve d'la vie
Et la lune souriait sur l'innocence
Dans un monde plein de nean
Meme les promesses sont du vent
Et le soleil parfois se perd dans les nuages
Ne me quitte pas encore,
Ne me laisse pas partir
Pourtant les cloches m'annoncent toujours mon vrai destin.
La la la....etc.

Very roughly translated: I hear a voice in my dreams that urges me not to cry- it tells me, "do not suffer." This ghost doesn't really know my pain, and the bells remind me of my destiny.

In our fragile gray house, we share life's dreams. The moon smiles innocently. Promises are like the wind; the sun gets lost in the clouds. Don't leave me yet- don't let me go. But the bells remind me of my destiny.

This is an excellent album for anyone who loves Peter, Paul, and Mary or folk music. The songs vary from the acoustic version of And When I Die that puts a colorful spin on the Blood, Sweat, and Tears version. I happen to like this style of music and this CD for its great guitar playing. It is so intense that it seems like you can really feel them playing the guitars. My personal favorites are Kisses Sweeter than Wine and Hurry Sundown because they both tell stories one about a man and his marriage and the second about a hard days work and the longing for the evening. They are both prime examples of the music that only Peter, Paul, and Mary can perform. Also the other songs like For Baby(For Bobbie) is a great song that would almost be appropriate for a lullaby. So I would recommend this CD for any folk music lover and I give it a four-star rating just because it is only surpassed by the Best of Peter, Paul, and Mary. Do your self a favor and buy this to listen to when you need to relax.

Despite the title of this 1966 album "The Peter, Paul & Mary Album" is an atypical effort from the most popular folk group of the Sixties. For one thing, this was the first Peter, Paul & Mary album on which there were musicians playing other instruments besides the signature acoustic guitars of the trio's two male members. Not surprising, such as Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper, most of these backup musicians had played with Bob Dylan. But still there is something strange about hearing drums on a PP&M album, even if Milt Okun is still in charge of the arrangements.

However, along with the additional instrumentation, the album saw a move towards more contemporary songwriters, such as a very young Laura Nyro ("And When I Die"), Fred Neil ("The Other Side of This Life"), and John Denver ("For Baby (For Bobbie)"). They also recorded the old Weavers classic "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine," which only serves to remind us what Peter, Paul & Mary are supposed to sound like and the type of songs that work to their strengths. There is something to be said for experimentation, but when you have a couple of tracks on which Mary Travers does not even appear, Yarrow's "The King of Names" and Stookey's "Norman Normal," then you know in your heart this just cannot be right.

The sad truth is that the times were a-changing and the folk music era was giving way to not only the dominance of rock 'n' roll but variants like psychadelic rock and that the glory days of PP&M were over. However, rock-oriented folk albums by the trio, such as "The Peter, Paul & Mary Album" and "Album 1700," have held up a lot better than a lot of what they were competing against. The results are good, but not great albums.

Yes some of these songs are on other albums, still, each song brings back a distinct time in my life that the songs on this album bring back to life. But really Amazon..... Peter and Mary Paul????

Why indeed ! This is an absolute classic PPM album. Not their most commercially successful album but I believe their overall best. It has recently been deleted and is the only deleted album in the PPM catalogue. Come on Warner Brothers .. 'nuff said !!

An album that's as good as it gets. It's right up there with Album 1700.

A great record with a majority of very good to great tracks. My favorites are: For Bobbie (for baby), Hurry Sundown, The Other Side of This Life, Kisses Sweeter than Wine, and Pack Up Your Sorrows.