Poems Prayers & Promises

John Denver | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000002W7R
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #115,054 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Among the surprises here are terrific covers of the Beatles' Let It Be and James Taylor's Fire and Rain . Those two join his later hit, My Sweet Lady , plus Take Me Home, Country Roads; Sunshine On My Shoulders; Gospel Changes; Wooden Indian ; the title track, and more. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars John Denver's Terrific Breakthrough Album!, August 25, 2000

By 

Barron Laycock "Labradorman" (Temple, New Hampshire United States) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Poems Prayers & Promises (Audio CD)

With the release of this album in 1971, John Denver delivered the songs that would soon propel him into superstardom. All the elements he then used to achieve such singular fame and fortune as the best-selling and most popular singer of the 1970s is here, from his fabulously successful first hit "Take Me Home, Country Roads" to the under- appreciated counterculture anthem "Poems, Prayers And Promises". Denver almost single-handedly began the outdoor backpacking, hiking, and orienteering movements by popularizing the idea of nature as an important element in modern life, and more than a few of the young babyboomers, like John, were more than ready for the kind of unconventional intimacy with nature he sang about so effortlessly and so elegantly. From "Sunshine On My Shoulders" to "I Guess He'd Rather Be In Colorado", Denver's song soar in their description of the beauties of the natural life and in being close to the "great wide-open'.

Denver also does an unusually good cover of "Let It Be" by Lennon and McCartney, and also serves up a later hit, "My Sweet Lady'. He really surprises with his terrific cover of "Fire And Rain", and he is the only one besides Tom Rush that I have ever heard do a good cover of a James Taylor song. Indeed, the simple and well arranged acoustic blast of infectious energy and sweet simplicity that was John Denver is here in spades, whether it be in original songs like "Country Roads" or with covers of others' work, the kid who had adopted the majesty of Colorado for his setting and his inspiration sings simply, sentimentally, and superbly about the simple pleasures and undying verities of a homespun and simple life well lived. My special favorite here is "Poems, Prayers, And Promises", and I always wondered why it was never a bigger hit for John. Hearing John sing in his youthful enthusiasm about what turns him on is still a rare treat. This one has weathered the years with all its energy and beauty intact. I love this album, and I think you will too. Enjoy.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Denver's best, June 12, 2000

By 

Elwin Yerdon (Syracuse, New York, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Poems Prayers & Promises (Audio CD)

This is possibly the best John Denver CD available. It's simple, acoustic and avoids the overproduction of his later works. His rendition of James Taylor's "Fire And Rain" is really a treat and his acoustic version of "Let It Be" is wonderful. If you like Denver's early works, this is the CD to get.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic, April 12, 2006

By 

Henry Douglas (Chandler, Arizona United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Poems Prayers & Promises (Audio CD)

My exposure to this album came "back in the day;" in my boyhood, somewhere around 1973, when a second-hand vinyl LP came into my possession. By this time John Denver had become quite popular, so some of the songs were already familiar. It was the lessr-knowns that grabbed my heartstrings then, and still hold onto them today.

The cover of James Taylor's "Fire and Rain" leaves the original standing in the shade. The stripped down arrangement and pregnant pauses invest the tune with a raw emotional power that the original's production job seemed to lack in comparison. The song has stayed with me and held me all of these years. As a musician myself, I revisit it from time to time, usually when I'm feeling down, for the second verse is a prayer. Certainly, there aer other highlights to this album, but this one's the high-water mark for me.

Denver's original songs, whether solo or accompanied by group arrangements, reflect a generational idealism in song, and may be seen as inspiraton for the outdoor lifestyle and conservation movements; "Guess He'd Rather Be in Colorado" would be my case-in-point. The pacifist movement was also represented on this album in a rather unusual fashion with the spoken-word, "The Box," a powerful anti-war poem that is all-too-applicable in today's times. The acoustic cover of the Beatles' "Let It Be" also stands out. While not eclipsing the original, it is nonetheless a testament to what John Denver was all about, and it fits perfectly with the rest of the material.

"My Sweet Lady" is one of the most tender love songs you'll ever hear. The title track deserved more than it got, in terms of being a hit. Its words perhaps sum up what John Denver really meant to a generation, depite becoming somewhat of an un-hip cliche to many in his later years:

talk of poems and prayers and promises
And things that we believe in
How sweet it is to love someone
How right it is to care
How long it's been since yesterday
What about tomorrow
What about our dreams
And all the memories we share


Thanks for what you've given us, John. The world needs more like you.

As for those who would consider this album for purchase, I can assert that it's likely the most definitive original album by this artist, and if you only buy one of his albums, this is THE one to get.