Customer Reviews

Poems Prayers & Promises

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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.

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.

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.

Many years ago I was at a very low point in my life..contemplating suicide...I had a weapon and laid down on the bed..for some reason I turned the clock radio on...this song by John Denver Poems Prayers and Promises started playing....I didnt want to die anymore. It truely saved my life.

This CD was to be the last in a 4 album RCA record deal for John in 1971. The previous 3 albums did not sell. He was at the end of his rope. This CD is a treasure because it expresses the desperation that he was feeling at the time. He would never sing like this on his next 30 albums. He does a cover of "Let It Be" that is the most moving I have ever heard. He also covers James Taylor nicely with "fire and Rain". It also includes the country hit "Take Me Home Country Roads" which is the song the radio stations played immensely when this album was released. Because of that country radio airplay, RCA signed him to a new deal and saved his career. This was ironic because the country music scene never embraced John as a true country artist. But the airplay led to a bevy of pop hits that propelled him from semi-successful folk-artist to a veritable pop phenomenon. Rocky Mountain High, Calypso, Annie's Song, Back Home Again, Thank God I'm a Country Boy, I'm Sorry, and others might never have been heard if it weren't for this critical CD. The title track "Poems, Prayers, and Promises" is one of my favorites cuts of this song later re-recorded for his Greatest Hits Vol.I. then again on his live album "An Evening With John Denver". For those of you who are interested in discovering what kind of artist and songwriter John Denver was in late 1960's and early 1970's before his pop explosion which alienated many of his early folk fans, buy this CD. It is unique and raw..all acoustic guitar with minimal help from any kind of effects. 16 years later, it is still sitting in my CD player!

John Denver was a bit unusual, even during the height of his popularity. While music during this time was realigning itself to rock as pop, and acquiring a harder edge, John Denver became a success with a series of folk/country/pop songs.

John's fourth, and first commercially successful, album, yielded two John Denver songs that are now considered country standards: "Take Me Home, Country Roads", and "Sunshine on My Shoulders". Both of these relatively mellow songs set the tone for most of this album. The only song that breaks out of the mellow mold is "Wooden Indian", a short country-rock song.

There are several wonderful songs that were commercially overlooked from this album. "Junk", a Paul McCartney song, is a lovely acoustic fireside song well fitting with John Denver's image. "Gospel Changes" is another simple, yet beautiful, acoustic song. "I Guess He'd Rather Be in Colorado" is one of several songs John sang that related to the state that he enjoyed so much, and endeared him to the citizens of the state during and after his peak popularity.

The other songs on this CD are generally similar. Mostly acoustic, mostly John's voice. Generally mellow. A trademark of John's albums is that while he sings many of his own songs, he also sings songs by others. On this album he sings "Let It Be" by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, "Fire and Rain", the classic James Taylor song, the aforementioned "Gospel Changes", and collaborations on several other songs.

The last selection on this CD is somewhat unusual, a story titled "The Box". "The Box" is a combination political statement, cautionary tale, and protest tale all in one. The story fits well with John's image as a political activist, but it is difficult to believe that the story was allowed to go onto a commercially released album. Regardless, it's there, an artifact of days when protests were more vocal (and often more violent) than those of today. Fortunately, you can program your CD player to skip over this selection in favor of the beauty of the rest of the CD.

I listen to John Denver occasionally to balance my musical tastes. His music is a reminder of a simpler time, perhaps, of my youth, and of our country from not that long ago. There is beauty in this CD.

This work by John Denver I feel is the most touching of all. I remember listening to the tape as a child. The song 'The Box' sticks in my mind the most. As a child I did not really understand the meaning of what he was saying. I just knew that this box should not be opened and I didn't understand why anyone would. Listening to John's music takes me back to the innocence of child hood. This cd especially is soothing to my soul. When he died, I cried and cried and listened to this album over and over. I have never cried over a celebrity before and always thought it was kind of foolish. The world lost a wonderful artist when he died.

I dont know about any one else but I have been trying to find this for a very very long time. I had it once on tape and didnt realize it. I was listening to a john denver tape one day and THE BOX came on. oh my god its so moving. I lost it over the years while moving accross country. and now I have found it again. I thought maybe it was just someting he put on a recorded tape never to be heard again. I just wanted to share with you all this is the best thing on this entire alblum.

With three albums to his name, and one chart hit as a songwriter (but none as a singer), John Denver began to explore a new direction in his music. He wrote a collection of acoustic songs that celebrate the wonders of nature, and the people in his life. He kept the production basic and tasteful, and invested his heart and soul in every line. The result was an album that catapulted him to stardom, and helped launch the folk/rock movement of the 1970s. "Take Me Home, Country Roads", with its wistful, achingly beautiful melody, has been incorporated into the lexicon of American folk music, rubbing shoulders with the likes of "Home On The Range", "O Suzanna", and "Erie Canal." Every song here is a keeper, although the final track, "The Box", is a spoken poem without music, that some will find a little too saccharine for their taste. This was a historic project, and it created for John a musical niche all his own.

Those of us middle-aged hippies who remember the 70's will reflect on this album with the greatest of affection. John Denver gave us some of our very best memories and this album typifies his very best. I still get goosebumps when I listen to it and I am transported to a time of wonder and joy! I long for those days of backpacking and travelling in West Va., of camping in the mountains...we were younger then...our best years! How sweet and mellow is this, his best album. When John died, he took some of me with him. Godspeed John!!!