Customer Reviews

Rhymes & Reasons

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am very happy that RCA/BMG has finally made this album available in the US for the 1st time. I actually own the original LP that I picked up for $1.00 at a Salvation Army store a few years back. I recieved my copy of this yesterday and have played it at least 3 times today. Stand out tracks include John's original version of "LEAVING ON A JET PLANE", "DAYDREAM", "YELLOW CAT" "MY OLD MAN" and of course one of my personal favorite John Denver tunes,the title track "RHYMES & REASONS." The message of this song truly demonstrates JD's philosophy on life and brotherhood. If you own a copy of this album, give this track a real good listen and the rest of this great album because it will definitely "clear a cloudy day!" I also purchased the other 2 reissues of JD. "BACK HOME AGAIN" & "GREATEST HITS 69 - 73", which were already available on CD before, but never sounded this good! I hope BMG continues to release more of John Denver's albums on CD in this wonderful remastered sound with bonus tracks in the future. I also recommend the double disc ( and REMASTERED) version of "AN EVENING WITH JOHN DENVER" in addition to these 3 releases. Sheer masterpiece from a singer - songwriter legend. We miss you, John! Peace!

Love of the Common People, Catch Another Butterfly, Daydream... each wonderful gems. We see a glimpse of John Denver in the early years, as he'd come into his prime, before Rocky Mountain High made him an international star. In many ways, this album remains one of my favorites.

There's one other thing about this collection. The title song, Rhymes & Reasons, features Paul Prespitino (sp?) on the piano, and his bass line was signature to this recording. Until a large box set came out, this was the ONLY recording that had that line in it. It drives the song, and memories of that riff remain with me 30 years later.

Even the very short "Spiro Agnew" and his cover of "When I'm Sixty-Four" help show us the times that this country has lost.

For those of you who don't know it, John Denver wrote "Leavin' On A Jet Plane," which was a huge hit for Peter, Paul & Mary.

Listening to the clips now, I'm reminded of how rich and beautiful a spirit we lost. Take this chance to become acquainted with the man... or like me, take a walk down memory lane. In either case, it's sure to be a rewarding experience.

this album was johns first solo album after leaving the Chad mitchel Trio. Many people would know john as a country singer well, this couldnt be further away from it. my personal favorite on this album is "I wish i knew how it would feel to be free", a song i have heard Jools holland and Nina simone sing but with not near as much heart as this JD version. Also the dreamy "circus" and "catch another butterfly" and the beetles tune "when i'm 64". all superb. Another gem is "love of the common people". For any JD fan this is a must at any cost.

Its great to hear Johns debut for the first time. Can someone tell me why the hell we had to wait until almost a decade after his death for this to be put onto cd? Shame on RCA...but a nice job on the re release to be honest.
Its a wonderful collection of folk, country and some protest material. The Ballad of Richard Nixon being one example. Just listen to the lyrics ...haha..
Denver fans wont be disappointed as its classic stuff!

This is a good early album for John Denver when he first came to the public's attention as a solo artist. Some tracks come across a little pretentious but this needs to be included in any JD collection.

This is a great 1st album: I remember John came to my original homestate
Illinois in 1993. I really wish I could have gone to see him live and met him personally with an autograph. I was 12 years old in 1997 when he past away. By the way folks : track 7 on this CD "THE BALLED OF RICHARD NIXION" does NOT work. It is only 7 seconds long. I bought this album in 2004 with the original 14 tracks on it. His other albums: TAKE ME TO TOMARROW: WHOSE GARDEN WAS THIS AND AERIE are not available in the US.
Great cd : enjoy.

I acquired this album 8 years after its release, having become familiar with his radio hits and several of his most popular albums. While not in the same league as "Back Home Again", still there's a lot of good material here, all delivered with the starry-eyed passion for which John was famous. Two of my favorite tracks are "Daydream" and "Yellow Cat", both of which have a refreshingly urban, breezy sophistication about them. "Catch Another Butterfly" is a delightful portrait of the world through the eyes of a child, sure to bring a knowing smile to the face of anyone whose inner child is alive and well. I usually skip the title track, because I find the melody rather redundant (and repititious and repetitive), and because the vocal is marred by pitch problem. Fortunately, he recorded it again for his first Greatest Hits album, and did a splendid job.
Overall, a solid first album, with promises of good things to come.

I first saw John Denver in 1973, on TV in the United Kingdom. He came over to London and made a series of 6 shows for the BBC in the Shepherd's Bush Theatre (a name which he recited with great relish at the start of every show). He had the Pan's People dancers on every show and a different featured guest, including such British stars as Roger Daltrey, Lulu and David Essex. After that series, JD made it really big in the USA and never did make another series for the BBC.

This album was recorded slightly before that, and I went out and bought it having enjoyed the series. It's still one of my favorites; it contains a couple of tracks which weren't written by Denver ('Love Of The Common People' and 'Catch Another Butterfly') and are therefore usually omitted from the 'Best Of' collections, but are well worth hearing. Otherwise, the music is happy and tuneful and young. Perhaps these days the political satire of 'The Ballad Of Spiro Agnew' and 'The Ballad Of Richard Nixon' (which are not defective tracks, that's what was on the original album) is pretty pointless and could have been omitted without diminishing the quality of the CD or indeed the length of it, but that's a minor matter.

Whether you're starting a John Denver collection or completing one, this CD should definitely be part of it.

Johns first solo effort - the sunshine and yin to the darkness and yang of "Take Me to Tomorrow" which was his next album but is not on CD. Amazon does offer "Take Me to Tomorrow" on LP thru Albumhunter.

In 1969 John recorded "The Ballad of Richard Nixon", which is on this 1st album. A similar recording by Milhous himself, with Rosemary Woods as his engineer, would be one of the reasons for his resignation from the presidency five years later.

at the prices Amazon had on this with SS shipping with an order over $25, this is MUCH much better than listening to my old LPs......definitely a good deal for a trip down memory lane.