Customer Reviews

Rocky Mountain Christmas

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This wonderful album by John Denver is one of my favorite Christmas albums, and for good reason. The inimitable Mr Denver is in top form here, and his selection of songs and arrangements is perfect. Many of these songs are timeless, and a few like "Aspenglow" and "A Baby Just Like You" are very special songs written by John himself. Johns voice is in perfect pitch as he soars through "Silver Bells", "Away In A Manger", "Silent Night", and a breath-taking "Oh, Holy Night". He seems so very much at peace and happy as he sings all the songs on this album, and it is a comfort to those of us who considered him a special person and entertainer to still have him around with wonderful seasonal albums like this as well as all the more popular albums he left behind as his personal legacy to a grateful world. He has been gone for a few years now, but with albums like this to share with millions of kindred souls, John Denver will never be forgotten. Peace

This album will always be my #1 Christmas album. I am not much of a country music fan, but this album is the one that I love with all my heart. It is different from any other Christmas album I have ever listened to over the years, and I crave it at this time of year like no other. There is something in his voice that inspires and moves me. Do yourself a favor and add this one to your playlist at Christmas. :)

I can only echo the opinions of the previous reviewers. This is a great Holiday album. I still have the LP, purchased back in the 70s. The best track in my opinion is "Christmas for Cowboys". The whole arrangement of the song seems to capture and convey the essence and loneliness of the cowboy life--driving the cattle on a cold Christmas Eve, the campfire, the stars overhead as christmas tree lights. A truly great song and arrangement. "Christmas for Cowboys" is one of my favorite Christmas songs. I highly recommend the entire album!

I don't care how many of my friends laugh at me. I grew up with this Christmas album, so it is an integral part of all my Christmas celebrations. I cannot have a Christmas without "Please, Daddy, don't get drunk this Christmas" making the atmosphere cheerful and festive. In all seriousness, this is my favourite Christmas album. John Denver's voice is pure, sincere, and beautiful, and his careful treatment of all the traditional Christmas tunes, as well as his own, is superb and smooth. I become choked up every year the first time I play this album "Aspenglow" is such a sweet song, and along with standards like "O, Holy Night" Denver is at his best. It may not be popular or fashionable to like John Denver, but I proudly admit to owning and playing this album, and I am looking forward to Christmas if for no other reason than to get to play this spectacular album again!

Despite the criticism from many, "Please Daddy..." is the reason I love this album. I grew up with my parents playing Denver year-round, but I always loved this album and long for that one song. As an adult, it seems "Please Daddy..." is more somber than its melody would imply, but it is still a classic to me. This album is such a far cry from the typical, syrupy vocals that the flavor-of-the-month pop stars put out year after year. This alone make the album a must-have.

This is a definitive Christmas album, all that such an album should be with several familiar favorites and several less heard or new ones.

John Denver bridges the pop-folk-country boundaries and gives us good doses of each.

He opens with "Aspenglow", as typical Denver as you can get, and goes on with some familiar songs of the season, but also surprises us with new material. "Please Daddy, Don't Get Drunk This Christmas" delivered in a strong country manner certainly isn't something you'll find on your typical Christmas album. The way it's delivered, it sounds almost autobiographical, and it sure is a song to make a person think.

His original, "A Child Like You", is a real standout. Oh yes, that "Jingle Bells" delivered as an emotional, nostalgic ballad...

Trust me, this is a Christmas CD you should have.

When my parents moved from my childhood home into a new house, my mom stumbled across all of her old 8 tracks. In with it all was John Denver's Rocky Mountain Christmas. Since my mother has a birthday near Christmas, I surprised her with the CD. She was just as tickled pink as she was when she found the old 8 track. It was perfect for a woman who loved John Denver and his music.

My brother first introduced me to this album in 1978 and since then, listening to it has become a mainstay in our family at christmastime. My favorite track is Aspenglow, but all of the tracks are wonderful. I highly recommend this CD to anyone who appreciates fine holiday music. If you are a fan of John Denver, you will really love it!

The music sends me years back to the feeling of Christmas when I was young. My parents had the original 8 track and played this while mom baked Christmas sweets in the kitchen and dad was outside placing lights and decorations on the house. For a CD to transport you back, to pull on some forgotten heartstrings long ago forgotten it must be a great buy. Makes me miss the simplicity of Christmas as a child but I look forward to sharing this music of a great artist for many years to come.
BTW ....Yes "Please Daddy" is a downer of a song and kind of silly but I think John Denver was poking fun at the country genre that didn't fully accept him and his music at the time.

I can't add much to the many complimentary reviews of this CD other than to point out that it is only part of the package. The television special, "John Denver's Rocky Mountain Christmas" aired around Christmas time of 1973 (or maybe'74). It featured a transparent dome in a snowy meadow up in the Rockies. Most of the songs were performed there in front of a live audience of friends and relatives. It even featured a few bits from a then quite young Steve Martin. There was lots of fantastic footage of the changing of the seasons in the Rockies and great snow and Christmas scenes throughout. The final section is a Christmas mini concert at night in a snow shower with everyone snug and warm in the dome that is glowing with Christmas lights. Pure magic! It was one of the most down-to-earth, purely honest Christmas specials I have ever seen. I remember it so well because I video taped it on an old (new then) reel to reel video tape recorder. I have since transfered it to VHS and watch it several times each Christmas season. I sure wish it would be re-released on DVD as the CD has been. See it if you can, but definitely buy the CD and hear it this Christmas.