Customer Reviews

Rocky Mountain High

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I have been a musician now for over twenty years and no other musician has inspired me more than John Denver. I love acoustic music and John Denver's album "Rocky Mountain High" is acoustic music at its best. This album does have bite. It has some of the best acoustic guitar playing I have ever heard. From the opening lick on "Rocky Mountain High," which proclaims the reverent majesty of the mountains, this album is an homage to the environment, a subject very dear to JD. The title track is personally my very favorite song and it finally galvanized my desire to play the guitar. The song is not just about a man who lives in the rocky mountains, it is a personal anthem about the spiritual quest to find oneself.

"Mother Nature's Son" indeed is a song that JD made his own. I love the Beatles, but this is, in my opinion, the definitive version. "Paradise" was written by John Prine and is pure folk music. With the senseless destruction of the environment as its theme, it is interwoven with a nostalgic reminiscence for what once was. The love song and lullaby "For Baby (For Bobbie)" was an early song written by JD and first recorded back in his Mitchell Trio days. It displays one of JD's predominate talents...the gift of melody. Its a beautiful song, pure and simple. "Darcy Farrow" has become a classic folk tune and although it did not originate from JD it was another song that has become closely associated with him. It is another example of poignant and heartfelt finger-style guitar playing and singing that JD was a master craftsman at. It is another personal favorite song of mine to sing and play on the guitar.

"Prisoners" is one of the many songs in JD's career that are rare undiscovered gems. Many people all know his big hits, but delightfully sprinkled throughout the albums in his catalog are songs such as this. Prisoners also demonstrates that his song writing did, at times, cover some dark themes that are common to humanity. In "Goodbye Again" JD returns to a familiar theme in his music; the sorrow and the hardships of living a musicians peripatetic lifestyle. The song reveals one of the motives that drove JD to sing. As a musician I can relate to the desire to stand in front of people and communicate through music. It is a powerful drive. The album closes with the "Season Suite." It is a celebration of the seasons, and life in general. JD includes an instrumental "fifth season" "Late Winter, Early Spring." It is perhaps one of the most relaxing and meditative works ever done on the guitar. The playing reflects the genius of Mike Taylor, JD's lead guitar player at the time. It took me a couple of months to figure out his lead work, and now I perform that song any chance I get. This has been a little trek through John Denver's best album; if you purchase it, you will not be disappointed.

John Denver's sixth album contained the song for which he is best known, the album's title song "Rocky Mountain High". This song went top 10 and secured John Denver a place as Colorado's musical hero, and became an unofficial anthem for the state.

John continued the largely acoustic musical style of his previous albums, using electronic effects and instruments sparingly to create a style of pop/country/folk that remains as unusual today as it was then. The classic "Rocky Mountain High" was dominated by acoustic guitars and John Denver's voice in a echo effect, that creates a more expansive musical piece than a description would imply. The song itself is a song of loss and discovery in the mountains of Colorado. One point of the song is that someone finds themselves in the solitude of the Colorado mountain wilderness. Another point is a lament of the number of people moving to Colorado and the loss of that solitude.

"Mother Nature's Son" is a country/pop song. Open fields and blue skies. Born poor, singing on the street corners. A kind of theme for John Denver and his life, though the song was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. John's version is a mellow version with a country flavor.

"Paradise" will remind you of Appalachian folk music. Strong on violin, with vocals taking center stage. A very wonderful song which will remind you of the bluegrass music of the 40s and 50s. The topic of this song is environmental, a tale of paradise lost to strip miners.

The next song switches back to easy listening pop. "For Baby (For Bobbie)" is a pop love ballad somewhat in the tradition of Simon and Garfunkel, but without the harmonies.

"Darcy Farrow" is a folk tale of two lovers; she dies in an accident, he kills himself because he couldn't handle the loss. A song that takes place in the area between Nevada and California near Reno, this song could easily have been a cowboy song, but John keeps the tone as a folk song.

The next song is a reminder that the Viet Nam war was in progress in 1972. "Prisoners" is a lament about a woman with a child who is lonely without her husband, who is a prisoner of war. The song concludes with the desire to bring all the prisoners home. This song has a country flavor with a fast beat.

"Goodbye Again" must be the business traveler's lament. Each time he has to go on the road they fight. She wants him to stay, he can't and he wishes they wouldn't fight just before he has to go on the road. In its own way this is a love song, a ballad for sure, and probably more of a folk song than country.

The last five songs are conjoined by the seasons of the year. Reading the lyrics, you could see this song performed by a progressive rock group. The song is sung in John Denver's traditional acoustic style, with a light pop flavor, perhaps folk. The song is a celebration of the seasons of the year. Connecting the five songs into one theme in a suite would make one tempted to call this progressive folk or pop. However, perhaps that's a stretch. It's a series of songs that make a concept.

John Denver managed to make some of the most consistently beautiful, generally acoustic, songs. This album is classic John Denver. If you know John Denver's music, you'll find this one has a lot of class and style, and is well worth owning. If you aren't as familiar with John, this album is easy listening with a flavor that tends toward folk and country, but not strongly so, and also often can be considered pop. It's good music for mellow occasions.

With the release of this album in 1972, John Denver was launched 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 the anthem-like "Rocky Mountain High", a song that almost single-handedly began the outdoor backpacking, hiking, and orienteering movements of the young babyboomers, who like John, were more than ready for the kind of unconventional intimacy with nature he sang about so effortlessly and so elegantly. From "Rocky Mountain High" to "Mother Nature's Son" (written by Lennon and McCartney) to the ironic country-music favorite "Paradise", the simple and well arranged acoustic blast of infectious energy and sweet simplicity that was John Denver is here. Whether it is in the elegiac "Darcy Farrow" or in the back to back Denver original compositions of "Prisoners" and "Goodbye Again", 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 the "Four Season Suite", and I especially favor the long acoustic guitar solo in the midst of it. This is an album that literally soared at the top of the Billboard charts for years! 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.

Rocky Mountain High is the quintessential John Denver album. The songs are folkish, but with a real energy to the acoustic guitar playing thanks to the playing of Mike Taylor. It has John's signature song, the title track, as well numerous other tracks that center on nature and the images of nature, as well as love and hope. His cover of Paul McCartney's song Mother Nature's Son, at one time planned to be the title song of the album before he wrote Rocky Mountain High, is a highlight, a song that Denver "owned" as much as Paul did, once his cover was released. This is the album that established Denver as a superstar, and the best album to understand what he represented.

Of all of John Denver's huge catalog of music, this album strikes me as the most daringly different, salty not sweet. I love the grit and power of songs like Prisoners, and the folk-pop that became his trademark has not yet been sanitized. Rocky Mountain High, the song, captures a place and time in one of those rare, perfect instants in music. This is essential John Denver, and still sounds as fresh as a mountain breeze.

This is perhaps John Denver's most well-known record, primarily because of the big single, "Rocky Mountain High." While I do love this song, I believe that several other songs on the album deserve just as much attention. "Paradise," is an old song penned by John Prine, that fits perfectly into John Denver's favorite song subject matter - growing up in the country and feeling regret for our past environmental mistakes. "Prisoners," is a simple, but intense song about loneliness that can be interpreted to fit the outlook of the individual listener. All three of these songs give me chills.

The beautiful thing about John Denver's most heartfelt songs (self-penned or not) is that each person hears something different and meaningful. This broad-based appeal to universal musical understanding is the mark of an artistic communicator. John Denver's body of work is certainly not above criticism, but he does deserve credit for carving out a very unique and valuable spot that no one else has been able to emulate.

The reviewer from Hickama NV was wrong, this is the original album released in 1972... original versions of these timeless John Denver songs. The song Rocky Mountain High is, of course, JD's most autobiographical song, but each cut here reveals something about the artist: the lonely troubadour in Goodbye Again, the hopeless romantic in Darcy Farrow, the emerging songwriter/storyteller in Hard Times/Hard Life. Long time Denver fans must have this one... relpace that vinyl with a CD! If you've only discovered John Denver since his death, this is the CD to buy.

Obviously a classic. Simply incredible songs of love, discovery, spirituality, emotion, hope, prayer, and release. I simply lose it every time I hear the title song; in my mind there are very few songs--in any genre--that pack the spiritual whallop, youthful environmental zest, and truthful observation that this song has. Listening to that song is like a prayer for me, and there is no doubt in my mind that John Denver was deeply divinely inspired when he wrote it. I don't get tired listening to it, I feel deeply rejuvenated and energized, full of life.

I am proud to say that I have this wonderful cd of John Denver's! I am a long-time fan of his, and when I hear Rocky Mountain High, Good bye again, For Baby [For Bobbie], and all his other beautiful songs, it just amazes me how I hear a different meaning, each time I hear John's songs! This is a must have cd/album for any John Denver fan! PEACE & ENJOY!

Having grown up in and around the Rocky Mountains, I can't imagine life without this album. It never fails to cast a spell on me every time I listen. John's music captures the thrill and wonder I feel when gazing on those magnificent frosted peaks. Of course, the title track has become a signature song for him, and this original recording has a magic that has never been equaled. JD recorded this song several times, but none of the later versions sound as good as this one. His exuberant cover of the Beatles tune' "Mother Nature's Son", surpasses the original by a mile. "Paradise" is a charming, bittersweet bluegrass tale of a favorite childhood getaway that was destroyed by a mining company. One of John's earliest compositions, "For Baby", is given a first-class treatment. "Darcy Farrow" is an old folk song about love in a Nevada frontier town, beautifully delivered in a style that evokes the old West.

Only one song seems a little out of place here, a driving acoustic rocker called "Prisoners", which is a political protest against the military draft. It's a great song with lots of energy and some really tight guitar work, but it doesn't seem to fit in with the whole celebration-of-nature theme. "Goodbye Again" is a performer's lament, balancing the claims of personal relationships against the need to share music with the world. The rest of the album is taken up with the now famous song cycle called "Seasons Suite". A more charming tribute to the changing seasons would be difficult to imagine. The thread of common experience is what makes these songs so appealing to all. No collection of acoustic music is complete without this one. You'll find it irresistable!