In the Wind

Peter, Paul & Mary

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 17, 1990)
• Original Release Date: 1963
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002LLM
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,644 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  Music > Folk > Traditional Folk

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
You could have some fun with the title in more suggestive times, but In the Wind refers here to the popular trio's classic recording of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind." Interestingly, their recording did as much for Dylan's career as it did for PP&M's, for, while it sealed their image as the troubadours of the '60s civil rights movement, it helped posit the then-little-known Dylan as the voice of a generation. Other highlights here include their gorgeous interpretation of Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" as well as spirituals, a lullaby, and even a Civil War ballad. It may all seem quaint now, but when this LP reached No. 1 in 1963, only weeks after John F. Kennedy's assassination, the folk movement was in full throttle...and something was definitely in the air. Or in the wind, so to speak. --Bill Holdship

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where to Start?, April 25, 2002

By	TheHighlander (Richfield, PA United States) - See all my reviews

If you are curious about Peter, Paul and Mary this is the place to start. A wondeful album that hits many chords for me personally. The way music was meant to be performed. Acoustically, able to be reproduced around a camp fire with little effort. Have guitar, will travel. And the harmonies are out of this world.

On a more personal note this album has touched many areas of my life, some I did not realize until later in life. My brother turned me on to Peter, Paul and Mary and made me a tape, of which this entire album was on, plus other songs. I did not realize the entire album was included until I bought this album. Then, I realized, that many of these songs we had sung in music class throughout elementary and junior high and I never knew they were Peter, Paul and Mary. And finally, this was the one tape that my dad and I could both enjoy together during a drive.

Trying not too make this review to personal I will turn back to the music. Taken individually the songs are very good. Take as a whole the album is great. A terrific indroduction to the music of Peter, Paul and Mary. One their greatest efforts ever and a contribution to any music collection.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Discover the power of music, September 28, 2002

By A Customer

This CD brings back all the power and excitement of the PP&M concert that introduced me to their music in the 60's. I bought the first of many guitars right after and I still play their original arrangements. I had all their albums but they got stolen and I hadn't replaced them. So, I just bought all the CD's. "Very Last Day" really shook me. And now, I just can't stop playing it and sharing it with friends. Truly, if you don't know their music or haven't listened for a while, play this track. Then, let the wonderful contrasts of successive tracks on this CD roll right on. Its an absolute treasure. Their best.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PP&M's number one album introduces Dylan to America, January 21, 2004

By	Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

"In the Wind" was the third album put out by Peter, Paul & Mary and was so successful that when it hit #1 on the Billboard album charts it dragged their two previous albums back into the Top 10 as well. The album was released in October 1963, which meant is was only a month before the assassination of JFK and a few months before the arrival of the Beatles heralded the British Invasion. But at this point in musical history the folk music revival was in full flower.

The first two singles from this album were also what popularized the music of Bob Dylan. "Blowin' in the Wind" made it to #2 on the charts while "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" made it to #9. PP&M also recorded a third and unreleased Dylan song, "Quit Your Low Down Ways." Their cover of "Stewball" was the third single released and made it to #35. The fourth single from the album, "Tell It on the Mountain" (#33), is an alternative version of the African-American spiritual "Go Tell It on the Mountain," that shifts the meaning from the Nativity of Jesus to the Exodus, with the refrain "Let my people go" easily adaptable to the Civil Rights movement.

Two of the other standout songs are the haunting traditional tune "All My Trials," and the opening track, "Very Last Day," which is a rare original song by the group. The only knock against PP&M is that they are popularizers of folk music rather than musical innovators, but when you listen to their three part harmonies and the earnestness they provide to each performance (in contrast to the peppy sound of groups like the New Christie Minstrels), that hardly seems to be negative idea.