Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Alive and in concert with their audience, June 28, 2002
This recording captures the energy, diversity of talent and great vocal style of the trio which epitomized the collective folk conscience of the dynamic '60's. Peter, Paul and Mary became the popular mouthpiece of an idealistic generation which had begun to dare to question war and social injustice, spinning their message with the hearty fiber of love songs (requited and not), folk ballads and humor.Here is a great selection from a repertoire which helped complete the connection between the labor union roots of Woody Guthrie, the Weavers, and Tom Paxton and the contemporary/traditional sounds of the Limeliters and Kingston Trio with the politically-charged lyrics of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Phil Ochs and others. Variety abounds, from the magical "Puff" to the harmonic "Jesus Met the Woman." From the lonesome call of Mary's lead in "500 miles" to the far-flung wit, self-examination and low-tech special effects of "Paultalk," this collection brings you in and wraps you in the enchantment and sing-along emotion that have been the trademarks of PP and M concerts throughout their careers. And the joy and sorrow and hope translate faithfully in the recordings. It is unfortunate that "must-have" is such an overused phrase, but it surely applies to this effort. Join in, get your feet tapping and heart-strings jumping, and, "if you do not know the words, you'd better learn them," as Peter chides. Altogether, a fun bit of time-travel and a good workout for that slightly atrophied folk-lobe in your brain.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Peter, Paul & Mary prove they were meant to be heard "In Concert", September 17, 2005
At first I was surprised to discover that when Peter, Paul & Mary released "In Concert" they had only released three albums. But when the folk movement was in full flower lots of artists were releasing live albums, which is why what ends up being really surprising is that PP&M did not release their second live album until 1993. Maybe they just knew that they were not going to be able to top this one, because this double-album with its 81-minutes of music (and comedy) made listening to their studio albums no where near as much fun. Lots of groups sound better live than in the studio, and PP&M amply proves that here.
Of course there are some of the hits from the early part of PP&M's career: "A'soalin'" (#15 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart), "Blowin' in the Wind" (#2), and "Puff (The Magic Dragon)" (#2). The last one of that trio stands out because of Paul Stookey's introduction in which he defines the term "dragon." Discovering that Stookey has a wicked sense of humor during his "Paultalk" monologue is one of this album's pleasant surprises. In fact, there is a lot more comedy here than you would suspect, found not only in introductions to songs like "A' Soalin'" but also in having fun with Woody Guthrie's "Car-Car" and turning that song about "Blue," that good ol' dog, into an opportunity to make fun of rock & roll (not to mention folk song purists). Then there is the gentle fun of "It's Raining," which weaves all sorts of familiar children's songs together.
The album opens with what would have been a new Bob Dylan song in 1964 with "The Times They Are A' Changin'", which again reminds us that of course just about anybody singing a Dylan song sounds better than Dylan, but that most people are too busy paying attention to the lyrics to notice how beautiful the melodies are as well. The album closes with "If I Had A Hammer," so that the concert is neatly bookended by songs full of social consciousness. In between there are some traditional folk songs, such as "500 Miles," "Three Ravens," and "There is a Ship," with the group's original song "One Kind Favor" clearly in that style as well. Everybody gets to sing on 'On, Rock My Soul," Peter Yarrow sings "Le Desertuer" in French, and Mary Travers gets to do a solo on "Single Girl."
The two tracks that I have found I have absolutely loved over the years have ended up being the gospel songs "Jesus Met the Woman" on Disc 1 and "If I Had My Way" on Disc 2. What these two songs have in common is how the three are often singing completely different lyrics and weaving a rich harmony of sound while strumming those two guitars. Listening to these tracks is where I really wish I could see PP&M in concert and not just listen to them. The bottom line is that four decades later "Peter, Paul & Mary in Concert" is still my favorite PP&M album. The double-album was remixed by Peter Yarrow and Lee Herschberg, which would explain why it sounds better than ever.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Those concerts must have been fun, April 11, 2005
This is a SUPERB collection and is my PP&M favorite. I went off to college in 1964 and took my HS graduation gift "RECORD PLAYER" and was given this album as a gift from my sister. The guys in the dorm and I spent countless hours listening to those 2 LP's. We felt like we were "in the concert". When the "funny stuff" like Paultalk, Car-Car (Riding In My Car) and Blue came on we would quietly listen like it was the first time and then burst into laughter! There's no need to sell on the songs. They are all familiar standards. You either like folk music or you don't. What's fun is to think back to life during this era. Simple but extremely complicated. A date might be to take in the coffee shop and hear some great folk songs while drinking....COFFEE.KUMBAYA!! The next morning might see you carrying protest signs on campus or being involved in some other movement. I'll tell you how much I've enjoyed this collection. There was the original gift LP, it was later replaced with a tape cartridge, then a cassette tape and finally a CD. Oh, and I ripped the CD to MP3 files so I can enjoy them on the computer. I'm really a music buff. I still have huge collections of 78's, 45's, LP's, cartridges, cassettes, CD's and now MP3's. Tens of thousands of songs. I'd rank this collection in my top 25. Take a walk down memory lane with this great CD. Give it a try, you'll enjoy it.
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