The Music Is You: A Tribute to John Denver

[johnnYYac]

Dave Matthews contribution sucks bad. Never been a fan. But it's flanked by that sweet MMJ opener and a decent Kathleen Edwards.

[Crispy]

Okay, this turns out to be less of a review and more of a remembrance, or confessional, or whatever, but if you're in this thread in the first place, then you might read this novella:

Here's the deal about me and John Denver: it was his music that taught me the lesson of liking music for the MUSIC that you LIKE, and not to let the world, or your peers, or anybody else tell you what you should like. Which is easy once you grow up, but not so much as a teenager in the '80s. But then my dad got a new stereo and let me steal his old Pioneer and the records that I deemed worthy, secreting them away down in my basement bedroom. There wasn't a whole lot there beyond the folkies like Pete Seeger and Joan Baez and Peter, Paul and Mary (my folks were so straight they didn't even get into Dylan) and white-boy-60s rock 'n' roll like Johnny Rivers, but there was also all of the Simon and Garfunkel, and of course old JD. 

My parents, and my dad especially, played the hell of these records (still have them, of course) when I was little, and we'd all sing along, because you can do that when you're a kid. And we'd never miss a Muppet Show that had John as a guest star. I grew up thinking Mather Nature's Son was a John Denver song, and Springsteen's yodels in Tunnel of Love are pure JD to me, for crying out loud. But when you're a teenager and you hate your parents, and if they did play those records it would be weird as hell, you sure as hell can't sing along with them anymore.

Hell yeah, I took those records, well aware of the rest of the world's opinion of John Denver by that time. I think most people at that age automatically reject whatever their parents listened to, which I sure did with the Neil Diamond (good god, the Jazz Singer, MAKE IT STOP), but the connection with John Denver went too deep. Of course I wouldn't play him around my friends, or even for my girlfriend (Simon and Garfunkel, yes). But it wasn't just the music, there were also the memories, the good times and things we still had in common and still did together: the love and appreciation of the outdoors, the mountains especially. And yeah, my parents were square, but they could still relate to sitting around a campfire and feeling high, if not getting high. When I heard these songs, I heard my parents telling me they loved me, even though I would be mortified to hear them say it out loud.

The man could write a song, play guitar, and sing his ass off. John Denver wasn't just sappy sentiments and silly songs, there was a world of depth and longing and love and skill in his music, and the people he played with. Like Bill Danoff (co-wrote Country Roads and Wish He'd Rather Be in Colorado), who contributes a note, saying this record "would rate a loud, stretched 'Fa-a-a-a-r out!!!'," and Mike Taylor and Steve Weisberg playing those guitars. There's a lot of good picking in there.

So I listened to those John Denver records a lot, between the Hendrix, Floyd and Zeppelin, and loved the HELL out of them, Rocky Mountain High most of all. And I was really excited to hear about this compilation, not just for the most obvious reason, but when I saw the announcement, I saw songs like Prisoners, Rocky Mountain High (of course), The Eagle and the Hawk, Looking for Space, and Darcy Farrow, and artists like Sharon Van Etten, Kathleen Edwards, Evan Dando, and Mary Chapin Carpenter, and was fired up.

On to the review! (some of which has been posted elsewhere)

Leaving on a Jet Plane - We knew this was going to be absolutely wonderful, and it exceeded expectations in my opinion. Jim's rendition is so filled with the emotion and intent of the message, it's the only song here that makes me cry even more than the original.

Take Me to Tomorrow (Dave Matthews) - This is fine. That is all.

All of My Memories (Kathleen Edwards) - Fanfuckingtastic. Edwards takes one of JD's darkest tunes and you can really feel her putting her soul into it, taking a song that is both desperate  and uplifting to further extremes. This is the only other version here that is equal to the original, which hints at the rest of my opinion of this compilation...

Prisoners (J. Mascis and Sharon Van Etten) - Fucking BRILLIANT. And a HUGE disappointment. How is that possible? BECAUSE THEY ONLY PLAY THE CHORUS, for god's sake. This is my favorite favorite favorite JD song, and they just kill it. And I mean that both ways, they kill it in a good way with screaming, driving, powerful guitars and vocals that capture the essence of the song, but then they kill it before it even starts by not doing any of the verses of a great fucking song. I just do not understand. They don't even indulge in a single "bring me and the other boys home," and Sharon is mostly lost in the mix, and I am just befuddled. I feel like writing an angry letter and getting some goddamn answers. I am also pretty sure I am alone in this world in feeling this way, and I could write another novella on this subject alone. God help SVE if I ever have a chance to speak to her.

Sunshine on My Shoulders (Train) - This one is a good cover, but it's pretty much karaoke.

Back Home Again (Old Crow Medicine Show) - Nice, but meh.

This Old Guitar (Lucinda Williams) - It's fine, but Lucinda sounds as old as that guitar. But then, she's always sounded that way.

Some Days Are Diamonds (Amos Lee) - Pretty good, pretty good.

Rocky Mountain High (Allen Stone) - Another highly anticipated tune that is fine but ultimately disappoints, but it might be just because of the warbling. Warning: contains about 1% of the power of the original song.

Annie's Song (Brett Dennen and Milow) - This was one of my parents' favorites, so it's got that mushy factor, and it's nice, but I just don't enjoy this version.

Looking for Space (Evan Dando) - The third and last of the renditions that lives up to potential on this record. It's outstanding, and another of my childhood favorites that Dando does a great job with and it sounds great.

Take Me Home, Country Roads (Brandi Carlile and Emmylou Harris) - Jesus, I should like this, but Carlile is trying to sound like an old woman, and Emmylou is nowhere to be found.

The Eagle and the Hawk ( Blind Pilot) - See Rocky Mountain High. But with 10 times the anticipation and ensuing letdown.

I Guess He'd Rather Be in Colorado (Mary Chapin Carpenter) - See above. She sounds bored. I said elsewhere that I wish she'd recorded this 10 years ago, or that they'd gotten Rosanne Cash to do this one. Also, they get the ending wrong.

Darcy Farrow (Josh Ritter and Barnstar) - This is a very nice rendition, and very skillful, but the tone doesn't come close to conveying the sadness in this song that JD's did.

Wooden Indian (Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros) - Meh. Meh. Meh. A powerful JD song brought to boring mediocrity.


I like this record, but I don't love it, not the way I still LOVE John Denver's originals. Most of these songs also bring the tears to my eyes, and make me feel the emotion, but they do so by making me think of the music I heard back then. But maybe that's what this record is supposed to do. I'm sure I'm the only one around here who cares this much, and I should be looking for a John Denver forum to post this on, but who gives a shit. For fun I put together a playlist on Spotify of those originals in the same order, and I think it's pretty cool to hear them in that order. There's also the tribute album that Mark Kozelek produced 13 years ago(!) that has some great (and some more obscure) stuff. Just listen to John Denver, and the MUSIC, and though I'm sure he isn't the one who taught you how to like what you like, listen to whoever it was and remember how you fell in love with music, and it became yours, and it IS you. Peace.

[Fully]

Crispy, I really really loved reading this. The passion in your writing says it all. I have to tell you that Neil Diamond was the album I stole from my dad. There were no Jazz Singer songs on it though. It was a greatest hits album from before that era. Cherry, Baby  and such. I love it when something moves one of us to write like this, from the heart and with earnest passion. It reminds me of a rant BH went on a few weeks, months?, ago concerning ROLSOG. I liked his passion about that too.   If we can't come here and express our passion about whatever music we love, we really shouldn't come here. That's the entire point of this community.

[Crispy]

Thanks, Fully. The Neil Diamond hatred was really just for that Jazz Singer tape, not so much the rest of his catalog (though I'd be okay if I never heard Sweet Caroline again). JESUS, just thinking about "They're Coming to America" is giving me the shivers.

I need to revisit BH's ROLASOG (don't forget the A  ) writeup.

[Fully]

I need to revisit BH's ROLASOG (don't forget the A  ) writeup.

It's a very challenging acronym, and I'm acronymically challenged among so many other issues 

[Crispy]

I need to revisit BH's ROLASOG (don't forget the A    ) writeup.

It's a very challenging acronym, and I'm acronymically challenged among so many other issues 

It is challenging, but once mastered, it does ROLASOG off the tongue, no?



After all of that thinking about John Denver last night, naturally he appeared in a dream, wherein I was backstage with him. He was snorting copious amounts of cocaine off of vinyl records while wearing the coolest flowery denim pearl snap shirt, and proceeded to get himself and his clothes completely covered in white powder, and I was horrified.

[Fully]

I need to revisit BH's ROLASOG (don't forget the A    ) writeup.

It's a very challenging acronym, and I'm acronymically challenged among so many other issues 

It is challenging, but once mastered, it does ROLASOG off the tongue, no?



After all of that thinking about John Denver last night, naturally he appeared in a dream, wherein I was backstage with him. He was snorting copious amounts of cocaine off of vinyl records while wearing the coolest flowery denim pearl snap shirt, and proceeded to get himself and his clothes completely covered in white powder, and I was horrified.

I would have been too! You're killing me over here!

[johnnYYac]

I finally had the time to read your post, Chris.  Thank you.  Really.  I'll need to hear that Spotify playlist, too.  I've been single dad all week, so I lack the chance to sit down and listen like I want to, but appreciate someone with knowledge of, and love for, JD.  I grew up with him a part of my life, but more in the background... The Muppet Show, Oh God!, other TV appearances.   

[Crispy]

Thanks, Johnny - I had forgotten about Oh God! That movie had some serious influence around my family too. "And that is what I am talking about!"

Single dad ought to be able to put on some JD records for his girls! Or fire up that Spotify playlist I sent.