Fifteen years after his death and 40 years after the release of his widely beloved song "Rocky Mountain High," ATO Records will celebrate John Denver's life and music with The Music Is You: A Tribute to John Denver, slated for February 2013 release.
Track Listing:
"Leaving, on a Jet Plane" by My Morning Jacket
"Take Me To Tomorrow" by Dave Matthews
"Sunshine On My Shoulders" by Train
"Take Me Home, Country Roads" by Brandi Carlile
"Some Days are Diamonds" by Amos Lee
"Back Home Again" by Old Crow Medicine Show
"Darcy Farrow" by Josh Ritter and Barnstar
"All of My Memories" by Kathleen Edwards
"Annie's Song" by Brett Dennen and Milow
"Eagle and the Hawk" by Blind Pilot
"Prisoners" by J Mascis and Sharon Van Etten
"Looking For Space" by Evan Dando
"I Guess He'd Rather Be In Colorado" by Mary Chapin Carpenter
"Wooden Indian" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
(Song selection TBA) by Lucinda Williams
MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED
http://johndenver.com/ (http://johndenver.com/)
introduce this cover at Port Chester...
yes please.
Thanks, CC! Seems MMJ is involved in every cover project out there these days (The Band, Dylan, Donovan, John Fogarty, Buddy Holly, Shel Silverstein, John Prine, The Muppets).
If you visit the John Denver site, their forum looks familiar...
Quote from: johnnYYac on Oct 22, 2012, 03:15 PM
Thanks, CC! Seems MMJ is involved in every cover project out there these days (The Band, Dylan, Donovan, John Fogarty, Buddy Holly, Shel Silverstein, John Prine, The Muppets).
If you visit the John Denver site, their forum looks familiar...
Would love to hear MMJ do this cover at Port Chester. Loved that song as a kid. Don't remember the last time I heard it.
Oh, this is going to GREAT. I have always loved JD, and have been a little disappointed with other cover collections, like Mark Kozelek's. I think Leaving is an excellent choice for MMJ, though I'd love to see what they would do with The Eagle and the Hawk or Guess He'd Rather Be In Colorado.
Awesome. I'll never forget spinning my mom and dad's john denver album over and over when I was a kid. Thank God I'm a Country Boy!
John Denver music makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.
JD and I go waaaaay back. :beer:
Really looking forward to this. I love me some JD and I think the song selection is right on for JJ. Rocky Mountain High is near and dear to my heart - definitely a singer/song writer worthy of a tribute effort.
Give me a butt load of reverb on this one - just pile it on.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk, naturally.
no where to pre-order yet...guess they have to figure out the tracklisting first
Quote from: CC Baxter on Oct 22, 2012, 02:33 PM
"Leaving, on a Jet Plane" by My Morning Jacket
"Prisoners" by J Mascis and Sharon Van Etten
(http://soshable.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/shut-up-and-take-my-money.jpg)
^ PERFECT.
Also:
"Darcy Farrow" by Josh Ritter and Barnstar
"I Guess He'd Rather Be In Colorado" by Mary Chapin Carpenter
Oh, just the whole damn thing. I wish it would hurry up and get here.
This is one of my all-time favorite JD covers:
The Samples (Sean Kelly) - Rocky Mountain High
Rocky Mountain High- Covered by Sean Kelly (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emngv0GqKHA#)
Oooh interesting, thanks for the heads up Riny! :thumbsup:
My first concert was John Denver with the Starland Vocal Band (afternoon delight) in California in1974. I was 13 years old and my guitar teacher took me to see him. He was one of the reasons I bought a 12 string guitar :)
A preview of The Music Is You: A Tribute to John Denver... beautiful.
http://soundcloud.com/ato_records/the-music-is-you-a-tribute-to (http://soundcloud.com/ato_records/the-music-is-you-a-tribute-to)
On April 2, ATO will release "The Music Is You: A Tribute To John Denver."
Dave Matthews, My Morning Jacket, Train, Brandi Carlile, Emmylou Harris, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and Josh Ritter are among the artists paying homage to the folky musician, who died in 1997 in a plane accident.
While the full album won't be out for two months, ATO has released snippets of several songs. My Morning Jacket's "Leaving on a Jet Plane" borrows heavily from Peter, Paul & Mary's hit version of the song with male and female voices intertwining. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic put their own spin on "Wooden Indian."
Carlile and Harris's voices intertwine beautifully on "Take Me Home, Country Roads," and Old Crow Medicine Show are faithful to Denver in their rendition of "Back Home Again."
Track Listing for "John Denver: The Music Is You"
"Leaving on a Jet Plane" by My Morning Jacket
"Take Me To Tomorrow" by Dave Matthews
"All of My Memories" by Kathleen Edwards
"Prisoners" by J Mascis and Sharon Van Etten
"Sunshine On My Shoulders" by Train
"Back Home Again" by Old Crow Medicine Show
"This Old Guitar" by Lucinda Williams
"Some Days are Diamonds" by Amos Lee
"Rocky Mountain High" by Allen Stone
"Annie's Song" by Brett Dennen and Milow
"Looking For Space" by Evan Dando
"Take Me Home, Country Roads" by Brandi Carlile and Emmylou Harris
"The Eagle and The Hawk" by Blind Pilot
"I Guess He'd Rather Be In Colorado" by Mary Chapin Carpenter
"Darcy Farrow" by Josh Ritter and Barnstar!
"Wooden Indian" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/news/my-morning-jacket-and-brandi-carlile-pay-homage-to-john-denver-listen#czRWbloPDT1AIXtf.99 (http://www.hitfix.com/news/my-morning-jacket-and-brandi-carlile-pay-homage-to-john-denver-listen#czRWbloPDT1AIXtf.99)
Uhhhhhhhhhhg, awesomeness overload!
Quote from: BH on Jan 29, 2013, 07:43 PM
Uhhhhhhhhhhg, awesomeness overload!
Yup.
Vinyl and CD pre-order available via Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Music-Is-You-Tribute-Denver/dp/B00B1OWENU/ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1), though they've got a release date of March 19.
I love the snippets I've heard. While this is most likely a day one purchase for me I have to wonder what the hell Train is doing on this. I don't get it.
You can stream the full song here:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/2013/02/25/172882486/new-david-bowie-phoenix-wavves-my-morning-jacket-covers-john-denver-more (http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/2013/02/25/172882486/new-david-bowie-phoenix-wavves-my-morning-jacket-covers-john-denver-more)
I think it sounds really good. Still kinda wish they'd chosen "Poems, Prayers, & Promises" though.
Just listened to Jim's version of Jet Plane 4 times. Awesome. Is there any tune Jim can't bring magic to?
LOVE IT !! YES YES YES....10th listen here..
Quote from: GO4IT on Feb 26, 2013, 10:58 PM
Just listened to Jim's version of Jet Plane 4 times. Awesome. Is there any tune Jim can't bring magic to?
Not that I'm aware of. Certainly not this one, it's gorgeous.
It's so beautiful. I remember listening to the original. Jim's voice makes this song even more amazing.
Agreed. Awesome cover. It's not my intent to derail the topic from John Denver, but I wanted to share two other MMJ covers that are every bit as beautiful as the Leaving on a Jet Plane cover:
Hot Burrito #1 (Flying Burrito Brothers/Gram Parsons)
yim yames- hot burrito #1 [gram parsons cover] my morning jacket (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piV4PXUdAS8#)
True Love Ways (Buddy Holly)
My Morning Jacket - True Love Ways (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwpjg2X8q5s#)
These guys know what they are doing...and they do it very well.
........and the song is RELEASED!!!
http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/195025/my-morning-jackets-cover-john-denvers-leaving-on-a-jet-plane/ (http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/195025/my-morning-jackets-cover-john-denvers-leaving-on-a-jet-plane/)
New FREE spring sampler from ATO records includes the full "Leaving on a Jet Plane" by My Morning Jacket, plus 9 other tracks!
http://t.opsp.in/c0o1S (http://t.opsp.in/c0o1S)
1. Caitlin Rose - Only A Clown
2. Alabama Shakes - I Ain't the Same
3. My Morning Jacket - Leaving On a Jet Plane (From John Denver Tribute Album)
4. Bobby Long - Devil Moon
5. The Bronx - Youth Wasted
6. Jim James - A New Life
7. Jonny Fritz - Ain't it Your Birthday
8. Vusi Mahlasela - Amdokwe
9. Kopecky Family Band - Heartbeat
10. Allen Stone - Contact High
I found the download link a bit quirky. My best result (flawless) was right clicking the link and choosing "Save target as" to my 'puter.
Awesome!
YES!
Nice find!
Thanks, JY!!
I'm impressed by your web scouring, John. Great find! :thumbsup:
Quote from: Fully on Mar 08, 2013, 10:10 AM
I'm impressed by your web scouring, John. Great find! :thumbsup:
I've got decent feelers, but also belong to a lot of email lists. This was sent to me by ATO.
Many of you have already heard this whole album, but now NPR music is streaming it too. Really good stuff!
http://www.npr.org/2013/03/24/174863039/first-listen-the-music-is-you-a-tribute-to-john-denver (http://www.npr.org/2013/03/24/174863039/first-listen-the-music-is-you-a-tribute-to-john-denver)
John Denver was the first concert I went to when I was 13. He played with the (one hit wonder band) The Starland vocal band - 'Afternoon Delight". I saw him at the universal ampitheatre in Los Angeles.
I started guitar lessons about a year before the show, and I remember how much I wanted a 12 string guitar....only took me about 35 years, but I got it!
by the way, great version of Leaving on a jet plane guys............ :cool:
I'm not comparing the two versions, and it is not a contest, so please, no wagering, but Drivin' N' Cryin' also do a very good version of "Leaving On A Jet Plane." It should be heard.
Quote from: jcoyote on Apr 02, 2013, 05:06 PM
I'm not comparing the two versions, and it is not a contest, so please, no wagering, but Drivin' N' Cryin' also do a very good version of "Leaving On A Jet Plane." It should be heard.
Also no comparison, but Sea of Bees did a beautiful version this song too, titled only "Leaving."
The NPR stream had me digging around and I came across this John Denver song. So uplifting that I had to share it. Thank you MMJ for re-introducing all of these music icons to me. John Prine, John Denver, Buddy Holly, George Harrison, etc. were really just familiar faces and names to me until these tributes opened up a new world of timeless music. One of the many reasons why I am so thankful for MMJ. Also, if anyone knows the chords to the song below please let me know. I could not find them anywhere online. Thanks!
John Denver Love Is Everywhere 1977 Aus (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXyFRmdDVo0#)
I've been holding out on listening to this until the vinyl arrives... today! Can't wait to give it a spin!
Quote from: johnnYYac on Apr 16, 2013, 11:05 AM
I've been holding out on listening to this until the vinyl arrives... today! Can't wait to give it a spin!
I've listened to all of it a few times, and I was planning to put a critique here, but I'll save it until I get my copy, which should be on Thursday. I will say this, and because you already know it to be true, that Leaving On a Jet Plane is by far the highlight. Yeah, totally no bias in that opinion.
Dave Matthews contribution sucks bad. Never been a fan. But it's flanked by that sweet MMJ opener and a decent Kathleen Edwards.
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.
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. :kiss: 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.
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 :wink: ) writeup.
Quote from: Crispy on Apr 18, 2013, 11:42 PM
I need to revisit BH's ROLASOG (don't forget the A :wink: ) writeup.
It's a very challenging acronym, and I'm acronymically challenged among so many other issues :tongue: :rolleyes:
Quote from: Fully on Apr 19, 2013, 12:09 AM
Quote from: Crispy on Apr 18, 2013, 11:42 PM
I need to revisit BH's ROLASOG (don't forget the A :wink: ) writeup.
It's a very challenging acronym, and I'm acronymically challenged among so many other issues :tongue: :rolleyes:
It is challenging, but once mastered, it does ROLASOG off the tongue, no?
:drum:
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.
Quote from: Crispy on Apr 19, 2013, 12:02 PM
Quote from: Fully on Apr 19, 2013, 12:09 AM
Quote from: Crispy on Apr 18, 2013, 11:42 PM
I need to revisit BH's ROLASOG (don't forget the A :wink: ) writeup.
It's a very challenging acronym, and I'm acronymically challenged among so many other issues :tongue: :rolleyes:
It is challenging, but once mastered, it does ROLASOG off the tongue, no?
:drum:
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! :grin: You're killing me over here! :beer:
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.
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. :beer: