119.00 PLN

LP-180G 33rpm:

Nr kat.: CPL1-0548
Label  : SpeakersCorner

Over and over again John Denver informed the world of his native roots by singing the evergreen "Take Me Home, Country Roads". As a musician Denver possessed a range of talents which did not always fit in with his chosen image of a country boy. In 1975 the magazine Billboard named him most successful pop singer, country music performer, easy-listening performer and artist with the most top singles of the year. On the album "Back Home Again" the mature bard shows that he is at the height of his success, one reason surely being that Denver never took up the critical tone of the folk movement. He clothed his mild patriotism and his idealistic view of his America with pleasant harmonies, which are supported here and there by gentle strings in the background. Alongside pensive songs such as "Sweet Surrender" and private declarations of love "Annie’s Song", there are humorous, catchy numbers "Grandma’s Feather Bed" and tunes accompanied by a whirling fiddle "Thank God I’m A Country Boy" which recall the 'blue grass' sound of the mid-West. As the 1970s progressed, John Denver slowly moved away from the melancholy folk-singer mode that characterized his early albums and towards a brighter, more country-inflected sound. BACK HOME AGAIN crystallizes the latter phase, and consequently proved one of Denver's most commercially successful albums. In large part, this has to do with the fine batch of songs here, which includes the warm, comforting title track; the lazy, lilting "Cool an' Green an' Shady;" and the sprightly "Grandma's Feather Bed," which almost demands a group sing-along. As usual, however, Denver slips in some affectingly pensive unaccompanied moments. The tender "Sweet Surrender" and "This Old Guitar," a heartfelt tribute to his primary instrument, are among the finest tunes on BACK HOME AGAIN. But the record also contains the knee-slapping, full-band hoedown "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" and the highly romantic, string-sweetened ballad "Annie's Song," which became one of Denver's biggest hits. With its balance of fun, joyful tunes and lovely, introspective numbers, BACK HOME AGAIN elevated Denver to the height of his mid-'70s popularity.