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PETER, PAUL & MARY
Carry It On (Rhino)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale
The challenge of putting together a meaningful retrospective of the 40 year career of Peter, Paul & Mary seems so daunting that any comment on the challenge of reviewing the product seems petty, but just the same, discussing this 4 CD/1 DVD package isn't all that easy.
After all, there are only so many superlatives in the thesaurus.
Suffice to say, the collection is marvellous. Filling the space didn't require the common resort to obscure B sides, 'instructive' outtakes or material 'previously unreleased' for good reasons. Nope, there was no trouble finding four discs of A side quality tracks in the PP&M catalog. Actually, you could probably find another four, though I'm satisfied that they hit the essential high points here.
There are some 'rarities' included, but they've been thoughtfully tucked away in hidden tracks that allow repeat listening to the best material without having to program around the obscurities. There's also an excellent booklet, outlining the trio's progress from melodic warriors in the vanguard of the folk music revival of the sixties (otherwise known as "The Great Folk Scare") to folk/pop icons to American cultural legends. It's all topped off with a DVD retrospective that includes performances from each of the Peter, Paul & Mary decades.
A real 'desert island' collection, this is a great representation of the essential art of these essential artists.
Track listing:
DISC 1: Early In The Morning/Buddy, Can You Spare A Dime? - Peter Yarrow (live, hidden track) * 500 Miles * Lemon Tree * If I Had A Hammer * It's Raining * If I Had My Way * Autumn To May * Where Have All The Flowers Gone * Puff, The Magic Dragon * This Land Is Your Land * Gone The Rainbow * Flora * Old Coat * A'Soalin' * Blowin' In The Wind * Polly Von * Stewball * All My Trials * Don't Think Twice, It's All Right * Freight Train * Paultalk - (live)
DISC 2: The Times They Are A Changin' - (live, hidden track)/Goodbye Baby - Noel Stookey & The Corsairs (hidden track) * Three Ravens - (live) * Blue - (live) * Oh, Rock My Soul - (live) * When The Ship Comes In - (live) * Come And Go With Me - (live) * For Lovin' Me * Jimmy Whalen * Gilgarra Mountain * Wasn't That A Time * Monday Morning * San Francisco Bay Blues * Early Mornin' Rain * The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face * The Last Thing On My Mind * The Cruel War * Il Faut Qu'll Vienne Le Temps (If I Were Free) * And When I Die * Kisses Sweeter Than Wine * For Baby (For Bobbie) * Hurry Sundown - (single version) * Mon Vrai Destin * Well, Well, Well
DISC 3: The Other Side Of This Life - (live)/Single Girl - Mary Travers (hidden track) * Sometime Lovin' - (live) * The Good Times We Had - (live) * Leaving On A Jet Plane * No Other Name * The House Song * The Great Mandella (The Wheel Of Life) * I Dig Rock And Roll Music * The Song Is Love * Too Much Of Nothing * Moments Of Soft Persuasion * Hymn * Day Is Done - (live, single version) * Marvelous Toy * Leatherwing Bat * I Have A Song To Sing, O! * Going To The Zoo * Because All Men Are Brothers - (with Dave Brubeck) * Follow Me - Mary Travers * Wedding Song (There Is Love) - Noel Paul Stookey * Conscientious Objector (I Shall Die) - Mary Travers * Weave Me The Sunshine - Peter Yarrow * By Surprise
DISC 4: Such Is Love - (live)/Canaan Land - (hidden track) * There But For Fortune - (live) * Wild Places (For Caloola) - (live) * Right Field * No Easy Walk To Freedom * Greenland Whale Fisheries * El Salvador * Greenwood * Children Go Where I Send Thee - (live) * Light One Candle - (live) * All Mixed Up * It Ain't Me, Babe * Pastures Of Plenty - (live) * The Fox - (live) * Garden Song - (live) * The Kid * Mi Caballo - (live) * It's Magic * Don't Laugh At Me
DVD: If I Had A Hammer (March on Washington, 1963) * Jane, Jane (Andy Williams Show, 1966) * If I Had My Way (Smothers Brothers, 1969) * Leaving On A Jet Plane (w/John Denver, 1969) * The Great Mandala (1970) * No Easy Walk To Freedom (1986) * Babylon/Oh Sinner Man (1994) * Have You Been To Jail For Justice? (rehearsal, 2003)
© 2004 - Shaun Dale