John Denver
The Best of John Denver

THE REVIEW

I understand those who don't love John Denver, because I am one of them. Yet I have to admit that when you hear one of his big hits, you listen to it once and… you never forget it. And in this album, THE BEST OF…, there are plenty of “unforgettable” tracks, starting with that «Leaving On A Jet Plane» (from 1969, the “source” album was named after another song included here, «Rhymes & Reasons») which first launched him to the top of the American folk-pop charts, even if initially as a songwriter for the stars of the time, the trio Peter, Paul and Mary. And then follows a sequence of truly defining tracks for his very personal version of the American songbook, musically rather far from the country genre with which John Denver has sometimes been categorized: «Poems, Prayers and Promises» from the eponymous 1970 album, along with «Sunshine On My Shoulders» and the very well-known «Take Me Home, Country Roads». All his emphasis — for me, just a bit too much — is for the simple life of the mountains («Starwood In Aspen»); the wild nature of the West («The Eagle And The Hawk», these last two from the “Aerie” album of 1971) and then visually in his personal “country boy” look with those checked flannel shirts. Not surprisingly, even his stage name (his real name was Deutschendorf, clearly “impossible” for an all-American singer) brings to mind the capital of his chosen state, Colorado indeed. And of course, the other highlight of this collection is undoubtedly «Rocky Mountain High», one of his timeless hits, from the eponymous 1972 album, which also gives us two more excellent songs on the themes dearest to him: the never-ending journey of «Goodbye Again» and the warmth of affectionate friendship in «For Baby (For Bobbie)». This compilation stops at that year, and I dare say… so much the better. In the following years, the routine of overproduction, the rhetoric of the “country boy,” and an increasingly heavy-handed rhetoric would get away from him, making him — for me — unbearable. Here, instead, there is still the right balance and a palette of melodically focused and very pleasant songs. RCA UK edition; bucolic photo of himself on the cover (identical to another compilation, also RCA — so perhaps it’s the same collection but with the title “JD Greatest Hits”); no indication of which albums the tracks come from; song list in a different order from how they appear on the record: not really the best, but that was the standard for this type of album back then. Let’s just say — if the price is right — that for getting to know John Denver and appreciate him for what he’s worth, in my opinion, this record is enough.