Two classic seventies albums`
Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 03/29/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"John recorded many fine albums so while these two are not my favorites they are extremely good, filled as they are with many great songs - typical of John's albums.
Poems prayers and promises, John's fourth album, was his first really big seller, making the top twenty in the American album charts on the strength of one hit single, the evocative and catchy Take me home country roads, which made number two in the American pop charts. It didn't chart in Britain until Olivia Newton-John covered the song - she had a UK top twenty hit with it in 1973. Another song from the album, Sunshine on my shoulders, became an American number one hit three years after the album's original release. Other outstanding songs here include My sweet lady, I guess he'd rather be in Colorado and the title track. The album also includes covers of Fire and rain (James Taylor) and Let it be (Beatles).
Farewell Andromeda, John's seventh album, yielded no big American hits but contains plenty of great music. The title track and I'd rather be a cowboy became minor American hits. Other outstanding songs include Rocky mountain suite and We don't live here no more. John also does a fine cover of Angels from Montgomery, the John Prine classic. The album also includes a Christmas song that people seem to love or hate (I love it) called Please Daddy, in which John sings about a child begging his father not to get drunk at Christmas. The long later appeared on John's Christmas album.
These are two brilliant examples of John's music. If you listen to these wondering how John could possibly improve on them, listen to Back home again, the best album that he ever recorded and one of the finest albums in the history of popular music."
Track Listings (23) - Disc #1