JOHN DENVER
''CONTRY ROADS COLLECTION (BOX SET), DISC ONE''
AUGUST 26 1997
286:16
DISC ONE
1/Leaving on a Jet Plane/3:37
2/Circus/2:38
3/Rhymes & Reasons/3:14
4/Catch Another Butterfly
Michael Robert Williams / Mike Williams/2:31
5/Daydream/2:53
6/Follow Me/2:26
7/Aspenglow/2:09
8/Molly
Biff Rose / Paul Conrad Rose/3:47
9/Sticky Summer Weather/3:30
10/Isabel/3:22
11/Sunshine on My Shoulders
John Denver / Dick Kniss / Michael Taylor/5:10
12/My Sweet Lady/4:25
13/Take Me Home, Country Roads
Bill Danoff / John Denver / Taffy Nivert/3:09
14/I Guess He'd Rather Be in Colorado
Bill Danoff / John Denver / Taffy Nivert/2:07
15/Poems, Prayers and Promises/4:05
16/Starwood in Aspen/3:04
17/City of New Orleans
Steve Goodman/3:17
18/All of My Memories/4:57
19/Casey's Last Ride
Kris Kristofferson/4:55
20/The Eagle and the Hawk
John Denver / Mike Taylor/2:07
21/Friends with You
Bill Danoff / Taffy Nivert/3:22
DISC TWO
1/Rocky Mountain High
John Denver / Mike Taylor/4:43
2/For Baby (For Bobbie)/2:56
3/Goodbye Again/3:37
4/We Don't Live Here No More
Bill Danoff/4:02
5/I'd Rather Be a Cowboy (Lady's Chains)/4:23
6/Farewell Andromeda (Welcome to My Morning)/4:02
7/Rocky Mountain Suite (Cold Nights in Canada)/3:03
8/Annie's Song/2:58
9/Back Home Again/4:43
10/Grandma's Feather Bed
James Norman Connor / Jim Connor/2:16
11/Sweet Surrender/5:26
12/Eclipse/3:41
13/Thank God I'm a Country Boy
John Martin Sommers / John Sommers/2:48
14/This Old Guitar/2:48
15/Spirit
John Denver / Pableto Henry/3:35
16/Song of Wyoming
John Denver / Kent Lewis/3:16
17/I'm Sorry/3:30
18/Windsong
John Denver / Joe Henry/3:59
19/Looking for Space/3:59
20/Fly Away/4:10
DISC THREE
1/Calypso/3:34
2/Come and Let Me Look in Your Eyes
John Denver / Joe Henry/3:46
3/Like a Sad Song/3:42
4/Polka Dots and Moonbeams
Johnny Burke / James Van Heusen/3:09
5/In the Grand Way
John Martin Sommers / John Sommers/3:39
6/How Can I Leave You Again/3:09
7/Ripplin' Waters
Jimmy Ibbotson/3:57
8/It Amazes Me/2:37
9/Singing Skies and Dancing Waters/4:03
10/Dearest Esmeralda
Bill Danoff / John Denver/3:30
11/Thirsty Boots
Eric Andersen/4:35
12/I Want to Live/3:45
13/Southwind
Herb Pedersen/3:29
14/Garden Song
David Mallett/2:43
15/What's on Your Mind/4:26
16/You're So Beautiful/3:08
17/In My Heart/3:44
18/The Mountain Song
Tracey Wickland/4:45
19/Song for the Life
Rodney Crowell/3:44
20/Autograph/3:37
DISC FOUR
1/Some Days Are Diamonds (Some Days Are Stone)
John Denver / Dick Feller/4:00
2/Country Love/3:06
3/Dreams
Stephen Geyer/3:02
4/Heart to Heart/3:55
5/Shanghai Breezes/3:12
6/Seasons of the Heart/3:48
7/Perhaps Love feat. Plácido Domingo/2:56
8/Falling Out of Love/4:57
9/It's About Time
John Denver / Glen D. Hardin/3:42
10/Wild Montana Skies feat. Emmylou Harris/4:03
11/Dreamland Express/4:05
12/If Ever
Stephanie Andrews / Stevie Wonder/5:22
13/I'm in the Mood to Be Desired Tonight
Andre Martel / Katrina Walker/3:25
14/Don't Close Your Eyes Tonight
Richard Kerr / Frank Musker/4:15
15/Love Is the Master/2:41
16/I Can't Escape/3:37
17/Love Again/2:51
18/Flying for Me/5:37
Tracks By Denver, Except As Indicated
REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
The Country Roads Collection is a four-disc box set that not only contains all of John Denver's hits, but also a large selection of choice album cuts and unreleased material. For anyone but hardcore fans, this set will simply have too much music, but for those fans, The Country Roads Collection provides an excellent, exhaustive overview of his career.
BIOGRAPHY
by Jason Ankeny
One of the most popular recording artists of the 1970s, country-folk singer/songwriter John Denver's gentle, environmentally conscious music established him among the most beloved entertainers of his era; wholesome and clean-cut, his appeal extended to fans of all ages and backgrounds, and led to parallel careers as both an actor and a humanitarian.
Born Henry John Deutschendorf in Roswell, NM, on December 31, 1943, he was raised in an Air Force family, and grew up in various regions of the southwestern U.S. As a teen, his grandmother presented him with a 1910 Gibson acoustic guitar, and while attending Texas Tech University he began performing local clubs. Adopting the stage surname "Denver" in tribute to the Rocky Mountain area he so cherished, he dropped out of college in 1964 to relocate to Los Angeles; there he joined the Chad Mitchell Trio, a major draw on the hootenanny circuit of the early '60s but in the twilight of their career at the time of Denver's arrival. Over time, however, Denver helped resuscitate the group on the strength of his songwriting skills; signed to Mercury, the Trio recorded a number of tracks, which the label repackaged in 1974 as Beginnings With the Chad Mitchell Trio.
Upon the departure of the last remaining founding member, the Chad Mitchell Trio became known as Denver, Boise and Johnson; the new group proved short-lived, however, when Denver exited in 1969 to pursue a solo career. That same year he recorded his debut LP, Rhymes and Reasons; while not a hit, it contained one of his best-loved compositions, "Leaving on a Jet Plane," an international chart-topper for Peter, Paul & Mary. Still, neither of Denver's follow-up albums, 1970's Whose Garden Was This and Take Me to Tomorrow, launched him as a solo performer; finally, with 1971's Poems, Prayers & Promises, he achieved superstardom, thanks to the million-selling hits "Take Me Home, Country Roads" and "Sunshine on My Shoulders." In the years to follow, Denver also scored with "Annie's Song" (penned for his wife) and "Back Home Again," and by 1974 was firmly established as America's best-selling performer; albums like 1975's An Evening With John Denver and Windsong were phenomenally popular, and he continued to top the singles charts with efforts including "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" and "I'm Sorry." Additionally, his 1974 best-of collection sold over ten million copies worldwide, and remained on the charts for over two years.
At the peak of his success, Denver was everywhere -- the governor of Colorado proclaimed him the state's poet laureate, his label Windsong was responsible for hits like the Starland Vocal Band's mammoth "Afternoon Delight," and he appeared in a number of ratings-grabbing television specials. In 1977, he even moved into film, co-starring with George Burns in the comedy hit Oh, God! During this time, however, he dramatically curtailed his recording output, and after 1977's I Want to Live, issued no new material until 1980's Autograph. The following year, he performed with opera star Placido Domingo, but as the decade progressed, Denver's popularity waned as he turned his focus more toward humanitarian work, focusing primarily on ecological concerns and space exploration; he also toured Communist-led Russia and China, and in 1987 performed in Chernobyl in the wake of that city's nuclear disaster. While maintaining a solid cult following, by the 1990s Denver had largely fallen off the radar, and he made more news for a 1993 drunk-driving arrest than he did for records like 1991's Different Directions. In 1994, he published an autobiography, Take Me Home. Tragedy struck on October 12, 1997, when his experimental aircraft suddenly crashed, killing him instantly. Denver was 53.
''CONTRY ROADS COLLECTION (BOX SET), DISC ONE''
AUGUST 26 1997
286:16
DISC ONE
1/Leaving on a Jet Plane/3:37
2/Circus/2:38
3/Rhymes & Reasons/3:14
4/Catch Another Butterfly
Michael Robert Williams / Mike Williams/2:31
5/Daydream/2:53
6/Follow Me/2:26
7/Aspenglow/2:09
8/Molly
Biff Rose / Paul Conrad Rose/3:47
9/Sticky Summer Weather/3:30
10/Isabel/3:22
11/Sunshine on My Shoulders
John Denver / Dick Kniss / Michael Taylor/5:10
12/My Sweet Lady/4:25
13/Take Me Home, Country Roads
Bill Danoff / John Denver / Taffy Nivert/3:09
14/I Guess He'd Rather Be in Colorado
Bill Danoff / John Denver / Taffy Nivert/2:07
15/Poems, Prayers and Promises/4:05
16/Starwood in Aspen/3:04
17/City of New Orleans
Steve Goodman/3:17
18/All of My Memories/4:57
19/Casey's Last Ride
Kris Kristofferson/4:55
20/The Eagle and the Hawk
John Denver / Mike Taylor/2:07
21/Friends with You
Bill Danoff / Taffy Nivert/3:22
DISC TWO
1/Rocky Mountain High
John Denver / Mike Taylor/4:43
2/For Baby (For Bobbie)/2:56
3/Goodbye Again/3:37
4/We Don't Live Here No More
Bill Danoff/4:02
5/I'd Rather Be a Cowboy (Lady's Chains)/4:23
6/Farewell Andromeda (Welcome to My Morning)/4:02
7/Rocky Mountain Suite (Cold Nights in Canada)/3:03
8/Annie's Song/2:58
9/Back Home Again/4:43
10/Grandma's Feather Bed
James Norman Connor / Jim Connor/2:16
11/Sweet Surrender/5:26
12/Eclipse/3:41
13/Thank God I'm a Country Boy
John Martin Sommers / John Sommers/2:48
14/This Old Guitar/2:48
15/Spirit
John Denver / Pableto Henry/3:35
16/Song of Wyoming
John Denver / Kent Lewis/3:16
17/I'm Sorry/3:30
18/Windsong
John Denver / Joe Henry/3:59
19/Looking for Space/3:59
20/Fly Away/4:10
DISC THREE
1/Calypso/3:34
2/Come and Let Me Look in Your Eyes
John Denver / Joe Henry/3:46
3/Like a Sad Song/3:42
4/Polka Dots and Moonbeams
Johnny Burke / James Van Heusen/3:09
5/In the Grand Way
John Martin Sommers / John Sommers/3:39
6/How Can I Leave You Again/3:09
7/Ripplin' Waters
Jimmy Ibbotson/3:57
8/It Amazes Me/2:37
9/Singing Skies and Dancing Waters/4:03
10/Dearest Esmeralda
Bill Danoff / John Denver/3:30
11/Thirsty Boots
Eric Andersen/4:35
12/I Want to Live/3:45
13/Southwind
Herb Pedersen/3:29
14/Garden Song
David Mallett/2:43
15/What's on Your Mind/4:26
16/You're So Beautiful/3:08
17/In My Heart/3:44
18/The Mountain Song
Tracey Wickland/4:45
19/Song for the Life
Rodney Crowell/3:44
20/Autograph/3:37
DISC FOUR
1/Some Days Are Diamonds (Some Days Are Stone)
John Denver / Dick Feller/4:00
2/Country Love/3:06
3/Dreams
Stephen Geyer/3:02
4/Heart to Heart/3:55
5/Shanghai Breezes/3:12
6/Seasons of the Heart/3:48
7/Perhaps Love feat. Plácido Domingo/2:56
8/Falling Out of Love/4:57
9/It's About Time
John Denver / Glen D. Hardin/3:42
10/Wild Montana Skies feat. Emmylou Harris/4:03
11/Dreamland Express/4:05
12/If Ever
Stephanie Andrews / Stevie Wonder/5:22
13/I'm in the Mood to Be Desired Tonight
Andre Martel / Katrina Walker/3:25
14/Don't Close Your Eyes Tonight
Richard Kerr / Frank Musker/4:15
15/Love Is the Master/2:41
16/I Can't Escape/3:37
17/Love Again/2:51
18/Flying for Me/5:37
Tracks By Denver, Except As Indicated
REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
The Country Roads Collection is a four-disc box set that not only contains all of John Denver's hits, but also a large selection of choice album cuts and unreleased material. For anyone but hardcore fans, this set will simply have too much music, but for those fans, The Country Roads Collection provides an excellent, exhaustive overview of his career.
BIOGRAPHY
by Jason Ankeny
One of the most popular recording artists of the 1970s, country-folk singer/songwriter John Denver's gentle, environmentally conscious music established him among the most beloved entertainers of his era; wholesome and clean-cut, his appeal extended to fans of all ages and backgrounds, and led to parallel careers as both an actor and a humanitarian.
Born Henry John Deutschendorf in Roswell, NM, on December 31, 1943, he was raised in an Air Force family, and grew up in various regions of the southwestern U.S. As a teen, his grandmother presented him with a 1910 Gibson acoustic guitar, and while attending Texas Tech University he began performing local clubs. Adopting the stage surname "Denver" in tribute to the Rocky Mountain area he so cherished, he dropped out of college in 1964 to relocate to Los Angeles; there he joined the Chad Mitchell Trio, a major draw on the hootenanny circuit of the early '60s but in the twilight of their career at the time of Denver's arrival. Over time, however, Denver helped resuscitate the group on the strength of his songwriting skills; signed to Mercury, the Trio recorded a number of tracks, which the label repackaged in 1974 as Beginnings With the Chad Mitchell Trio.
Upon the departure of the last remaining founding member, the Chad Mitchell Trio became known as Denver, Boise and Johnson; the new group proved short-lived, however, when Denver exited in 1969 to pursue a solo career. That same year he recorded his debut LP, Rhymes and Reasons; while not a hit, it contained one of his best-loved compositions, "Leaving on a Jet Plane," an international chart-topper for Peter, Paul & Mary. Still, neither of Denver's follow-up albums, 1970's Whose Garden Was This and Take Me to Tomorrow, launched him as a solo performer; finally, with 1971's Poems, Prayers & Promises, he achieved superstardom, thanks to the million-selling hits "Take Me Home, Country Roads" and "Sunshine on My Shoulders." In the years to follow, Denver also scored with "Annie's Song" (penned for his wife) and "Back Home Again," and by 1974 was firmly established as America's best-selling performer; albums like 1975's An Evening With John Denver and Windsong were phenomenally popular, and he continued to top the singles charts with efforts including "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" and "I'm Sorry." Additionally, his 1974 best-of collection sold over ten million copies worldwide, and remained on the charts for over two years.
At the peak of his success, Denver was everywhere -- the governor of Colorado proclaimed him the state's poet laureate, his label Windsong was responsible for hits like the Starland Vocal Band's mammoth "Afternoon Delight," and he appeared in a number of ratings-grabbing television specials. In 1977, he even moved into film, co-starring with George Burns in the comedy hit Oh, God! During this time, however, he dramatically curtailed his recording output, and after 1977's I Want to Live, issued no new material until 1980's Autograph. The following year, he performed with opera star Placido Domingo, but as the decade progressed, Denver's popularity waned as he turned his focus more toward humanitarian work, focusing primarily on ecological concerns and space exploration; he also toured Communist-led Russia and China, and in 1987 performed in Chernobyl in the wake of that city's nuclear disaster. While maintaining a solid cult following, by the 1990s Denver had largely fallen off the radar, and he made more news for a 1993 drunk-driving arrest than he did for records like 1991's Different Directions. In 1994, he published an autobiography, Take Me Home. Tragedy struck on October 12, 1997, when his experimental aircraft suddenly crashed, killing him instantly. Denver was 53.
