Product Description

No Description Available
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Media Type: CD
Artist: PETER PAUL & MARY
Title: PETER PAUL & MARY
Street Release Date: 07/19/1988
Domestic
Genre: FOLK

Track Listing

1. Early in the Morning
2. 500 Miles
3. Sorrow
4. This Train
5. Bamboo
6. It's Raining
7. If I Had My Way
8. Cruel War
9. Lemon Tree
10. If I Had a Hammer
11. Autumn to May
12. Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3653 in Music
• Brand: PETER PAUL & MARY
• Released on: 1990-10-25
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Amazon.com essential recording
The legendary trio's eponymous 1962 debut produced two classics--"Lemon Tree" and Pete Seeger's "If I Had a Hammer." Because they were always hipper and more political than the Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul & Mary were soon frequently credited as the group that transformed American folk music into '60s pop. It would be another six months before they really exploded with "Puff the Magic Dragon," and then another six before they brought Bob Dylan into the mainstream via their hit covers of "Blowin' in the Wind" and "Don't Think Twice." Which is why 1970's 10 Years Together: The Best of Peter, Paul and Mary remains the essential buy; nevertheless, the debut features their gorgeous covers of "Cruel War" and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone," making this disc mandatory for folk fans. --Bill Holdship

Customer Reviews

A Trio That Will Never Go Out of Style
How many forty-year old albums do you still listen to? Probably not too many, but this should be one of them (it certainly is one of mine). For a young group on their first album, this was meticulously produced and already showed their incredible sense of professionalism. From their close harmonies to tightly interleaved guitar picking, each song radiates perfectionism. Mary's voice is a lilting bird reaching above Peter's tenor and Paul's bass, adding brilliant highlights and enforcing the sense that these songs just couldn't be sung any better.

Probably anyone who was alive at the time of this album's release still remembers If I Had a Hammer and Lemon Tree, the two top hits from this album. But over the years I have found that my own personal favorites are Cruel War, which already showed some of the group's dedication to anti-war and other political messages, as highlighted by the Civil War age of this song; Autumn to May, which showed another prime marker of the group of children's songs sung so beautifully that they are difficult to dismiss; and Where Have All the Flowers Gone, which perhaps might be called the ultimate anti-war song.

But the other tracks here have power also. (Man of Constant) Sorrow, as re-written and performed here, reaches beyond its Appalachian roots to touch your soul, 500 miles is haunting with Mary as lead soloist, This Train and Early Morning show the third trademark of this group, their deep religious feelings, and Bamboo shows just what they can do with a very simple song.

In short, this album is a must for all lovers of folk or pop-folk music, with every track offering something to immerse yourself in and enjoy.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

Hall of Fame
My life of music would have a hole in it without this classic folk album. To this day I still think that this is one of the prettiest records ever made. Cruel War is on it. That's the one about the woman begging her man to let her go to war with him dressed as a man. It is historically accurate. Many dead soldiers in the Civil War were discovered to be females in men's clothing. The angelic voice of Mary Travers blends with Peter's tenor and Paul's bass on some gorgeous harmonies. I recently played about 60 old albums and liked this one best of them all.

Indispensible
No lover of folk music should be without this album. OK, It's Raining is corny, but take that song away and you are left with an incredible parade of songs made all the more timeless by one of the truly great groups ever. The singing is so graceful that only if one really concentrates does one realize how intricate and complex the solos and harmonies are, transforming ordinary songs into extraordinary ones and excellent songs into anthems. Autumn to May, on its face a silly children's song, is a magical fairy tale in their hands. Where Have All the Flowers Gone, a fine enough song in the original, becomes the lament of a generation. And so on. Perhaps because of their close association with children's music or perhaps because they mostly covered songs of other artists this trio does not get enough credit as serious musicians, but in my opinion this album (as well as In the Wind, another masterpiece) shows they are truly worthy.