[.ca] Autograph

The best message sent by John Denver to the masses!:
John Denver experienced a string of monster hits prior to this album. Rocky Mountain High, Take Me Home Country Roads, and Annie's Song we're all sewn into the public's conscious. My personal favorite John Denver album is Windsong because I feel it is one of the best flowing album out there with many commercial hits, but this one has a different feel. Throughout the entire musical production, one can't help but think the environment played a crucial roll with John Denver at this time, as it always had. However, this album has the feel of a John Denver struggling to make the public aware of ecological and social problems affecting the earth as a whole. The result is a beautiful work of art. My personal favorites are How Mountain Girls Can Love, Wrangell Mountain Song (A Remake of a song he did on the Spirit album), You Say That the battle is Over, The Mountain Song, and of course, Autograph. Just from looking at the list of songs, one would expect it would have continued the John Denver jewell of consitency when it comes to commercial succes, but if the consumer looks at the release date, 1980, well, that date pretty much says it all. Excessiveness was the thing to do, as was being cynical. The good news is, the great artists are never truly remembered in their time, age has done nothing but make this music amazing.

End of an era:
Milton Okun was John's producer and mentor for many years. They worked together on all his albums up to and including this one, released in 1980. Although this was not the last time they worked together, things were never the same again. Following this album, John experimented with different producers. Some of these produced great albums, but in a slightly different style. So this album, Autograph, was the last of its kind. The style of this album is typical of John - rooted in folk but with elements of pop and country, with a bluegrass influence on one or two tracks. Classifying John's music was never easy but that's how he liked it. The quality is all that matters, and you get plenty of that here, especially with addition of two bonus tracks. They were recorded for possible inclusion in the original album and were certainly good enough. John often sang about nature and the environment, and this album is packed with such songs. Normally, these songs are set in the Rockies, but many of the songs on this album are set in Alaska (Wrangell mountain song, American child, Whalebones and crosses). The Rockies are not completely overlooked - they are the setting for The mountain song. Even the love songs generally relate in some way to the environment, as in How mountain girls can love. John did not record a lot of covers, but he always chose wisely when he did record them. Here you can here his outstanding version of Rodney Crowell's Song for the life. This was not one of John's most commercially successful albums, but it was only because he was out of fashion at the time. If this album had appeared a few years earlier it would have generated the sales it deserved. It is a classic.

One of John Denver's best:
Of everything John did, this is my absolute favorite. I never tire of listening to it and every song has a 'special meaning

I finally found it!!!!:
I bought the cassette of this album in the very early 80's and played it A LOT until it wore out and was never able to replace it. I didn't realize it was never one of John's bestsellers --silly people, they didn't know what they were missing! Unfortunatly it was after John's untimely death that the label decided to re-release the album on CD. Yeeaa! Now I finally have it in my grubby little paws again and can happily play it all that my heart desires. The songs 'Whalebones and Crosses', 'You say that the Battle is Over' and the one about Prince Edward's Island show John's genius. See for your self, I think you'll be pleasently surprised.

Hauntingly beautiful:
Autograph is a wonderful cd...I deeply appreciate John's rendition of 'Song for the Life' and 'You Say that the Battle is Over' and 'The Mountain Song'...and the depth of understanding he communicates in 'Whalebones and Crosses' evokes in the perceptive listener that same understanding of the truth he is expressing. 'American Child' is a call to each of us (as are so many of John's ballads)...and the title track "Autograph' is John Denver at his best--expressing the feelings of his heart. I highly recommend this cd--if you are someone who remembers JD for the hit songs only, you are in for a real eye opener into the depth of style, emotion and messages JD expressed through his music. Autograph has been a favorite lp & tape of mine for many years...and the cd version is excellent! Christine Smith

• Dancing With the Mountains
• Mountain Song
• How Mountain Girls Can Love
• Song for the Life
• Ballad of St. Anne's Reel
• In My Heart
• Wrangle Mountain Song
• Whalebones and Crosses
• American Child
• You Say the Battle Is Over
• Autograph
• Dance Little Jean \o*\c
• On the Wings of an Eagle \o*\c