Published on Aug 21, 1999
Rocky Mountain High, John Denver’s 1972 release (and sixth
overall), was a turning point for the artist as a superstar. He had
briefly tasted success with his fourth album,
Poems, Prayers & Promises thanks to the song “Take Me
Home, Country Roads”. However, when the follow-up album,
Aerie, came out, it seemed like the success that Denver had
worked so hard to achieve was quickly fading away.
This album not only stopped the brief skid, but also
re-established Denver as an up-and-coming star whose music demanded
that you take notice. An amalgam of folk and country, his musings
about nature and its beauty captured the hearts of many people in
the ’70s, and the title track alone says volumes about Denver the
musician and Denver the human.
So why am I disappointed with this album in general? I mean,
sure it has some wonderful moments, but each time I listen to it,
with one or two exceptions I have a hard time grasping how this
album was the key to unlock the door for Denver. Take away the hits
and the concert staples, and this album is a bit boring – maybe
overambitious is the correct way to phrase it. More on that
later.
One listen to the title track, and you don’t doubt for a minute
that Denver’s success was deserved. “Rocky Mountain High” has a
friendly air about it; it’s a song that transports you from
wherever you are to the mountains pictured on the dust jacket. No
matter how much smog is in your city, you almost swear you can
breathe crisp, unpolluted air. There’s a reason why this song
remained a fan favorite until Denver’s untimely death in 1997.
Two other songs from
Rocky Mountain High should ring bells with the older
listeners in the audience. “Goodbye Again” was another single from
the album (the first, though it never made it very high on the
charts), but is one whose gentle but sad message is sure to warm
your heart. “For Baby (For Bobbie)” is one that might ring some
bells, especially if you grew up with a copy of
John Denver’s Greatest Hits in your parents’ record
collection – and it’s still a great song.
After that,
Rocky Mountain High starts to go flat faster than a can of
Coors left open on the table for a week. I’m sorry, long-time
Denver fans, but “Darcy Farrow” has never been a favorite of mine.
It’s not that I’m against country folk, it’s just that this song is
not the best example of a story-telling number that I can think of.
Likewise, the cover of “Mother Nature’s Son” isn’t very noreworthy;
if you weren’t a diehard Beatles fan or you weren’t reading the
liner notes, you’d never know this was a cover version.
Where Denver becomes a little overambitious is on “Season
Suite,” a five-movement song that tries to capture the passage of
time through the changing seasons, as well as Denver’s feelings as
they slowly fade into one another. The sad thing is, this song
doesn’t work in the ways that Denver intended; instead of being
another praise for the wonders of nature, it almost appears to be
self-serving, as if Denver wanted to prove he could write a longer,
more congruent piece of music.
There is one selection of “Season Suite,” however, that is worth
mentioning: “Late Winter, Early Spring” is a beautiful instrumental
that features some brilliant guitar work from Mike Taylor. If the
album had closed with this piece, it actually would have drawn
things together better than going to “Spring” and reprising some of
the concepts introduced in the first movement, “Summer”.
Rocky Mountain High might have been the album that assured
Denver his place in the annals of musical history, but unless
you’re a diehard fan who has to hear every recorded note, in this
case, you’d be better off sticking with any of the compilations to
hear the worthwhile songs from this disc.