Peter, Paul and Mary was a folk group formed in 1961 in New York City. The group broke up in 1970 to pursue solo careers, but reformed temporarily for an album, Reunion (1978), and tour in 1978, which was so popular that the group permanently reformed in 1981 until Mary’s death in 2009. This album, Album 1700 (1967), made it up to #17 on the Billboard charts and was nominated for a Grammy for “Best Folk Performance”. I’ve sen a lot of folks mention the group online, so I’m excited to finally check out an album of theirs. With that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Rolling Home” starts out with some super bright and light acoustic guitar with a massive bass seemingly hiding beneath, while a super sweet, syncopated marching beat drives the tune forward. Holy smokes, the harmonica is super flavorful, and adds a sort of folksy bluesy flavor to the track. The chorus vocals and harmonizations between Peter, Paul, and Mary are super interesting. I’m vaguely reminded of the chorus vocals from Jefferson Airplane with Marty, Jorma, and Grace. Great track, and I’m excited to hear more.
Holy smokes, “Leaving On a Jet Plane” has such a massive, muddied, flavorful bass line that sounds like it’s taken out of some late night jazz club that’s filled with hazy air from cigarette smokes, while the light strumming of the acoustic guitar brings a light rhythmic feel to the track while gently jangling around. Oh wow, this cover of the tune originally by John Denver is super sweet. Mary’s voice has such a sweet timbre, which only becomes sweeter in the harmonizations with Peter and Paul. Wow, great tune.
Oh wow, “Weep for Jamie” has a bit of a European folksy feel with the melody and what sounds to be a flute or similar woodwind, or possibly even an organ of some sort that introduces the tune, while an interesting baroque sounding guitar line comes in soon after to amplify the sensation of European folksiness. Oh wow, the vocal performance from the trio enhances this folk baroque sort of sound, vaguely reminding me of Scott Walker in that sense, and I’m really digging it. Oh wow, Peter and Paul seem to be completing each other’s verses while trading back and forth, which brings a very dynamic sound to the track. Oh wow, now it’s just a super delicate, yet massive sounding bass line with some gentle vocals right before the end of the tune. Awesome track.
“No Other Name” starts out with a really delicate folksy feel between the different bass and acoustic guitar parts, while the vocals from Mary seem to evoke the sound of a field covered in dew that you might walk through on a pleasant spring morning. Wow, super sweet track.
“The House Song” starts out with an almost raga-feel, which reminds me a ton of George Harrison’s album, All Things Must Pass (1970), with the gentle, nearly distant acoustic guitar strumming, while the massive bass sounds like it’s playing on the other side of a wall of sorts, while the vocals have a seemingly ghostly and personal sound with their location in the mix and the reverberated sounds. Even the vocals of who I think is Peter reminds me a lot of Harrison’s style on Harrison’s solo work. Holy smokes, the song seems to break through with a slowly swelling conglomeration of vocals and orchestral strings, super sweet. Wow, great tune.
“The Great Mandella (The Wheel of Life)” has a gentle acoustic guitar line that seems to gently walk the tune along, while the bass seems to produce a similar sound with walking the tune along. Oh wow, I really dig the chorus, which seems to gently ease the tune along with some chorus vocals while the bass and acoustic guitars momentarily pick up in intensity. I feel like there’s a light raga-inflection in this tune. Super sweet track.
Oh wow, “I Dig Rock and Roll Music” gets grooving right away with an upbeat groove from the syncopated drums and sweet bass line, and the vocals from the trio have some super flavorful accentuations. Oh wow, this track picks up a raga sound again with a tabla and the vocal performance. Great tune.
Oh wow, “If I Had Wings” starts an easy folksy groove that has a vague country feel with the combination of the beat from the gentle snare and cymbal, plus what sound to be some blocks tapping along, while the bass also has a country feel reminiscent of Longbranch/Pennywhistle. I really dig the harmonica sound in this one, bringing a vague bluesiness to the tune. Super sweet track.
“I’m In Love With a Big Blue Frog” has a really playful feel, with a gently galloping acoustic guitar line, accompanied by some instruments like the kazoo and a vocal performance that feels child-friendly. Super sweet tune.
“Whathername” has a sound that feels like it was pulled out of some late night beat club with the conversational tone in the vocals alongside some pleasant, easy-going acoustic guitar. Oh wow, the bass line comes in and again has that jazz-like sound, which makes me think I might be listening to some easy-going Charles Mingus or perhaps Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen, and I’m really digging that jazz sound. Super sweet track.
“Bob Dylan’s Dream” is a cover of the tune originally by Bob Dylan, and the vocal performance is a harmony between each of the trio at the start, while some somewhat distant acoustic guitar adds accentuations to the other acoustic guitar, which create a somewhat harmonic sound reminiscent of Dylan’s guitar work. The bass gently eases the tune forward in style that vaguely has a bit of a country sound, and I’m really digging the sound. Oh wow, the outro of the song is super gentle. Super sweet cover version of this tune.
“The Song Is Love” has a slowly swelling sound between the acoustic guitar, the bass guitar, and the vocal performance that seems to build to a massive and intense chorus from the band as they seem to be wrapping up the listening experience that is this album. I really dig how they seem to have a bit of a vocal jam at the end of the song. Super sweet track, and a very sweet way to finish the album.
I’m glad I finally got to experience listening to an album from Peter, Paul and Mary. The album is filled with folksy singer/songwriter tracks that have vocal harmonies that make me to check out more of their discography. I was also pleasantly surprised to hear some baroque and raga elements, which made the album feel even more dynamic than it already was with the vocal harmonies. Plus, some of the tunes sounded straight out of a late-night jazz club in terms of instrumentation, and I really dig that sound. If you’re into folksy singer/songwriter tunes that venture a bit into other related genres like country, baroque, and raga, you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A