Maps of Music

Farewell Andromeda (1973)

Where the lyrics of Farewell Andromeda take you, and where it was really made.

Farewell Andromeda was released in June 1973 as a follow-up to Rocky Mountain High and reached No. 16 on Billboard's Top 20, while its title track was recorded at RCA's Studio D in New York City.

Key places

Recorded at RCA's Studio D (1973)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — The album was recorded at RCA's Studio D in New York City. This map point is set at city-center level, not at the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Farewell Andromeda: seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter John Denver
• Released June 1973 by RCA Records
• Reached No. 16 on Billboard's Top 20 chart
• Three singles released after the album
• Title track: "Farewell Andromeda (Welcome to My Morning)"
• Recorded at RCA's Studio D, New York City
• Mixed at Morgan Studios, London

Background

• Follow-up to Denver's commercially successful album Rocky Mountain High (1972)
• At the time, Denver was one of the leading folk pop artists in the United States
• The album continued his exploration of nature, humanity, family and spirituality
• Title believed inspired by a line from Longfellow's poem A Psalm of Life
• Title track combines cosmic imagery with spiritual themes
• Songwriting moved beyond personal experience and nature-focused storytelling toward philosophical and abstract ideas

Recording

• Produced in collaboration with producer Milt Okun
• Soft acoustic sound rooted in folk, country and pop music
• Recurring themes: reverence for nature, nostalgia for the American West, family values
• John Denver on guitar and vocals; Eric Weissberg on banjo and steel guitar
• Toots Thielemans on harmonica; Lee Holdridge on string arrangements
• Don Wardell credited as Executive Producer

Cover

• Cover art credited to Mark English
• Gatefold cover with an orange label (Discogs notes)

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ko.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. on December 31, 1943, in Roswell, New Mexico; took the name John Denver on the advice of Randy Sparks, founder of the New Christy Minstrels.
• Attended Texas Tech University and sang in the folk group "The Alpine Trio" before dropping out in 1963 and moving to Los Angeles.
• Joined The Chad Mitchell Trio in 1965, replacing Chad Mitchell; the trio later became "Denver, Boise, and Johnson".

Members

• Solo artist; worked closely with producer Milt Okun early on and later with manager Jerry Weintraub.
• Collaborated with friends Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert, who later formed the Starland Vocal Band.

Career

• Left the trio in 1969 for a solo career; first album Rhymes & Reasons on RCA Records.
• "Leaving on a Jet Plane" became a number one hit for Peter, Paul and Mary.
• Breakthrough with Poems, Prayers & Promises (1971) and "Take Me Home, Country Roads", which reached number 2 on the Billboard charts.
• Reached number 1 with "Sunshine on My Shoulders", "Annie's Song", "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" and "I'm Sorry" in 1974–1975.
• Named Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year in 1975.
• Starred in the 1977 film Oh, God! with George Burns.
• Co-founded The Hunger Project and worked for environmental causes through the Windstar Foundation.
• Died in a plane crash off Pacific Grove, California, on October 12, 1997.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Record World called the title track a "bright and positive ditty in the same vein as 'Rocky Mountain High.'"
• The praise was aimed at the title track, the album's lead single candidate

Records

• Album entered Billboard's Top 20 and peaked at No. 16
• "I'd Rather Be a Cowboy": No. 62 Pop, No. 25 Adult Contemporary
• "Farewell Andromeda": No. 89 Pop, No. 20 Adult Contemporary
• "Please, Daddy": No. 69 Pop, No. 69 Country and Western
• Three singles released after the album
• The album followed the commercially successful Rocky Mountain High
• Singles charted on the Pop, Adult Contemporary and Country and Western lists

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ko.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album title is believed to have been inspired by a line from Longfellow's poem A Psalm of Life.
• "I'd Rather Be a Cowboy" is often regarded as a strong example of Denver's blend of country and folk influences.
• The Discogs release notes list a special thanks to the "Liberty" group of Aspen, Colorado.
• The release was issued with a single-sheet lyric insert.
• The album was mixed at Morgan Studios in London after being recorded in New York City.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

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