Maps of Music

Take Me to Tomorrow (1970)

Where the lyrics of Take Me to Tomorrow take you, and where it was really made.

Listeners expecting John Denver's usual pretty folk find a heavier folk-rock record with lyrics about belching and latrines.

Key places

Recorded at RCA's Studio C, New York City (1970)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — The album was recorded at RCA's Studio C in New York City. The pin sits at the city centre because the exact studio building is not confirmed. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Take Me to Tomorrow: second studio album by American singer-songwriter John Denver
• Released May 1970 by RCA Records
• Eleven tracks across two sides; Side A totals 17:07, Side B totals 14:16
• Songs include Follow Me, Isabel, Forest Lawn, Aspenglow, Amsterdam and Molly
• Most tracks are Denver's own; other writers include Tom Paxton, James Taylor, Biff Rose, Jacques Brel and Mort Shuman

Background

• Denver's solo debut Rhymes & Reasons is the companion record; per the liner notes, the two together replicate his concert performance circa 1969
• Rhymes & Reasons covers the lighter first half of that show; this album covers the more rousing, cerebral second half
• The album debuted on Billboard's Top LP's chart in the issue dated May 2, 1970, peaking at No. 197 during a two-week run

Recording

• Recorded at RCA's Studio C in New York City
• Engineer credited: Jim Crotty
• Personnel: John Denver on vocals and electric, acoustic and twelve-string guitars; Stann Free on accordion and piano; Paul Griffin on organ, celeste and piano; Marvin Stamm on trumpet; George Marge on English horn

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · it.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

Reappraisal

• AllMusic's Greg Adams: the album will surprise anyone expecting the pretty folk music and wisdom-of-the-children lyrics usually linked to Denver
• Comparatively heavy folk-rock sound married to lyrics that mention belching and latrines
• Strives for the realism and importance of Paul Simon or Phil Ochs without blatant politics
• Covers two Tom Paxton songs, including Forest Lawn, a wry swipe at the cemetery business
• Aspenglow is the cut usually included on anthologies
• Viewed as the second half of a concert with Rhymes & Reasons, the album accomplishes its goal, but it is not a typical John Denver album and will not suit every fan

At release

• Billboard Top LP's: debuted in the issue dated May 2, 1970
• Peaked at No. 197 during a two-week run on the chart

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

Trivia

• Forest Lawn is a Tom Paxton song that satirizes the cemetery business, echoing Evelyn Waugh's novel The Loved One
• Jimmy Newman, also by Tom Paxton, is the second Paxton song on the track list
• Credits: all songs are written by John Denver unless noted otherwise

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

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