John Denver - A Songs Best Friend (DVD)

.../> Hands up who remembers John Denver? (The original 'Milky Bar Kid meets Kermit') I do! I remember hearing 'Annie's Song' on my radio in the 70's. and the song 'Sunshine on my Shoulders' was featured heavily in a TV film I saw at around the same period. After his death, the movie 'Take Me Home - The John Denver Story', was released based on Denver's memoirs. I really enjoyed this although it was obviously an actor playing the character of John, ...
...THE MAN:

John Denver was born on December 31, 1943 as Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr., He was an American Country/ folk singer-songwriter and folk rock musician who was one of the biggest selling artists of the 1970s. He wrote many of his own songs, and took inspiration from the beauty of the natural world and his own experiences. He was named the Poet Laureate of his home state of Colorado in 1977. Around this time he also became somewhat ... more

INTRODUCTION:

Hands up who remembers John Denver? (The original 'Milky Bar Kid meets Kermit') I do! I remember hearing 'Annie's Song' on my radio in the 70's. and the song 'Sunshine on my Shoulders' was featured heavily in a TV film I saw at around the same period. After his death, the movie 'Take Me Home - The John Denver Story', was released based on Denver's memoirs. I really enjoyed this although it was obviously an actor playing the character of John, I felt it was done very well, and introduced me to a lot more of John's music and an idea of the type of person he may have been.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MAN:

John Denver was born on December 31, 1943 as Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr., He was an American Country/ folk singer-songwriter and folk rock musician who was one of the biggest selling artists of the 1970s. He wrote many of his own songs, and took inspiration from the beauty of the natural world and his own experiences. He was named the Poet Laureate of his home state of Colorado in 1977. Around this time he also became somewhat of a political activist, and later on did a great amount of humanitarian work. In 1996 he was inducted into the 'Songwriters Hall Of Fame'. Then suddenly on October 12, 1997 Denver was killed when the aircraft he was piloting crashed when it ran out of fuel. He had only just bought the aircraft, and it is said that he was unfamiliar with the modified controls.

THE MUSIC ON THIS DVD:

Each section has been given a title before the name of the song, this is how the DVD presents the content. The songs are NOT played in their entirety, but more than enough to enjoy a good part.

1. "THE BEGINNING" - The Eagle & The Hawk

This is a very powerful song. The people that knew John, say that he was like a hawk with his love of flying and his appreciation of the climate and the natural world.

"Come dance with the west wind and touch on the mountain tops, Sail o'er the canyons and up to the stars,
And reach for the heavens and hope for the future, And all that we can be and not what we are"

2. "TAKING FLIGHT" - Leaving On A Jet Plane

Milk Okun, Denver's Arranger/ producer explains that the song was going to be called "Oh Babe I Hate To Go" but he convinced John to use the better line from the song. Originally sung with the 'Chad Mitchell Trio' Denver gave the song to 'Peter, Paul and Mary' to release, and was very excited when it became a number 1 hit, apparently his friend had to pull the car over for John, when it came on the car radio, as he was so excited! Annie Denver (Johns first wife) remembers his crystal clear voice singing this song.

"So kiss me and smile for me, Tell me that you'll wait for me, Hold me like you'll never let me go,
Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane, Don't know when I'll be back again, Oh babe, I hate to go"

3. "TAKING ON THE WORLD" - Take Me Home, Country Roads

Who hasn't heard of this, (Well not including Ciao's young members!) its been covered by so many over the years. I remember Olivia Newton-John singing it myself! This version is delivered by Denver singing with co-writers Bill and Taffy Danoff, it is described as an 'Audience Song' and is popular all over the world, including China. At the end of this section, we get to see Denver and Johnny Cash playing their guitars and singing this song out in the countryside, I enjoyed seeing this unexpected bonus performance.

"Country roads, take me home, To the place, I belong,
West Virginia, mountain momma, Take me home, country roads"

4. "A STEWARD OF THE EARTH" - Aspenglow/ Calypso

Aspenglow appears to be a place of log cabins, and snow, where Mr and Mrs Denver moved. There are some beautiful scenic views enforcing Denver's love of the earth and environment. Lakes, mountains, and Denver with the glove on for handling birds of prey are captured in this section.

Calypso is discussed with Jean Michel Cousteau a conservationist and educator, Denver showed great interest in the Cousteau Society, and wrote this song as a tribute to Cousteau, and his research ship the 'Calypso' the DVD shows footage of dolphins, fishes, and sharks, as well as a good performance featuring fiddles, and guitars. This is a really smooth fast flowing song, which I think can be likened to the journey that water takes through the planet.

"To sail on a dream on a crystal clear ocean, to ride on the crest of a wild raging storm,
To work in the service of life and living, in search of the answers of questions unknown.
To be part of the movement and part of the growing, part of beginning to understand."

5. "JOY & SADNESS" - Sunshine On My Shoulder

One of my favourite songs, it oozes honesty. The beautifully written lyrics must hide some pain for it to tug at my heartstrings and have me welling up! The footage shows the stones in the 'John Denver Sanctuary' at Aspen, Colorado. These stones are probably granite, and they have been chiselled out like headstones with the words of Denver's songs. We see children playing amongst them, and it looks a very restful place.

I found this site to see a 365º view of the stones in the Sanctuary.
http://www.aspenportrait.com/john_denver_sactuary/index.html
If you do have a look, I must add that I have no idea who the man is in the view! He is just there and it's a bit spooky!

"If I had a day that I could give you, I'd give to you a day just like today,
If I had a song that I could sing for you, I'd sing a song to make you feel this way."

6. "THE EMBODIMENT OF LOVE" - Annie's Song

From the words seen on the stone in the Sanctuary we hear how this song was written in a ski lift, and John tells how he became hypersensitive to how beautiful everything was, the blue sky, the colours of the skiers, the birds singing, and then as the words came pouring out and the pictures merged he found that he was left with Annie, his wife. John says "That song was the embodiment of the love that I felt at the time.
We hear how Annie has heard this song played worldwide, in a variety of ways, her most favourite being when it was used for her daughters wedding to someone John had got to know before he died. Annie's song used to be a song she felt very close to, but of late it has just got so much bigger, and she doesn't connect as much now.

"You fill up my senses, Like a night in a forest, Like a mountain in springtime, Like a walk in the rain,
Like a storm in the desert, Like a sleepy blue ocean, You fill up my senses, Come fill me again"

7. "THE SHOWMAN" - Port Of Amsterdam/ Thank God I'm A Country Boy

These two songs show the contrast of ballads and fun songs which John loved to provide for a good mix.

'Port of Amsterdam' written by Jacques Brel, tells the story of the hard lives of the sailors who live and work from the port.

'Thank God I'm A Country Boy' - is a really good fast country song, involving much thigh slapping and Yeeh Ha's! The venue shown is the 'Tonight Show' where Denver took on the role of Guest Host in front of a huge audience. I liked the lyrics and wanted to sing along! It felt like a speedy example of a line dancing tune.

"Well life on the farm is kinda laid back, Ain't much an old country boy like me can't hack,
Its early to rise, early in the sack, Thank God I'm a country boy.
Well I got me a fine wife I got me a fiddle, When the suns comin' up I got cakes on the griddle,
Life ain't nothin' but a funny, funny riddle. Thank God I'm a country boy!"

8. "COLOURED TONES" - Perhaps Love

This was a new song to me, and it reminded me of the theme to 'Butterflies' an old sit/com I used to watch! We hear how it is one of Annie's favourites, being written while John was on tour and they were going through a separation and then a divorce. John wrote the song and sent it to Annie by overnight letter. It is a good example of the artistic creativity that bursts forth at random times and is unstoppable. This was recorded as a duet with Plácido Domingo in 1982. John Denver listened with great interest to how the song was delivered by the great tenor, and appreciated that each descriptive word was sung in a manner likened to the subject. Applying this himself made the song even more beautiful, and according to his producer the audiences reflected this. Annie says this is the song he sang the last year he lived when going into the 'Hall Of Fame' Denver says it was good to remember love, even if he wasn't feeling it at the time.

"Perhaps love is like a resting place, A shelter from the storm,
It exists to give you comfort, It is there to keep you warm.
And in those times of trouble, When you are most alone,
The memory of love will bring you home."

9. "AMERICAN HERITAGE" - Rocky Mountain High

We are told by Annie, and then John, that they went with friends one August, into the high country 10,000 ft up, to camp out in wait for a meteor shower, we get a piece of footage of them seated round a camp fire, and John with his guitar. When it came, the meteor spanned right across the sky raining fire down. This song contains that memory, it is woven into a song about a friend who died, and is very much a powerful anthem for Colorado.

"But the colorado rocky mountain high, I've seen it raining fire in the sky,
The shadow from the starlight is softer than a lullabye, Rocky mountain high"

10. "TIMELESS DENVER" - This Old Guitar

John introduces this last song, from an empty Sydney Opera House after a performance. He describes his dreams of performing round the world, and says although he appreciates the amazing opportunities that he has been given, and as nice as it is to sing with an orchestra or a really 'hot' band, "this one belongs to us" (as he lovingly picks up his cherished guitar)

"This old guitar gave me my life my living, All the things you know I love to do,
To serenade the stars that shine, From a sunny mountainside,
Most of all to sing my songs for you"

WHAT ELSE FEATURES?

Amongst the archival material, the interviews with John, his first wife and band members, there is a lovely clip with Johns Grandma Swope, who was apparently born in 1897. Grandma remembers how as a small child John picked up many songs, and nursery rhymes easily, and so she gave John her 1910 Gibson acoustic guitar. She sounded very proud of the fact that she told John he could have it if he went to his music lessons and learned how to play, and is happy to say that it was this gift that propelled him into the success he later achieved.

Milk Okun, John's producer and arranger reflects that he worked with John from four days after his audition till the day he died. He says he felt closer to him than to anybody. You can feel his loss. I do not know the dates of the individual interviews but the pain is still clearly visible, Denver's sudden death must have come as a great shock to this seemingly lovely man who you think must have been like a father to John.

In one section John states:
"I think I would most like to be remembered for the fact that I stood up for what I believed in, that I spoke for it, that I sang for it, that I worked for the things that I believed in."

DVD EXTRAS:

SCENE SELECTION: Ten, sorted out into the main songs featured in various quantities on this DVD.

BONUS LIVE PERFORMANCES:
1973 Red Rocks - Leaving On A Jet Plane
1974 John Denver Show - Rocky Mountain High
1981 Two Of A Kind - Annie's Song
1982 Red Rocks - Thank God I'm A Country Boy

PHOTO GALLERY: 10 Photographs from various points in John Denver's career.

DISCOGRAPHY: Pictures of the back catalogue of John Denver's work.

LANGUAGE SUBTITLE OPTION: English, Spanish, French, German, Dutch, Italian or Japanese.

DVD CREDITS: A fixed screen displayed list of those who deserve thanks for their contributions to this DVD.

OTHER INFORMATION:

Released 2004
Run Time - 82 minutes.
Director - Greg Poschman
Producer - Dirk Detweiler
Sony BMG Music Entertainment
Sedna Films
Also Available on CD from RCA Records
Available at Tesco - £11.99

DID I ENJOY THIS DVD?

Yes I did, the quality of the film was a bit 'grainy' in places, but I guess it would be dependant on the quality of the original footage. It did nothing to spoil my enjoyment of this film though.

Some of the songs pulled at my heartstrings and that is as good a way as any (in my opinion) of judging how much of the DVD is getting through and making itself felt.

I love the Arpeggio played guitars, and the fiddles, so these songs were very enjoyable. The interviews were broken up and inserted to the song section that they best described.
I got a good idea of how this singer/songwriter musical and artistic temperament caused his mood to swing, however I did not learn much about his private life, his second marriage or his children. His first wife Annie features heavily in the DVD and you get the feeling that she wants you to believe that they were best friends up until his death.

More information at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Denver

"What one man can do is dream. What one man can do is love. What one man can do is change the world."

 

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