Having grown up in and around the Rocky Mountains, I can't imagine life without this album. It never fails to cast a spell on me every time I listen. John's music captures the thrill and wonder I feel when gazing on those magnificent frosted peaks. Of course, the title track has become a signature song for him, and this original recording has a magic that has never been equaled. JD recorded this song several times, but none of the later versions sound as good as this one. His exuberant cover of the Beatles tune' "Mother Nature's Son", surpasses the original by a mile. "Paradise" is a charming, bittersweet bluegrass tale of a favorite childhood getaway that was destroyed by a mining company. One of John's earliest compositions, "For Baby", is given a first-class treatment. "Darcy Farrow" is an old folk song about love in a Nevada frontier town, beautifully delivered in a style that evokes the old West.

Only one song seems a little out of place here, a driving acoustic rocker called "Prisoners", which is a political protest against the military draft. It's a great song with lots of energy and some really tight guitar work, but it doesn't seem to fit in with the whole celebration-of-nature theme. "Goodbye Again" is a performer's lament, balancing the claims of personal relationships against the need to share music with the world. The rest of the album is taken up with the now famous song cycle called "Seasons Suite". A more charming tribute to the changing seasons would be difficult to imagine. The thread of common experience is what makes these songs so appealing to all. No collection of acoustic music is complete without this one. You'll find it irresistable!

I have been a musician now for over twenty years and no other musician has inspired me more than John Denver. I love acoustic music and John Denver's album "Rocky Mountain High" is acoustic music at its best. This album does have bite. It has some of the best acoustic guitar playing I have ever heard. From the opening lick on "Rocky Mountain High," which proclaims the reverent majesty of the mountains, this album is an homage to the environment, a subject very dear to JD. The title track is personally my very favorite song and it finally galvanized my desire to play the guitar. The song is not just about a man who lives in the rocky mountains, it is a personal anthem about the spiritual quest to find oneself.

"Mother Nature's Son" indeed is a song that JD made his own. I love the Beatles, but this is, in my opinion, the definitive version. "Paradise" was written by John Prine and is pure folk music. With the senseless destruction of the environment as its theme, it is interwoven with a nostalgic reminiscence for what once was. The love song and lullaby "For Baby (For Bobbie)" was an early song written by JD and first recorded back in his Mitchell Trio days. It displays one of JD's predominate talents...the gift of melody. Its a beautiful song, pure and simple. "Darcy Farrow" has become a classic folk tune and although it did not originate from JD it was another song that has become closely associated with him. It is another example of poignant and heartfelt finger-style guitar playing and singing that JD was a master craftsman at. It is another personal favorite song of mine to sing and play on the guitar.

"Prisoners" is one of the many songs in JD's career that are rare undiscovered gems. Many people all know his big hits, but delightfully sprinkled throughout the albums in his catalog are songs such as this. Prisoners also demonstrates that his song writing did, at times, cover some dark themes that are common to humanity. In "Goodbye Again" JD returns to a familiar theme in his music; the sorrow and the hardships of living a musicians peripatetic lifestyle. The song reveals one of the motives that drove JD to sing. As a musician I can relate to the desire to stand in front of people and communicate through music. It is a powerful drive. The album closes with the "Season Suite." It is a celebration of the seasons, and life in general. JD includes an instrumental "fifth season" "Late Winter, Early Spring." It is perhaps one of the most relaxing and meditative works ever done on the guitar. The playing reflects the genius of Mike Taylor, JD's lead guitar player at the time. It took me a couple of months to figure out his lead work, and now I perform that song any chance I get. This has been a little trek through John Denver's best album; if you purchase it, you will not be disappointed.

I can't say enough about this great musician and activist. Since I was a baby, I have been in love with his music. This album is so outstanding that it actually changed many people's minds and hearts about what is important in their life. It is an album that speaks to John's love of nature and fear for the environment with a voice that could break your heart and shatter glass. It is not an overstatement to say that every song on this album is a gem. My personal favorites are "Darcy Farrow" and "Mother Nature's Son". The acoustic guitar playing on this album is rich,warm, and technically astonishing. I owe my love of music to John Denver. God Bless You John.