Rhymes & Reasons (John Denver album)
1969 studio album by John Denver
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Rhymes & Reasons is the first commercial studio album by the American singer-songwriter John Denver, released in October 1969 by RCA Records. It was reissued on CD by Legacy Recordings in 2005.[5]
| Rhymes & Reasons | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 14, 1969 | |||
| Studios | RCA, New York City | |||
| Genre | Folk rock | |||
| Length | 37:28 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Producer | Milton Okun | |||
| John Denver chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Rhymes & Reasons | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| The New Rolling Stone Record Guide | [4] |
"Leaving on a Jet Plane" was written and recorded by Denver in 1966 and included on his debut demo recording John Denver Sings as "Babe I Hate to Go". He made several copies and gave them out as presents for Christmas of that year. Denver's then producer Milt Okun convinced him to change the title and it was renamed "Leaving on a Jet Plane" in 1967. After the success of the Peter, Paul and Mary version in 1969, Denver recorded the song again for his debut album, Rhymes & Reasons, and it was released as a single in October 1969. Although it is one of Denver's best known songs, his single failed to enter the charts. It was re-recorded for the third and final time in 1973 for John Denver's Greatest Hits and this version appears on most of his compilation albums.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Love of the Common People" | 4:06 | |
| 2. | "Catch Another Butterfly" | Mike Williams | 2:31 |
| 3. | "Daydream" | John Denver | 2:54 |
| 4. | "The Ballad of Spiro Agnew" | Tom Paxton | 0:15 |
| 5. | "Circus" |
| 2:37 |
| 6. | "When I'm Sixty-Four" | 2:02 | |
| 7. | "The Ballad of Richard Nixon" | Paxton | 0:05 |
| 8. | "Rhymes & Reasons" | Denver | 3:15 |
| Total length: | 17:45 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Yellow Cat" | Steven Fromholz | 2:52 |
| 2. | "Leaving on a Jet Plane" | Denver | 3:37 |
| 3. | "(You Dun Stomped) My Heart" | Mason Williams | 2:41 |
| 4. | "My Old Man" | Jerry Jeff Walker | 4:34 |
| 5. | "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free" |
| 3:49 |
| 6. | "Today Is the First Day of the Rest of My Life (Sugacity)" |
| 2:10 |
| Total length: | 19:43 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Rusty Green" | Denver | |
| 16. | "Take Me to Tomorrow" (early version) | Denver |
Personnel
Musicians
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Production
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Charts
| Chart (1969–73) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (Official Charts)[6] | 21 |
| US Billboard 200[7] | 148 |
