Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

It is hard to believe that they released their very first Warner Brothers single more than 47 years ago. And although Peter Yarrow, Noel Paul Stookey and Mary Travers get credit for producing Rhino's brand new 2005 release "The Very Best of Peter Paul and Mary", I find it hard to believe that these folks ever really thought of themselves as a singles act or worried too much about how successful their records were on Billboard's Hot 100. Peter Paul and Mary were much more concerned with the issues they sang about and with the "live" performances they gave. Yet the fact of the matter is that Peter Paul and Mary made a half dozen Top Ten hits and amassed an impressive total of 19 charted hits. During their heydey in the 1960's they sold a ton of albums as well. The group still performs on a fairly regular basis, continues to record new material and boasts an extremely loyal following. For collectors like myself, Rhino has finally given us a pretty comprehensive single disc collection cleverly entitled "The Very Best of Peter Paul and Mary". Fans of the group would quickly point out that the 25 tunes on this CD do not necessarily represent the best songs the group ever made. I would be the first to agree with that assessment. Rather, "Very Best" presents the groups biggest and best singles as well as a number of memorable tunes from the groups most popular albums. Of course you will find the familiar hits you heard on the radio like "For Lovin' Me", "Puff The Magic Dragon", "Blowin' In the Wind" and their biggest hit ever from 1970 "Leaving On A Jet Plane". You will also hear Peter Paul and Mary belt out some of folk music's most important and memorable songs. Enjoy great renditions of Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land", Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'" as well as Pete Seeger's classic "If I Had A Hammer". Listen to some of PP&M's lesser known gems like "The Great Mandala (The Wheel of Life)" and "El Salvador" a haunting tune written by Noel Paul Stookey in the mid-eighties. For a brief period in the early 1970's the group took a hiatus from performing and each recorded solo albums. This collection also features a solo recording by each from this period including Noel Paul Stookey's memorable "Wedding Song (There Is Love) which was a pretty big hit back in 1971. "The Very Best of Peter Paul and Mary" replaces a vinyl copy of the 1970 release "Ten Years Together--The Best of Peter Paul and Mary" in my collection. It is a major upgrade. The remastering job is wonderful and Rhino has provided a 20 page booklet to peruse. For most people looking for a good overview of their work this collection will surely fill the bill. Highly recommended!