Carry It On [Bonus DVD]

by Peter, Paul and Mary

Overview

Peter, Paul & Mary's multi-decade career is for the most part well summarized, and certainly extremely well packaged, on this four-CD, 90-track box set. As with many such boxes, there's too much on here if you're not a devoted fan, and too much in particular from their post-early-'70s recordings, which take up all of disc four. But it does, of course, have all of their '60s hits, along with many of their better album tracks. Not all of those album tracks are good, but at the very least these show their willingness to take on an extraordinarily wide range of material, from traditional folk songs and children's tunes to covers of emerging songwriters like Bob Dylan, Fred Neil, Laura Nyro, John Denver, Gordon Lightfoot, and Tom Paxton, sometimes venturing into soft folk-rock. You could, in fact, make something of a secondary greatest-hits CD from the best of those tracks that would be almost as good as their actual greatest-hits CD, some of those standout songs being Nyro's "And When I Die" (released in mid-1966, when Nyro was virtually unknown), "Early in the Morning," "500 Miles," "The Song Is Love," Rev. Gary Davis' "If I Had My Way," Pete Seeger's "Where Have All the Flowers Gone," "Because All Men Are Brothers" (recorded with Dave Brubeck), and Ewan MacColl's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." Others, unfortunately, are only likely to be appreciated by completists, like Noel Paul Stookey's long comedy routine "Paultalk." As far as the kind of rarities routinely thrown on box sets to entice collectors, there are a fair number, most of them worth hearing, though none of them are among their more essential work. These include a previously unreleased cover of Dylan's "When the Ship Comes In," from the 1965 Newport Folk Festival; a previously unissued version of the traditional tune "Come and Go With Me," recorded live at the White House in 1964; a single-only 1966 version of "The Cruel War," with strings; "Il Faut Qu'il Vienne le Temps (If I Were Free)," from a French EP; the single version of "Hurry Sundown," minus the horn overdubs of the LP version; three tracks from a 1967 Japanese live album; the live single version of "Day Is Done"; and a few early-'70s solo cuts by Peter Yarrow, Noel Paul Stookey, and Mary Travers, the standout among these being Travers' orchestrated art song-ish "Conscientious Objector (I Shall Die)." There are also four bonus tracks -- placed, annoyingly, as songs that precede the official first songs of each CD, meaning you have to go to the beginning of song one and press the reverse button to access them -- predating the trio's recording deal. None of these are that good, but they have considerable historical interest, including a 1960 audition tape of Travers doing "Single Girl" (to be re-recorded by Peter, Paul & Mary on In Concert a few years later); Yarrow doing "Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime?" live in 1958; Noel Stookey & the Corsairs on their 1956 single "Goodbye Baby," where it sounds like they can't decide whether they're playing rock & roll or jazz; and a 1960 tape of Peter, Paul & Mary singing "Canaan Land," recorded at Stookey's apartment. The biggest extra, though, is a bonus DVD disc included with the box, featuring eight songs from various phases of their career. The first five of those clips, spanning 1963-1970, are quite good, including the group singing "If I Had a Hammer" during their famous appearance at the 1963 March on Washington; a 1966 TV clip of "Jane, Jane"; a vibrant 1969 rendition of "If I Had My Way," from The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour; and a 1969 broadcast of "Leaving on a Jet Plane," on which they're joined by the song's author, John Denver. (The three other DVD clips, spanning 1986-2002, are unfortunately not nearly as fun.) The 86-page bound-in booklet is mighty impressive too, jam-packed with vintage photos, historical essays, and appreciative tributes from numerous celebrities, from John Kerry and Bill Cosby to Studs Terkel and Coretta Scott King. ~ Richie Unterberger

Product Details

Release Date:	02/24/2004
Label:	Warner Bros.
UPC:	0081227390723
Rank:	101853

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Peter, Paul and Mary   Primary Artist
Mary Travers   Primary Artist
Peter Yarrow   Primary Artist,Guitar
Noel Paul Stookey   Primary Artist,Guitar
Dave Brubeck   Primary Artist,Piano
The Corsairs   Primary Artist
Toni Wine   Vocals
Hugh McCracken   Guitar (Electric)
Richard Bock   Cello
Lou Mauro   Bass
Seamus Egan   Penny Whistle
Charles McCracken   Cello
Tony Levin   Bass
Skip Prokop   Drums
Paul Butterfield   Harmonica
Russell George   Bass
Andy Narell   Drums (Steel)
Steve Gadd   Drums
Bernard "Pretty" Purdie   Drums
New York Choral Society   Vocals
Bill Lee   Bass
Chris Parker   Drums
Herb Lovelle   Drums
Anthony MacDonald   Percussion
Margaret Ross   Harp
Adam Mitchell   Guitar
Irwin Fisch   Keyboards
Alan Dawson   Drums
Bruce Langhorne   Guitar
David Finck   Bass
Jack Six   Bass
George Ricci   Cello
Paul Winter Consort   Saxophone
Bashiri Johnson   Percussion
Gene Bertoncini   Guitar
Eric Weissberg   Banjo
Lee Holdridge   Conductor
Ernie Hayes   Keyboards
Luther Tucker   Guitar
Wayne Moss   Guitar
Charlie McCoy   Harmonica
John Beal   Bass
Jay Leonhart   Bass (Acoustic),Bass (Electric)
David Rubinson   Percussion
Dean Parks   Guitar
Sal DiTroia   Guitar
David Buskin   Guitar
Kenneth Bichel   Keyboards,Synthesizer,Musical Director
Harvey Brooks   Bass
Herbie Hancock   Keyboards
Will Lee   Bass
Monte Dunn   Guitar
Maretha Stewart   Vocals
Dominic Cortese   Accordion
Virgil Scott   Flute (Alto)
Paul Prestopino   Banjo,Guitar
Bob Boucher   Bass
Sue Evans   Percussion
Mick Moloney   Mandolin
Milton Okun   Musical Director
Al Kooper   Organ
Albertine Robinson   Vocals
Gene Murrow   Horn (English)
Dan Armstrong   Horn
Tom Halsted   Drums
Walter Raim   Guitar
Lori Cole   Concertina
Robert Banks   Organ
Robby Coffin   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Joan Litman   Choir Director
The Village Light Opera Group   Vocals
Paul Griffin   Piano
Russ Savakus   Bass
Carlos Alomar   Guitar (Electric)
Elvin Bishop   Guitar
Jay Berliner   Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic)
John Denver   Guitar
Hargus "Pig" Robbins   Keyboards
Lenny Pickett   Horn
Robert DeCormier   Musical Director
Robin Batteau   Violin
Marvin Stamm   Trumpet
Michael Bloomfield   Guitar
Anthony Jackson   Bass (Electric)
Doug Ewing   Bass
Mustard Seed School   Vocals
David Brian Brown   Guitar (Acoustic)
Chuck Beale   Guitar
Denny Gerrard   Bass
Luther Rix   Drums
Morris Wechsler   Piano
Stu Scharff   Guitar
Jerry Graff   Vocal Director
Bob Zimmitti   Percussion
Richard Kniss   Bass,Bass (Acoustic)
Howard Collins   Guitar
Maurice Bialkin   Cello
Ruth Ben-Zvi   Marimba,Darbouka
Edgar DeHaas   Bass
Little Red School House Chorus   Vocals
John Daly Goodwin   Director
Doug Katsaros   Keyboards,Synthesizer Flute
Ed Walsh   Keyboards
Karl Herreshoff   Guitar
Maurice Smith   Flute

Technical Credits

Len Chandler   Arranger,Adaptation
Pete Seeger   Composer
Brooks Arthur   Engineer
Peter, Paul and Mary   Producer
Huddie Ledbetter   Composer
Peter Campbell   Composer
Roy Hendrickson   Engineer
Jim Pierson   Project Assistant
Richard Bock   Group Member
Judy Collins   Liner Notes
Naomi Neville   Composer
Mary Katherine Aldin   Memorabilia
Peter Yarrow   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Adaptation,Associate Producer,String Arrangements
Allen Shamblin   Composer
Patrick Milligan   Producer
Traditional   Composer
Shelly Yakus   Mixing,Engineer
Tom Glazer   Composer
Noel Paul Stookey   Composer,Producer,Adaptation,Arranger
Keith Jarrett   Composer
Bob Dylan   Composer
Bill Inglot   Producer,Remastering
Eddie Mottau   Producer
Bill Cosby   Liner Notes
Bill Schwartau   Engineer
Cheryl Pawelski   Project Assistant
Chris Dedrick   Arranger
Tim Bays   Composer
Adam Mitchell   Group Member
Louis Gossett, Jr.   Liner Notes
Margery Tabankin   Composer,Liner Notes
Tom Smothers   Liner Notes
Albert B. Grossman   Composer,Producer
Tom Swift   Engineer
Stu Davis   Archival Assistant
Buddy Mondlock   Composer
Malcolm Pollack   Engineer
Harry Yarmark   Engineer
Gordon Lightfoot   Composer
Hedy West   Composer
William A. Welch   Composer
Travis Edmonson   Composer
Paul Winter Consort   Group,Group Member
Larry Alexander   Engineer
Laura Nyro   Composer
Barry Alfonso   Liner Notes
Gary Nicholson   Composer
Earl Robinson   Composer
Ewan MacColl   Composer
Fred Neil   Composer
Fred Catero   Engineer
John Herald   Composer
Don Hahn   Engineer
Gene Bertoncini   Group Member
Lee Holdridge   Arranger,Composer
Steve Woolard   Discographical Annotation
Mike Engstrom   Product Manager
Joel Newman   Composer
John Beal   Group Member
David Rubinson   Producer
Walter Cronkite   Liner Notes
John Patterson   Mixing,Engineer
John Lennon   Composer
Hugh Brown   Art Direction
John McClure   Engineer,Producer
Arlo Guthrie   Liner Notes
Arturo Rodriguez   Liner Notes
Tom Paxton   Composer,Liner Notes
Guy Charbonneau   Engineer
Gloria Steinem   Liner Notes
Dave Allen   Composer
Will Holt   Composer
Leonard Lipton   Composer
Gary Peterson   Discographical Annotation
Virgil Scott   Group Member
George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff   Composer
Phil Ochs   Composer
Jesse Fuller   Composer
Phil Ramone   Engineer,Producer,Associate Producer
Anne Feeney   Composer
Ronnie Gilbert   Composer,Liner Notes
Jim Boyer   Engineer,Producer
Jim Mason   Producer
Mary Travers   Arranger,Composer,Adaptation
Ralph Rinzler   Composer
Rev. Gary Davis   Composer
Milton Okun   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Adaptation
Alan Silverman   Project Assistant
Butch Jones   Engineer
David Altschul   Liner Notes
Hamilton Camp   Composer
Harold Leventhal   Liner Notes,Memorabilia
Woody Guthrie   Composer
Theodore Bikel   Liner Notes
Will Juhans III   Engineer
Gene Murrow   Group Member
Gary Shearston   Composer
Elaine Sutherland   Composer
Paul Surratt   Project Assistant
Shelley Belusar   Tour Manager
Dave Dixon   Composer
David Halberstam   Liner Notes
Martha Hertzberg   Liner Notes,Executive Producer
Eugene McCarthy   Liner Notes
Julee Stover   Editorial Supervision
Ken Fritz   Executive Producer
Daniel Hersch   Remastering
Dave Tkachuk   Sound Design
April Milek   Project Assistant
Tim Scanlin   Liner Note Coordination
Steve Seskin   Composer
Artie Kaplan   Orchestral Manager
Bob Gibson   Composer
Bob Yellin   Composer
Elizabeth Cotten   Composer
Fred Hellerman   Composer
Jay Gorney   Composer
E.Y. "Yip" Harburg   Composer
Russ Payne   Engineer
David Mallett   Composer
John Court   Producer
John Denver   Composer
John Prine   Composer
Lee Hays   Composer
Robert DeCormier   Composer,Producer
Robin Danar   Engineer
Lowell Frank   Engineer
Louise Bennett Coverly   Composer
Vangelis   Composer
Hugues Aufray   Translation
Ossie Davis   Liner Notes
Leigh Hall   Project Assistant
Paul Bracaglia   Assistant
John Kerry   Liner Notes
Malia Doss   Project Assistant
Petter Dahlstrom   Engineer
Jim Wallis   Composer
Paul Kehoe   Archival Assistant
Sally Farr   Archival Assistant
Joyce Hall   Assistant,Archival Assistant
Chuck Beale   Group Member
Maria Villar   Design,Art Direction
Willy Welch   Composer
Mark Zampella   Engineer
Pat Sweeting   Engineer
David Ponak   Project Assistant
David LaPlante   Archival Assistant
Saori Soga   Project Assistant
Robert Bannard   Composer
Richard Kniss   Composer
Arthur Sullivan   Composer
William Schwenck Gilbert   Composer
Ruth Ben-Zvi   Group Member
James Mason   Composer
Ginger Dettman   Project Assistant
Kim Estlund   Project Assistant
William Sloane Coffin   Liner Notes
Cliff Bonnell   Engineer
Karen Gold   Composer
Randy Perry   Project Assistant
Lou Gonzalez   Engineer
Jimmy Edwards   Product Manager
Peita Carnevale   Assistant
Tracy Batteast   Arranger,Adaptation
Elena Mezzetti   Arranger,Composer,Adaptation
Karl Herreshoff   Group Member