John Denver - underrated?

Compared to most '70s singer/songwriters, John Denver is generally forgotten nowadays, yet in the 70s he was pretty much unstoppable. Outside of one person no one my age group (I'm 24) has even heard of him...Any other big JD fans here?

 

I was never a huge fan, but Windsong is a great album.

 

Big Denver fan here.

 

My wife is a huge fan, I like him too.

 

yes I think he's underrated.

 

I'm a huge fan. Not sure if he's under rated as those that are fans rate him very highly. And I think most singer songwriters of that era are mostly forgotten by todays youth.

 

The great thing about him was he was real, he wrote, played and sung his stuff. Not some made up act likes so many others are. Cat could play, write, and sing and pour himself out bare for all to hear and see. Kudos to him and a well deserved nod to his legacy. The real thing. So rare these days.

 

John Denver was a superstar and a great singer/performer who was admired for his unique level of honesty. Like many other artists, I believe his talent as a musician was sometimes overshadowed by his overwhelming mainstream media presence, which often stems from business obligations one has when they reach that level of fame. Normally, there is a difference between an artist and their body of work and an image of them fabricated for the purpose of sales. Ironically, I don't believe that John's projected image was contradictory to his lifestyle, beliefs, interests, values or who he was as a person.

People hearing his music for the first time might not realize the level of stardom he achieved as a musician, actor and activist who championed many causes. John raised awareness and fought for issues and causes which affected just about everyone around the world and his love for the human race was not restricted to borders. John Denver led by example and made everyone in the U.S. proud to be American. He raised awareness not only for environmental conservation, nuclear disarmament, poverty and hunger, but also male sterility. Most men would not be willing to publicly admit that they were sterile, but John Denver wasn't embarrassed by something which was out of his control. John and his wife adopted a number of children, which helped to raise awareness for orphans.

Strictly from the perspective of a music lover, John Denver made some great albums and singles which have aged very well by today's standards.

If you're a huge John Denver fan, his RCA Albums Collection box set is an essential purchase.

http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-rca-albums-collection-mw0002227386

 

Not my kind of music, but he was a great talent. I could not believe it when he passed.

 

I watched a documentary on Denver on PBS recently and found it quite interesting. He was a very good songwriter and performer. Leaving on a jet plane and Country roads are all time classics. There's no question that he was vilified by rock critics back in the 70's. But the best of his music definitely holds up as well as Cat Stevens and James Taylor.

 

No

 

The Muppets and George Burns thought pretty highly of him. Heck, I do too.

 

Forgotten but not underrated. John Denver was one of the biggest selling stars in the 1970s and early '80s. When his stock fell, though, it fell hard. Too bad as a couple of his later albums were winners.

 

I have to agree

 

I'm a HUGE John Denver fan. I'm happy to read that someone as young as you is a fan, too. But I have to disagree with you, when you write: "John Denver is generally forgotten nowadays..." He's not; he's just not popular among young people in your age group. A second career-spanning box set was released recently (by his old record company; not some "grey label"). Also, he's probably the one artist (alongside Kenny Rogers), who most frequently gets the greatest hits treatment. So, I feel pretty confident when claiming that he's still very popular with many music lovers all over the world. Fortunately.

 

John Denver was great!
Unfortunately part of John Denver's problem was his music was somewhere between pop and country - didn't seem to fit in either genre. And his goody two shoes personality and those little glasses and always smiling like he did...young people may not have considered him "cool."

 

I've gotten into John more in the last decade or so. His image and constant TV exposure did get in the way for me by the late 70's, his hits became sporadic by then, and I was a classic rocker getting into Bruce and punk (you can imagine). As I've aged I've come to appreciate his guitar work and especially his range and power as a vocalist---his live singing was astonishing. Not to mention his idealism which is more admirable now than ever. So it's great to hear of young people out there who are embracing him and who aren't hung up on the stereotypes of that time period like I was. Hell, back then I thought "Fly Away" was unlistenable dreck; these days I can't get through a verse without choking up. I'm a better person now.

 

Have one collection of his material which I love and I would like to have more. Also thought he was great in Oh God.

 

I had a few of his singles when they were current but none of his albums. When I got my SACD player many years ago I bought his "Greatest Hits Live" SACD (or whatever I was called). It is one of my most listened to SACDs. A great performance beautifully recorded.

 

He could have been the voice of his generation.

 

Huge John Denver fan here. Unfortunately for him, he was branded as too wholesome to be cool, early in his career. He wasn't tortured enough. He was too darned happy! If he'd had some addictions he was dealing with, maybe he could have been a critic's darling. To be honest, he did write some rather...lightweight material. So did Paul McCartney and he was criticized for it too. But JD wrote a lot of beautiful music that has held up well through the years (as did Paul ).

 

I've always liked his music. I'm not a huge fan, but I have some of his stuff in my collection. He was a a genuine human being, as well as an artist and philanthropist.

I don't understand why critics didn't like him. It seems like John was someone the critics loved to hate. What do critics know, anyhow?! They don't buy the albums they're reviewing either, usually. The fans do.

 

Lovely comment. I guess that's why you appreciate Dan Fogelberg, too.

 

He's great, and I'm not even sure he's forgotten. His albums are still reissued or repackaged in box sets, and as others have noted, there is a documentary about him that has been in heavy rotation on PBS for several years. Seriously, I think that doc has been the centerpiece of their fundraising drive for the past four or five years, at least.

 

Thanks V&V. If "Fly Away" is bad, you should see me during "Scarecrow's Dream" or "Sand & the Foam". It's not pretty. But back to J.D....