So I started getting interested in his life and legacy, and now, one year and twenty albums later, I'd say that he not only was one of the best artists ever, but also a wonderful human being - both of which can be felt listening to "The WILDlife Concert".

The combination of these two aspects make that record a must-have for every music fan.

The Essential John Denver Album - Stunning!
Songs like "Thank God I'm A Country Boy" and "Grandma's Feather Bed" gave John Denver an undeserved reputation as a purveyor of corniness. Songs like "Rocky Mountain High,""Poems, Prayers, and Promises" and countless others showcase the songwriting and performing skills that make John Denver unique among American songwriters.

The performances on this CD are stunning. Some arrangements are very true to the original recordings we know and love; others take songs to a new place. The great surprise of this CD are the inclusion of great songs that, unless you are a serious JD collector, would not be known to most listeners.

I've always loved John Denver, not only because of the beauty of his songs and his committment to various causes, but because he is the only artist whose songs speak to me. Love the outdoors? Then "Rocky Mountain High,""Sunshine On My Shoulders," and "Calypso" are for you. Love someone? Try "Annie's Song" and "For You." Problems with the one you love? "Two Different Directions." Ever contemplate what you might have done differently with your life? "Whispering Jesse" - one of the gems I uncovered on this CD, and truly one of his great songs.

The old cliche is that, "if you could only own one CD"....well, that would be a shame, because there are many other great John Denver CDs...but, if you could only own one CD...

Worth it for the new songs, but the old stuff is a step down
John, God bless him, recorded this album after his prime. While this album is nowhere near bad, you can definately hear his voice going. The highs have lost their edge and gained a little more vibrato. This is why I would not recommend this album for the fans of the older JD stuff. An Evening With John Denver is a much greater testament to his former vocal prowess. I have to skip the tracks of Rocky Mountain High, Rhymes and Reasons, Country Roads, Wild Montana Skies, and Annie's Song because they are so much worse than they once were. But the album DOES mostly redeem itself. The live versions of his new songs are great and his songwriting and style are still omnipresent even if his vocal range and purity aren't. Eagles and Horses, Shanghai Breezes, Leaving on a Jet Plane Medley, Amazon, A Song for All Lovers, and Calypso are great in this live version. I would ABSOLUTELY recommend this to anyone who hasn't heard John's earlier stuff, and to die hard fans, but this is not for the casual JD fan who enjoys his earlier stuff. The vocal change will drive you nuts.

A good effort, but a bit uneven.
This is an updated review. First of all this is not a bad CD. It is just that I didn't like the song selection, it could have included more environmental songs like, "Windsong" "Boy From the Country" "American Child" "The Eagle and The Hawk" "Children of the Universe." Also, I think at times his voice was not as good as I had heard it back in the mid to late 80s, when I think it was at its peak.

And since he was singing so much better than he was during the height of his popularity I dreamed, no, longed for him to do another live album. So in 1995 I waited very impatiently for the "Wild Life Concert" CD to be released. Friends who had been at the event told me it was great.

I understand that this CD was also meant to jump-start his career. That is why I was a little disappointed in the song selection. Songs like "Bet on the Blues" did display JD's versatility, but, however, it was like he was selling out to recapture past glories. The song "The Harder They Fall" is another example of JD trying to be diverse, but I just don't care for the song. On songs like Matthew (a big favorite of mine) JD sounds strained and heavy handed on this rendition. The same could be said for "Leaving On A Jet Plane/Goodbye Again". He sounds as if he was laboring under these pieces.

Okay, onto some positive aspects of this CD. It was great to have a live rendition of "Darcy Farrow", and JD delivers this with care and sensitivity to the tragedy of the lyrics. This album showcased JD's new band members. He was returning to a more acoustic sound after years of James Burton's electric guitars and Jim Horn's sax and flutes (which I never really cared for). I think the new band was a step in the right direction. The best version of "I Guess He'd Rather Be In Colorado" is on this CD. It is accentuated with Pete Huttlingers great lead work. John Denver's cover of the Grateful Dead's song "Me And My Uncle" turns the song into a pure out-law western song that is punctuated with Alan Deremo's sizzling bass solo. Other gems on this CD are great live renderings of "Eagles and Horses", "Calypso", and "Amazon". "Rhymes and Reason", a song that is prophetic and hopeful in the aftermath of the September 11th tragedies, is delivered with stirring and unabashed heartfelt elegance. Also on this CD is John's beautiful love song "For You." That should have been, could have been, a great hit single.

He closes the CD with the usual end of the concert staple "This Old Guitar." This is generally one of my favorite songs, but he administers this selection as if he was just going through the motions. But Listen to the version on "An Evening With John Denver" and I think you'll see the difference.

Excellent summing up of JD's career...
This is a late career performance (l995) of mostly early hits, and to my taste, John sounds as good or better than he ever did. His love of performing shines through here, and his stage presence wins you over and takes you back to the days of 20 years earlier when getting the new JD album was a duty, not a joke. I am very pleased with this double-CD. I have either owned, or heard, almost everything John released over the decades, and this one is worthy to stand with the best. The concert was filmed and shown on PBS a few years ago, and when I watched it I was amazed at his energy, stamina and enthusiasm. By l995, nobody was buying his newer songs, and few were admitting even to having loved his previous work. But we did love that stuff in the 60's and 70's, and it was good. This concert brings back that innocence and joy and reminds us that JD was indeed, a great talent.