Aerie cover

Aerie

John Denver

Album · 1971 · RCA Victor

Aerie is John Denver’s fifth studio album, released in November 1971 on RCA Victor and produced by Milton Okun. It entered the Billboard album chart on December 4, 1971, and peaked at number 75. Two singles came from it: “Friends with You,” written by Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert, on October 29, 1971, and Buddy Holly and Norman Petty’s “Everyday” on February 18, 1972.

The twelve tracks mix Denver’s own songs, such as “Starwood in Aspen” and “All of My Memories,” with songs by other writers: Kris Kristofferson’s “Casey’s Last Ride,” John Prine’s “Blow Up Your TV (Spanish Pipe Dream)” and Steve Goodman’s “City of New Orleans,” which Goodman had first recorded for his 1971 debut album. Denver wrote “The Eagle and the Hawk” with Mike Taylor, and it served as the title theme of an ABC documentary of the same name, featuring Denver and the conservationist Morley Nelson.

The musicians include Eric Weissberg on banjo, fiddle and pedal steel guitar, Paul Prestopino on banjo, dobro and guitar, Mike Taylor on guitar and dobro, Richard Kniss on bass, Gary Chester on drums, Paul Griffin on piano and organ, and Toots Thielemans on harmonica. Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert are among the vocalists.

Tracklist

  1. 1 Starwood in Aspen 3:09
  2. 2 Everyday 3:17
  3. 3 Casey's Last Ride 4:59
  4. 4 City of New Orleans alt version 3:20
  5. 5 Friends with You 3:26
  6. 6 60 Second Song for a Bank, with the Phrase "May We Help You Today?" 1:13
  7. 7 Blow up Your TV (Spanish Pipe Dream) 2:23
  8. 8 All of My Memories 5:01
  9. 9 She Won't Let Me Fly Away 3:46
  10. 10 Readjustment Blues 4:55
  11. 11 The Eagle and the Hawk 2:07
  12. 12 Tools 1:39

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