Take Me Home: A Tribute to John

by Take Me Home: Tribute To John D

Overview

Mark Kozelek's long-awaited Take Me Home: A Tribute to John Denver finally appeared in early 2000 on Badman Recording Company, his refuge since his contractual problems with Supreme (and that label's subsequent demise) indefinitely delayed the release of Old Ramon, the Red House Painter's putative sixth album. Badman also released two Shanti Project benefit albums that Kozelek also helped put together, as well as his solo album Rock N' Roll Singer. In the works since almost immediately after Denver's death in 1997, Take Me Home reflects Kozelek's devotion to the singer/songwriter; along with spearheading the project, he performs on a quarter of the album's songs. Red House Painters' elegiac, instrumental reading of "Fly Away" and thoughtful, plaintive "I'm Sorry" capture the gentle and scorching sides of his band, while "Around and Around," his duet with Mojave 3's Rachel Goswell, could have been recorded at a campfire, it's that mellow and intimate. Despite Kozelek's heavy involvement, Take Me Home doesn't feel like a vanity project because the other artists included on the album provide enough variety to make it into a friendly, diverse collection. Most striking, and most different from each other, are Bonnie Prince Billy's solemn, a cappella "The Eagle and the Hawk" and Tarnation and Joe Gore's spacy, spooky "Leaving on a Jet Plane." The Innocence Mission's "Follow Me" channels the sweet, naive spirit of early-'60s folkie-pop, while Rachel Haden's "Poems, Prayers and Promises" continues the polished yet fresh direction of that dog's later work. Hannah Marcus' world-weary "Looking for Space," Low's hymnal "Back Home Again," Sunshine Club's gentle, earnest "Annie's Song," and James Hindle's equally sincere "Whispering Jesse" are some of the album's many other highlights; more "important" artists can only hope for such a loving, thoughtful tribute. ~ Heather Phares

Product Details

Release Date:	04/18/2000
Label:	Badman Recording Co.
UPC:	0709363699523
Rank:	113816

Tracks

1. The Eagle and the Hawk  -  Bonnie "Prince" Billy  - John Denver
2. Follow Me  - John Denver  -  Innocence Mission
3. Poems, Prayers and Promises  - John Denver  - Rachel Haden
4. Fly Away  - John Denver  -  Red House Painters
5. Around and Around  - John Denver  - Rachel Goswell  - Mark Kozelek
6. Looking for Space  - John Denver  - Hannah Marcus
7. Matthew  - John Denver  -  Granfaloon Bus
8. Annie's Song  - John Denver  -  Sunshine Club
9. Whispering Jesse  - John Denver  - James Hindle
10. Leaving on a Jet Plane  - John Denver  - Joe Gore  -  Tarnation
11. Back Home Again  - John Denver  -  Low
12. I'm Sorry  - John Denver  -  Red House Painters

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Tarnation   Primary Artist
Low   Primary Artist
Sunshine Club   Primary Artist
Granfaloon Bus   Primary Artist
Hannah Marcus   Primary Artist
Red House Painters   Primary Artist
Rachel Haden   Primary Artist
Rachel Goswell   Primary Artist
Mark Kozelek   Primary Artist
Joe Gore   Primary Artist
Bonnie "Prince" Billy   Primary Artist
The Innocence Mission   Primary Artist
James Hindle   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Mark Kozelek   Producer,Composer
The Innocence Mission   Performer
Rachel Goswell   Performer
John Denver   Composer
Hannah Marcus   Performer
Sunshine Club   Performer
Joe Gore   Performer
Red House Painters   Performer
Bonnie "Prince" Billy   Performer
Granfaloon Bus   Performer
Mike Prosenko   Design
Nyree Watts   Photography
Rachel Haden   Performer
Low   Performer
James Hindle   Performer