No Easy Walk to Freedom is a studio album by the American folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary, released in 1986 by Gold Castle Records. Its release coincided with the group's 25th anniversary. Produced by John McClure and Peter Yarrow, the album was nominated in the Best Contemporary Folk Album category at the 29th Annual Grammy Awards.
| No Easy Walk to Freedom | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1986 | |||
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 33:42 | |||
| Label | Gold Castle | |||
| Producer | John McClure, Peter Yarrow | |||
| Peter, Paul and Mary albums chronology | ||||
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Background and composition
editWithout a label, Peter, Paul and Mary signed with Gold Castle Records to record No Easy Walk to Freedom. Released in 1986, it marked the trio's 25th anniversary.[2] The album was their first in almost nine years.[3] The title track was written for Nelson Mandela.[4] The group sought to connect the causes of Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr.[2] A few years later, Peter, Paul and Mary performed "No Easy Walk to Freedom" at an event in Tokyo honoring Mandela, shortly after his release from prison.[4] A music video for the song, directed by George Gage and Jim Shea, features archival footage depicting the group's involvement in human rights issues, along with performance clips.[5] Other songs on the album include "El Salvador", a protest song about the United States' involvement in the Salvadoran Civil War, and "Light One Candle", written for Jewish dissidents in the Soviet Union.[6]
Critical reception
editBillboard noted the group's "familiar formula of story-songs and socially conscious material" and described the album as "a pleasant return to form."[5] A review in Digital Audio and Compact Disc Review observed that the album's songs are "each stamped with PP&M's unique voice and harmonies, that deal not only with protest, but also with love, friendship, and childhood."[7] AllMusic's L. Katz wrote, "This is one of the trio's later releases and, if their fire is a bit dimmed, one can't blame them. However, if you want a CD that brings you back to the dawn of the flower-child generation, this probably isn't the one."[1] Keith Tuber of Orange Coast said: "Makes you wonder why it took 10 years and a new label to showcase the talent of these legendary performers."[6] A review in the Reno Gazette-Journal called the album "an extraordinary comeback, a set of 10 political broadsides and topical ballads. The arrangements are clean and fresh and the performances are genuinely moving from start to finish."[8]
No Easy Walk to Freedom received a 1987 Grammy Award nomination in the Best Contemporary Folk Album category.[9]
Track listing
editSide one
- "Weave Me the Sunshine" (Peter Yarrow) – 2:19
- "Right Field" (Willy Welch) – 3:36
- "I'd Rather Be in Love" (Pat Alger, Walter Carter) – 3:00
- "State of the Heart" (Richard Kniss, Noel Paul Stookey) – 3:21
- "No Easy Walk to Freedom" (Margery Tabankin, Yarrow) – 2:47
Side two
- "Greenland Whale Fisheries" (Fred Hellerman) – 4:13
- "Whispered Words" (Yarrow) – 3:21
- "El Salvador" (Stookey) – 3:58
- "Greenwood" (Yarrow) – 4:03
- "Light One Candle" (Yarrow) – 3:04
Personnel
editCredits adapted from LP liner notes.[10]
Additional musicians
- David Brown – acoustic guitar (1–3, 5, 7–10)
- Anthony MacDonald – percussion (1–3, 5, 8, 10)
- Richard Kniss – acoustic bass (1–2, 4, 6, 10)
- Eric Weissberg – banjo (2)
- Warren Bernhardt – keyboards (3)
- Anthony Jackson – electric bass (3, 5)
- Ed Walsh – keyboards (4, 7–9)
- Mick Moloney – mandolin (6)
- Séamus Egan – penny whistle (6)
- Lori Cole – concertina (6)
- Jay Leonhart – acoustic bass (7, 9), electric bass (8)
- New York Choral Society – chorus (10)
Technical
- John McClure – producer, engineer
- Peter Yarrow – producer
- Robert DeCormier – musical director
- Malcolm Pollack – mixing
- Jeff Cox – assistant engineer
- Ted Jensen – mastering
- Milton Glaser – album cover design
- George Leavitt – cover art associate designer
- Gregory Heisler – album cover photo
- John Robb – black and white photo
- Matthew Klein – composite album photo
Charts
edit| Chart (1986-87) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[11] | 173 |
References
edit- ^ a b Katz, L. "Peter, Paul and Mary - 'No Easy Walk to Freedom'". AllMusic. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
- ^ a b "3 Veteran Rock Acts Disappoint". Morning News. February 22, 1987. p. 118. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
- ^ "A Few Words With...". Detroit Free Press. July 31, 1987. p. 33. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
- ^ a b Yarrow, Peter; Kerry, John (2014). Peter Paul and Mary: Fifty Years in Music and Life (1st ed.). Watertown, M.A.: Imagine (Charlesbridge). p. 98. ISBN 978-1936140329.
- ^ a b "Video Track". Billboard. 98 (51): 37, 64. December 20, 1986. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ a b "Music: The B Side". Orange Coast. 13 (7): 194. July 1987. ISSN 0279-0483.
- ^ "Peter, Paul & Mary Sing Out a New Warning". Digital Audio and Compact Disc Review. 3 (7): 8. 1987. ISSN 1041-8342.
- ^ "On the Record". Reno Gazette-Journal. February 1, 1987. p. 69. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
- ^ "Grammys: Artist - Peter, Paul, and Mary". The Recording Academy. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
- ^ Peter, Paul and Mary (1986). No Easy Walk to Freedom (LP liner notes). Los Angeles: Gold Castle Records. 171 001-1.
- ^ "Chart History - Peter, Paul and Mary". Billboard. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
External links
edit- No Easy Walk to Freedom at Discogs (list of releases)