Peter, Paul, and Mary Peter, Paul & Mommy CD

This particular reissue gets a lower audio rating because of a general music mix that comes across as far too busy, between the usual guitars (picked with folky enthusiasm), the vocal arrangements (often with children incorporated), and the addition of not only acoustic bass (heard before on the group's albums), but banjo, autoharp, hammer dulcimer, etc. The tape hiss is more evident on this album, too. Peter, Paul and Mary had the essential appeal of seeming like a family -- Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey looked as though they could have been brothers, and it really wasn't a stretch to see Mary as their sister. It's this picture that informs Peter, Paul and Mommy, an album of songs for children (as played by people accommodating to adults) and prevents it from becoming a lump of sugar. As a result you get Tom Paxton's "The Marvelous Toy" with its charming imagery, Yarrow's "Day Is Done," a melancholy paean to the truth of passing the flame to a new generation, and the outright goofiness of Shel Silverstein's "Boa Constrictor." As a fillip you also get "Puff (The Magic Dragon)." While short at 35 minutes (it would have been nice to have as a two-fer) it's a charming, well-done album that's as delightful for grown-ups as for kids -- and as vital for kids as it ever was. If you have children, you can sit with them and enjoy this album. ~ Steven McDonald

Live Recording