Late Again – PETER PAUL & MARY***

Apologize/Moments Of Soft Persuasion/Yesterday’s Tomorrow/Too Much Of Nothing/There’s Anger In The Land/ Love City(Postcards To Duluth)/She Dreams/Hymn/Tramp On The Street/I Shall Be Released/Reason To Believe/Rich Man Poor Man

Late Again was the final top twenty album aimed at the adult market from legendary folk trio Peter, Paul & Mary. Their popularity would begin to wane and they disbanded in 1971. (US:14)

"With Late Again, Peter, Paul & Mary completed the transition from folk to folk-rock that had begun a couple of years before its release. As for the music, it was adequate but rather inconsequential, the harmonies polished and pleasing as always. The trio were at this point composing the majority of their own material, with serious-minded, mildly tuneful, subdued and fairly unmemorable originals, the best of them being Rich Man Poor Man."

"With the folk revival boom long past, PP & M had to change their approach in attempt to remain relevant. Late Again attempts to do just that. Although the group stay true to their folk roots and strive for acoustic over electric, there are elements here that are not standard PP & M fare: drums, keyboards and horns to name a few. Much of it sounds out of place and strained. Despite this, the singing is still predictably strong. They do a great job with the vocals and sound as tight as ever, but the song selection and the overall sound do not fit."

"The cuts found on Late Again are not nearly as strong as their earlier sixties material. Although nothing here is overly terrible, few tracks are worth one's time. Even the remake of Dylan's I Shall Be Released falls short of anything exciting. There's Anger In The Land is as close to the group will get to an enjoyable track, but is only of average quality when compared to their previous material. PP & M were caught in a tough situation. Times where changing and they had to realize this. However, departing too far from their folk roots might alienate some of their fans. Late Again comes after the group's glory years and can be avoided without fear of missing anything of worth."

"Late Again is a continuation of the eclecticism that marked most of Peter, Paul & Mary's albums after In The Wind. Somehow, despite an awkward mix of folk, rock 'n' roll, blues and soft, romantic balladry, this album moves effortlessly between the genres, mixing them up even, and ends up being a cohesive whole."