Peter Paul & Mommy – PETER PAUL & MARY***

The Marvellous Toy/Day Is Done/Leatherwing Bat/I Have A Song To Sing Oh/All Through The Night/Its Raining/ Going To The Zoo/Boa Constructor/Make Believe Town/Mockingbird/Christmas Dinner/Puff The Magic Dragon

Folk legends Peter, Paul & Mary successful run of albums came to an end with Peter Paul & Mommy, a collection of songs designed to appeal to young children. (US:12)

"Peter Paul & Mommy is one of the more cheesy albums I have heard in a long time. The reason for this is that the group is targeting children. As a result, you get twelve childish tracks, some with children singing along with the chorus line. The tracks are easy to sing and catchy if you are a child, but lack any musical depth. Most of the time, the melodies are annoyingly simple. There are a few tracks that bridge the child-adult gap, but most are forgettable."

"The musicianship on the whole is quite good. The vocal harmonies are spotless and the folk guitar is excellent. There are only a few tracks of worth and almost all of their previous material is stronger than what is presented here."

"The music is simple but intricate and superb. The harmonies are wonderful, and the playfulness is great. These are children's songs that aren't the sugary-sweet junk that many children's albums consist of. In these songs, there is a lot of goofiness, like in Boa Constrictor or Going To The Zoo, but there is sadness, like in Puff The Magic Dragon, and also seriousness, like in Christmas Dinner."

"Songs especially written for children have deteriorated steadily over the years, as all forms of popular entertainment, and especially popular music, have headed straight for the pits. This album from 1969 might be near the peak of the days when music for kids could be both non-insipid and non-imbecilic. Although more than half a century separates me from childhood, I listened to the songs here, almost all of which were new to me, with great pleasure."

"While I don't like all the songs, none of them are annoying and some are truly lovely, sweetly melodic examples of the human voice blended in warm harmony."

"The songs are very appealing to children, and yet are complex and varied enough to be interesting to most adults. The flawless harmonies of Peter, Paul and Mary weave together to create this very enjoyable album."