Peter (album)

Peter
Studio album by
Peter Yarrow
ReleasedFebruary 1972
Studios
Genres
LabelWarner Bros.
Producers
Peter Yarrow chronology
Peter
(1972)		 That's Enough for Me
(1973)
Singles from Peter
  1. "Don't Ever Take Away My Freedom"
    Released: March, 1972
  2. "Weave Me the Sunshine"
    Released: April 10, 1972

Peter is the 1972 debut solo studio album by American pop and folk singer-songwriter Peter Yarrow. Released on Warner Bros. Records, the album was produced by Milt Okun and Phil Ramone and was released after the breakup of the folk group Peter, Paul and Mary.[1][2][3] The album reflects Yarrow's shift away from folk towards pop and rock, while retaining his anti-war commentary and political activism.[4] The album contained two singles, the second of which, "Weave Me the Sunshine", climbed to No. 25 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart after its debut on it in late May 1972.[5]

Cover art

The cover art for Peter was designed by Milton Glaser.[6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarHalf star[7]

The album received positive reviews from music critics. Billboard noted that "Kal Rudman calls it 'album of the year'."[8]

Mike Shearer wrote for The Albuquerque Tribune that the album is a "painfully good album, a personal album ... worth whatever price you find on it".[9]

The Springfield Leader and Press said that "the statements" on the album are "much too personal to be considered folk music". It remarked that "the lyrics are too modern, the chord patterns too complicated, the rhythms too varied."[1]

In an AllMusic album review, Richie Unterberger wrote that the songs "aren't as memorable as the best of Peter, Paul and Mary's" and that "the arrangements can sound odd" when compared to those of the trio, later remarking that the album is "a pleasantly accomplished effort, if a bit tilted toward the gentle and sweet".[10]

Chart performance

Peter did modestly on the US pop album charts, following a sales spike for Warner Bros. Records in early 1972.[8] It debuted on Billboard magazine's Top LP's chart in the issue dated March 3, 1972, peaking at No. 163 during a ten-week run on the chart.[11] The album entered the Cashbox magazine's Top 100 Albums chart in the issue also dated February 23, 1972, peaking at No. 111 during an eleven-week run on it.[12] The album debuted on the Record World Album Chart in the issue dated March 18, 1972, reaching No. 112 and dropping out in May.[13]

Track listing

Peter track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."River of Jordan"Peter Yarrow2:51
2."Mary Beth"
  • Elizabeth Yarrow
  • Peter Yarrow
2:47
3."Goodbye Josh"Peter Yarrow4:08
4."Take Off Your Mask"
  • Mary Beth McCarthy
  • Peter Yarrow
3:32
5."Wings of Time"
  • Elizabeth Yarrow
  • Peter Yarrow
4:10
6."Don’t Ever Take Away My Freedom"Peter Yarrow4:37
7."Side Road"Peter Yarrow2:52
8."Tall Pine Trees"Peter Yarrow3:17
9."Greenwood"Peter Yarrow3:42
10."Beautiful City"
  • E. Mezzetti
  • Peter Yarrow
3:15
11."Plato’s Song"
  • E. Mezzetti
  • Peter Yarrow
2:56
12."Weave Me the Sunshine"Peter Yarrow4:24
Total length:45:58

Charts

Weekly chart peaks for Peter
Chart (1972) Peak
position
US Billboard Top LP's & Tape[11] 163
US Cashbox Top 100 Albums[12] 111
US Record World Album Chart[13] 112

Personnel

Composition

  • Peter Yarrow – writer
  • Elizabeth Yarrow - writer
  • Mary Beth McCarthy – writer
  • Elaina Mezzetti – writer

Production

Vocals and instruments

References

  1. 1 2 "Off the Record - Yarrow - a Personal Singer Musical Notes - Lazarus a pop-spiritual group". Springfield Leader and Press. May 14, 1972. p. 41. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Separate Ways | News | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Peter's personal politics By Lynn Van Matre". Chicago Tribune. March 19, 1972. p. 390. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  4. ↑ Finkle, David (April 29, 1972). "DIALOGUE THE VIEWPOINTS OF THE INDUSTRY" (PDF). Record World. p. 6. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Top 40 EASY LISTENING" (PDF). Billboard. May 20, 1972. p. 39. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  6. ↑ "In Memoriam: Milton Glaser, Graphic Design Master who inadvertently brought Dylan and the 60s music scene to Woodstock". NYS Music. June 27, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  7. ↑ Unterberger, Richie. Peter Yarrow – Peter: Review at AllMusic. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  8. 1 2 "First Came 1972. Our January Releases. Warners Exploded 81% of It Onto the Charts!" (PDF). Billboard. p. 12. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Peter, Peter Yarrow By Mike Shearer The Record Rack". The Albuquerque Tribune. May 25, 1972. p. 62. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  10. ↑ Peter - Peter Yarrow | Album | AllMusic, retrieved March 25, 2025
  11. 1 2 Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top LPs, 1945–1972. Record Research. p. 159. LCCN 74075179. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  12. 1 2 Hoffmann, Frank W (1988). The Cash box album charts, 1955-1974. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press. p. 418. ISBN 0-8108-2005-6. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  13. 1 2 "Album Chart" (PDF). Record World. Vol. 26, no. 1296. April 22, 1972. p. 40. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
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