Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.
Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student assistant Mia (class of 2026) and features John Denver’s Rocky Mountain High album on vinyl. Thanks, Mia!
The Rocky Mountain High album was created to reflect the immense beauty of Colorado and the vast amount of love and appreciation John Denver has for the state. After changing his last name from Deutschendorf to Denver in the early 60’s, his love and passion for the state was further emphasized through this album. The folky vibes really encompass the natural beauty of Colorado and are reminiscent of sitting around a camp fire, as the title track so eloquently points out, and the warm vibes draw people together to celebrate their love.
This album is further enhanced by listening to it on vinyl. This form of media highlights the warmth of the song and the sounds of the instruments. It also seems more conversational between artist and listener as on vinyl it isn’t as refined as through other media types. Especially within this genre, vinyl highlights the common instruments of folk music such as the acoustic guitar and natural vocals which I personally really appreciated when listening.
This album’s release in the early 1970s gained popularity due to the rising environmental awareness of the time. His album was an inspiration to many to go out and enjoy nature and the beauty of the world. He encourages his audience to see the world and its beauty as a transformative experience, rather than by merely recognizing the scenery.
