Roger McGuinn: “Peace on You” (1974)
The title track from McGuinn’s second album comes across as a poor man’s Charlie Rich.
Kronomyth 2.1: Baby, you’re a rich man too.
Roger McGuinn, like Bob Dylan, has always been something of an enigma. Both accepted and rejected their star status, sometimes at the same time, as a trifle: a crown won at a carnival that could be worn, removed, misplaced, or lost for years at a time with little regard for its value to the rest of the world. Which brings us to McGuinn’s second album and the single, Peace on You. McGuinn was not a prolific writer like Dylan, so it wasn’t unusual for him to cover other people’s songs. But the decision to cover Charlie Rich’s “Peace on You” was strange even by McGuinn’s wide standards. It’s an unusual song, almost vindictive, that brings God’s curse upon an unfaithful lover and then blesses her with peace. In other words, there’s nothing peaceful about it. Rich strikes the right balance between grief and trying to come to terms with it. McGuinn ‘s version, while similar, adds electric guitars and comes across as much nastier; clearly the singer in this song is still hurt. If you’re thinking to yourself right now, “Hey, that sounds like it’d make for a great hit single,” then peace on you indeed. The video link below illustrates just how bizarrely this played out. (You might also enjoy seeing Lee Sklar with a full head of hair.) It appears the single version was edited down from the original by about a minute, although I couldn’t tell you what they cut out. In Europe, the B side was Without You. It’s one of the better tracks from Peace on You, but that’s not an endorsement.
Original 7-inch single version
A1. Peace on You (Charlie Rich) (2:59)
B1. Without You (Roger McGuinn/Jacques Levy) (4:07)
The Plastic
Released on 7-inch single in September 1974 in the UK (CBS, S CBS 2649) and the Netherlands (CBS, CBS 2649) with regional picture sleeve. Also released as promotional 7-inch single in 1974 in the US (Columbia, 3-10044) feat. A mono on flip.
