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SYNOPSIS There once was a time, some years before the ascendance of rock 'n' roll on Top 40 radio, when popular music veered sharply from the mainstream to sample American roots-music traditions. Inspired by the songs of Pete Seeger and The Weavers, this "music of conscience" or "folk" music found its greatest expression during the early '60s in the songs of an emerging Greenwich Village group known as Peter, Paul and Mary. In this DVD release of their PBS TV special Carry It On , the trio recalls the beginnings of the cultural revolution of the '60s when music emerged as a unifying force amidst the turbulent currents of social change. Carefully chosen archival footage traces the group's phenomenal career, as a musical and personal story is told through selected concert and interview segments. .com ---- The importance of being earnest is vividly illustrated in Carry It On, which chronicles the enduring work of folksingers Peter Yarrow, Noel Paul Stookey, and Mary Travers, who at the time of this comprehensive, 80-minute documentary had already marked their 40th anniversary as a trio. There are nearly three dozen tunes (or parts of tunes) here, ranging from "Lemon Tree" in 1962 to several new performances from '03. And while their earlier music now sounds somewhat tame, even quaint (or, in the case of "Puff the Magic Dragon," cringe-inducing), at the time, Peter, Paul and Mary's pro-civil rights, anti-Vietnam War stances were considered rather radical, helping pave the way for Bob Dylan (whose "Blowin' in the Wind" they performed at the same '63 rally in Washington, D.C. where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I have a dream" speech) and the evolution of pop music's social conscience. These days, they've found a niche performing for kids and making programs for PBS (it's the perfect match). And while they may have lost their hair and their figures, Peter, Paul and Mary remain as committed as ever to making music that provokes, inspires, and entertains. Carry It On indeed. --Sam Graham