Kingston Trio - Capitol Collectors Series (20 tracks) +Album Reviews

Twenty Folk/Pop Gems

Steve Vrana | Aurora, NE | 04/16/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Let's get this straight up front, the Kingston trio were a squeaky clean folk group with no real political agenda (leftist or otherwise), but for the five years represented on this single-disc collection they recorded a substantial body of high caliber work. [And don't let the matching striped shirts and clean-cut looks turn you off--in fact, the cover photo reminds me a lot of the Beach Boy publicity shots from the early Sixties.]

They charted seventeen songs on Billboard's Top 40 chart and they're all here, beginning with the No. 1 "Tom Dooley" in 1958 and ending with "Ally Ally Oxen Free" which charted at No. 62 in 1963.

This disc's first ten tracks feature the original classic lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane and Nick Reynolds. While the Trio may be seen more as popularizers than innovators, they hit the charts consistently with traditional fare like "Tom Dooley," "Raspberries, Strawberries" and "A Worried Man," along with novelty material like "M.T.A." and "Bad Man's Blunder." [Their humor could be subtle, too. Listen to the end of "Everglades" when they sing "Runnin' through the trees from the Everlys" and close out with the intro to "Bird Dog"!]

In 1961 Guard left the band and was replaced by John Stewart (who came from The Cumberland Three, another folk group whose manager also managed the Trio). This version of the group would hit the charts with Pete Seeger's "Where Have All the Flowers Gone," Hoyt Axton's "Greenback Dollar" and their only Stewart-era Top 10 "Reverend Mr. Black," which featured Glen Campbell on banjo. While Stewart (after leaving the Trio in 1967) would be known primarily as a songwriter--notably the Monkee's "Daydream Believer--his only hit with the Trio was the string-laden "One More Town." The biggest surprise was to find a version of "Seasons in the Sun," recorded a decade before Terry Jacks would take it to No. 1 in 1974.

Overall, this is a concise collection of the cream of the Trio's output which should satisfy all but the most dedicated fans. [They can revel in the 4-CD The Capitol Years box set--with more than three dozen previously unreleased songs.] But this disc is a real treat for casual fans and the uninitiated as well. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED"

The one to own

pspa | Boston, MA USA | 04/26/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are all sorts of Kingston Trio compilations out there, but this one is as good as it gets, both in terms of sound quality and selection of songs. From satire to serious to gorgeous ballads to downright funny material, the Kingston Trio did it all, with wonderful harmonizing, great acoustic guitar and banjo playing, and infectious enthusiasm; they never overdo anything and in fact are often understated, letting the music speak for itself; and even on standards such as Where Have All the Flowers Gone they manage to put their own unique stamp on a song. An indispensible CD to any lover of folk music."

A fine overview of the Trio's repertoire...

William E. Adams | Midland, Texas USA | 12/30/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am old, and discovered the Kingston Trio when "Tom Dooley" first was issued as a 45 rpm single in the l950's. I ended up buying every KT record issued until they left Capitol for Decca. I don't have the vinyl ones anymore, they wore out long ago, but I do have this CD collection. While many of my favorite Trio songs are not on it, because they were never issued as singles, what is presented here is excellent. The album booklet is wonderful as well...almost the quality of Smithsonian-Folkways research. You really can't go wrong buying this collection."

From scarlet ribbons to seasons in the sun

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 07/16/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Kingston trio were one of the most important folk groups of the late fifties and early sixties. Although the trio continued to perform with various line-ups for many years afterwards, it is their period with Capitol (1958-1964) on which their reputation is based and from which this set is compiled.No imagination was used in compiling this set, as twenty singles by the Kingston trio during this time and they are all included - no omissions, no bonus tracks. Devoted fans will always find some tracks that weren't released as singles that they prefer to some that were, but this CD is a great introduction to their music. For most people, it will contain everything required.The set begins with a single that failed to chart (Scarlet ribbons) and ends with two that failed to chart (The patriot game, Seasons in the sun) but all seventeen tracks in between made the American pop charts. Seasons in the sun, the final track, is a cover of Rod McKuen's translation of Le Moribond, a song written by Jacques Brel. The version here was recorded in 1963 but the song remained obscure until Terry Jacks had a worldwide pop hit with it in 1974.Of their seventeen American hits, Tom Dooley was the biggest. It topped the charts in America and was also a huge British hit. Nothing else made much impact in Britain chart-wise, but Tijuana jail reached number two in America. Reverend Mr Black was a top ten hit, while two other singles - M T A and Worried man - made the top twenty and two others - Where have all the flowers gone (a cover of the classic Pete Seeger song) and Greenback dollar (written by Hoyt Axton) - just missed the top twenty. Three other songs made the top forty but the remaining hits were very minor, some just making it into the top hundred.For anybody interested in the folk boom of the early sixties, a Kingston trio collection is essential, and this is the best single-CD collection there is."

They're All Here

Russell Diederich | Littleton, CO United States | 11/25/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Kingston Trio is one of the great folk groups from the fifties and sixties. Nick Reynolds, Bob Shane and Dave Guard started the phenomenon that would become the legendary Trio. Later, Dave Guard would leave and would be replaced by John Stewart of The Journeymen fame. This greatest hits disc is full of their most famous tunes. There is probably not a song on this disc you haven't heard. The Trio is probably most noted for "Tom Dooley", but it is not their best work by far, and here's the perfect place to hear their best.There are so many great songs the Trio performed, and all the songs here are great as well. The political ad "M.T.A." about Charlie not having enough money to get off the subway having to spend the rest of his life riding the trains through Boston. "The Tijuana Jail", "Everglades," and "Reverend Mr. Black" are other examples of their famous cuts, but there are other songs here that make this compilation complete. The beautiful "Scarlet Ribbons (For Her Hair)", the tongue in cheek "Raspberries, Strawberries," the nationalistic song of rebellion in "The Patriot Game," and the strange "Coo-Coo-U" also make this album. For anyone who is a fan of the Trio or folk in general, this is a great album to have. It doesn't show the true Trio, as they were a live act, dynamic and changing, never performing a song the same way twice, and having such fun between songs. Instead this is the cut and dried version of the Trio straight from the studio. This album is great, but live Trio stuff is even better."

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