Search - The Kingston Trio :: Kingston Trio #16/Sunny Side!

#16

Richard Righter | North Carolina | 10/18/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My father's vinyl copy of The Kingston Trio #16 is one of our family's most treasured items, and is one of the greatest albums ever released. Every song was engrained in my head from my earliest memory. My brothers and I have sought another copy for years; we lost hope prior to finding this long overdue CD release.
Even the great Johnny Cash could not match The Kingston Trio's version of Delia's gone, "One More Round." And "Run the Ridges" is musical perfection - perhaps my favorite song of all time. This song is the high point of the album's incredible intensity of patriot and rebel spirit. This intensity is felt throughout, from the fervent conviction of "The Reverend Mr Black," the heartfelt nostalgia of "Mark Twain," the morbid anguish of "One More Round," to the quiet fury of "Ballad of the Quiet Fighter."
Extremely listenable, the album provides the full range of emotion and variety while maintaining a consistent, unique sound that shifts effortlessly throughout that spectrum of feeling.
Bottom line - all very cool, classic songs that no one should go through life without hearing, and every American should own."

The last great album by the Kingston Trio during the Capitol

Lawrance M. Bernabo | The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota | 08/19/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Collected on this one CD are a pair of Kingston Trio album from 1963, which puts them at the end of the first stage of the history of the group. "#16" made it to #4 on the Billboard album chart, which would actually be a tad disappointing given the group's track record. Fans will find more original compositions than usually end up on a Kingston Trio album. John Stewart wrote "Road to Freedom," "Run the Ridges," and "Ballad of the Quiet Fighter," while joining with Bob Shane and John Stewart to write "One More Round," "Low Bridge," and their arrangement of "La Bamba," which gets points for not sounding anything like the Richie Valen's version everybody knows. The big hit from this album was "Reverend Mr. Black," which made it to #8 on the Billboard singles chart (and the fellow playing banjo on the song turns out to be Glen Campbell). You should also recognize "Try to Remember" from the off-Broadway hit "The Fantasticks." On the lighter side, they do a song about "Mark Twain," which is actually about measuring two fathoms father than Samuel Langhorn Clemens. That one contrasts nicely with the gentle "River Run Down," so you get the usual excellent mix of folk music styles on this one, which is arguably the last great album the Kingston Trio did for the Capitol label.



"Sunny Side!" was the album that was rushed out to capitalize on the Kingston Trio's hit single "Reverend Mr. Black." The cover art is pretty cheap looking and too many of the songs simply do not have the polish that you expect from this group. Still, it remains an enjoyable listen. "Desert Pete" made it to #33 as a single and the album made it up to #7 on the Billboard chart, which made it an average success for the group given what it had accomplished previously. "Rider" and "Sing Out" are solid efforts, and you will probably recognize "Jackson" from the covers done by duos such as Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash or Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood. The other song that grabs your attention is "Ballad of the Thresher," which is about the U.S. nuclear submarine that was lost on April 10, 1963 with 129 officers and crew. It is hard to get more topical than a song like that, although the group would be back in the studio in November of that same year to write a song about a far greater national tragedy. Also, if you have been waiting to hear the Kingston Trio sing Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind," then your search is over because it is covered on this album. "#16" is a five-star album and this one is four-star at best, but put them together on one CD and you have to round up."

Simply The Best

Michael G. Batcho | McAdoo, PA (USA) | 09/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

""The Kingston Trio #16" and "Sunny Side" have always formed a unity in my mind and have always been "one" album -- so it is so great to see these two albums by The Kingston Trio issued together on one CD!



From "The Reverend Mr. Black" to "Desert Pete" these two albums are filled with memories and great songs and great performances.



While the aforementioned two songs are possibly the most well known from these albums they are not my faborites. That distinction belongs to songs like: "River Run Down" . . . "Mark Twain" (about life on a riverboat which would make Mark Twain himself smile with nostalgic longing) . . . "Marcelle Vahine" . . . Rod McKuen's "Two-Ten Six-Eighteen" (Doesn't nybody Know my Name?) . . . and possibly my favorite track: "Those Brown Eyes" (I Loved So Well . . .).



The Kingston Trio are a big part of American Music and these two albums are a big part of my own personal memories . . . they form part of the soundtrack to my life -- my brother first bought me "The Kingston Trio #16" as a Christmas present when i was in eighth grade. And i soon followed that with the addition of "Sunny Side". But as nostalgic as this music is for me, truth is, they sound even better today as i listen to them with a more experienced mind . . . and now they are sounding even more pristine and clear on digital compact disc.



My thanks go out to The Kingston Trio (through every line-up) for all of the music they have given us over the decades . . . and i especially thank them for these two albums: "The Kingston Trio #16" and "Sunny Side" -- my personal favorite Kingston Trio albums!



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