Search - The Kingston Trio :: Two Classic Album from The Kingston Trio: Close-Up/College Concert

Engaging--The Trio in Concert

Jim Morrell | Sedro-Woolley, WA United States | 12/23/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Having heard the Kingston Trio close to a dozen times in concert, I first saw/heard the Stewart configuration of the Trio in 1967. College Concert is a genuine experience of how engaging the Trio really was in concert. Laughter was almost as much a part of the experience as the music itself, as they were fabulous showmen, and College Concert is an example of the concert experience. Musically, even though John Stewart was just months into the group, the music was tight, balanced, and infectious. I have heard the "Concert" album literally hundreds of times, and it never grows old. Hearing it on CD is even better than vinyl as the sound is more accurate and lifelike. What I find really remarkable is the sound they managed to produce with but one microphone for voices AND instruments alike. This album is the real deal if you want to relive the Trio in concert, or experience them for the first time.Close-up is the first of the albums with John Stewart. As with most Trio albums, there is/are one or two songs that don't "grab me", but the vast majority of the album is another example of the Trio as masters of their style of music. They have different international flavors included among the repertoire-- again typically Trio--and their voices/harmonies/instruments are well rehearsed, finely tuned, and wonderfully exhibited here. Their version of Reuben James, arguably, might be the very best of any recording they put on record. If you had to choose one of their double album CD's to sample the Trio, this would be one of two I would recommend for starters. Should folk music be something that beckons you, the music will be engaging as promised, and you'll be wondering which CD to purchase next."

John Stewart joins the Trio & one of their best live albums

Lawrance M. Bernabo | The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota | 04/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Kingston Trio are arguably the defining group of the American folk revival. Woody Guthrie was the grandfather and Pete Seeger and the Weavers would pass the tradition down to a new generation for which Bob Dylan would be the poet laureate. But when you talk about who made folk music popular you are talking about the Kingston Trio. From 1957 to 1963 (in other words in the period before the Beatles) they were the most popular music group around. This CD from 2000 pairs up a couple of classic albums from the Kingston Trio that both represent the second stage of the group's storied history.



By the start of the 1960s Dave Guard finally made good on his desire to leave the group and in 1961 for the first time in their history the group failed to have a single make the charts. "Close-Up" came out that same year a month after John Stewart of the Cumberland Three had joined Nick Reynolds and Bob Shane, and made it to #3 on the Billboard album charts. Having a new songwriter in the group clearly made a difference, especially since Guard's encyclopedic knowledge of folk music from around the world accounted for a lot of the trio's songs. Stewart wrote the best track on the album, "When My Love Was Here" along with the first track, "Coming from the Mountains," but there are also some traditional standards, the best of which is their cover of "Reuben James." This is not a great Kingston Trio album, but given the concerns their fans had about the group's future there was no doubt they were going to be just fine.



"College Concert" could be the Kingston Trio's best live album. Released in 1962 (it was recorded December 6-7, 1961 at U.C.L.A.), the attraction here is that the versions of "M.T.A." and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" done live are arguably superior to the better known studio versions. Equally impressive are their beautiful version of "500 Miles" and the high energy of "Young Roddy M'Corley." In terms of original material, the trio wrote "Coplas Revisited" and Stewart co-wrote "Chilly Winds" and "Oh, Miss Mary" with John Phillpis, all of which appear early (on Side 1) in an apparent effort to get them out of the way. But then it was pretty clear that the group's strength was always in arranging the material of others than in writing their own, although that is where their sense of humor would often come into play (along with their introductions to songs in concert). The album also made it to #3 on the Billboard charts. Fans of the Kingston Trio are never going to get tired of listening to them sing and with these double-album CDs you can pretty much find anything all of their stuff from the folk revival period."

Extremely well done folk albums, they're surprisingly funny!

C. Cross | 01/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Like most of you, if you've even heard of The Kingston Trio, you've probably only heard their most famous songs "Tom Dooley" or "M.T.A." (that was the case for me too). I bought these albums because my dad LOVED The Kingston Trio when he was a young boy (he still has most of their vinyl records), and boy was I in for a surprise when I heard this! There are three great things about this group: the singers (Nick Reynolds, Bob Shane & John Stewart) are great, every song is catchy and interesting, and the albums are very funny! This last thing especially caught me by surprise. I always thought that the Trio was a serious folk group, but, especially on College Concert, they crack several jokes which are definitely not dated at all (this album came out a long time ago). If you're looking for a good folk album with a lot of heart, you can't go wrong with The Kingston Trio (or at least this collection). Having two albums in one makes it twice as better! Highly recommended!



Highlights include:

the entire album!"