The Debut For One of America's Greatest Songwriters
James Skrydlak | Pella, Iowa | 03/04/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"While Tom Paxton had had some financial success as a songwriter by 1965 (the Chad Mitchell Trio had recorded several of his songs), he had not released an LP until this one. What an LP it was, and what a CD it is. After nearly forty years, such songs as "Ramblin' Boy", "The Last Thing On My Mind", and "Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound" remain classics. They're complemented by such fine songs as "Goin' To the Zoo" (one of the great songs ever written for children), "When Morning Breaks", and "I'm Bound For the Mountains and the Sea". Paxton has always written his share of topical/political songs, which, by their nature, don't age well; that's the case with "Daily News", "What Did You Learn In School Today?", and "A Rumblin' In the Land". The other songs, though, are as fresh today as they were in 1965, and the arrangements for guitar, bass, and either another guitar or a banjo are exquisite."