I have recently been listening a lot to the kingston Trio, having acquired an absolute wealth of their early material and am surprised that I love it as much as I do. The reason I never gave them much time before was because of the commercial nature of their sound; they lack the edge and graininess of some of their contemporaries. They (along with acts like the incredible Clancy Brothers) brought folk music to a whole new generation so the sound was never quite as rough as one might hope for when dealing with this kind of material. This turns out to be far from a fault, however; it adds a new sheen to many of the songs I have known for years and the harmonies and musical arrangements employed by the trio are very beautiful. It is easy to forget that comparing commercial music by fifties standards to commercial music from today is totally unrealistic. Commercial music from the fifties and sixties didn't automatically mean pigswill for the masses and I believe the Trio are a fair example of what it means/meant to be a commercial act with a lot to offer to even the more cynical listener. While they may never touch me as deeply as other more grounded and rustic acts, they were masters of their particular domain and can be thanked for inspiring many of the folk greats who came after them to pick up banjos and guitars and keep weaving the folk tapestry. With a plethora of songs from so many folk traditions to choose from (English, Irish, Scottish, American, Caribean etc etc), I have simply chosen one of the many I currently love. Enjoy:
