String Along – THE KINGSTON TRIO****

Bad Man Blunder/The Escape Of Old John Webb/When I Was Young/Leave My Woman Alone/This Mornin’ This Evenin’ So Soon/Everglades/Buddy Better Get On Down The Line/South Wind/Who’s Gonna Hold Her Hand/ Tomorrow/Colorado Trail/The Tattooed Lady

Back in the 1960s popular artists released new albums at frequent intervals to ensure they remained in the public eye. The second Kingston Trio album from 1960 String Along again topped the US album chart. (US:1)

“This album also offers the last singles by the original Kingston Trio line up, Bad Man Blunder and Everglades. But the two songs that really stand out are Leave My Woman Alone, a Ray Charles composition and, of course, The Tattooed Lady. Otherwise, attention should be paid to the group's original compositions When I Was Young and Buddy Better Get On Down The Line. This is a great mix of tunes that showcase the group in the last stages of their first and arguably best incarnation.”

“String Along has little authentic folk music, but has no poor tracks and few weak ones. Everglades, Bad Man Blunder and Colorado Trail alone make the album worth the money.”

“String Along has two more of my favourites: South Wind and When I Was Young. South Wind has more complex instrumentals and is sung in a minor key, adding to its haunting sound. I could listen to this one indefinitely without getting tired of it. When I Was Young exemplifies The Kingston Trio's great harmonizing vocals. This album also includes a western song, Colorado Trail, that I like to imagine cowboys singing after a long cattle drive.”

"String Along has the most unusual sound of any Kingston Trio album, mostly by virtue of the crisp mixing and voicing of the instruments. Guitars and banjo all appear in very high relief, matching the attention usually reserved for the voices on The Kingston Trio's records. The result is a somewhat quieter record, without much presence of the familiar unified group sound, as the individual members are relied upon more than the ensemble singing on many of the songs.”