Something Special – THE KINGSTON TRIO***

Brown Mountain Light/One More Town/O Willow Waly/Tell It On The Mountain/Little Boy/Strange Day/Away Rio/ Pullin’ Away/She Was Good To Me/Jane Jane Jane/Portland Town/Old Joe Clark

The Kingston Trio were prolific during this period; Something Special was their fourteenth album in just over four years. Folk purists were none to keen on the strings and female choir. (US:7)

“Part of what makes The Kingston Trio 'something special' is their traditional folk style. They were not meant to be stripped of their element and coated with sugary string arrangements. The compositions aren't very special either, and Strange Day is one of the most insipid songs I've heard. Avoid this release.”

“The problem wasn't so much personnel as it was musical direction on Something Special. Brown Mountain Light, the lead-off track, with its spoken introduction, sounded like it was intended to be another Tom Dooley, although it was never released as a single and, with its strings, horns, and drums, seemed over-produced for a Kingston Trio track. You could make that remark about many of the other selections too, employing as they did a female choir to go along with the extensive instrumentation. Although two songs, Stewart's One More Town and Jane Jane Jane, brushed the bottom of the singles charts, the material in general was not very impressive. A major exception was an obscure Rodgers and Hart gem, She Was Too Good To Me, given a sensitive reading by Shane. Still, this was not a disc to compete with the new folk kids on the block, Peter, Paul & Mary.”

“The songs on Something Special all have an orchestral background. While the sound is not traditional Kingston Trio, I think the strings add a beautiful touch to One More Town and Pulling Away."

"Something Special is really not. The song selections are not the best and they are over produced. The Kingston Trio were always best in their 'rawest' form, ie live - in concert or in the studio - no strings, no backup vocals.”

“The 1962 album Something Special was a studio album that covered mostly old traditional folk songs like Go Tell It On The Mountain and Old Joe Clark spruced up by a full orchestra playing behind the boys. While I like One More Town, the musical accompaniment does not need anything more than guitars and banjo.”