The Kingston Trio - An Evening With The Kingston Trio (Live) (1962/2018)

In 1959 the Kington Trio's recording of "Tom Dooley" became only the fifth song in history to sell a million copies in the United States. "An Evening with the Kingston Trio" features a live version of that hit along with two more fan favorites, the brilliantly caustic "M.T.A." and the haunting "Where Have All the Flowers Gone." Between the time of the Weavers and Peter, Paul & Mary, it is the Kingston Trio that defines the joy of folk songs sung in harmony. I think if you grew up listening to albums like this, recorded in mono with bad equipment, that have the ring of authenticity that does not bother us. Of course, when I was a lad the big thing was buying bootleg recordings of concerts, so I have not only heard but bought stuff that sounds a lot worse than this. Besides, the Kingston Trio is one of those groups that come alive in performance, which is true of most folk singers. They just need folks around. The jokes and witty repartee are fine, but it is the singing that makes this one worth having. Yes, you should get one of their greatest hits collections first, but you also need to hear these guys sing live.