The final album by the original
Kingston Trio shows no sign of the group slackening its standards or rushing through the material. In addition to the jaunty "Billy Goat Hill," which rated a place on the group's first greatest hits collection, the trio turned in a surprisingly effective interpretation of
Woody Guthrie's "Pastures of Plenty"; harmonized exquisitely on "Guardo el Lobo" (which
the Monkees later covered as "Riu Chiu"); ripped through exuberant versions of
Bill Monroe's "Run Molly Run," Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land," and the Staples Singers' "You Don't Knock" -- an amazing gospel track that really rocks -- and introduced the song "It Was a Very Good Year." With all due respect to
Frank Sinatra, anyone who thinks they know the latter song and hasn't heard
Bob Shane's version here is fooling themselves; the song is done in a more intimate, less overtly dramatic style and arrangement that gives it just as much impact in its quiet way as Sinatra's more lushly arranged version. For all of those gems, the most enjoyable track here is "Razors in the Air," a delightfully played and sung piece of pure fun that gives
Dave Guard, in particular, an opportunity to show off his prodigious banjo skills before leaving the lineup of the group he founded. Also featured here is "Lemon Tree," a
Will Holt song that they do a little too inelegantly and which became a hit a year later in the hands of
Peter, Paul & Mary. ~ Bruce Eder