Chad Mitchell Trio: Mighty Day on Campus (Folk Era FE3262); At the Bitter End (FE3281); and Blowin' in the Wind (FE3313).Chad Mitchell Trio: Mighty Day on Campus (Folk Era FE3262); At the Bitter End bitter end n. 1. A final, painful, or disastrous extremity. 2. Nautical The inboard end of a chain, rope, or cable, especially the end of a rope or cable that is wound around a bitt. (FE3281); and Blowin' in the Wind (FE3313). The late '50s and '60s were heady days for folk music folk music: see folk song. folk music Music held to be typical of a nation or ethnic group, known to all segments of its society, and preserved usually by oral tradition. Knowledge of the history and development of folk music is largely conjectural. . The Kingston Trio revitalized the genre with "Tom Dooley," Peter, Paul and Mary The trio Peter, Paul and Mary (often PP&M) is a musical group from the United States; they were one of the most successful folk-singing groups of the 1960s. The trio comprises Peter Yarrow, Noel "Paul" Stookey and Mary Travers. were recording songs that future generations would be singing around the campfire; the Limeliters were demonstrating that folk material could sound musical as well as energetic; and the Smothers Brothers The Smothers Brothers are an American music-and-comedy team, formed by real-life brothers Tom (or Tommy) (born February 2, 1937) and Dick Smothers (born November 20, 1939). They were both born on Governor's Island in New York Harbor, where their father, a West Point graduate and U. were adding humor to the mix. What the Chad Mitchell Trio did best was to bring topicality to the subject. Of all the popular groups of the time, it was the Chad Mitchell Trio that a listener could count on for the latest satire and parody, as well as some fine traditional singing. The first three of their albums, reissued by Folk Era for the first time on CD, get the point across nicely. The Trio's first recording, Mighty Day on Campus, was done live. Its most notable songs are "Lizzie Borden For other persons named Lizzie Borden, see Lizzie Borden (disambiguation). Lizzie Andrew Borden (July 19 1860 – June 1 1927) was a New England spinster who was the central figure in the axe murders of her father and stepmother on August 4 1892 in Fall River, Massachusetts, " and "Rum By Gum," tame by comparison to some of their later stuff. The sound is a little more noisy and thin than the other two albums. The second disc is my favorite of the three, another live recording, At the Bitter End. The program opens with one of their most controversial songs, "The John Birch Society John Birch Society, ultraconservative, anti-Communist organization in the United States. It was founded in Dec., 1958, by manufacturer Robert Welch and named after John Birch, an American intelligence officer killed by Communists in China (Aug., 1945). ," and also includes "The Unfortunate Man," "James James Morrison Morrison," "Alberta," "Come Along Home," and "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream," among others. The sound comes up well, more rich and full than Mighty Day. The third disc, Blowin' in the Wind, was recorded in a studio, and while the sound is technically best of all, it has a more sterile, studio-bound quality to it. Also of note: by coincidence, one assumes, Vanguard recently issued a "Very Best of" collection of Chad Mitchell Trio favorites. It contains some of their most popular early material and may be as good a place as any to start. And to further enrich the scene, Mercury Records also released a collection of Trio's favorites, this time from their later years with the Mercury label. As an old folkie folk·ie also folk·y n. pl. folk·ies 1. A folk singer or musician. 2. One who is an enthusiast of folk music. adj. , I can only rejoice at this influx of recorded wealth. Trivia note: after a nationwide talent search, who replaced Chad Mitchell when he left the trio for a solo career? Yes, that's right, John Denver. I heard he went on to a solo career, too. |
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