Search - The Kingston Trio :: Children of Morning

Kindling for Nostalgia

Christopher | Wengen-en-esprit | 05/28/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Kingston Trio would never be the same from this point on. Without either Guard or Stewart, the Trio was something else... only George Groves, in my opinion, has ever made a fine replacement (in terms of concert charisma).



Children of the Morning is a frightening album. I'm listening to an album sung by a dying breed. Nick, Bob, John... the thrice monosyllabic near-eponym of folk. They know this is it, the end, and it reflects, if only subconsciously, in their voices, in the morose guitar playing, in the strange topics, lyrics, musical progressions. This album is sad, especially if you've followed the Trio closely through their careers.



Look at John's lyrics in some of his songs. In Children of the Morning: "Worn by a voice upon the breeze/Glistened by the waters rollin' free."



In Hit and Run: "Doing what I want/Hit and Run"...



In When You've Been Away For A Long Time: "When you've been away from the music in your heart..."



Gaze on Other Heavens, the title says it all.



And so on. John's not thrilled to leave the Trio, but it established his songwriting skills. Expect to feel differently about Children of the Morning. If one were to compare this album to one of the older Dave Guard albums, you would almost feel like the Trio had become depressed.



There is nothing happy here. But it's the Kingston Trio! As they've become older and wiser, they, too, move on. Only because I have seen Bob Shane and Nick Reynolds in concert twice (I wish it'd been more) do I realize that the Trio spirit never died with this album.



What songs here actually do remind me of the Trio as they always were? Not many. Lei Pakalana is a beautiful Hawaiian (and only foreign language) tune; Stewart's Put Your Money Away (a lively little tune); Less of Me reminds me more of the album Stay Awhile (perhaps it's the combination of the harmonica and reverb/echo recording); Where Are You Going Little Boy? and the cowboy tune Red River Shore.



Five of the sixteen. The cover of Norwegian Wood, while beautiful and as good as the original, is simply too dark a song, fitting well with this compilation. Stewart's goal was to release a well-rounded album, one that showed his silly side (Go Tell Roger), his philisophical side (Put Your Money Away), his "rockin" folksy side (Runaway Song), and so forth.



I never followed Stewart's solo career, but this album would make a great transition. In the booklet, Stewart did write the following note, dated 1996: "I was anxious to leave [the band] and be a 'Singer Song Writer' which I did oon after this album was completed." But he remembered his fortunate past. He concludes, "I have never had more fun."



Beware the cover photograph: I don't believe I have heard a single banjo on this album.



In conclusion, I enjoy the album for what it is. If I ever over-listen to my Trio albums and need a break, I'll end up putting Children of the Morning into the player, and I'll "miss" the older tunes and go back to them soon enough."

Melancholic and sad album, underrated and misunderstood...

Grigory's Girl | NYC | 12/27/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is the last "classic" studio album (for the lack of a better term) by the Kingston Trio, and I have to say that I really like it, and I think it's misunderstood by a lot of people. Sure, it's not like their first or their 10th album, but it does have a deep melancholy to it, which I think enhances it greatly. John Stewart contributed 8 songs to this album, yet it is quinessentially The Kingston Trio. I especially love the title track. It really is representative of the whole album, sad, haunting, and wise. When You've Been Away for a Long Time has that majestic quality to it, but the song A Little Soul is Born is probably the most moving song on the album. I hate to say that it has "old man's wisdom", but it kind of does. The song Hit and Run is funny and giddy with very interesting lyrics. Many were disappointed in this album when it was released, but I think this album (and the other Decca albums) are unique and still have the Trio magic. If you're a Trio fan, this is a must album."