Search - The New Christy Minstrels :: Definitive New Christy Minstrels

A must for Christy fans.

Steve Montgomery- scmont@aol.com | Seattle, Washington | 09/04/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First of all, the historical notes by Tom Pickles are worth the price of the boxed set if you loved the Christys like I did. I was a folk music DJ in the 60's, so this is a box full of memories. I didn't figure there were many of us who could name the first three or four line ups for the group. I'd love to have lunch with Tom! Many of us had the albums on LP's, and its great to have the songs on CD's. My significant other sold my entire vinyl collection in a garage sale! Including the rare (collectors item) Christmas Album Tom mentions. I don't agree with the complaints about the mix. Remember, some of the cuts are from live shows and concerts. I do agree that "Company of Cowards" should have been included, and where is "the Blacksmith of Brandywine?" But most of my favorites are here, as well as some great songs I hadn't thought about for years...and they sound terrific. I would have happily paid twice as much."

Great pop-folk sixties group

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 07/30/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Staff turnover eventually took their toll on the New Christy Minstrels, but this compilation only covers the period 1962 to 1965, their peak years. Even during this period, the number of line-up changes was staggering. The extensive liner notes show all the changes. Of all the pickers and singers who were members during this period, Barry McGuire (who was only a member for a few months) is surely the most famous - he later had a solo hit with Eve of destruction - but Larry Ramos, later of the Association, was also a member.The group's founder, Randy Sparks, set out to design a group that had it's roots in folk, but was more pop-orientated, and avoided all the controversial topics so beloved of (say) Pete Seeger. He wanted a fun group out to have a good time. That is what he achieved. Even after he quit the group in 1964 (selling his interest in the group for a large sum of money), the basic ethos remained. Once the thing no longer became fun, that's when the fortunes of the group collapsed.So, what you get here is 45 tracks of great entertainment, including their big hit (Green green), novelty songs (Three wheels on my wagon), classic folk (This land is your land) and much, much more. The number of different singers (which also included a few ladies) also adds to the variety.Sixties music was about many things, but above all else, it was about having fun. You certainly get that with this collection."

Good selections, but the mix could be better.

Peter Durward Harris | 02/05/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's a good overview of the group's history (although some of my favorites are missing (e.g. "Good-bye Suzanne")), but the re-mix balance is pretty bad. For some reason, the person doing the remixes decided that one channel of the masters didn't need to be as prominent as the rest. Unfortunately, in many songs, this channel had the women's voices...on these tracks, it sounds like the women are in the back of the studio with no mike (the balance is much better on the original vinyl). There are also a couple of tracks where important vocal lines are submerged under the rhythm "section". A good selection, but be prepared for less than optimal mixing."