Somethin' Else (Kingston Trio album)
Encyclopedia
Somethin' Else is an album by the American
folk music
group The Kingston Trio
, released in 1965 (see 1965 in music
). It was the first Kingston Trio principal album to miss the charts completely. The lead-off single was "Parchment Farm" b/w "Runaway Song".
The liner notes mention the "amazing new sound" of the Kingston Trio, referring to the use of a backing band on this release.
, Nick Reynolds
, and John Stewart.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
group The Kingston Trio
The Kingston Trio
The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, and Nick Reynolds...
, released in 1965 (see 1965 in music
1965 in music
-Events:*January 4 – Fender Musical Instruments Corporation is sold to CBS for $13 million.*January 12 – Hullabaloo premieres on NBC. The first show included performances by The New Christy Minstrels, comedian Woody Allen, actress Joey Heatherton and a segment from London in which Brian Epstein...
). It was the first Kingston Trio principal album to miss the charts completely. The lead-off single was "Parchment Farm" b/w "Runaway Song".
The liner notes mention the "amazing new sound" of the Kingston Trio, referring to the use of a backing band on this release.
Reception
In his Allmusic review, music critic Bruce Eder compared the Trio's sound to the folk-rock acts taking over the airwaves. He wrote of the album "Not wishing to be left behind, the Kingston Trio decided to go the same route on their third Decca album, Somethin' Else. The result was an awkward but sometimes quite beautiful hybrid... On the other hand, there were sides that didn't sound much like the Kingston Trio at all, most notably "Parchment Farm Blues" (which, astonishingly, became the single off the album), with its up-front percussion and organ-dominated accompaniment, which came off like the work of some L.A. garage band parodying the Kingston Trio."Reissues
- Somethin' Else has not been reissued on CD. The tracks were reissued as bonus tracks on The Kingston Trio (Nick Bob John)The Kingston Trio (Nick Bob John)The Kingston Trio is an album by the American folk music group The Kingston Trio, released in 1964...
, Stay AwhileStay Awhile (Kingston Trio album)Stay Awhile is an album by the American folk music group The Kingston Trio, released in 1965 . It was their second release on the Decca label. It continued their downward slide in the charts, reaching only number 126 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart...
and Children of the MorningChildren of the MorningChildren of the Morning is an album by the American folk music group The Kingston Trio, released in 1966 . It was their last album on the Decca label. Three singles were released from the album and all were commercial flops, as was the album...
by the Folk Era label. - In 2000, all of the tracks from Somethin' Else were included in The Stewart YearsThe Kingston Trio: The Stewart YearsThe Kingston Trio: The Stewart Years is a compilation of The Kingston Trio's recordings when John Stewart was a member of the Trio along with Bob Shane and Nick Reynolds....
10-CD box set issued by Bear Family RecordsBear Family RecordsBear Family Records is a Germany-based independent record label that specializes in reissues of archival material ranging from country music to 1950s rock and roll to old German movie soundtracks.-History:...
. - All the tracks from Somethin' Else were reissued on CD in 2002 by Folk Era along with the rest of their Decca releases on The Decca YearsThe Decca Years (Kingston Trio album)The Decca Years is a compilation of The Kingston Trio's four albums recorded for the Decca Records label. Folk Era had previously reissued The Kingston Trio , Stay Awhile and Children of the Morning, each including tracks from Somethin' Else as bonus tracks...
.
Track listing
"Jack Splittard" is an alias for Bob ShaneBob Shane
Bob Shane is an American singer and guitarist and, with Nick Reynolds' passing in October 2008, the only surviving founding member of The Kingston Trio. In that capacity, Shane became a seminal figure in the revival of folk and other acoustic music as a popular art form in the U.S...
, Nick Reynolds
Nick Reynolds
Nick Reynolds was an American folk musician and recording artist. Reynolds was one of the founding members of The Kingston Trio, whose largely folk-based material captured international attention during the late fifties and early sixties.- Early life :Growing up in Coronado, California, his...
, and John Stewart.
Side one
- "Parchment Farm BluesParchman Farm (song)"Parchman Farm" is the title of a number of songs about Mississippi State Penitentiary, known as Parchman Farm, a hard time prison because of the Trusty system which was later outlawed....
" (Arranged by Jack Splittard, Randy Cierley) – 2:16 - "Early Morning Rain" (Gordon LightfootGordon LightfootGordon Meredith Lightfoot, Jr. is a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music, and has been credited for helping define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s...
) – 2:33 - "Where Are You Going Little Boy?" (John Stewart) – 2:19
- "Interchangeable Love (We Love Us)" (Mason WilliamsMason WilliamsMason Williams is an American guitarist and composer, best known for his guitar instrumental "Classical Gas". He is also a comedy writer, known for his writing on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, and Saturday Night Live...
) – 0:47 - "Last Thing on My Mind" (Tom PaxtonTom PaxtonThomas Richard Paxton is an American folk singer and singer-songwriter who has been writing, performing and recording music for over forty years...
) – 3:01 - "Go Tell Roger" (Stewart, Cierley) – 1:45
Side two
- "Red River Shore" (Arranged by Splittard, Cierley) – 2:27
- "Verandah of Millium August" (Stewart, Cierley) – 2:29
- "They Are Gone" (Williams) – 2:42
- "Long Time Blues" (Williams) – 2:15
- "Dancing Distance" (Stewart, Williams) – 2:45
- "Runaway Song" (Stewart) – 2:00
Personnel
- Bob ShaneBob ShaneBob Shane is an American singer and guitarist and, with Nick Reynolds' passing in October 2008, the only surviving founding member of The Kingston Trio. In that capacity, Shane became a seminal figure in the revival of folk and other acoustic music as a popular art form in the U.S...
– vocals, guitar - Nick ReynoldsNick ReynoldsNick Reynolds was an American folk musician and recording artist. Reynolds was one of the founding members of The Kingston Trio, whose largely folk-based material captured international attention during the late fifties and early sixties.- Early life :Growing up in Coronado, California, his...
– vocals, tenor guitar - John Stewart – vocals, banjo, guitar
- Dean Reilly – bass
- David "Buck" Wheat – guitar
- Randy Stierling (Cierley) – guitar, 12-string guitar
- Jerry Granelli – drums
- Rex Larson – bass
- John Chambers – drums
- Andrew Belling – organ
- Don Graham – sandwiches and milk shakes