The Best of the Decca Years | ||||
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Greatest hits album by The Kingston Trio | ||||
Released | June 2, 1998 | |||
Genre | Folk | |||
Label | MCA | |||
Producer | Frank Werber Todd Everett (reissue producer) | |||
The Kingston Trio chronology | ||||
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The Best of the Decca Years is a compilation of The Kingston Trio's recordings when the group was on the Decca Records label.
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. It rose to international popularity, fueled by unprecedented sales of LP records, and helped alter the direction of popular music in the U.S.
Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, along with American Decca's first president Jack Kapp and later American Decca president Milton Rackmil. In 1937, anticipating Nazi aggression leading to World War II, Lewis sold American Decca and the link between the UK and U.S. Decca labels was broken for several decades. The British label was renowned for its development of recording methods, while the American company developed the concept of cast albums in the musical genre. Both wings are now part of the Universal Music Group, which is owned by Vivendi, a media conglomerate headquartered in Paris, France. The US Decca label was the foundation company that evolved into UMG.
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic |
Writing for Allmusic, music critic Cub Koda wrote of the album; "Although painted as a quaint coffeehouse group from the hootenanny days of folk music's history, the Kingston Trio actually had pretty big ears for a wide variety of material, ranging from pop to obscure Broadway material, to songs from up-and-coming folk artists they had originally influenced... this collection shines a light on a part of the group's history usually ignored, and shows that much good music emerged during their final days." [1]
Robert Castle Schoen, known professionally as Bob Shane, is an American singer and guitarist and, with Nick Reynolds' death 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. in the late 1950s through the mid-1960s.
Nicholas Wells Reynolds was an American folk musician and recording artist. Reynolds was one of the founding members of The Kingston Trio, whose folk and folk-style material captured international attention during the late Fifties and early Sixties.
The 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.
The Lost 1967 Album: Rarities Vol. 1 is an album by the American folk music group The Kingston Trio, recorded in 1967 and released in 2007.
Something Special is an album by the American folk music group the Kingston Trio, released in 1962. It reached number 7 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart. The lead-off single was a non-album track "C'mon Betty Home" b/w "Old Joe Clark". "One More Town" b/w "She Was Too Good to Me" was released as a single later the same year. Neither single made the Top 40. Something Special was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Folk Recording category.
New Frontier is an album by the American folk music group the Kingston Trio, their third album released in 1962. It reached number 16 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart. The lead-off single was "Greenback Dollar" b/w "New Frontier".
The Kingston Trio #16 is an album by the American folk music group the Kingston Trio, released in 1963. It reached number 4 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart. The lead-off single was "Reverend Mr. Black" b/w "One More Round", reaching number 8.
Sunny Side! is an album by the American folk music group the Kingston Trio, released in 1963. It reached number 7 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart. The lead-off single was "Desert Pete" b/w "Ballad of the Thresher". The single was the last Top 40 single for the group. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.
Time to Think is an album by the American folk music group the Kingston Trio, released in 1963. It reached number 18 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart, only the third of the Trio's fifteen albums released since 1958 not to reach the top ten. The lead-off single was "Ally Ally Oxen Free" b/w "Marcelle Vahine", released in November 1963. Two more singles were released from the album in 1964 — "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream" b/w "The Patriot Game" and "Seasons of the Sun" b/w "If You Don't Look Around", the latter the final single the trio would release on the Capitol label.
Back in Town is a live album by the American folk music group the Kingston Trio, released in 1964. It reached number 22 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart and is the final principal album recorded by the Trio for Capitol Records. The Trio's seven-year contract with Capitol ended in February 1964 with one album due. Unable to negotiate another contract, the group released this live album and moved to Decca Records.
The Kingston Trio is an album by the American folk music group the Kingston Trio, released in 1964. Nick Bob John failed to reach the Top 40, peaking at number 53 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.
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 number 126 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart. The single "Yes I Can Feel It" b/w "Stay Awhile" did not chart.
Somethin' Else is an album by the American folk music group the Kingston Trio, released in 1965. It was the first Kingston Trio principal album to miss the charts completely. The lead-off single was "Parchment Farm" b/w "Runaway Song".
Children 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. The singles were: "Norwegian Wood" b/w "Put Your Money Away", "The Spinnin' of the World" b/w "A Little Soul is Born" and "Lock All the Windows" b/w "Hit and Run".
Once Upon a Time is a live album by the American folk music group the Kingston Trio, recorded in 1966 and released in 1969. It was originally released as a double-LP with a three-page booklet and reached number 163 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart. The lead-off single was "One Too Many Mornings" b/w "Scotch and Soda".
Capitol Collectors Series is a compilation album of the American folk music group the Kingston Trio's recordings from their time with the Capitol Records label. It contains songs from both the Dave Guard and John Stewart trios. All the songs included were released as singles by the group with two having never appeared on any of their principal recordings.
Turning Like Forever: Rarities Vol. 2 is an album by the American folk music group The Kingston Trio, released in 2008. It contains previously unreleased material as well as alternative takes and a large number of promotional radio spots and advertising endorsements. All material is taken from their post-Capitol Records years.
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. They are presented here in the same song order as the reissues.
An Evening with The Kingston Trio is a live album by the American folk music group the Kingston Trio, recorded in 1962 and released in 1994. At the time of the performance, the group consisted of Bob Shane, Nick Reynolds, and John Stewart.
Twice Upon a Time is a live album by the American folk music group The Kingston Trio, recorded in 1966 and released in 2008.
Live at the Crazy Horse is a live album by the American folk music group the Kingston Trio, released in 1994. The group consisted of the line up of Bob Shane, George Grove, and Nick Reynolds. Reynolds had left the group in 1967 and returned in 1988.
Everybody's Talking: The Houston Tapes, Volume 1 is a live album by the American folk music group the Kingston Trio, released in 1989. The group consisted of the line up of Bob Shane, George Grove, and Nick Reynolds. Reynolds had left the group in 1967 and returned in 1988.