At Large (album)

At Large
Studio album by The Kingston Trio
Released June 1, 1959
Recorded 1959, Capitol Recording Studios, New York, NY
Genre Folk
Length 29:45
Label Capitol T/ST 1199
Producer Voyle Gilmore
The Kingston Trio chronology

Stereo Concert
(1959)		 At Large
(1959)		 Here We Go Again!
(1959)
Singles from At Large
  1. "M.T.A."/"All My Sorrows"
    Released: 1959

At Large is the American folk music group The Kingston Trio's fourth album, released in 1959 (see 1959 in music). It was the Trio's first stereo studio album and one of the four they would simultaneously have on Billboard's Top 10 albums during that year. It spent fifteen weeks at #1.[1] The single "M. T. A." b/w "All My Sorrows" spent eleven weeks on the singles charts and peaked at number 15. The Trio's second single that same year, "Tijuana Jail" b/w "Oh Cindy", was recorded during the At Large sessions. It peaked at number 12.[2]

It was the first Trio studio album to be released in stereo.

History

Following the huge success of At Large coming after the success of The Kingston Trio, ...from the Hungry i and "Tom Dooley", Life magazine featured the Trio on their August 3, 1959 cover. In polls in both Billboard and Cash Box they were voted "The Best Group of the Year for 1959" by the nation's disc jockeys.[3]

At Large was the first Trio studio album with David "Buck" Wheat on double bass and occasional guitar. Wheat also assisted with arrangements and would remain with the trio until the end of 1961.[1]

"Remember the Alamo" was written by Jane Bowers and was presented to John Wayne for possible inclusion in the soundtrack for his movie epic, The Alamo. It was ultimately passed over for "The Green Leaves of Summer" by The Brothers Four. It was later recorded by Johnny Cash.

At the Grammy Awards of 1960 At Large won the first Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording. It was also nominated in the "Best Vocal Group or Chorus" category. An RIAA gold album award was presented on January 19, 1961. Only the 1962 compilation album The Best of the Kingston Trio has sold more copies than At Large.[1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [4]
Allmusic [5]

In reviewing At Large for Allmusic, music critic Bruce Eder wrote the album "shows in the far more complex sound achieved by the trio throughout this album, with voices and instruments more closely interwoven than on their earlier studio recordings and achieving control over their volume that, even today, seems astonishing." He specifically praised Guard's banjo playing, writing it "shines throughout this album, and it was beginning here that Guard was to exert a separate influence on a whole generation of aspiring folk musicians and even one rock star (Lindsay Buckingham) with his banjo." [4]

Music critic Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr. reviewed the Capitol reissue and wrote "Vocally, the group also began to sweeten its harmony... While some argue about the worth of these changes, many consider At Large to be the band's finest effort. At Large and Here We Go Again! capture the Kingston Trio early in their career, grounded in the success of their first albums and searching for new directions. Fans, folk revival enthusiasts, and the curious will enjoy this one." [5]

Reissues

Track listing

Side One

  1. "M.T.A." (Bess Lomax Hawes, Jacqueline Steiner) - 3:16
  2. "All My Sorrows" (Arranged by Dave Guard, Nick Reynolds, Bob Shane) - 2:48
  3. "Blow Ye Winds" (Traditional, Guard) - 2:00
  4. "Corey, Corey" (Traditional, Guard, Reynolds, Shane) - 2:07
  5. "The Seine" (Irving Burgess) - 2:41
  6. "I Bawled" (Traditional, Shane) - 1:51

Side Two

  1. "Good News" (Lou Gottlieb) - 2:00
  2. "Getaway John" (Traditional, Guard) - 2:35
  3. "The Long Black Rifle" (Lawrence Coleman, Norman Gimbel) - 3:05
  4. "Early in the Morning" (Randy Starr, Dick Wolf) - 2:04
  5. "Scarlet Ribbons" (Evelyn Danzig, Jack Segal) - 2:17
  6. "Remember the Alamo" (Jane Bowers) - 3:01

Personnel

Chart positions

Year Chart Position
1959 Billboard Pop Albums 1

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Liner notes: At Large and Here We Go Again! Capitol Records reissue. Liner notes by Ben Blake, 1992.
  2. ↑ Liner notes; The Kingston Trio: The Capital Years (Capitol Records CD7243 8 28498 2 7)
  3. ↑ The Kingston Trio: The Guard Years liner notes. Bill Bush. 1997
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Eder, Bruce. "At Large > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Lankford, Jr., Ronnie D. "At Large/Here We Go Again! > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  6. ↑ Allmusic entry for Collector's Choice reissue.

External links