''String Along'' is an

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

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 the late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, and ...

, released in 1960 (see

1960 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1960. Specific locations *1960 in British music * 1960 in Norwegian music Specific genres * 1960 in country music *1960 in jazz Events *January – Stuart Sutcliffe joins ...

). It was their fifth studio album in a row to reach number one on the

Billboard charts The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in '' Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...

and remained there for ten weeks. ''String Along'' received an

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

gold certification in 1962, a year after

Dave Guard Donald David Guard (October 19, 1934 – March 22, 1991) was an American folk singer, songwriter, arranger and recording artist. Along with Nick Reynolds and Bob Shane, he was one of the founding members of The Kingston Trio. Guard was born in ...

had left the group. It was the last LP of the Trio to reach the number one spot. Two singles, "Bad Man's Blunder" b/w "The Escape of Old John Webb" and "Everglades" b/w "This Mornin', This Evenin', So Soon", were released.Liner notes: ''Sold Out'' and ''String Along'' Capitol Records reissue. Liner notes by Ben Blake, 1992. Both were the last singles of the "Guard years" Trio to chart, "Bad Man Blunder" the last to reach the Top 40. "The Escape of Old John Webb" is an old English folk song and was deliberately recorded in an attempt to increase the Trio's popularity in Great Britain.Liner notes; ''The Kingston Trio: The Capitol Years'' (Capitol Records CD7243 8 28498 2 7) "Bad Man's Blunder" (with its title shortened to "Bad Man Blunder" for single release) was issued on 45 without the final words "Bang, you're dead" included on the sub-master, a decision made by producer Voyle Gilmore. Dave Guard played

Gibson Gibson may refer to: People * Gibson (surname) Businesses * Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment * Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based * Gi ...

's first 12-string guitar on this album.

Reception

In his

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

review, critic Bruce Eder noted that the album had the most unusual sound compared to previous albums, essentially making it a "quieter album". Eder noted the album "has other highlights and oddities" and singled out

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

' "Leave My Woman Alone".

Reissues

* ''String Along'' was reissued in 1992 on CD by Capitol with ''Sold Out''. Allmusic entry for reissue./ref> *In 1997, all of the tracks from ''String Along'' were included in '' The Guard Years'' 10-CD box set issued by

Bear Family Records Bear 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 The label has been in existence since ...

. * ''String Along'' was reissued in 2001 by

Collectors' Choice Music Collectors' Choice Music (CCM) is an Itasca, Illinois, company originally primarily in two businesses, but since 2010 only in the second. CCM was best known for reissuing albums originally recorded in LP record form as compact discs. , its catalog ...

with ''Sold Out''. This reissue has four bonus tracks: alternative versions of "The Tattooed Lady" and "The Hunter", and songs "Home From the Hill" and "Green Grasses", previously available on singles.

Track listing

Side one

#"Bad Man's Blunder" (

Lee Hays Lee Elhardt Hays (March 14, 1914 – August 26, 1981) was an American folksinger and songwriter, best known for singing bass with the Weavers. Throughout his life, he was concerned with overcoming racism, inequality, and violence in soci ...

Cisco Houston Gilbert Vandine "Cisco" Houston (August 18, 1918 – April 29, 1961) was an American folk singer and songwriter, who is closely associated with Woody Guthrie due to their extensive history of recording together. Houston was a regular recording ...

) #"The Escape of Old John Webb" (Tom Drake) #"When I Was Young" (

Jane Bowers Jane Bowers (May 29, 1921 – June 18, 2000) was a Texas folk singer and songwriter best known for her composition " Remember the Alamo". Many of her songs were primarily recorded by the Kingston Trio The Kingston Trio is an American folk ...

) #"Leave My Woman Alone" (

) #"This Mornin', This Evenin', So Soon" (

Carl Sandburg Carl August Sandburg (January 6, 1878 – July 22, 1967) was an American poet, biographer, journalist, and editor. He won three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. During his lifetime, Sandburg ...

) #"Everglades" (

Harlan Howard Harlan Perry Howard (September 8, 1927 – March 3, 2002) was an American songwriter, principally in country music. In a career spanning six decades, Howard wrote many popular and enduring songs, recorded by a variety of different artists. C ...

)

Side two

#"Buddy Better Get on Down the Line" (Bowers, Guard) #"South Wind" (Travis Edmonson) #"Who's Gonna Hold Her Hand" (Tom Drake,

Bob Shane Robert Castle Schoen (February 1, 1934 – January 26, 2020), known professionally as Bob Shane, was an American singer and guitarist who was a founding member of The Kingston Trio. In that capacity, Shane became a seminal figure in the rev ...

) #"To Morrow" (

Bob Gibson Robert Gibson (born Pack Robert Gibson; November 9, 1935October 2, 2020) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals (1959–1975). Nicknamed "Gibby" and "Hoot" ( ...

) #"Colorado Trail" (Lee Hays, Carl Sandburg) #"The Tattooed Lady" (Traditional, Guard, Reynolds, Shane)

Personnel

– vocals, banjo, guitar *

– vocals, guitar *

Nick Reynolds Nicholas Wells Reynolds (July 27, 1933 – October 1, 2008) 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 du ...

– vocals, tenor guitar, conga, lujon *

David "Buck" Wheat David "Buck" Wheat (March 19, 1922 – June 15, 1985) was an American folk and jazz musician. The Texas-born Wheat was a guitarist and bass player with the dance bands of the era, playing at the Chicago Playboy Jazz Festival 1959 in The Playb ...

– bass, guitar

Chart positions

References

External links

Kingston Trio Timeline.
{{Authority control 1960 albums The Kingston Trio albums Albums produced by Voyle Gilmore Capitol Records albums