The Last Month Of The Year

You know you re a successful act in the music business when you re disappointed that an album only hits #11 on the charts! But that s how big the Kingston Trio were in 1960; all of their previous albums had hit #1, and they accounted for 20% of Capitol Records profits that year even at a time when the label s roster included such superstars as Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole. The reason for this disappointing showing? The Last Month of the Year was, contrary to the typical Christmas release, arguably the most ambitious album the Trio had released to date and maybe even the most ambitious album of their career. Dave Guard, Nick Reynolds and Bob Shane wove together a rich tapestry of European legends and scripture, lullabies, and spirituals from the American deep South and gave them the unique Kingston Trio stamp, complete with unusual instrumentation (like the bouzouki pictured on the back cover) and, in Nick Reynolds words, really tricky harmonies, really tricky arrangements. Plus, there were no popular Christmas favorites to be found; instead, some of the material was downright dark, such as the opening track, Bye Bye Thou Tiny Little Child, which refers to King Herod s massacre of the innocents. But make no mistake The Last Month of the Year captures all the joy of the Christmas season, and remains truer to the holiday s real origins than just about any album of a similar ilk made by a major recording artist. It s a true Christmas classic, here with added photos and great liner notes by folk music expert Tom Pickles. Yours from Real Gone Music!