Turning Like Forever: Rarities, Vol. 2 in Bloomington, MN

From the
Collectors' Choice Music
-distributed
RichKat Records
label comes a second installment of rarities and otherwise hard-to-find archival selections featuring the
Kingston Trio
. Musically, the focus of
Turning Like Forever: Rarities, Vol. 2
(2008) spans their post-
Capitol Records
stint with co-founders
Nick Reynolds
(guitar/vocals),
Bob Shane
(banjo/guitar/vocals), and
Dave Guard
's replacement,
John Stewart
(guitar/vocals). The eponymous
Kingston Trio (Nick-Bob-John)
(1964) was their initial endeavor for
Decca Records
and from those sessions come alternates of
Rod McKuen
's ballad
"Love's Been Good To Me,"
as well as
"Little Play Soldiers,"
"Love Comes a Trickling Down"
and the stunningly simple, yet effective pre-vocal [read: instrumental] take of
Stewart
's
"Stories of Old."
When the confab reconvened for their follow-up
Stay Awhile
(1965) several superior sides were left to languish in the vaults for decades. The
Mason Williams
-penned
"Love Poem #1"
and
"Love Poem #2"
are examples of the composer's fiercely underrated brilliant, silly and insinuation-laden songwriting style. Comparatively more traditional is
Williams
'
"Road Song"
and arguably superior take of
"If I Had a Ship."
The other standout cut circa
is -- as liner notes author
Tom DeLisle
aptly puts it in his heartfelt essay -- "How this cut never made an album is beyond my reasoning." Well said.
Children of the Morning
(1966) -- the last long player during the trio's
Decca
stint -- is the source for the
originals
"Go Tell Roger"
the long-lost classic
"January Summer,"
an a cappella mix or vocal-enhanced mix of
's achingly poignant and timeless
"When You've Been Away for a Long Time,"
and a variation on the title composition,
"Children of the Morning."
The second half of the disc is devoted to nearly a half-hour of promotional radio interview excerpts, advertisements, and endorsements that were recorded around the
Time to Think
(1964) and during their "downtime" between their lapsed
gig and soon to commence two-year run on
. ~ Lindsay Planer