John Stewart: “Old Forgotten Altars: The 1960s Demos” (2020) CD Review

In 1961, when Dave Guard left the Kingston Trio, singer and songwriter John Stewart, a member of The Cumberland Three, was chosen to take his place. He quickly became an important member of the group, contributing material to every album they put out through 1966 (and actually writing the majority of the songs for the group’s 1966 LP Children Of The Morning). Even before joining the group, he had contributed the song “Molly Dee” to their Here We Go Again! album, and the song “Green Grasses” which was used as the flip side to the “Coo Coo – U” single, both in 1959.  So he was really making his living as a songwriter before making any sort of living as a singer and guitarist. The Kingston Trio effectively ended in 1967 (at least for a while), and John Stewart pursued a solo career, while also writing songs for other artists, such as “Daydream Believer” for The Monkees and “Runaway Train” for Roseanne Cash. Old Forgotten Altars: The 1960s Demos contains eighteen songs recorded between 1965 and 1968, and one track from 1959. And if some of these songs sound like they’d be right at home on a Kingston Trio album, well, that’s because some of them were. Several of these songs were included on the already mentioned Children Of The Morning album, though obviously with a different sound, being sung and played by three men. Several other songs heard here would find their way onto John Stewart’s first two solo albums, Signals Through The Glass and California Bloodlines. This release includes liner notes by Jim Moran, along with a few photos.

This disc opens with “Livin’ That Way,” an excellent song with a folk rock sound. Early on, after the lines “To my mother I did say/Never let me wander from finding my own way,” he pauses, then delivers the lines “But you can’t go on living like that day after day/You’ve got to know what the other folks say.” Indeed. It’s a strong moment, and is repeated throughout the song. The song ends with the line, “I really don’t care what the other folks say.” It’s a compelling start to this collection. That’s followed by “When You’ve Been Away For A Long Time,” a gentle and pretty song that The Kingston Trio included on Children Of The Morning. After hearing this rendition a few times, I think I actually prefer it to the more polished Kingston Trio version. This one somehow feels more heartfelt. Then check out these lines from “Down The Highway You Go”: “You who were beaten to the ground/People across this land all heard the sound/I’m glad you folks are brave/Because, my god, I’m sure afraid/As down this highway we go.” Those lines got right on top of me, and are as powerful now as they were in the 1960s. That’s followed by another song that ended up on Children Of The Morning, “Lock All The Windows.” The lines I always liked from this one are “L.A. is pretty and New York is cold/And Chicago is just an old story I’ve told.”

“Rambler Get On Board” is a wonderful folk song with a traditional sound and theme, riding the rails. That’s followed by “Shackles And Chains,” a song that would be included on John Stewart’s second solo album, California Bloodlines, where it has a full sound. Here it has more of a folk sound, and moves at a quick pace. Songs about aging are hitting me harder than they used to, which I suppose is no surprise. Anyway, “One More Chapter Is Gone” is one that both looks back and looks forward. “Now I laugh at the fears of my wilder years/When I think of how foolish I looked/One more chapter is gone.” I imagine different people will take this line differently: “But now I am learning the things I was yearning for never did really exist.” For me, it is a bit depressing.

“Children Of The Morning,” which would end up as the title track to The Kingston Trio’s 1966 LP, is here presented in a pretty rendition. It’s followed by another song that would be included on that 1966 LP, “The Spinnin’ Of The World.” That’s one of my favorite songs from that album, and this version has more of a raw sound with a youthful energy. We then get a demo of the song that would close out John Stewart’s first album on Capitol, “Draft Age,” here titled “Draft Age Today.” As you might guess, this version has more of a folk sound. For me, that gives it a more immediate sound, which only adds to its power. That’s followed by a song that would be included on California Bloodlines, “The Pirates Of Stone County Road,” featuring his wife Buffy Ford Stewart on backing vocals. She sings on two other tracks on this disc – “Big Sur” and “She Believes In Me.” “Big Sur” has a really cool sound, beginning with a catchy rhythm on guitar, and is one of my favorites. “She Believes In Me” is a sweet song that ended up on California Bloodlines. “She believes in losers, lord/She believes in me.” This collection concludes with a track recorded in 1959, a demo of “Hey Sarrey,” with John Stewart playing banjo, a fun way to end the disc.

CD Track List

1. Livin’ That Way
2. When You’ve Been Away For A Long Time
3. Down The Highway You Go
4. Lock All The Windows
5. Rambler Get On Board
6. Shackles & Chains
7. One More Chapter Is Gone
8. Being Born Again
9. Long Life
10. Children Of The Morning
11. The Spinnin’ Of The World
12. Draft Age Today
13. The Pirates Of Stone County Road
14. One Tiny Grain Of Sand
15. July, You’re A Woman
16. Big Sur
17. Mother Country
18. She Believes In Me
19. Hey Sarrey 

Old Forgotten Altars: The 1960s Demos is scheduled to be released on May 8, 2020 through Omnivore Recordings.