by William Ruhlmann
"So this is the final Weavers record," writes Vanguard Records head Maynard Solomon in his liner notes to the second album (mostly) culled from the group's May 2-3, 1963, stand at Carnegie Hall, performances at which Ronnie Gilbert, Lee Hays, and Fred Hellerman were joined by all four occupants of the tenor position: original member Pete Seeger; his replacement, Erik Darling; then-current member Frank Hamilton; and his replacement, Bernie Krause. The album doesn't spell out who's singing when, but it's not hard to tell that Seeger is present on old favorites like "The Frozen Logger," "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine," and "Rock Island Line." The Weavers made a lot of live albums, and a lot of them at Carnegie Hall (this was the fourth), so they can be difficult to tell apart, even when you're listening to one. Happily, they all share the qualities of humor, passion, and good singing. And though the Weavers broke up more than a year before this album was released, it wasn't their final record, not even their final record to be recorded live at Carnegie Hall.