Below is a discography of CMT. Those labelled JD have John Denver, Joe Frazier & Mike Kobluk. Unlabeled have Chad MItchell, Frazier & Kobluk. "Arrived" and "CMT & Gatemen" albums are Mitchell, Kobluk & Mike Pugh. "Alive" is Denver, Kobluk & David Boise. The short-lived trio of Denver, Boise & Michael Johnson did not release any recordings. PBS reunuions are mostly Mitchell-Frazier-Kobluk but a couple songs with Denver. The MItchell, Kobluk, Pugh trio also had 3 or 4 songs from the Belafonte Returns to Carnegie Hall concert"Arrives!" LP (Colpix CP411) - This album had at least three different covers A)The trio sitting on the roof at the entrance to the Blue Angel B) some drawings of instruments; C)a sketch of Chad Mitchell and a guitar and banjo. Only the first cover is labeled "Arrives!", the other two just say "The Chad Mitchell Trio". Vic Messer played guitar and Eric Darling, banjo.
"The Chad Mitchell Trio and The Gatemen In Concert - Everybody's Listening" LP (Colpix SCP 463) This album was actually released sometime after the following 3 or 4 albums had established the trio's popularity. Colpix went back to their archives and pulled up some tracks to try to cash in on the popularity. 3 of the 6 songs by the CMT on this album are also on "Arrives!". The release also triggered legal action by the trio who maintained that the songs no longer reflected the type of music they were doing.
"Mighty Day On Campus" LP (Kapp KL 1262) Roger (Jim) McGuinn plays guitar and banjo and is pictured with the trio
"At The Bitter End" LP (Kapp KS 3281) McGuinn again on guitar and banjo, Fred Hellerman on guitar and Bill Lee on bass
"In Action" LP (Kapp KS 3313) I think this album was actually the first recording of Dylan's "Blowin In The Wind". When Peter Paul & Mary's version of that song became popular the album title was changed to "Blowin' In The Wind" but the picture on the cover remained the same. guitars - Paul Prestopino, Jacob Ander, Bruce Langhorne; bass Norman Keenan. The was the beginning of a very long relationship between the trio and Prestopino and Anders.
"Arrives" and all 3 of the Kapp albums have been reissued on CD
"The Best Of Chad Mitchell Trio" LP (Kapp KS 3334) This LP contains selections from the three Kapp albums
"Singin' OUr Mind" LP (Mercury SR 60838) with Prestopino and Ander
"Reflecting" LP (Mercury SR 60891) with Prestopino and Ander
The Slightly Irreverent" LP (Mercury SR 20944)With this LP "Chad" was dropped from the group name. It became just "The Mitchell Trio" even though Chad was still with them. with Ander & Prestopino
"Typical American Boys" LP (Mercury SR 60992) with Prestopino and Ander.
"That's The Way It's Gonna Be " (JD) LP Mercury SR 61049. John Dever replaces Chad Mitchell. guitars = Ander, Prestopino & Denver, the first time a trio member also played and instrument
"Violets Of Dawn " (JD) LP (Mercury SR 60167) John Denver's song writing debut with "For Bobbi". This is the only CMT album to ever receive a Grammy nomination. It didn't win.
"Alive" (JD) LP (Reprise 6258)Joe Frazier had left the group to go to seminary and was replaced by David Boise. guitars - Prestopino, Denver & Bob Hefferan. This album contains my personal favorite version of the Lennon/McCartney song "She Loves You", also Denver does his first take on "Leavin On Jet Plane". Two years later Peter Paul & Mary made it big with this Denver song.
"Beginnings - John Denver & Mitchell Trio" LP (Mercury SRM 1-704) This was relased in 1974 long after the trio broke up. It was intended to grab some of the John Denver popularity. Mercury records had chosen not to sign Denver as a soloist. RCA did and made out OK in that deal. Two of the tracks were not on previous Mercury albums although a different take of one of the "She Loves You" was on the Reprise album.
In 1987, 20 years after they broke up the CMT got together for a series of reunion concerts. ONe of them in Charlotte NC was video-taped for a PBS tleevision special that ran several times. It was mostly MItchell, Kobluk & Frazier (with Ander & Prestopino) but John Denver showed up for a couple songs at the end. Copies of the video can sometimes be found (I have one that was taped off the broadcast). In the middle 90's, Folk Era Records obtained access to the audio tapes of that concert and has relased the entire concert on two CDs :
"Mighty Day/Chad Mitchell Trio Reunion" (Part 1 of PBS special)
"Chad Mitchell Trio Reunion...Part 2" (Folk Era FE 1438CD)
"The Very Best of The Chad MItchell Trio" CD (Vanguard 79494-2) This collection released in 1996 has 15 tracks from both the Kapp and Mercury recordings.
"Best of the Chad Mitchell Trio - The Mercury Years" CD (Mercury 314 534 400-2) Issued in 1998 this CD contains 25 tracks from the Mercury CMT library that overlaps both Chad Mitchell's and John Denver's stint. It includes two (in my opinion rather mediocre)tracks that were released only as a Mercury single.
"An Evening with the Chad Mitchell Trio & Friends-Live at the Birchmere" CD (Medium Rare REcords MR002) This concert was recorded in 1995 and the CD issued in 1996. It has 9 songs by the CMT, one song by Carolyn Hester, 3 songs by the Limeliters (this was Lou Gottlieb's last recording) and one song with Chirstine Lavin, the CMT and the Limeliters.
rich r