Tom Dooley was widely circulated long before the KT got it -- Frank Warner played it on a hand-crafted banjo, for one.

But there's nothing wrong with their songs as such -- even the corny ones like Scarlet Ribbons and Long Black Rifle have a place somewhere, i guess -- the thing that always annoyed me was their slick blend and their smarmy polish. They seem to have no gut feel for the real work behind the songs they sang. When they sang with enthusiasm, you got the feeling it was because it said "Sing enthusiastically here" on the scores, or something. I don't mind their songs but I never could connect with their style. Money or not.

A