sometimes, when love goes bad, it really, really goes bad...
the kingston trio narrate this story of "the eternal triangle" and it's sad aftermath.
bob shane, who handles most of the narrative, nick reynolds (who provides the strong upper-range harmonies) and dave guard (who interjects expressions of the "now-you're-gonna-get-it" nature and handles the lower-range harmonies) combine as a tight group who can create a hushed, somber mood one minute and whiplash into a exhorting frenzy in the next second.
the harmonies are tight, and at the same time just loose enough to give the group's sound a rather surprising larger-than-life quality when the song calls for it and an intimacy when the lyric requires it.
even if folk music isn't your favorite flavor, the kingston trio are so good that it is very hard to not like them. there is always that one country, rock, heavy metal or r&b song that everyone seems to universally like across the board and tom dooley definitely seems to fit that catagory.