The Mitchell Trio – The Slightly Irreverent Mitchell Trio (1964):  Considering that this is 1964 that we are talking about, The Slightly Irreverent Mitchell Trio is something of an understatement.  Originally known as the Chad Mitchell Trio, the group included several celebrated musicians over the years, including John Denver, Roger McGuinn of the Byrds, and Fred Hellerman of the Weavers.  The Mitchell Trio had become known for their satirical and topical songs, and this record has plenty of them.  Had their label Kapp Records gone along, the Chad Mitchell Trio would be much better known than they are today, since they had discovered the Bob Dylan classic “Blowin’ in the Wind” early on and were ready to release it as a single in 1962.  Kapp Records prevented the song from even appearing on an album, and instead, it was Peter, Paul and Mary who took “Blowin’ in the Wind” to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Kapp Records hastily put out a Blowin’ in the Wind album anyway, though naturally, it was too late.  Now there were two better-known folk-singing trios for them to contend with; the Chad Mitchell Trio had always had difficulty distinguishing themselves from the Kingston Trio.  As to the album at hand, The Slightly Irreverent Mitchell Trio, they were assisted in their irreverence by Broadway veteran E. Y. “Yip” Harburg.  Side 1 closes with his song “An African Song (On That Great Civilized Morning)” that questions whether Western Civilization as a whole is even worthwhile.  The final track, “Rhymes for the Irreverent”, has a guitar playing the old hymn “ ’Tis a Gift to be Simple”, while the bandmembers recite a series of poems written by Harburg that alternately skewer the military (“For the Men of Extinction”), the government (“Shall I Write a Letter to My Congressman?”), and the Germans (“Achtung!”) – the final poem, “Back to the Drawing Board” has God lamenting His failed creation, ending with:  “Oh, well, it was only a six-day job”.  But that’s not all:  The Mitchell Trio also cover Phil Ochs’ “The Draft Dodger Rag” even before his album came out, as well as a Tom Paxton song “I Can’t Help but Wonder Where I’m Bound” before his album came out, too.  The Slightly Irreverent Mitchell Trio begins with the over-the-top “A Dying Business”, about someone receiving the “Funeral Director of the Year” award.  The album also features “The Alabama Song” that the Doors included on their first album, The Doors (1967).