May 22, 2018

Lilly Brothers: Bluegrass Breakdown

Prestige Folklore FL-14010

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1964
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A1 Bluegrass Breakdown (3:00)
A2 I Wonder How The Old Folks Are At Home (3:20)
A3 Why Did You Wonder? (3:10)
A4 Miller's Cave (2:46)
A5 Wildwood Flower (3:40)
A6 Katy Hill (1:57)
A7 Have A Feast Here Tonight (2:18)
B1 Rollin' On (2:19)
B2 Beneath The Old Southern Sky (2:50)
B3 Storms On The Ocean (2:26)
B4 Foggy Mountain Breakdown (3:06)
B5 That Star Belongs To Me (3:24)
B6 Billy In The Low Ground (3:22)
B7 We Shall Meet Some Day (2:46)
[Credits]
Bea Lilly (guitar/vocals) Everett Lilly (mandolin/vocals) Don Stover (banjo) Herb Hoover (fiddle) Fritz Richmond (bass)
[Notes]
This classic bluegrass "brother" duet is particularly known for popularizing bluegrass music in the New England area, as the group held forth regularly at Boston's Hillbilly Ranch, among other sympathetic venues. It was the '60s, the height of the folk boom, and the Lilly Brothers were soon tapped to do some recording for the ever-expanding Prestige label. That the New England-based Rounder Records would jump on reissuing this material is only appropriate; that the parent company would get around to also re-releasing it a few decades later just adds to the multiple confusion that is known collectively as the Lilly Brothers' discography. Listeners slanted toward a more rural perspective may immediately imagine that this bluegrass is a bit more polished around the edges than many Southern groups, and they would be right. The vocal delivery of brothers Everett and Bea also sounds downright cosmopolitan in comparison with some bluegrass outfits. Some of the slickness comes from the way the original recordings were made. Prestige had a certain sort of sound established for its jazz artists and tended to try to create a similar ambience when establishing its Folklore series. The instruments are thus cleanly and deeply recorded. There is a lot of good picking, especially from banjo maestro Don Stover, who worked regularly with the Lilly boys. These sessions consisted of quintet, trio, and duo tracks, and the latter reveal just how strongly the brothers feel the rhythm of this music together. The instrumental tracks allow Stover, Everett Lilly on mandolin, and fiddler Herb Hooven to stretch out impressively. Another interesting aspect of these sessions are the more modern tunes from the pure country camp, but pushed back into a bluegrass and old-time style. Very effective. (AllMusic Review by Eugene Chadbourne)

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