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Sleeve Notes
The LIMELITERS are one of today's most prolific popular folk groups as well as having been one of the Folk Era's greatest bands! Founded in the late fifties by Alex Hassilev, Lou Gottlieb and Glenn Yarbrough, the LIMELITERS went on to record many successful albums for Elektra and RCA. When Glenn left to pursue a solo career, Alex and Lou continued on with Ernie Shelton for three more albums before calling it a day.
In the seventies, they reunited with Glenn on many occasions, recording two more albums. Finally, they made the decision that they really loved performing together as the LIMELITERS, and they set out to form an even better version of what was a classic band.
Early in 1981, they came across a very talented tenor by the name of Red Grammer. Red was a soloist, and when he auditioned for the LIMELITERS job, Alex and Lou felt that they had indeed come across an even better singer and instrumentalist than they had ever hoped for! Today, some six-plus years later, he has proved that hypothesis correct. This edition of the LIMELITERS is the best ever! In the fifties and early sixties, critics always felt that the LIMELITERS' vocal capabilities exceeded those of any other popular folk group. Using that as a criteria, the LIMELITERS today must really be off the scale! With Alex's classic bass voicing, Red's superb Irish tenor and Lou's capable mid-range, today's LIMELITERS create a vocal sound that must be heard to be believed.
When they reformed the band, Alex, Lou and Red wanted something more instrumentally than they felt themselves capable of producing. They tried a band of four or five musicians before settling on one man that many consider to be the finest stringed instrumentalist in folk music, John David. John has been with them ever since, even adding a few vocals when four parts are called for in Lou or Alex's arrangements. Lou has a PhD in Musicology, and the depth of his arranging abilities keeps Alex, Red and John busy.
The LIMELITERS formed their own record company — WEST KNOLL RECORDS — and released a live double-album set in 1986 which was met with critical acclaim. Now they are releasing their first all-digital compact disc on FOLK ERA, and HARMONY! shows this awesome group at its very best. Recorded on a 24-track digital recorder, this recording is sure to be your favorite LIMELITERS album if you're an old fan; and if this is your first exposure to this great group, you'll be hooked for certain! These songs show the LIMELITERS at their very best. PLACE IN THE CHOIR is a sing-along that really gets your feet tapping, the IRISH MEDLEY will really make you stop and think, while Red's incredible rendition of DANNY BOY and their version of Phil Ochs' great song THE POWER AND THE GLORY will make you proud to be an American! STREAMLINED CANNONBALL will rock you off your feet and the title track, HARMONY, will make you wish you were still singing in your choir. Lou's hysterical WORLD'S LAST TRUCK-DRIVIN' MAN is bound to make you laugh until your sides hurt. The LIMELITERS' best albums have always been recorded live, and with good reason — their rapport with their audiences is legendary. HARMONY! could be their best effort ever! Everything that you've come to expect from the LIMELITERS is here; great harmonies, excellent instrumentation, amusing tunes, great humor from Lou and an overall show that will make you want to hear it over and over again. Fortunately, you're in a position to do just that.
FOLK ERA is indeed proud to present their first LIMELITERS release with HARMONY!, for we feel that this great album is just a warm-up for this multitalented group. To say that the LIMELITERS are a nostalgic act is a mistake. For certain, they can still sing those songs that you grew up with in the sixties, but they have moved well beyond just those tunes. The LIMELITERS are a vital band that is as much a part of the eighties as it was the sixties. They haven't stood still, they've improved. Their shows are not stale reruns of sixties concerts, but lively new shows full of today's songs and humor with just a reminder of what was thrown in for good measure.
Folk Era feels that this compact disc will carve yet another mark in the tree of excellence for other popular folk groups to admire.
So sit back and listen to classic popular folk music — LIMELITER-style.