Search - The Limeliters :: Alive! In Concert

Old time Limeliter Fan

Barrie B. Cubbon | Regina, SK Canada | 01/10/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Originally bought with the idea in mind that this was an ORIGINAL remastered recording. After initial disappointment, it's not bad and I'd recommend it but don't compare it to the originals as there is no comparison. The voices are fine but the Yarborough lilt, Gottlieb humor and Hasselev banjo just aren't there nor is the comraderie.(Nor for that matter is Yarborough) Having said all this I enjoy it for what it's worth - a new group with an old name and a new presentation and some old gems"

This is a wonderful CD!

Barrie B. Cubbon | 06/15/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been listening to the Limeliters ever since I was a little kid, and now that I know more about music, I can see just how great they really are. Red Grammer and his tenor add a great deal of talent to the group. Lou Gottlieb is absolutely hilarious. This is probably the best of the Limeliters CDs available."

The new version of the Limeliters in Concert circa 1982

Lawrance M. Bernabo | The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota | 07/06/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Limeliters were one of the more successful folk groups of the early 1960s, especially in terms of representing the movement's backlash against rock 'n' roll. In the beginning the group, which took its name from the Limelite club in Aspen, Colorado, consisted of Glenn Yarbrough on guitar, Lou Gottlieb on bass, and Alex Hassilev on guitar and banjo. Gottlieb had been a member of the Gateway Singers and heard Yarbrough and Hassilev singing one night at Hollywood's Cosmo Alley nightclub. In 1959 a successful gig at San Francisco's hungry i got them a record contract and the rest was history.What made the Limeliters stand out was the beautiful blend of the three voices, more so than any contemporary folk group. You had Yarbrough's pure and soaring tenor, Gottlieb's baritone, and Hassilve's bass baritone, blending together without losing their uniqueness. Gottlieb, who did his dissertation, on 15th century cyclic masses, did the arrangements and as this live album amply evidences was the group's master of ceremonies. Having had a brief career as a stand-up comic, Gottlieb provides the humor and political bite to the group's performances. The group was most popular in the early 1960s, but after surviving a plane crash in 1963 Yarbrough left the group to have a briefly successful solo career ("Baby the Rain Must Fall" in 1965). Ernie Shelton took Yarbrough's place for a couple of years before the group disbanded in 1965. However, in 1973 the original trio reunited and toured through 1981, when Yarbrough again quit and was replaced by first tenor Red Grammer and later Rick Doughtery, who toured until 1996 when Gottlieb died."Alive in Concert, Volume 1" was recorded in Atlanta and released in 1982. The lineup at this point consisted of Gottlieb, Hassilve, and Grammer, with accompanist John David. Grammer's Irish tenor voice faked me out the first time I heard this album into thinking it was still Yarbrough and the original lineup. Grammer even wrote one of the songs, "Harmony," but his highlight is the "Irish Medley," which includes, of course, "Danny Boy." My favorite track is another medley, "The Folk Medley," which consists of "Hard Travelin' Mount Zion," "Wayfaring Stranger," and "Lonesome Traveler." With Gottlieb's comic introduction it is the quintessential track on the album.Also standing out are a cover of Harry Chapin's "Circle," the a cappella harmony of "South Bound Passenger Train," and the sing along of "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream." The album includes arrangements by Doc Watson and Bob Gibson, presumably on some of the traditional songs like "John Henry." Gottlieb also provides some comic tunes, singing about a "Vasectomy" and going after the Reagan Star Wars program in "A Million a Day," as the crowd roars its approval. "Alive in Concert, Volume 1" is an enjoyable listening experience, but as you keep listening to it you will probably program your CD player just to play your favorites. Still, there are certainly enough 5 star favorites here to make it well worth the effort. It will be a long time before I stop listening to "The Folk Medley.""