Search - The Limeliters :: Singing For The Fun

Late-career Limeliters were still quite listenable...

William E. Adams | Midland, Texas USA | 04/12/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

""The Limeliters" came along in the late '50's/early '60's, along with The Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul and Mary, the Chad Mitchell Trio, Brothers Four, The Highwaymen, and many other ensembles cashing in on "The Folk Revival." While first famous for filling a niche between the comedy of The Smothers Brothers and the smooth sound of the Kingston Trio, the group proved to still have life after its original lead singer, Glenn Yarbrough, left for a solo career. In the '70's, Glenn did some reunion work with band-mates Lou Gottlieb and Alex Hassilev, but in 1981, a young tenor named Red Grammer joined as lead singer and occasional songwriter. On this compilation CD, Red is prominent, and the results are great. This nearly one-hour disc has mostly a country flavor, featuring songs originally recorded by Jim Reeves, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ronnie Milsap, and Hoyt Axton. But comedy is not slighted, either, with the inclusion of the wonderful "Vasectomy Song" and the acapella spoof "Zen Gospel Singing." Overall, this is definitely worth the dough, and you won't miss Mr. Yarbrough, since Red Grammer sings as well or better. It's amazing to me, who had lost track of Gottlieb and Hassilev after the '60's, that "The Limeliters" stayed touring and remained musically relevant through the '80's. Listen to "A Million a Day" from the mid-80's which satirizes the relationship between personal greed and wealth and the Reagan "Star Wars" project proposal--social commentary did not die with the end of the Vietnam War! This is followed by "Fill My Life," a gorgeous song by a couple of Nashville writers with a great lead vocal by Grammer. Heck, these guys even throw in a rendition of Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine" and make it work. A surprising enjoyable CD from start to finish, this one represents "The Limeliters" well."