Live!!!! Almost!!!
Encyclopedia
Live...Almost!!! is the second album by bluegrass quartet The Dillards
, recorded live at The Mecca, Los Angeles, in front of a clearly appreciative audience. The Dillards perform with a lot of spirit, warmth and enjoyment, which seems to have been their usual approach: "There isn't a song that the Dillards do that they don't thoroughly enjoy, and they do them with equal enthusiasm on the back porch, or in concert before five thousand people".
The album contains an equal mixture of traditional songs and ones penned by the band, plus a few cover versions - including "Walkin' down the line" by a then up-and-coming young artist: "I don't know how many of you know who Bobby Dylan is, but he's probably done more for folk music or had more influence than anybody. He has a voice that's very much like a dog with its leg caught in barbed wire, but that doesn't matter..."
In addition to some fast bluegrass and slower, more folky songs, the album is full of humour, with Mitch Jayne providing some very witty stories by way of introduction to some of the songs: notably with "Old Blue" (involving outdoor privies, dogs and Joan Baez
), and "Pretty Polly" (a song in which a boy "scrags his girlfriend".) The entertainment continues on "Taters in Sandy Land": "Rodney finally gets to play his harmonica, after I get disgusted and cram it in his mouth endways. What amazes the audience is the fact that he plays it that way, no hands!" Finally in the closing track, "Buckin' mule", Rodney Dillard forgets his words and when prompted to simply make some up, delivers a few verses that really crack up the audience.
: EKL-265 (mono) and EKS-7265 (stereo).
It was reissued by Elektra in 2001 as a double CD together with their debut album Back Porch Bluegrass
.
The Dillards
The Dillards are an American bluegrass band from Salem, Missouri, consisting of Douglas Flint "Doug" Dillard The Dillards are an American bluegrass band from Salem, Missouri, consisting of Douglas Flint "Doug" Dillard The Dillards are an American bluegrass band from Salem, Missouri, consisting of...
, recorded live at The Mecca, Los Angeles, in front of a clearly appreciative audience. The Dillards perform with a lot of spirit, warmth and enjoyment, which seems to have been their usual approach: "There isn't a song that the Dillards do that they don't thoroughly enjoy, and they do them with equal enthusiasm on the back porch, or in concert before five thousand people".
The album contains an equal mixture of traditional songs and ones penned by the band, plus a few cover versions - including "Walkin' down the line" by a then up-and-coming young artist: "I don't know how many of you know who Bobby Dylan is, but he's probably done more for folk music or had more influence than anybody. He has a voice that's very much like a dog with its leg caught in barbed wire, but that doesn't matter..."
In addition to some fast bluegrass and slower, more folky songs, the album is full of humour, with Mitch Jayne providing some very witty stories by way of introduction to some of the songs: notably with "Old Blue" (involving outdoor privies, dogs and Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
), and "Pretty Polly" (a song in which a boy "scrags his girlfriend".) The entertainment continues on "Taters in Sandy Land": "Rodney finally gets to play his harmonica, after I get disgusted and cram it in his mouth endways. What amazes the audience is the fact that he plays it that way, no hands!" Finally in the closing track, "Buckin' mule", Rodney Dillard forgets his words and when prompted to simply make some up, delivers a few verses that really crack up the audience.
Release and reception
The album was originally released in 1964 on ElektraElektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
: EKL-265 (mono) and EKS-7265 (stereo).
It was reissued by Elektra in 2001 as a double CD together with their debut album Back Porch Bluegrass
Back Porch Bluegrass
Back Porch Bluegrass is the debut album by bluegrass quartet The Dillards. Dooley and Deulin' Banjo were both released as singles.- Track listing :# "Old Joseph" – 1:25...
.
Track listing
- "Black Eyed Susie" (Traditional) – 2:20
- "Never See My Home Again" (Rodney Dillard, Mitch Jayne ) – 3:17
- "There Is A Time" (Rodney Dillard, Mitch Jayne) – 2:46
- "Old BlueOld Blue (song)"Old Blue" is an old folk song, believed to have originated from the minstrel shows of the late 19th century. A 1928 version by Jim Jackson, entitled "Old Dog Blue", appears on the Anthology of American Folk Music album...
" (Traditional) – 5:30 - "Sinkin' Creek" (Douglas Dillard) – 2:27
- "The Whole World Round" (J. Stuart, Mitch Jayne) – 3:25
- "Liberty!" (Traditional) – 2:24
- "Dixie Breakdown" (Dan Reno) – 2:27
- "Walkin' Down The Line" (Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
) – 2:55 - "Jody's Tune" (Rodney Dillard, Dean Webb) - 2:27
- "Pretty Polly"Pretty Polly (ballad)"Pretty Polly", "The Gosport Tragedy" or "The Cruel Ship's Carpenter" is a traditional English-language folk song found in the British Isles, Canada, and the Appalachian region of North America, among other places....
(Traditional) - 4:58 - "Taters In Sandy Lane/Gimme Chaw T'Baccer" (H. Dillard) - 3:41
- "Buckin' Mule" (Traditional) - 4:09
Personnel
- Rodney Dillard - lead vocals, guitar
- Douglas Dillard - banjo
- Mitchell Jayne - bass
- Dean Webb - mandolin