Thursday, January 29, 2015

The Dilliards Copperfields Elektra 1970

The Dilliards Copperfields Elektra 1970 CAT# EKS-74054

Pretty clever LP by the Dillards and the last thing they released on Elektra. It follows the formula of the highly regarded LP, Wheatstraw Suite. Copperfields find the band effortlessly combining traditional bluegrass with pop and rock tendencies. The harmonies are great, the cover tunes are well selected for the most part (I could do without another version of "Yesterday", although pure vocal version is kind of cool) and the originals are solid.

Personally, I think bands like the Dillards get overlooked. The problem seems to be these guys were country first and then added rock influences. However, if you're the Byrds and take your folk-rock sound and add country, people lose their shit. People swear by Sweetheart of the Rodeo. And, they should, it's an excellent album, pretty sure it has a the Dillard brothers signing on it. Point is, there's a wealth of material out there that coincides with Sweetheart that's worth checking out, including this band and this album with their Kansas City connection and bluegrass roots.

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