The Very Best of the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band [CD]

EDITORIAL REVIEWS television series 'The Country Touch' had given the band considerable popularity throughout New Zealand, and from the earlier years of merely imitating the musi c of overseas groups, the HCBB had developed into a unit with its own distinctiv e sound. The music on this re-issue is taken from the 2 major albums of this per iod, 'Fifth Season' and 'Kersbrook Cottage'. We recorded 'Fifth Season' in the W ellington HMV studios in 1970, and with the production skills of Peter Dawkins, captured the energy of the music with contemporary recording techniques, produci ng an album distinctly different from its predecessors 'Kersbrook Cottage' was r ecorded in 1972, in Sydney, Australia. David Calder and Lyndsay Bedogni had left the band, being replaced by Graham Lovejoy and Miles Reay; the band's move to A ustralia introduced them to a new audience and new opportunities, with a new sou nd that was firmly based on the earlier band, but which leaned in different dire ctions. A trip to the USA in 1971 had finally taken the band to the source of mu ch of its music, and a new enthusiasm was evident in performances and choice of material. The 'new' HCBB refined its sound during tours with the Slim Dusty Show throughout Australia, together with regular performances in clubs, universities and folk music venues, until the opportunity to record 'Kersbrook Cottage' at E MI's Castlereagh St studios. Rod Coe, an ex-pat NZer from Christchurch who had s pent his formative years in rock music, produced the album. He successfully capt ured the vision the HCBB had for their music, and directed it into particularly appropriate contemporary sounds without sacrificing the essentially 'live' sound.…