Bill Bentley - Bentley's Bandstand at The Morton Report

Lowell Levinger, Get Together: Banana Recalls the Youngbloods Classics. Maybe the Youngbloods never quite got to the top rung during the '60s and early '70s, but for those who loved folk-inspired rock & roll sung by a master like Jesse Colin Young, the band was a unique wonder. Guitarist Lowell Levinger, always known then as Banana, had a playful spirit and unerring technique, something that he proudly continues right up to today. What a great idea to gather an album full of Youngbloods classic, add a healthy dose of guest artists, and essentially remake a classic era. Among those joining in are Ry Cooder, Peter Stampfel, Duke Robillard and David Grisman with a vocal assist from Young himself, on songs like "Grizzly Bear," "Darkness Darkness," "On Francis Drake" and, yes, the counterculture anthem "Get Together." What makes Levinger's album so strong is that all the music might be rooted in the past, but it sounds as new as today. Maybe that's because some styles are just destined to remain timeless, and Banana is such a smoothie in directing the players that the album ends up being a new breed extravaganza of American treasures. Add in a priceless collection of '60s posters, beautiful photos, and even two pages of Michael Hurley illustrations and the collection starts to feel like a long-lost family album of long lost memories. Banana fana mo! 


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