Me and My Banjo

Fabulous long-playing ultra high fidelity recording by a genius of banjo-ology. There are two sides to Eddie Peabody: his regular hard-hitting, full-strumming, rigorous medicine show-style, employed on this album for maximum impact on "Me And My Shadow" (this version is so much rowdier than either Ted Lewis or Whispering Jack Smith ever dared to get with it); a gutsy version of "That Old Gang Of Mine"; the invigorating "Under The Double Eagle" and "Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet"; this last number also featuring a tuba. The remaining eight titles feature Peabody's "second side:" one that features an instrument of Peabody's own invention: the Banjoline. That's an electric banjo equipped with a special vibrato device. The results can be whimsical ("The Sweetheart Of Sigma Chi" and "Moonlight And Roses"); dreamy Hawaiian ("In Old Hawaii"); a medley ( "Sweet Leilani/To You My Sweetheart Aloha/Song Of The Islands"); or positively zippy, with a beat described in the liner notes as "rock'n'roll": "'Til We Meet Again," "My Little Gypsy Sweetheart," and "I Had A Dream, Dear." Finally, there is a remarkable samba version of "The Love Nest." All in all one very satisfying record accessible to anyone who's not too proud to enjoy a bit of corn and circumstance.