In a follow-up to their hit recording of music from My Fair Lady,
Shelly Manne and his
Friends (a trio with pianist
André Previn, bassist
Leroy Vinnegar, and the drummer/leader) recorded nine songs from the play Li'l Abner. Although
Johnny Mercer and Gene DePaul wrote the score, none of the songs caught on except for the ballad "Namely You," and this LP (whose music has not been reissued yet on CD) was not a best-seller. The musicians are in fine form but the melodies are not too memorable (when was the last time anyone played "If I Had My Druthers" or "Progress Is the Root of All Evil"?). Actually the main reason to search for this album is for the hilarious photo on the cover. ~ Scott Yanow