To everything there has to be a beginning, and in the incestuous world of California music, there are many....one of them is The Hillmen. Bluegrass mandolin prodigy Chris Hillman had already been in the Kentucky Colonels-inspired Scottsville Squirrel Barkers with Larry Murray (later of Hearts and Flowers) Kenny Wertz (later of Country Gazette) and Bernie Leadon (later of The Flying Burrito Brothers and The Eagles)Joining the popular Golden State Boys, Hillman first worked with the Gosdin Brothers, (whose later work with Gene Clark was one of the lynchpins of early Country-Rock)....and future Bluegrass Cardinals star Don Parmley....In addition to the expected quota of standards, Hillman and the Gosdins were keen to incorporate elements of the new folk of Bob Dylan and his ilk....two Dylan covers and several songs penned by the Gosdins are the highlights of this collection Chris Hillman of course went on to be a key member of the Byrds.....and this album, produced by Byrds manager Jim Dickson emerged in 1969 on the Gary Usher/Curt Boettcher Together Records, as part of the earliest serious reissue programme "The Archive Series".....and remastered,with extensive notes and photos, it's once more a key reissue This album features Chris Hillman of The Byrds and The Gosdin Brothers, country stars and Gene Clark collaborators, making it a key document of early California Folk Rock/Country Rock
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