Vic, Gene and Joe Ames were born and grew up in Boston, and the rich harmonies that made them international celebrities were in evidence as early as grammar school, when they began singing together. They won prizes in virtually every amateur contest they entered; then they were booked at the Fox and Hound in Boston for a week, were held over 3 months-and were on their way to a long career as pop singing stars with a slew of gold records. A compilation of two lps from the early 1960s, "Hello Italy!" is their debut LP for Epic Records, and a cinch for the multilingual Brothers, who could read or converse in 6 languages. Some favorites on "Hello" (all accompanied and in Italian) are "Fontana di Trevi" (Three Coins in the Fountain), "Corrin Corrina" (Corrine, Corrina), "Volare" (Nel Blu DiPinto Di Blu), "Luna Milinconica" (Blue Moon), "Ritorna A Me" (Return to Me), "Nastri Rossi" (Scarlet Ribbons) and "Arrividerci Roma." "Knees Up!" is not a typo, but the title of one of the songs on this collection of wonderful fun and nonsense from the talented Brothers. Some favorites here are "I'm Walking the Floor Over You," "I'll Lend You Everything I've Got Except My Wife," "If I Had My Life To Live Over I'd Live Over A Grocery Store," "Take Your Finger Out of Your Mouth I Want A Kiss From You," "When It's Night Time In Italy It's Wednesday Over Here," and the touching ballad, "Where Can I Find A Bookie." 24 popular vintage hits from the celebrated Ames Brothers, whose smooth, rich harmonies fill this generous CD. By the way, Mother Brown had just turned 100, and "Knees Up" refers to dancing, but you knew that!