Bill and Sue-On Hillman: A 50-Year Musical Odyssey
www.hillmanweb.com/book :: Rock Roots and Influences
Presents
EVERLY BROTHERS IN THE PRESS
Part 9
The Everly Brothers
KENTUCKY: Album Descriptions
Ref: Celebrity Rock Stars"Music was their recreation as well as their communication," says the Reverend Ted Everly, speaking about his father Leonard and his uncles Charlie and Isaac (Ike). "But they couldn't read music so they played by ear." With practice, the three brothers soon became highly accomplished at playing guitar in a thumbpicking style that was common in Muhlenberg County. On August 31, 1935, at age 27, Ike Everly married the girl next door, Margaret Embry. Their first son, Isaac Donald, was born on February 1, 1937 in Brownie, Kentucky which was a little town about two miles east of Central City. Soon after Don's birth, the family moved to Chicago where a second son, Phillip, was born on January 19,1939.
CHICAGO
Following the lead of their older brother Ike, Charlie and Leonard retired from the back-breaking work in the coal mines of Muhlenberg County, and also moved their families north to Chicago. Along with Ike, they took their country-style singing and playing into the night clubs of Madison and Maxwell Streets which were full of honky-tonks and bars. "I remember my father playing in Chicago in a country western honky-tonk with pool tables and a little bandstand," Don recalls. "I can also remember the smell of the place... the old cigars and beer. As far as I know, my father had the first electric guitar on Madison Street. He would work the honky-tonks, and they'd open the doors and the place would fill up. He was working with his brothers and they sang in harmony which was really a tradition in country music... families singing together." Even though Ike was an established performer in Chicago, he and Margaret wanted their sons to be raised in a small rural community. So, in 1944, Ike got a job with radio station KASL in Waterloo, Iowa. He felt that radio would eventually create a future for him and his family. Ike tried to persuade his two younger brothers to also take up careers in radio, but they chose to remain in Chicago and continue to perform in the clubs there.SHENANDOAH
In 1945 Ike moved his family again when he joined the staff at radio station KMA in Shenandoah, Iowa. At the young ages of 8 and 6, Don and Phil began to perform on their parents' live radio show. By his example, Ike instilled in his two sons his own love for music. He encouraged them to sing and he taught them to play guitar. "When we were kids," Don recalls, "the first thing people wanted us to do was sing. People would come over and say, 'Come on, Don and Phil, sing us a song.' " At KMA the brothers were introduced to listeners as "Little Donnie" and "Baby Boy Phil." Margaret often joined Ike and "the boys," as they were called then, and four-part harmonies by the family were common. By 1950 the radio show had become known as "The Everly Family Show." During the summer of 1952, the family accepted a job at WIKY in Evansville, Indiana so they prepared to leave Shenandoah. "I didn't want to go," says Don. "It gave me a sense of stability, like the kind you read about in Lake Wobegon Days by Garrison Keillor. The Midwest is wonderful. It's like its own ocean. I love the Midwest... the farming communities. It's part of me." Phil stresses, "America cannot afford to lose the people of the Midwest... the breadbasket of the world. It's not only their ability to grow things that's important, but their ability to grow people." Radio stations were beginning to find it more economical to pay one person to play records than to pay a group of people to play live music, so "The Everly Family Show" began looking again for a new home after being at WIKY for only a year. "We had heard about WROL in Knoxville, Tennessee," says Don, "so we packed the car up and left in September of '53. We came down, auditioned, and got the job on Cas Walker's show for $90 a week for all four of us."NASHVILLE
There were others before him, of course, but the first famous Everly Brothers fan was Chet Atkins. Back in 1955, Chet would buy The Everly Brothers a cup of coffee and a piece of pie almost every time he'd see them in Nashville. "People knew we were Chet's friends," explains Don, "so they didn't run us out of town." "One thing that impressed me when I met those kids was that they were so intelligent," says Chet. "Don and Phil used proper English and I just thought they were a cut above... intellectually and education-wise."In the spring of 1957 their producer, Archie Bleyer, proudly announced The Everlys' first Cadence label single with a half-page advertisement in Billboard magazine. In its April 20th issue, Billboard said, "The Tennessee teenagers have a distinctive, appealing sound and could click big in the Pop as well as C & W field." " ' Bye Bye Love' (by Boudleaux and Felice Bryant) had been kicking around Nashville but nobody had done it, so we took it," says Don. "And we had a song called 'Give Me A Future.' We took the arrangement off that and put it on 'Bye Bye Love' and it just seemed to work." "Bye Bye Love" enjoyed a 22 week run on the Billboard pop charts, peaking at #2 where it sat for 4 weeks. The two songs which denied it the #1 spot were Elvis Presley's "Teddy Bear" and Pat Boone's "Love Letters In The Sand." All the same, "Bye Bye Love" went #1 country and #5 R & B and the record became The Everlys' first million seller.
The release of "Bye Bye Love" sent The Everly Brothers spiraling towards stardom and, on May 11, 1957, the boys fulfilled a lifelong dream by appearing on the Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. When they sang "Bye Bye Love," they got a huge ovation from the crowd of 4,000 and Roy Acuff had to call them back to take a bow.
With "Bye Bye Love," a hit formula had been discovered: Boudleaux's rhythms, Felice's lyrics, Don's guitar intros, and Phil's harmony. The Bryant songwriting team began composing songs tailored to The Everlys' harmonies while providing the expected and important Don Everly solo somewhere in the middle.
Their next hit, "Wake Up Little Susie," was recorded on August 16, 1957 and Don provided the song with a distinctive intro guitar hook. This time nothing would stop The Everlys from reaching the very top of the charts. "Wake Up Little Susie" hit #1 during the week of October 14th and it stayed # 1 for four weeks. It was their first record issued in a picture sleeve, and it became their second million seller. After recording "Wake Up Little Susie," Don and Phil hit the road for a 78-city tour of mostly one-nighters that began on September 6th and ran through the 24th of November 1957. Called "The Biggest Show of Stars for '57," it was a package tour which included some of the all-time greats of rock 'n' roll: Chuck Berry, Buddy Knox, The Drifters, Paul Anka, Fats Domino, The Crickets (although Buddy Holly wasn't famous enough yet at that time to have his name listed in front of The Crickets), Eddie Cochran, LaVern Baker (the only female on the tour), Frankie Lymon, Clyde McPhatter, and Paul Williams Orchestra. Don and Phil also performed at the Alan Freed Christmas Show that year at the Paramount Theater in New York City.
"Boudleaux Bryant was a classical violinist but he loved country music... he played it and wrote it," says Chet who played guitar on The Everly Brothers' early recordings. "He got into a thing of writing these little songs with lines such as 'dream, dream, dream.' They were almost like lullabies, you know, which fitted The Everly Brothers perfectly."
"I remember hearing 'All I Have To Do Is Dream' on an acetate with Boudleaux's version on it," recalls Phil. 'And I said, at the time, they could have put Boudleaux's out and it would have been a hit. It's just a great, great song. It's beautiful. Boudleaux was the main man who wrote all the great songs for us, and we love him." When Boudleaux passed away at age 67 in June 1987, Chet Atkins said this about him, "Boudleaux changed the direction of music all over the world through his songs for The Everly Brothers." "All I Have To Do Is Dream" was recorded on March 6, 1958. Don and Phil premiered the song on American Bandstand and Dick Clark introduced it as "their next #1 record." "Dream" did indeed reach #1 and it stayed at the top of the charts for 5 weeks. It became their third million seller. The "Dream" single was quickly followed by the release of their first album in April of 1958. It was simply called The Everly Brothers but most fans refer to it as "they're off and rolling", referring to Archie Bleyer's statement printed above the album's title on the front cover. "Bye Bye Love" began a string of 26 Top 40 singles for The Everly Brothers whose worldwide record sales have now topped 40 million.
Having sung on their parents' live radio show, Don and Phil were already showbiz professionals and ready for the limelight by the time they recorded "Bye Bye Love." Reflecting on the success of their early Cadence recordings, Don says, "We had fulfilled every wish and dream... everything I had ever thought of. I wanted to get on the Grand Ole Opry... well, I was on the Grand Ole Opry. I was working the New York Paramount, and I was traveling around the world... all in the space of a year. It happened really fast."
"If The Everly Brothers were starting out today they could still hack it," says Felice Bryant emphatically. "That sound is as alive today as it was in 1957. The time of that sound has not passed. I think that's an eternal sound." "Phil and I always sang, even when we were apart." says Don "That's what we do. Our father raised us to do this. I never considered doing anything else. I don't know how to function in any other world. I function in a world of music."
They joined the Marines in 1961 together and served until 1962. Eleven years later, they parted company and pursued successful solo careers. Then, in 1983, they reunited with a long-awaited concert at London's Royal Albert Hall. What Don and Phil contributed to the world of rock 'n' roll has influenced everyone who has come after them, and they have received numerous awards and accolades in appreciation for their contribution. In July of 1986, Don and Phil triumphantly returned to Shenandoah for a Homecoming Concert. The town organized a parade in their honor and "the boys" received handshakes, hugs, kisses, and carnations all along the parade route as they were greeted by their childhood friends. Iowa's governor was also on hand to welcome them back home and the event's organizer, Bill Hillman, dedicated "Everly Brothers Avenue" during a public ceremony. Also, in 1986, they were among the first 10 inductees into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and they received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame that year.
The Everly Brothers returned to Muhlenberg County on August 25, 1988. They returned to their "hometown" of Central City, a little town in Kentucky about 92 miles the north of Nashville. Like in Shenandoah two years earlier, there was a welcome home parade to celebrate their return. Hundreds of people from all around gathered and waved at "the boys" as they returned to their roots.
"Some of the guys in the band have accused us of having too many hometowns! 'Oh, another hometown, huh'? they've asked from time to time," says Don with a laugh. "But we traveled around a lot! So we're from Iowa, and we're from Chicago. We're from a lot of places... from Nashville... and from LA." The celebration was organized because the townspeople wanted to show their appreciation to Don and Phil who had given Central City's Police Department a check for $7,500 to fund the purchase of radios for their patrol cars. Mayor Hugh Sweatt proclaimed that Central City's Chestnut Street "would henceforth be known as Everly Brothers Boulevard" and presented souvenir street signs to Don and Phil. There has been a Homecoming Music Festival in Central City each year since that first one in 1988. The main event on Labor Day weekend is the Saturday night concert held at the athletic field behind Central City's elementary school. Besides Don and Phil, John Prine has also been a regular performer. His parents were Muhlenberg County natives and his song about Paradise was recorded by The Everly Brothers in 1973.The annual Festival has featured such artists as Chet Atkins, Bo Diddley, Duane Eddy, Marty Brown, Thom Bresh, Tammy Wynette, and Marty Stuart.
The Central City Music Festival has evolved from a humble beginning in 1988 to an international event that has attracted up to 22,000 fans. Hundreds of dedicated volunteers give of their time and energy to make the event a success each year. Proceeds from the first three concerts enabled The Everly Brothers Foundation to meet its goal of establishing a perpetual scholarship trust fund in the amount of $100,000. The earnings from this trust guarantee that deserving Muhlenberg County students will receive financial assistance to attend college, and 53 $1,000 scholarships have been awarded through 1996. In addition to awarding scholarships, The Foundation has purchased 83 acres of land between the Western Kentucky Parkway and Everly Brothers Boulevard in Central City. Plans call for the development of an Everly Brothers Museum, an amphitheater, and classroom buildings for Madisonville Community College Extension.
In 1994 Rhino Records issued a 4-CD, 103-song box set called Heartaches & Harmonies which spans the entire recording career of Don and Phil. The box set includes some 40 tracks making their CD debut, 12 songs appearing in stereo for the first time, and two previously unreleased songs from the Warner Bros. period as well as a "Things Go Better With Coke" commercial.
In February 1997, The Everly Brothers received a Lifetime Achievement Award from The Recording Academy. Other artists who have received this award include Barbara Streisand, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Chet Atkins, Fats Domino and The Rolling Stones. Don and Phil are far from being close to retirement.
The Everly Brothers, Phil and Don, were some of the most iconic figures of the 'Fifties rock'n'roll boom, two squeaky clean teen idols who sang some of the most irresistible pop songs ever recorded -- "Wake Up, Little Susie," "Bye Bye Love," "Bird Dog," "Claudette" and "Poor Jenny" all featured the Everly's trademark high harmonies and chunky, melodic guitar work. They also recorded some of the most moving and effective love songs of the era, tunes like "Let It Be Me," "Brand New Heartache" and "All I Have To Do Is Dream." The Everly's style was consciously linked back to the old country music "brother acts" of the 1930s and '40s, but unlike the stars of that style such as The Blue Sky Boys or the Delmore Brothers, the Everlys were seldom morose or despairing, they took the old harmony style and brightened it, placing it inside the irrational exuberance of the early rock scene. Their links to country music were more than just stylistic: for many years the Everly's parents had worked as moderately successful hillbilly singers, and when Don and Phil broke into national fame, it was as clients of the powerful song publisher and entrepreneur Wesley Rose, a man who helped shape the face of modern Nashville.
When the Everly Brothers left the Cadence label in 1960, they were at the height of their fame, and they signed a massive, seven-year contract with a fledgling record company known as Warner Brothers... Their new contract gave the Everlys a great amount of creative control, but after an initial continuation of their immense popularity, the duo slowly slid down the charts. In some ways, the Everly Brothers may have been some of the first victims of rock'n'roll "indie cred..." They were actually part of the second wave of 'Fifties rock, when the wild cacophony of rockabilly gave way to a softer, more mainstream teenpop. At the end of the decade, the wild stuff was starting to seem like it had just been a fad, and the Everlys, who had always been highly professional, fit right in. When things started to get wild again, though, they were no longer innovators, and as much as they were able to stay current and produce fine music, they may simply have been too much of a big-name "pop" act to be seen as cutting edge. For whatever reasons, the Everly Brothers became commercially irrelevant in the 1960s, although they always retained the respect of diehard fans and fellow musicians in the worlds of rock and country. Here's a quick look at some of their records...
CD Discography
The Everly Brothers "The Everly Brothers" (Cadence, 1958)
A dazzling debut album, which mostly gathered their incredible string of hits singles that had begun in 1957 with "Bye Bye Love" and "Wake Up Little Susie," two of the greatest classic rock songs ever recorded. The plaintiveness and purity of their vocals were buoyed by crisp, slashingly precise guitar arrangements; this was no-nonsense super-pop that still sounds as fresh and well-sculpted as the day it first hit the radio and sailed up to the top of the charts. Man, they were good.The Everly Brothers "Songs Our Daddy Taught Us" (Cadence, 1958)
The Everly Brothers "The Fabulous Style Of The Everly Brothers" (Cadence, 1960)
Absolutely classic rock-pop recordings from the peak of their powers... Uptempo acoustic rock tunes like "Bird Dog," "Claudette," and "Problems" are intertwined with achingly sweet love songs such as "Since You Broke My Heart," "Let It Be Me," "Like Strangers" and "All I Have To Do Is Dream" and perky, bouncy pop tunes like "('Til) I Kissed You." This stuff is all so good... what more can be said? This is some of the finest pop music ever recorded.The Everly Brothers "It's Everly Time!" (Warner Brothers, 1960)
In 1960, when the Everly Brothers were at the height of their fame, they switched labels over to the fledgling Warner Brothers label, which was looking to sign rock acts and gain a foothold in the teen pop market. The contract offered was almost unprecendented, signing them for a seven-year stint, as the Everlys were seen as one of the hottest rock properties this side of Elvis Presley. Their debut album for Warner was a typical Everly Brothers triumph, with their softened 'billy-pop sound polished to perfection. Before the album had come out, the Everlys topped the charts with their first WB single, "Cathy's Clown," which oddly enough was not included on this LP, despite having hit #1 on the charts. No matter, though: the album stands on its own, opening with Don Everly's aching ballad, "So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)," one of their greatest songs, and includes other gems such as a cover of Terry Gilkyson's "Memories Are Made Of These" and "Carol Jane," written by the obscure (but Everly-licious) rocker, Dave Rich. Apparently given free reign to record whatever they wanted to, Phil and Don also dipped into the blues, with a Ray Charles tune, a cover of Dave Bartholemew's "I Want You To Know," and "Nashville Blues," a knockoff tune written by Felice and Boudeleaux Bryant that let the lads cut loose with some grungy, garage-y electric guitar riffs worthy of Link Wray or Dick Dale. All in all, a fine album, although it ends oh, so quickly. Recommended!The Everly Brothers "A Date With The Everly Brothers" (Warner Brothers, 1960)
Another great rock-pop record, with a slew of Everly originals and well chosen covers, as well as the requisite Bryant compositions. The album opens with the bouncy, giddy teenpop of "Made To Love," an anthem for girl-crazy guys across the land, and also includes the original version of Boudeleaux Bryant's immortal melancholy masterpiece, "Love Hurts," one of the greatest and mopiest pop ballads of all time. They also finally put "Cathy's Clown" out on LP, though perversely they anchored it at the end of the album, inviting fans to listen to all the new stuff before getting to the big hit. Fortunately, the rest of the record easily lives up to the promise of the single, with one sparkling, perky song after another. This is the Everly sound at its best -- well-crafted songs buoyed by a smooth, warm, energetic and enthusiastic mix of pop, rock and a little bit of twang. Although still largely rooted in the acoustic-based sound of their classic early work on Cadence, the Everlys are experimenting with new styles and studio techniques, employing warmer, more nuanced electric guitar tones and increasingly ornate pop arrangements. On later records these elements would occasionally overwhelm their songs, but here they work completely to Phil and Don's advantage: this disc is a sweet record from start to finish, and is well worth tracking down. The only problem is it ends so quickly!The Everly Brothers "Both Sides Of An Evening" (Warner Brothers, 1961)
This was the first album on which the Everly's pop juggernaut appeared to falter. For a variety of reasons, Phil and Don were in a jam when it came time to record a new album. Their main trouble was a falling-out with their manager, music publisher Wesley Rose, who also controlled the output of the fabled Bryant songwriting duo. Cut off from from their muse, and also unwilling to record their own compositions (because Rose also controlled any Everly Brothers material), the brothers decided to make an album of pop standards and old show tunes. This wasn't as weird back in '61 as it might sound today: "pop" music back then meant stuff we would now call easy listening, music meant for adults as opposed to the greasy kid's stuff called rock'n'roll. But by the end of the Eisenhower era, rock had retreated from its wild-child roots, morphing into bland, prefab teenpop and girlgroup music, and many teen idols began singing straight pop vocals, with very little backbeat. To their credit, the Everlys start this album out on the raucous side, with a chunky, guitar-heavy raveup of the old Al Jolson hit, "My Mammy," and keep things kinda twangy with a Merle Travis tune and some other upbeat numbers. The pace starts to slow, though, and the production becomes more staid, while at the same time the trademark Everlys harmony style gives way to increasingly strained attempts to sing "seriously" and hit some notes and phrasings that, well, honestly, maybe they shouldn't have attempted. Some of these revamped oldies had an original flair to them, but the album as a whole was a misfire... Oh well, ya can't win 'em all!The Everly Brothers "Instant Party" (Warner Brothers, 1962)
The fallout from their split with Wesley Rose continued to trouble their career... This is one of their least inspired albums, a sloopy set of pop covers, with surprisingly slow, bland arrangements. Not a whole lot of "there" there...The Everly Brothers "Christmas With The Everly Brothers & The Boys Town Choir" (Warner Brothers, 1962)
The Everly Brothers "The Everly Brothers Sing Great Country Hits" (Warner Brothers, 1963)
A nice return to form, with the Brothers playing it safe on a subdued collection of country standards, mostly songs that had been hits in the late 'Fifties, when they were still over at Cadence. The album opens with a cover of Don Gibson's "Oh, Lonesome Me," a bouncy number that was probably based on the buoyant Everlys style to begin with, and also includes classics like "I Walk The Line" and Hank Locklin's wistful "Send Me The Pillow That You Dream On." This is a nice album; these cover versions don't have the same magic as the originals, but they reaffirm the Everly's deep country roots, and every performance on the album does justice to the material. Interestingly enough, while some of their "pop" recordings revealed traces of the Nashville studio sound, this seems like more of an LA-based take on the country canon. They don't rock out or tweak the guitars, but they aren't super-twangy, either. All in all, a solid set of slick hillbilly hits, delivered with calm professionalism and a sincere affection for the style. Definitely worth checking out.The Everly Brothers "Gone, Gone Gone" (Warner Brothers, 1965)
In some ways, this is the first Warner album where the Everlys really started to assert themselves in a new, innovative rock style. With wild, heavy vibrato and tremelo and a heavier, more dynamic and textured production sound, the Brothers latch onto the new "beat" sound coming from Great Britain, and give it an all-American, LA-studio twist. A few of the experiments don't quite work, but it's consistently engaging and lively, and put the rock world on notice that the Everlys weren't just going to sleepwalk their way through the rest of their career, and they weren't going to get buried under a ton of label-made schmaltz, either. They were gonna keep current and try and turn a few ears -- and by golly, it worked! Recommended.The Everly Brothers "Rock 'N' Soul" (Warner Brothers, 1965)
Mid-decade, the Everlys finally found their footing and started to have fun again... The two ...'N' Soul albums from 1965 are considered by many fans to be some of their best work on the Warner label, and while the choice of material wasn't exactly groundbreaking, the way they approached these classic 'Fifties rock and R&B hits was lighthearted and enjoyable. Superpicker James Burton helped fill out the sound on this goofy studio outing... The songs are all oldies -- "Hound Dog," "Maybelline," "Susie Q," "Kansas City," etc. -- including an offbeat cover of their own "Love Hurts." It's all given a swinging, gallumpfing "beat" sound meant to modernize the original sound and to appeal to fans in England, where the Everlys were enjoying more success, at the time, than they were in the States. It's not a profound artistic statement or anything, but it's nice, clean fun, and evokes the innocence of the early rock era, and gives Don and Phil a chance to let their hair down and rock out a little. Worth checking out.The Everly Brothers "Beat 'N' Soul" (Warner Brothers, 1965)
This disc had the same basic concept as the Rock 'N' Soul album, but was a little wilder and more swinging, and more contemporary material. James Burton was still providing warm, lively guitar licks, while the rest of the studio crew was pretty impressive as well: Sonny Curtis (an old Everly's pal) and Glen Campbell played guitar, while newcomers Leon Russell and Billy Preston added keyboard licks... This is a pretty hip, slick offering, once again ceding ground to the younger bands that were setting the pace in 'Sixties rock, while also showing how the older generation could keep up with the kids, while having a little fun as well.The Everly Brothers "In Our Image" (Warner Brothers, 1966)
Largely a collection of singles released during the previous year, with some fine pop tunes that, sadly, never gained much traction on the charts. The disc opens with "Leave My Girl Alone," with a big, sweeping drum beat similar to the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows," wed to jangling guitars straight out of the Byrds playbook. These comparisons, of course, point out part of the reason the post-Cadence Everlys never really regained their glory or pop ascendancy -- by the mid-'Sixties, the British Invasion and the psychedelic revolution had changed the face of rock music, and the Everlys, though hip to the new sounds and perfectly willing to embrace them, simply were not innovative enough to be as relevant as other, younger bands. Their lyrical content was also kind of dated -- although these songs have some interesting angles, the predominant theme is still boy-girl, boy-girl stuff (albeit with a dark, bitter, post-breakup tone...). The outlandish free association and poetic strivings of the hippie-era songsmiths were foreign to the Everlys, as was the wailing, uninhibited abandon of the new psychedelic and garage rock scenes... In both their professionalism and their somewhat declarative vocal style, the Everlys seems a little sluggish and stiff alongside the moptops and longhaired freaks who were subverting the charts at the time... Which isn't to say that their records were weak or inferior -- on the contrary, this album has a lot of great material on it, with one nugget after another, and sounds particularly rich when heard through the rose-tinted filter of the modern "indie" scene of the last couple of decades. Still, you can see why they got sidelined at the time; the good thing is the music is still here for us to enjoy later, when we can hear it through new ears. This is certainly one of their strongest Warner albums -- highly recommended.The Everly Brothers "Two Yanks In England" (Warner Brothers, 1966)
This is a pretty cool record. The early hits of the Everly Brothers had had a huge influence on the English rock scene, and in the Beatles-dominated '60s they returned the favor with their enduring interest in the "beat" sound emanating out from the other side of the Atlantic. It seemed natural enough for them to make a pilgrimage to London and hook up with some real-live Brits, and the choice of the harmony-drenched Hollies as their collaborators certainly made sense. With the Hollies backing them up (as well as Jimmy Page, apparently, as a session picker...) the Everlys plowed through a vibrant set of jingly, jangly, wah-wah'ed, reverby pop-psychedelia and beat rock... It's a nice, sharp, lively sound, well worth checking out, particularly for fans of either of these fine, craftsmanlike bands. Recommended!The Everly Brothers "The Everly Brothers Sing" (Warner Brothers, 1967)
Pursuing a lighter, brighter, perkier pop sound akin to the Association or bands of that ilk, the Everlys sound a little desperate for a hit here, and indeed they were. The album's opener, a punchy reworking of "Bowling Green," cracked into the Top 40, but it was their last single that would rise that high on the charts... The rest of the album is a mish-mosh of styles, copping licks and production styles from numerous other bands. Some of it's kind of fun, like the wispy soft pop of "Talking To The Flowers," the fuzz-toned bounciness of "Finding It Rough," and the fresh-faced psychedelia of "Mary Jane." Some of the more overt plagiarism is less appealing, such as the Neil Diamond-y "Deliver Me," and their choice of "Whiter Shade Of Pale" as a cover tune is an almost-but-not-quite misfire. Although they sound palpably anxious and willing to latch onto something, anything that'll bring the fans back, there are still some interesting moments on here... The album is unsatisfying, but some of the songs are groovy.The Everly Brothers "Roots" (Warner Brothers, 1967)
The Everly Brothers "The Everly Brothers Show" (Warner Brothers, 1970)
The Everly Brothers "Stories We Could Tell" (RCA, 1972)
The Everly Brothers "Pass The Chicken & Listen" (RCA, 1973)
The Everly Brothers "The New Album" (1977/Collector's Choice, 2005)
An odds'n'ends collection that sifts through the Warner vaults and was originally only released in the UK... But hey, songs that are toss-offs from the Everly Brothers are better than most work by a lot of other artists. Some fun, melodic material ranging from old-style teenpop to more ornate poppish and psychedelic-tinged "beat" music. The Everlys had officially called it quits in '73, so this album wasn't released