Everly Brothers -- Warner Bros-Era Reissues (Collector's Choice Music)
Typically when an artist's catalogue is reevaluated -- especially when it's as voluminous as Phil and Don Everly's -- it is presented in several waves or phases. However, the internet-based Collectors' Choice Music isn't your run-of-the-mill record label. To the delight of music geeks everywhere (like yours truly) they have chosen to present 15 LPs from the Everly's decade-long stint with Warner Brothers at once. Nine of those albums are being made available on CD for the first time ever. While space considerations prohibit as complete an analysis as each of these titles deserves, here are a few of the highlights in this mammoth undertaking.
It's Everly Time (1960) provided a strong beginning with the Don Everly-penned opener "So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)," making it into the Top Ten. A Date With The Everly Brothers (1960) followed in short order, containing the Survey-topping "Cathy's Clown," the empathetic anthem "Love Hurts," -- which would be redone by the team of Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris as well as Nazareth -- and Jimmy Reed's blues standard "Baby What You Want Me To Do." Both Sides Of An Evening (1961) -- recorded in a mere three days -- followed, unleashing the massive Top Ten single "Walk Right Back" b/w "Ebony Eyes." The Everly Brothers Sing Great Country Hits (1963) boasts exceptional renditions of Johnny Cash's "I Walk The Line," and the Don Gibson compositions "Oh, Lonesome Me," "Just One Time," and "Sweet Dreams."
Rock 'N Soul(1965) and Beat & Soul (1965) were next as the Everly's seemed drawn to interpreting oldies ranging from Buddy Holly ("That'll Be The Day") to Motown ("Dancing In The Streets"). Beat & Soul is likewise a winner thanks to impressive versions of The Impressions' "People Get Ready," and another Motor City staple on Barrett Strong's "Money". Two Yanks In England (1966) is marked by the collaborative efforts of the Hollies, who accompany Phil and Don throughout. The band also provided several cuts, including "So Lonely," "Signs That Will Never Change," "Don't Run and Hide," "Fifi The Flea," and the subtle masterpiece "Like Every Time Before." The Hit Sound Of The Everly Brothers (1967) once again turned back the clock with their versions of Fats Dominoes' "Blueberry Hill," Buddy Holly's "Oh Boy," and Little Richard's "Good Golly Miss Molly." There are a couple of R&B covers as well on the standard "House Of The Rising Sun," and Ray Charles' "Let's Go Get Stoned." The Everly Brothers Sing (1967) scored the Top 40 countrified crossover " Bowling Green." This trend continued on Roots (1968), which was just short of being a full-on collaboration with Beau Brummels-member Ron Elliott.
The pair concluded their relationship with Warner Brothers on their sole live entry. Everly Brothers Show (1970) was a two-record set capturing Phil and Don in February of 1970 at the Grand Hotel in Anaheim, California. There are plenty of familiar songs such as "Bowling Green," "Wake Up Little Suzie," "Cathy's Clown," "Bird Dog," "All I Have To Do Is Dream," and sleeper classics such as "Lord Of The Manor," "Walk Right Back," and a side-long medley featuring Chuck Berry's "Rock And Roll Music," The Beatles' "The End," "Aquarius," from the counter-culture Broadway show Hair (1968), along with a handful of others.
Lastly, New Album (1977) was issued by Warner Brothers some four years after the Everly's stopped performing publicly. The 14-track anthology is culled from previously unreleased material and although many may have initially dismissed it as an odds and ends collection, there are quite a few worthy inclusions. Primary among them are the Bayou-based "Grand Mamou," the lushly orchestrated and reflective "When Snowflakes Fall In The Summer," as well as Don Everly's obscure masterpiece " Omaha," and the Ron Elliott-inked "Empty Boxes," both circa the country-rock Roots. More information on the series is available at the Collectors' Choice Music homepage, which can be accessed on-line at <http://www.ccmusic.com>.
