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Post by B.E. on Nov 8, 2020 19:14:49 GMT
Their 1958 self-titled debut album (aka They're Off and Rolling) is an impressive effort. "Bye Bye Love" and "Wake Up Little Susie" is a hell of a way to kick off a career! One of my curiosities in exploring their catalog is determining whether or not they've got other up-tempo, rock 'n' roll songs of such quality - lost classics, in other words. On this album, while not quite on the same level, "Keep A-Knockin'" and "Hey, Doll Baby" are pretty darn good. Their covers of "Rip It Up" and "Be-Bop-A-Lula" are serviceable (particularly, the former), but they don't pull it off as well as some of their contemporaries. Their cover of Ray Charles' "Leave My Woman Alone", however, was a highlight for me. I hadn't heard the original before, so that may have helped. But, I'll share a link of this one. The guitar riff sounds like something you'd hear out of the British Invasion about 6 or 7 years later. And, the lead vocal is really cool.
Something I'm noticing, though, as I work my way through their albums, is that a lot of their best stuff is their slower material, where their vocal harmonies really shine. They also just didn't focus too extensively on rock 'n' roll. A lot of country, folk, and traditional pop styles mixed in. I'm not surprised by this, but perhaps the ratio leans a bit more in favor of the latter than I expected. This brings me to the final two songs I want to highlight. "Brand New Heartache" and "Maybe Tomorrow". I was familiar with the Gram Parsons/Emmylou Harris version of the former but the Everly's take the cake! Fantastic version. The latter might have my favorite vocal harmony on the whole record. Just listen to the first few seconds. I love that hook!
By the way, if you're looking for the album on Spotify it's in the compilation section for some reason and the final track, "Hey, Doll Baby", is omitted.
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Post by jk on Nov 8, 2020 22:24:39 GMT
Great topic, B.E.. I'd swear I heard "Leave My Woman Alone" at the time (1957) but how? Pop music was taboo in our house when I was a pre-teen -- at the mere suggestion of a beat, off went the radio in the control room. But I definitely remember hearing the Everlys' version (as opposed to a UK cover) of "When Will I Be Loved" in 1960 on UK TV, probably Juke Box Jury (they showed a picture of them that impressed me) but my memory of it is having been much faster and in a "rock" tempo instead of "swing". Strange thing, the memory... I like the way they slip a "bluesy" riff into many of their songs, such as here:
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Post by B.E. on Nov 9, 2020 14:00:45 GMT
But I definitely remember hearing the Everlys' version (as opposed to a UK cover) of "When Will I Be Loved" in 1960 on UK TV, probably Juke Box Jury (they showed a picture of them that impressed me) but my memory of it is having been much faster and in a "rock" tempo instead of "swing". Strange thing, the memory... I like the way they slip a "bluesy" riff into many of their songs, such as here: I'll be perfectly honest, I'd forgotten "When Will I Be Loved" was an Everly Brothers song! Written by Phil Everly the song was a top-ten hit for them in the US and UK in 1960. Linda Ronstadt had an even bigger hit with it in 1975 (in the US). That's the version that I'm probably most familiar with. Regardless, the Everlys' version is fantastic and an early favorite to make my top Everly Brothers' songs list when this adventure comes to an end. By the way, in reading up on the song, I've been reminded of a Beach Boys connection: Tom Cruise and Elisabeth Shue sing and dance to the song in...you guessed it... Cocktail!
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Post by B.E. on Nov 9, 2020 14:15:10 GMT
Their second album, Songs Our Daddy Taught Us, is an interesting left turn. No rock 'n' roll here. No singles issued. Just a pleasant country folk affair featuring their sublime voices. Due to the genre shake up, this is an abnormally long album for the Everlys' at 40 minutes. The standout for me is "Long Time Gone". I recommend everyone give this a listen! "Lightning Express" is up there, too. A lot of similar themes on this album. Death, for one. Ma and Pa aren't far from their thoughts...
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Post by B.E. on Nov 10, 2020 14:53:22 GMT
In 1960 the Everly Brothers left Cadence Records for Warner Bros. But before we can move on to their third studio album, and first with Warner, It's Everly Time, there's still some Cadence material to listen to. The Everly Brothers' Best compiled the A and B sides of their '57 and '58 singles. Side 1 had already been included on their debut album. Of Side 2, "All I Have To Do Is Dream" and "Devoted To You" are all-timers. "Bird Dog" is a bit of a novelty tune, but it's enjoyable when you're in the mood for it. "Claudette" suffers, for me, simply because I'm so used to Roy singing it (he also wrote it). "Problems" doesn't really grab me, but it was a hit for them (as where all these songs). "Love Of My Life" is the real discovery here (for me). I hadn't heard it before, and it's just a beautiful ballad.
And to conclude the Cadence era, we've got The Fabulous Style Of The Everly Brothers. This one follows the same formula - compiling A and B sides and including songs from their debut album. Of interest here is their version of "Let It Be Me". JK already mentioned the fabulous "When Will I Be Loved". "(Til) I Kissed You" is a hit that I've got mixed feelings on. I don't really care for the main thrust of the song but its got a decent bridge and I really like the brief section mid verse (e.g. "never had you on my mind, now you're there all the time" or, later in the song, "mmm, you got a way about ya, now I can't live without ya"). Of the rest, I'm partial to "Oh, What A Feeling" and "Take A Message To Mary".
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Post by Kapitan on Nov 10, 2020 17:19:12 GMT
Just a quick post to note I think it's cool you're doing this and am enjoying your thoughts. I actually hope to spend some time on the Everlys, myself, as I only have one album and haven't heard much beyond that. Not that I don't like what I know, I just haven't gotten there.
So hopefully when I have a bit more time I'll jump aboard.
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Post by jk on Nov 11, 2020 22:41:47 GMT
I was talking to lonelysummer at EH not so long ago about the Everly Brothers (thread: The Doldrum Years). They echoed my appreciation of the early '60s stuff like "Temptation" (those years certainly produced their share of strange records!):
Others of theirs I like from that time include "I'm Not Angry" (the flip of "Crying In The Rain")...
...and "Muskrat":
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Post by B.E. on Nov 26, 2020 15:30:58 GMT
JK, I'm almost up to posting about that material, but first I've got the Everly's career with Warner Bros to jump-start. In 1960 they released two fine albums in It's Everly Time and A Date With The Everly Brothers. While both of these albums standup on their own merit, I decided to combine the two to create what I consider one of the best albums, not just of 1960, but of the era. I really think I outdid myself this time with the selection and sequencing (thanks for the assist, Phil and Don, couldn't have done it without ya! ). "What Kind Of Girl Are You" is sure to grab you right from the start and we end it on a high note with "Love Hurts" (assuming the--arguably--best version of one of the greatest songs ever written is a high note ). As Chuck Berry's cousin, Marvin, said in Back To The Future, "listen to this!" Kapitan, can I make a prediction? You'll dig "Carol Jane". Not sure why, but when listening I thought this is one that would appeal to you. If you only have time to listen to one song, I'd recommend this jaunty number.
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Post by Kapitan on Nov 27, 2020 16:20:21 GMT
I actually like pretty much everything there, but I do really like "Carol Jane." Some really great recordings there. Plus, those session players! Floyd Cramer, Chet Atkins ... not too shabby.
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Post by B.E. on Nov 29, 2020 14:25:11 GMT
Thanks for listening.
Yes, that's something I noticed, too. Their sound had changed. It's more consistent and professional. But, still exciting. The playing is very strong throughout. Especially on these two albums, you don't hear the significant drop in quality between the singles and "filler" like you do many rock/pop albums of the era.
I'm curious if you got any Buddy Holly vibes from this material? I certainly did (more so than any other peer).
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Post by Kapitan on Nov 29, 2020 19:34:52 GMT
I'm curious if you got any Buddy Holly vibes from this material? I certainly did (more so than any other peer). To some extent, yeah, I think so. And that's kind of funny, considering the west Texas origins of Holly and the more mid-south Kentucky-to-Iowa origins of the Everlys: it's not like a person would assume anything in common.
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Post by B.E. on Dec 1, 2020 1:05:16 GMT
Things were looking up in 1960, but seem to have fallen apart pretty quickly. It's Everly Time and A Date With The Everly Brothers were both top 10 albums. The follow-ups, Both Sides Of An Evening and Instant Party, both failed to chart. What changed? Well, they fired their manager/publisher, for one. As a result neither of these albums featured songs written by the great husband & wife songwriting team, Boudleaux & Felice Bryant, nor themselves. They also spent a significant amount of time on an acting career that never materialized. To make matters worse, especially considering my personal tastes, both of these pseudo-concept albums are nearly devoid of rock 'n' roll. There's a hint of rockabilly, but otherwise it's pre-rock pop standards and songs from Broadway or film.
The best song from Both Sides Of An Evening may very well be "Don't Blame Me". While I like it quite a bit, I find the bridge peculiar. (Though, the ending is sublime.) As for "Muskrat", which was posted by JK, there's this cowbell-esque percussion that is mixed frighteningly high during portions of the song. As you can see, even with the better material, I have my misgivings. Other songs I like are "My Gal Sal", "Chlo-E", "When I Grow Too Old To Dream", and "The Wayward Wind".
The first thing that should be said about Instant Party is that it is NOT a party to listen to. That said, the brothers could flat-out sing. "Trouble In Mind" is one of the better songs, but it's marred by marching style drums. The true highlight for me is their version of Cole Porter's "True Love". I had been familiar with George Harrison's version, but the Everly's is infinitely better. Other songs I like are "Step It Up And Go", "Autumn Leaves", and "The Party's Over" (check out the ending - breathtaking vocals!).
Lastly, The Golden Hits Of The Everly Brothers fills in the gaps. JK posted "Temptation" and "I'm Not Angry". The former is one of the liveliest recordings you'll hear (whereas these albums we're discussing are more likely to put you to sleep). Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about it. It's damn near manic. And there's a high vocal harmony at the end which is very unpleasant-sounding to my ears. The latter is a lot of fun. Other songs worth seeking out are "Walk Right Back" and "Crying In The Rain". The former also has an interesting backstory. I'll post the song and story below.
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Post by lonelysummer on Dec 4, 2020 1:49:06 GMT
As I mentioned over at EH, the party line from the rock critics was always that 'Everlys were great at Cadence; quality dropped when they moved to Warners'; so I was pleasantly surprised when I dug into the Warners material and, at least on the first two albums, found the quality to be high. Unlike the rock writers, I didn't mess the more acoustic sound found on the Cadence material; I enjoy hearing Phil and Don experiment with a bigger sound - Temptation is a good example of that. I don't know how many guitars are on that thing! It's a guitar army! It's kind of a strange period, though, when they start recording a lot of 'standards'. Was this a mini-trend in the early 60's" I notice that Rick Nelson was covering a lot of the old standards, too.
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Post by jk on Jan 17, 2021 12:32:08 GMT
Lovely thread, B.E.. All I can add to it is that the only Everlys record I ever owned was "Crying In The Rain" b/w "I'm Not Angry". The only recording of them I own now is their guest appearance on the title track of Paul Simon's Graceland: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graceland_(song)
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