Customer Reviews

Walk Right Back: The Everly Brothers On Warner Bros. 1960-1969

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
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The Everly brothers had several hits on the Cadence label, notably Bye bye love and All I have to do is dream, before signing to Warners in 1960. They started very successfully but their popularity faded gradually. By the end of the sixties, only their most dedicated fans paid any attention to them - yet their music was always of a high quality. They continually updated their music, trying to reflect changing fashions, making this a very interesting compilation.

The first CD includes all but one of the big British and American hits (among them being Cathy's clown, So sad to watch good love go bad, Walk right back, Temptation, Cryimg in the rain, Don't blame me and Ebony eyes), together with some of their most interesting album tracks (especially Sleepless nights and Love hurts). See my review of It's Everly time//A date with the Everly brothers for more about some of these songs. Two of the last three tracks on this CD are covers of country songs written by Don Gibson (Just one time and Sweet dreams). Even at their most popular, they never really strayed too far from their country roots.

The second CD opens with The price of love, their last major British hit - it reached #2 in 1965, but I don't think it did anything in America. It was a brilliant, infectious song with a touch of R+B. At around that time, the Everlys were being compared to the Beatles, but the truth is that the Everlys were a major influence on the Beatles, so people got the comparison the wrong way round.

The remaining tracks, covering the second half of the sixties, see the Everlys experimenting with a variety of styles, including more country songs, albeit with a pop/rock beat.

This is a fine collection for those (like me) who's interest in the Everly brothers goes beyond their hit singles. If you only want their hits, you can get them elsewhere without all the other stuff.

Although the material on this two disc set is no match for the classic Cadence recordings, there are some great songs on these discs. Everybody knows "Cathy's Clown," but maybe everybody should know where the original version of "Love Hurts" comes from (later to be butchered by Nazareth). Disc One features the same sound that made the Everlys so popular in the late 1950s, with neglected tracks like "Nancy's Minuet" showing their flair for more ambitious material (even if "Ebony Eyes" fails in this regard). The early tracks on the second disc feature a more Beatle-esque sound, showing them modifying to their sound for the marketplace by adapting it to that of the British Invasion, while still managing to keep that beautiful Everlys sound. The later tracks on disc two resemble "Notorious Byrd Brothers"-era country-rock with mixed success. While this set is lacking in "classic hits," the material is consistently strong and shows that despite the Everlys lack of popularity from the mid- to late-1960s, they were still evolving musically. People interested in today's alt-country need to check these discs out, particularly fans newly acquainted with Gram Parsons. Many of his staples ("Love Hurts," "Sleepless Nights," Merle Haggard's "Sing Me Back Home," Little Richard's "Lucille") are on these discs.

No doubt, the material the Everlys cut for Cadence is classic stuff...it defined the era in which it was released, and remains eminently listenable today; great songs, great voices, great arrangements, all state of the art in the late 50s.

Everyone is always quick to compare the Warner Brothers material to the Cadence material...and find the WB stuff lacking. That is a gross injustice. Simply stated, the Every Brothers were considered passe' in the wake of the British Invasion, just like Roy Orbison, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and a host of other 50s artists. Even King Elvis did not fare that well then. Many of the songs, performances and arrangements contained in this collection WERE hits, many more of them would have been hits had they been released by a "hot commodity".

Most of this material is just very, very good. To compare it to the Cadence material is silly and unfair; the times they were a'changin'. Honestly, this holds up very well when compared to the Candence sides. For the most part, they are great songs, well-arranged and (of course) well-sung. Overall, I think the Rhino 4-CD box covers this period a bit better; better song selection and better sound, but this is still a great collection and a great buy. Long live the Everly Brothers!

This 2 disc set contains the complete Warner Brothers output of the Everlys. Although not as groundbreaking as their earlier Cadence recordings, it still contains some fine material. Fans of Clarence White will dig the last two tracks on disc 2, which contain some fine stringbender work by Clarence. I HEARTILY RECOMMEND THIS FINE CD RELEASE!

How special were The Everly Brothers? Well, from 1957 to 1967 they put 37 songs into the Billboard Pop Top/Hot 100 charts, 20 for the Cadence label and 17 for Warner, and in 1984 returned to the charts for Mercury with On the Wings Of A Nightingale, written by Paul McCartney. Then in 1986 they added one more to the Adult Contemporary (AC) charts when Norn Yesterday went to # 17, to go along with three earlier AC crossovers.

They also had ten of their Cadence hits make the Country charts and six cross over to the R&B charts, had one Warner country hit {Ebony Eyes], which also made the R&B charts, and two more Warner cuts score on the R&B charts [Cathy's Clown and So Sad (To Watch A Good Love Go Bad). From 1984 to 1989 they put another six Mercury cuts onto the Country charts, including 1989's Ballad Of A Teenage Queen with Johnny Cash and daughter Rosanne.

Three of their hits - Wake Up Little Susie, All I Have To Do Is Dream, and Bird Dog - made it to # 1 on the Pop, Country, and R&B charts and, outside of Elvis Presley, very few can claim that honour. They also share, with Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Brenda Lee, the distinction of being one of only four to be inducted into both the Rock & Roll and Country Music Halls Of Fame. Now that's special.

The insert contains a whopping eleven pages of liner notes, written by Colin Escott in April 1993, mixed with three more great photographs of the brothers as well as a discography of the contents.

The only frustrating part, at least for this completist collector - especially in a compilation entitled "On Warner Bros. 1960 to 1969" - is the omission of two Warner hits: Don't Ask Me To Be Friends [# 16 AC/# 48 Hot 100 in 1962], and The Ferris Wheel [# 72 Hot 100 in 1964]. Their inclusion, for me, would have made this a 5-star compilation.

I have always loved the beautiful harmony of the Everly brothers and, as a baby boomer, this music is "my life as a teen".

I think this is a WONDERFUL album, with songs that I've forgotten about.

I received my first kiss during "Cathy's Clown" and dated a guy who sang "Love Hurts" in my ear while we danced. Love Hurts is probably one of my favorite songs of all time. I was delighted when I heard "Made to Love" after all these years.

How wonderful to listen and think back to those wonderful years when music was so genuine and "innocent".

So glad I bought this album.

If you love the Everly Brothers, this is a "keeper".

Judging them soley on singing, the Everly Brothers are probably the greatest duo of all time. I hope their music is never forgotten. This set is excellent, although I personally prefer the 4 cd Heartaches & Harmonies box set, because all of their 50's hits on Cadence are on Disc one. You won't find any of them here.

This CD reminds me of just how enduring many of the Everly Brothers songs are. While one or two can be classified as '60's teen schmaltzy', the majority of the Brothers work is as enjoyable today as ever, and in some cases, more enjoyable.

I bought this because I have my 20 year HS reunion coming up this year and my best friend and I used to drive around and listen to the songs on it, so this takes me right back and makes me forget how old I am!

Loved this Album! The first disc has on it some of the best songs they ever recorded! Songs like "Temptation" and "Crying in the Rain" highlight how great Don's voice was at this time! He could sing anything and make it his! Not to discount Phil's "greatest-of-all-time" Harmonizing!! No one has ever been able to duplicate these wonderful guys! It was a pity when they split up, they just didn't sound as good apart. I think they needed each other to bolster one anothers talent. i will probably play this first side until it wears out! Can't get enough of it!! I'm a True Fan Forever! Since I was about 12 yrs old. Jeanie