Christmas with the Everly Brothers and the Boys Town Choir - The Everly Brothers and the Boys Town Choir

Christmas with the Everly Brothers and the Boys Town Choir
The Everly Brothers and the Boys Town Choir
Warner Bros. Records  W 1483
1962

I put this one on while we were trimming the tree and didn't make it through side one before my wife demanded I take it off and put on some "real Christmas music."  I get her point, this is the least festive, most solemn Christmas record in my collection.  It is extremely "churchy" which has some nostalgic appeal for me because I grew up singing many of these songs in church accompanied by old ladies with high voices and an organ, which is pretty much what this record sounds like.  The liner notes refer to the Everlys singing Christmas carols as boys with their neighbors back home in Kentucky which seems like a charming idea for an album - get the Everlys a small back-up group like the Jordanaires to harmonize with, maybe a piano and a guitar and make an intimate, heartfelt Christmas album.  That is not this record.  The choir dominates this record, overwhelming the Brothers' low key vocals with their lovely but lifeless vocalizing.  The Everlys seem like guest performers on their own album.  There are even two tracks, "Away In a Manger" and "Angels, From the Realms of Glory" that don't feature the Everlys at all just the choir.  The Everlys' contribution to the album is so slight, it feels like a rip-off.  I suspect the boys just went in the studio and knocked out their contribution in a couple of hours.  I was extremely disappointed when I first heard this album and it is only my immense love for the Everlys' work that keeps it off my purgatory shelf.  I think it is by far their worst record.  The arrangements are stodgy and lethargic, the album lacks emotion and inspiration.  Nonetheless there are parts of it that I do enjoy.  The first verses of "Adeste Fideles," "The First Noel" and "Silent Night" sound terrific but then the choir takes over and I lose interest.  Don's solo vocal on "What Child Is This?" is very appealing with only minimal interference from the choir.  This is my favorite track and it suggests what a good record this might have been without the choir.  Phil's solo turn on "O Little Town of Bethlehem" is nice as well but suffers from the obtrusive choir being too high in the mix.  I wish there was some way I could erase the choir from this record, even though I would be left with only about 10 minutes of the Everlys singing given the fragmentary nature of their contribution.  This record rarely makes onto my turntable, but I do play it once in a while on a chilly December night when my family is not around to complain about it.  In the darkness of the living room with the Christmas tree lights blinking it brings back not entirely welcome memories of school pageants and midnight Christmas Eve masses.  Recommended to people who consider Santa Claus sacrilegious. 

Nice Guys - The Everly Brothers

Nice Guys
The Everly Brothers
Magnum Force Records  MFLP-1028
1984

Yet another obituary to acknowledge.  There have been so many lately I can't keep up, but Phil Everly's passing was particularly painful for me.  I've been a huge fan of the Everly Brothers since I was a teenager.  They were the first artists from the classic rock and roll era that really engaged me and between vinyl and CDs I have just about all of their albums.  Their music with its sublime vocal harmonies has given me countless hours of pleasure.  I have been playing their albums this past week in memory of Phil.  My favorite is "Roots" which I have already blogged about and which is one of my all time favorite albums.  The one I listened to the most this week though was this one.  It is a British compilation album of unreleased material from the Everlys' years at Warner Bros. Records which encompassed the entire decade of the 1960s.  It was the second such album ("The New Album" preceded it in 1977) and it is full of fine music that deserves to be heard.  The album was clearly a labor of love released on Everly fan Nigel Molden's rock and roll specialty label, Magnum Force.  Unfortunately it contains no information about the songs, no dates or musicians, sometimes not even a songwriter.  For that information I turned to Robin Dunn's excellent Everly discography.  The album opens with "Trouble" from 1963.  It is a rocking tune that bares some resemblance to "Wake Up Little Susie" except that this time the trouble is deserved.  It is one of my favorite songs on the record, I especially dig the wailing harmonica running through the song.  "What About Me" is a Gerry Goffin/Carole King composition from 1962 that Bobby Vee recorded the following year.  It is a propulsive little song which, like so many of their songs, is about heartbreak.  The album jumps forward to 1969 for "From Eden to Canaan" (listed as "From Eden to Cainin" on the record.)  It is a slow country rocker with a fabulous harmony vocal from Phil on the chorus.  It is such a beautiful song, I can't understand why it was never released.  The song was written by Robert J. Kessler and Robert William Scott.  Another Goffin/King song is next.  "Chains" was recorded in 1962 prior to the hit version by the Cookies that was released later that year.  It is perfect for the Everlys' sound and it has hit single written all over it (although I could do without the chain sound effects) so I'm baffled as to why they let the Cookies have the hit instead.  "Meet Me In The Bottom" is a rare foray into the blues by the Everlys.  Its songwriting credit is listed as Everly on the record but it is actually the Willie Dixon song that Howlin' Wolf recorded as "Down In the Bottom" in 1961.  The Everlys recorded it late in 1968.  It has some fine guitar picking in the breaks and the Brothers are backed up by a gospel style chorus that adds a lot of oomph to the recording.  "In The Good Old Days" is a Dolly Parton song that she released as a single in 1968 (I wrote about her version in my post for "The Best of Dolly Parton.")  The Everlys' version dates from late 1968. I prefer the Parton recording but the Everlys' country roots serve them well in making the song convincing.  This song also features support from a gospel style chorus, but this time I find it obtrusive.  Side two opens with "Nice Guy" (listed as "Nice Guys" on the record) which is yet another Goffin/King song that the Everlys recorded in 1962.  In the liner notes for the box set "Heartaches & Harmonies" Don Everly dismissed the song as "formula" but I think that is a bit harsh.  I consider it a terrific song, another one of my favorites on the record.  It is a return to the sound of their classic recordings for Cadence Records, it even has the acoustic guitar riff from "Bye Bye Love."  Perhaps this return to the past is what Don found objectionable but it works for me.  It has fun lyrics about nice guys finishing last in love.  "Stained Glass Morning" is a Scott McKenzie song that the Everlys recorded late in 1969.  The song is a maudlin tale of a dead soldier's funeral that is over-produced but it has a very strong vocal that redeems it somewhat.  It is by far the worst song on the record.  "Dancing On My Feet" is a different take of the 1962 Phil Everly composition that first appeared on "The New Album."  It is an amusing song about how his dance partner keeps stepping on his feet.  It would have fit in great on "Instant Party" where it would have been one of the best songs on the album.  It is followed by a fantastic version of the Buffalo Springfield classic "Mr Soul" by Neil Young that dates from late 1968.  The song is taken at a much slower pace than the supercharged version by the Springfield.  It has a mix of country and soul elements and a low key vocal that makes the lyrics really stand out in all their surreal brilliance.  It is an inspired reworking of the song that makes it sound moody and menacing.  "Don't Ya Even Try" (listed as "Don't You Even Try" on the record) is by Phil and Don and was recorded in late 1964 during the sessions for their "Rock 'N' Soul" album.  Its Bo Diddley style beat and guitar riff would have made it perfect for the rock and roll covers laden "Rock 'N' Soul" and it is such a good song that I'm guessing the main reason it was left off the album was because of the Everlys' bitter songwriting royalty dispute with Acuff-Rose.  Too bad, it would have made that album better.  I think the same could be said for the final song on the album, the joint Everly composition "Kiss Your Man Goodbye" which was first attempted during the "Rock 'N' Soul" sessions.  The version on this album is the second attempt recorded in England in mid-1965.  It is a rocking song that seems influenced by the British Invasion sound which is ironic considering how much the Everlys influenced English groups like the Beatles, Hollies and Searchers.  It is driven by lots of noisy guitar and features a fine joint vocal from Phil and Don.  It deserved a better fate than being shelved.  I guess it is a testament to the Everlys' greatness (and perhaps Warner Bros. Records' incompetence as well) that this outtakes album is so good, easily as good or better than many of their official Warner Bros. albums.  If you have deep pockets you can find all of this music on the massive CD box sets that Bear Family issued of the complete Everly Brothers recordings on Warner Bros. Records.  Personally I think the Everlys sound best on vinyl so I'm really happy I was able to find a copy of this wonderful album.  It reminds me of Phil Everly's great legacy to his fans and his monumental place in the history of American music.  Recommended to fans of vocal harmonies in pop music.  There will never be anyone better than these guys. 

Roots - The Everly Brothers

Roots
The Everly Brothers
Warner Bros.  WS 1752
1968

My favorite Everly Brothers album.  I've listened to it a hundred times and I still love it.  It was their final studio album for Warner Bros. and arguably their last hurrah as major recording artists.  I like individual cuts on some of their later albums, but none of those records are really worthy of their greatness in their prime.  This album is a country rock masterpiece, one of the definitive statements in that genre.  I would say it is better than the Eagles' entire catalog, but that is like saying candy is better than poop.  It is a concept album as the Everlys explore the roots of their sound.  There are excerpts from a 1952 radio performance by the brothers with their parents that provides a foundation and gives some resonance to the modern songs they perform.  They only do a few really old songs, most of the songs are from modern songwriters but the record has a remarkable consistency of tone.  It is brilliantly arranged by the Everlys and Ron Elliott of the Beau Brummels who also contributed the songs "Ventura Boulevard" and from the Brummels' "Bradley's Barn" album, "Turn Around."  As much as I like the Brummels' version, I think the Everlys' version is the winner.  The older songs are "Shady Grove," "Kentucky" and a jumping version of Jimmie Rodgers' "T For Texas" - with the trippy guitar and the driving beat you'd never guess the song was over 40 years old at the time they recorded it.  There are also some pretty trippy sounds on a return visit to their early hit, "I Wonder If I Care As Much."  I can't say that I prefer it to the original, but it is certainly interesting and fresh.  They perform two Merle Haggard songs, a powerful version of "Mama Tried" and a moving "Sing Me Back Home."  The Everlys' harmonies on Glen Campbell's "Less of Me" are gorgeous and the guitar playing on the cut is very memorable.  Some striking piano playing gives extra feeling to an evocative Randy Newman song, "Illinois."  That is followed by a haunting ballad "Living Too Close To the Ground" by Terry Slater who wrote most of their previous album "The Everly Brothers Sing" and played bass in their backing band.  (Weird rock trivia note: Slater would later become the manager and guru for a-ha.)  It is the most beautiful song on an album full of beautiful songs.  Ray Price's "You Done Me Wrong" gets some chamber pop flavor while still retaining its country essence.  That is the basic philosophy in the record, it is rarely straight country or country-rock.  There are all sorts of modern elements blended with the traditional flavor of the music, chamber pop style strings, psychedelic guitars, keyboards and interesting sound treatments.  It feels old yet sounds modern, a dazzling synthesis of style.  Throughout, the Everlys sing great with winning enthusiasm.  This is a tremendous record and yet it was a flop, outsold by the likes of Paul Mauriat, Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66, Bobby Goldsboro and the Irish Rovers.  I can't even imagine how disappointing it must have been to make such a wonderful record and have no one care.  At least in recent years the record has gotten some of the recognition it deserves but too late to really do the Everlys much good.  How different their career might have been if in 1968 this record had been recognized as the classic album that it is.  Recommended for people who think country rock sucks, don't judge it on the basis of the stuff that came out of L.A., this is the real deal.

Instant Party - The Everly Brothers

Instant Party

The Everly Brothers

Warner Bros.  W1430

1962

The Everlys' fourth album for Warner Bros. - the first two were really good, the third was not so good.  This one is like the third, "Both Sides of an Evening" - it is another concept album, relies heavily on pop standards and showtunes, and is disappointing.  The concept this time is that this is a party record (a lot less fun than a Beach Boys party unfortunately) and it alternates slow tracks with faster tracks presumably for variety in dancing.  Most kids nowadays would want a lot higher b.p.m. then they are going to get from the Everlys for their dances.  There are also a bunch of recipes and party games that the brothers supposedly endorse on the back cover.  I doubt the modern kids would care much for those either.  That really was a different world.  I love the Everlys and would listen to them sing just about anything, but I'd rather it was rock, folk or country.  If I have to hear "Autumn Leaves," "Bye, Bye Blackbird" or "Oh My Papa" they do them as well as anyone I suppose, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't rather hear "Cathy's Clown" or "Lucille."  The only memorable song on this record is "Step It Up and Go" which they apparently learned from their father, Ike.  It is a lively rocker with a country flavor that suits them well.  Papa Everly is also responsible for the only other notable songs on the record, "Ground Hawg" and "Long Lost John."  The rest is pleasant but forgettable.  I'm happy I have this record and I play it sometimes, but unless you are a big fan you probably can skip it.  As for being a party record, well maybe in a rest home.  Recommended for party people with delicate dispositions.