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Underappreciated: Late Period Everly Brothers

By 1967 the Everly Brothers had long since seen their days as first generation rock ‘n’ roll chart-toppers pass. It had been six years since their last top ten album (A Date With The Everly Brothers), seven years since their last number one single (“Cathy’s Clown”), and ten years since becoming a household name to teeny-boppers across the country and a blueprint to British bands like the Beatles and the Hollies.

They had, more or less, been forgotten. Unsure of what direction to go in, Don and Phil tried everything from oldies re-hash, the British invasion sound, country-rock, psychedelia, to beautifully melancholic story songs. Not all of it worked so well and most of their late 60’s albums are thoroughly uneven until they peaked in 1968 with Roots—a mellow psychedelic trip through their past.

Buried in Roots’ predecessors, however, are some exceptional deep cuts (not to mention a few brilliant singles). Gone, Gone, Gone (1965), In Our Image (1966), Two Yanks in England (1966), and The Everly Brothers Sing (1967) can all be mined for timeless classics—most of which can be found on the fantastic compilation Walk Right Back: The Everly Brothers On Warner Brothers, 1960-1969, or the Heartaches & Harmonies box set for the die-hards.

There is one song in particular that completely blew my mind the first time I heard it: “Lord of the Manor.” I’d never heard anything quite like it before… especially from the Everly Brothers. Bongos, weird grunts, sweeping strings, slide guitar, and perhaps the best two-part harmony ever sung. Then there is the ending… wait for it. “Lord of the Manor” was actually the B-side! Not to take anything away from the perfect country-rock/pop of the A-side, “Milk Train.” (Side note: Gram Parsons is listed as playing on the “Milk Train” session, although no instrument is noted.) It is nothing short of a crime that these songs never saw release on a proper full-length.

The Everly Brothers “Milk Train” Single (July 1968):

A-Side: Milk Train [MP3]
B-Side: Lord of the Manor [MP3] (Highly Recommended)

Buy Walk Right Back: The Everly Brothers On Warner Brothers, 1960-1969 from Amazon.com.

Posted on 06/04/2007 | Comments(0) | Permalink

TAGS: Everly Brothers Underappreciated

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