The Complete Cadence Recordings 1957-1960
The Everly Brothers were rock & roll's first true genre hoppers, applying the shuffle of R&B; to the streamlined Tin Pan Alley-via-Nashville tunes of Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, sung by two inimitable Appalachian high, lonesome voices that conveyed an emotional depth rare in teenage boys. For once, all the sides recorded during the first three years of the Everlys' career are presented on one thoroughly annotated collection, along with a handful of alternate takes and demos. The duo's most popular chart-topping hits from that era are included, but the true gems of the disc are the album tracks. Often accompanied by little more than an acoustic guitar, Don and Phil range from traditional murder ballads to early rock & roll classics to country hits to precious, self-penned love songs, laying down a foundation that the Beatles, among others, built upon.--Kelly Minnis