R.I.P. - Phil Everly 1938-2014

Hi y’all… So I haven’t had time to write much here what with so many gigs of my own this past year…but I would be very remiss to not comment on the passing today of seminal rock n roll and country artist Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers at age 74.

As members of both the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Everly Brothers string of 19 Top 40 Hits between 1957 and 1962 cemented their reputation as the premier vocal duo of the early rock era. Their songs "All I Have To Do Is Dream" and "Cathy's Clown" topped both Billboard's Pop and R&B charts. "Bird Dog" and "Bye Bye Love" were #1 Country hits and their first hit in 1956, "Wake Up Little Susie" rose to the top of all three charts. All told the duo charted 12 Top Ten hits. In the 55-year history of Billboard's Hot 100 charts only two other duos had more chart success, Hall & Oates and The Carpenters.

Performing professionally together since their childhood years, first on the family’s country radio show and a few years later as one of the most influential early rock acts of the music’s formative years, their music greatly influenced not only the vocal harmonies of The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel, The Hollies, CSN, Gram Parsons and all of their progeny but their own songwriting and the writing of their main songwriting team Felice and Boudleaux Bryant have produced a rich catalog of pop compositions covered by artists from across the musical spectrum such as Simon & Garfunkel, Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons, . Most recently, Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong and Norah Jones have released an album, Foreverly of their interpretations of songs from the Everly's influential 1958 country album, Songs Our Daddy Taught Us.

For a brilliant documentary on their career through 1984 check out this wonderful offering from the BBC…



I was lucky enough to see them at a date a the Valley Forge Music Fair in Devon, PA on the 1984 Reunion tour. While I was familiar with there influence on my favorite acts via interviews and articles touting them, I had one greatest hits LP and really didn’t comprehend the scope and beauty of their musical world until I attended this show. I was at first taken with the band. I was already an Albert Lee fan from his work with Emmylou Harris but it didn’t take but a song or two to set my goosebumps arise. I’d not heard the Beatles sing together in person, nor Gram and Emmylou or Paul and Artie. But this night I couldn’t imagine anyone touching these guys. Every song was a classic. Even the new stuff like “Why Worry” or “On The Wings of a Nightingale” that came out on their follow-up releases were just jawdropping pop masterpieces of taste, precision and heart. Wow.

From that night on their influence on my own music and musical tastes have been greatly colored by the esthetic, songs and sound of the Everly Brothers. In SILVER MOON, we currently perform 56 tunes associated with the Everly Brothers. But we only perform half of any of them in that as a duo with only one singer something missing looms heavy everytime I sing one of these great songs. Everytime, I hear Phil’s invisible harmony in my head and while I always will, the sadness that his living voice will no longer be heard in real-time is a great shame.

Check out video from 1983-84 REUNION…



Unfortunately for my generation, chances to see the Everlys perform would be few and far between. Like many of the greatest sibling duos in rock the long familiarity and struggles for ego gratification between uber creative people living, working and existing in close proximity pulled the brothers apart again and again. Then again, those are often some of the same factors that makes their collaborations so essential, unique and unduplicatable. Think KINKS. OASIS. BEACH BOYS. BEE GEES. And no, the Ramones don’t count). Onstage fisticuffs, separate interviews and travel arrangements. Lawsuits. Not so easy it seems.

But seeing these teams work when things are right is hard to fathom that they could find any better partners for their musical creations.

By the way, rumor has begun again that a long awaited KINKS reunion is in the early talking stages. If it happens don’t miss this one. Dave Davies has recovered from a stroke and released a strong album full of guest stars such as and older brother Ray remains of songwriter of individuality and talent who is long overdue for a big creative splash. Cross your fingers.

Ten years ago, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel convinced Phil & Don Everly to reunite for a tour with both often fractuous duos on the bill and anyone who saw the shows will not see anything as sublime again.

Watching Phil & Don sing “So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)” while eye to eye in the videos above illustrates directly that no matter the divisive quality of our lives, our egos, and our differences that harmony, compassion and love are really what we all must strive for in life everyday. Another essential lesson that great art offers us if we only open ourselves to it.

More of the passing of Phil Everly here…

http://music.yahoo.com/news/phil-everly-half-pioneer-rock-duo-dies-74-032650788.html

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/5862255/don-everly-on-losing-his-brother-phil-everly

AN UNFATHOMABLY BAD ALBUM BY A MAJOR ARTIST - This is NOT an April Fool's joke though it should be...

AN UNFATHOMABLY BAD ALBUM BY A MAJOR ARTIST
-- an ongoing retrospective

Today’s nomination:
Phil Everly -- LIVING ALONE Elektra 2e 613 - 1979
Let me preface by saying that without the harmonies of the Everly Brothers the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, The Beach Boys, The Eagles...every other harmony-centric band to climb a stage since would be a shadow of themselves. In addition, they are one of the few 50s groups whose original recordings I go back to year after year with fresh ears and thoroughly enjoy. That said, this album by usually inspiring Phil Everly supplied, quite possibly one of the most painful 30 minutes of my life while listening to this record. Especially after listening to great Everly Bros. music for 3 hours previous. Bad, Bad, Bad. This 1979 solo album from the younger Everly Brother during a period when the brothers weren't speaking to each other (for over a decade). Nothing odd about that, just more brotherly love/hate between sibling musicians stuck in the same plane/hotel/studio/career trajectory quagmire.


In the grand tradition of Tommy & Jimmy Dorsey and carrying the torch for the soon to be fireworks from Ray & Dave Davies, the entire Beach Boys family and so many more. But this record has little to do with the brothers personal problems other than THERE IS ONLY ONE OF THEM HERE and HE MADE A CRAPPY RECORD…and as always…how much is the artist’s fault or the label’s or the producer’s? You never really know. And true, a listener’s expectations always play into one’s reaction to a less than brilliant record…Look at all the folks who slagged Pet Sounds (Mike Love, ya listening?) wondering where had all the little deuce coupe’s and surfboards gone—“long time passing…”

But LIVING ALONE? Total misstep. Huge bummer. Stellar fuck-up. Complete and solid agonizing crap. Horrid period production from Snuff Garrett. A long-time successful producer, entrepreneur in the music industry with his share of successes. Obviously, not on his tip here.

Let’s explore the pain…Disco/Spinners-esque opening tune. Huh? From an Everly Brother? The guys who basically, by proxy, taught The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel how to sing? Now, I dig the Spinners. But when you put on the Spinners, you expect The Spinners. That string-wash of Philly soul, goosey bass line and street savvy slickness. Uh, okay…so I write off the first tune to a commercial stab at modernity…


I should have quit while I was ahead. What's up with the 2nd tune? A beautiful tune that starts up kinda strummy …okay, better but wait… the opening line, the title is sung in German…odd…a story of falling for a German girl I guess. Okay, but on a comeback album shouldn’t this have been buried ¾ of the way through side 2? Okay, I presume it was sort of a writing exercise…and maybe, Phil is big in Germany, the Hasselhoff of his era, who knows. Just plain stupid. Not really comeback material, though production on this # is sort of ELO-ish which isn't too bad...comparatively. Oy.

Next is a HORRID song with synthy disco-y FX and those Synsonic drum type sounds WAY too loud in the mix. Wasn't disco over by this time? Sickening. I keep telling myself that I’d love to hear some of these songs done "NORMALLY", but, no, probably not. This is the worst track EVER!!! I won't even comment on the last two tunes on side one because though they just ended while I was writing the above...I have absolutely NO recollection of them.

The most rockin’ tune thus far has a verse about weenies, yes, hot dogs. It's a song called “California Gold” maybe about pot or sunshine or disco money??? Who friggin’ knows. This is a tune trying to cop a timely Eagles sort of L.A. hipness. No cigar. But that is only the beginning of side B. The second tune is by far light years better than anything previous and it is late 70s schmaltz but almost a huge relief which is a bit disconcerting. Sort of Air Supply-light, but there was a lot of that going around and the Everly’s were always romantic before romance was unhip.

WAIT...holy fucking shit...what’s this? A way fast tempo, aerobicizing, disco tune call "I Don't Feel Like Dancing" which would be perfect for Donna Summer at her MOST dance-y. Phil sings in falsetto. Again, why? The fucked up thing about this album is there are a ton of songs without even an overdubbed Phil harmony...which you would think would be a given...now, I may be mistaken there but I sure as hell am not going back to listen to the album again to be sure…if I’m wrong, have fun finding out. Here there are horrendous disco-y chick backing vocals on things...God this sucks...sucks BIG TIME!!!

Next is a really bad, sappy almost country ballad with pedal steel and, what, celeste???, Christ! Yuck. Really, shouldn't Snuff Garrett have his producer's license revoked after this...oh my god. No wonder Phil bit the bullet and made amends with his brother 4 years later. I can't imagine that Phil Everly was actually sitting home for a decade thinking, "When I come back to the scene I can't wait to make a disco record..." Was he actually sitting around listening to this music? Was the world really so lame that someone of his talent and track record would completely lose his mind and fall for this shit? Then the final song has actual, slick L.A, rock guitar (though stiff and pedestrian, remember pedestrians have the right-of-way in California. Coincidence? I think not.) The tune is a rocker about "The Fall of '59" back when Phil felt “more like me”, meaning himself. Obviously. This “rocker” (I know, it’s a stretch) has a horrible disco bass line and a Beach Boys-esque backing vocal riff…the hook sounds a little Eaglesque also. The ending is sort of abrupt as if they couldn't wait to be done with this record. Did the musicians go home every night and call their friends and say, "You won't believe the shit I played today FOR MONEY!!!"

Thankfully, we’d only have a few short years to wait for a full-fledged Everly Brothers comeback with a killer live REUNION CONCERT recording, 3 pretty decent studio records and a bunch of killer live dates with a band led by the stupendous Albert Lee on guitar. It only lasted for a handful of years but it was sure nice while it lasted.

As opposed to the polar opposite with this LP reviewed above. Maybe there’s a reason Phil was LIVING ALONE at the time…probably drove people out of the house playing this shit.

This album is officially for sale...make me an offer...

Send me your choices for AN UNFATHOMABLY BAD ALBUM BY A MAJOR ARTIST...