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"I had the unique pleasure of knowing Phil Everly as a kid and the honor of getting to know Don Everly a bit this year as we prepared this compilation," writes Adria Petty in the liner notes to The Everly Brothers' new collection, Hey Doll Baby. As Tom Petty's daughter, Adria was a first-hand witness to rock and roll history, and that experience has informed her curation of this 17-track compendium. Hey Doll Baby was first issued by Warner Records on vinyl in April for Record Store Day as a limited blue vinyl release. On June 17, it hits general retail on CD, digital, and 180-gram black vinyl formats.
Hey Doll Baby is drawn from Don and Phil Everly's recordings for both the Cadence and Warner Bros. labels, with all tracks newly remastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering. Though the collection doesn't feature any rare or previously unreleased tracks, the selections reflect Petty's desire to focus on "celebrating the deeper rockabilly tracks and some great covers, with a small emphasis on hits." Those era-defining hits include Boudleaux Bryant's "Devoted to You" (No. 10 Pop, 1958), Don's "('Til) I Kissed You" (No. 4, 1959), Phil's "When Will I Be Loved" (No. 8, 1960), Don's "Cathy's Clown" (No. 1, 1960, and the best-selling single of their career) and "So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)" (No. 7, 1960), Sonny Curtis' "Walk Right Back" (No. 7, 1961), and the brothers' "Gone, Gone, Gone" (No. 31, 1964). Among the choice covers are Chuck Berry's "Maybellene," Jimmy Reed's "Baby, What You Want Me to Do," Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line," Bryant's "Love Hurts," and the title track, Titus Turner's "Hey Doll Baby." These alternately moving and rollicking tracks reflect the Everlys' disparate sound, taking in Appalachian folk, blues, country, gospel and pure rock-and-roll - all rendered with that tight, heavenly harmony blend that only brothers could create.
The album is very much a family affair, befitting the Everly Brothers' legacy: Phil Everly's widow Patti and son Jason, who provides track-by-track commentary, were involved with the compilation of the album as was Don Everly prior to his passing last summer and Don's widow Adela. Tom Petty's spirit infused the release, as well. Adria writes, "The Everly Brothers held a special place in his heart because they were the rock 'n' roll trailblazers he related to the most. Self-made and determined like him. From the time I was around five years old, he passed on his passion for their music and story to me."
Though Hey Doll Baby focuses on those early, halcyon years, The Everly Brothers continued to make music for much of their lives, with their final studio album arriving in 1988 on the Mercury label. They were special guests on Simon and Garfunkel's 2003 Old Friends reunion tour, thrilling audiences and their admiring hosts Paul and Art with their undiminished harmonies. This reminder of their eternal sound, both earthy and ethereal, arrives from Warner Records on June 17. You'll find the track listing and pre-order links below.
The Everly Brothers, Hey Doll Baby (Warner Records, 2022)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
- Hey Doll Baby
- When Will I Be Loved
- Muskrat
- Gone, Gone, Gone
- Walk Right Back
- ('Til) I Kissed You
- That's Just Too Much
- Baby What You Want Me To Do
- Cathy's Clown
- Devoted To You
- Maybellene
- So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)
- Made To Love
- Sigh, Cry, Almost Die
- I Walk The Line
- Love Hurts
- So Fine
Track 1 from The Everly Brothers, Cadence LP 3003, 1958
Track 2 from Cadence single 1380, 1960
Track 3 from The Golden Hits of the Everly Brothers, Warner Bros. LP 1471, 1962
Track 4 from Gone, Gone, Gone, Warner Bros. LP 1585, 1965
Track 5 from Warner Bros. single 5199, 1961
Track 6 from Cadence single 1369, 1959
Tracks 7-9, 13-14 & 16 from A Date with the Everly Brothers, Warner Bros. LP 1395, 1960
Track 10 from Cadence single 1350, 1958
Tracks 11 & 17 from Rock 'n Soul, Warner Bros. LP 1578, 1965
Track 12 from It's Everly Time, Warner Bros. LP 1381, 1960
Track 15 from Sing Great Country Hits, Warner Bros. LP 1513, 1963
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They could have put more tracks on a CD. But I suppose any real Everly fan already has these tracks on more than one album.
Personally instead of seeing another greatest hit set to add to the long list of early years compilations, would love to see more cd reissues of Phil Everly's solo output. Particularly his 1979 Living Alone album for Elektra has never been reissued in any digital format. Would be awesome to see it remastered, since it is criminally underrated and has some really rocking and melodic songs.
All the solo albums for the brothers need a proper re-issue.
I'd rather a full album of curios, throwaways, unreleased or hard-to-find tracks, than something w/ 'deep cut's and several greatest hits that fans already have. I get it - it's a marketing tactic. Throw in some of their best-known songs to attract the uninitiated. But this like a half a loaf, at best.