27. The Everly Brothers — A Date With The Everly Brothers (1960)

Hey girl. Yeah it’s me, The Everly Brothers.

1. Here’s a better version of what Elvis was trying to do with Elvis Is Back! We’re getting into a more complete vision of what would become rock n’ roll here, with some nice little guitar solos, jangles, harmonies, and rhythm. The album opens with a teeny bop banger in “Made To Love” and quickly establishes a nice groove as it finds it’s way to a nice bluesy cover of “Baby What Do You Want Me To Do”.
2. Weird tracklisting alert: the biggest single on this record, “Cathy’s Clown,” is…the last song on the record. It’s a relatively upbeat that absolutely rips into Cathy, Don Everly’s old girlfriend, even though — by his own account — he broke up with her and she did nothing wrong to her. Seems like an odd mix to find broad success!
3. “Love Hurts,” which rose to fame thanks to Nazareth’s cover 15 years later, is an oddly bland tune. The Everly’s here don’t seem to want to lean too hard into the heartbreak, nor pretend it’s a happy tune. Nazareth did not make the same mistake, leaning deep into the cheesy sadness:

4. The dual harmonies here really stick out. I‘ve often felt Buddy Holly & The Crickets deserve more credit than they’re given for the direction rock music would go through the 60’s and beyond, but listening to the Everly’s is a true window into what The Beatles would eventually immortalize. The tunes aren’t there, but the structure is.

One Essential Song:

Listen on Spotify: