Saturday, January 4, 2014

WEEP BABY WEEP

Phil Everly passed away yesterday. It's now official, we'll never hear the sweet harmonies of the Everly Brothers sung live again. Not that there was a possibility to begin with. Between their age and their spats, it's unlikely that we would have. But, shit folks, this is a sad day. Theirs was a pair of voices that has never been duplicated, despite many, many attempts. There was just something so organic about their voices together. I'm no vocal expert, and I know there's some mumbo jumbo about their vocal ranges being ever so slightly different that made them work so well together, but even an untrained ear can hear something intrinsically beautiful about those voices going off at the same time. They were a genre in and of itself. It didn't just work, it was a template for everyone who sang harmonies that came after them, in rock 'n' roll, country, folk, you name it, a sound that transcended cool, other worldly in its balance. And all along the way, they seemed like they were just two brothers singing in a school talent competition in front of their proud parents, two brothers that just ran with it.


The 1983 reunion concert. Timeless.

Phil Everly said it best himself, in 1986, "Don and I are infamous for our split, but we're closer than most brothers. Harmony singing requires that you enlarge yourself, not use any kind of suppression. Harmony is the ultimate love."

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~
Listen:
The Everly Brothers - Cathy's Clown mp3 at So Well Remembered
The Everly Brothers - I've Been Wrong Before mp3 at Newer
The Everly Brothers - Til I Kissed You mp3 at Internet Archive
The Everly Brothers - Bye Bye Love mp3 at Rocky 52 
The Everly Brothers - Let It Be Me mp3 at Internet Archive
The Everly Brothers - Walk Right Back mp3 at So Well Remembered
The Everly Brothers - All I Have to Do Is Dream mp3 at Keep The Coffee Coming 
The Everly Brothers - Poor Jenny mp3 at Popdose
Oddballs:
Bill Medley, with Phil Everly and Brian Wilson - In My Room (streaming) at YouTube 
The Everly Brothers - Coke commercial mp3 at The Podcast Place
Video:
Everly Brothers Country Music Hall of Fame video at YouTube Highly recommended
The Everly Brothers - Cathy's Clown at YouTube 1961 
Visit:
The Everly Brothers at Wikipedia
Phil Everly obituary at L.A. Times

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks Tom. RIP Phil.

--Marc