The Everly brothers had several hits on the Cadence label, notably Bye bye love and All I have to do is dream, before signing to Warners in 1960. They started very successfully but their popularity faded gradually. By the end of the sixties, only their most dedicated fans paid any attention to them - yet their music was always of a high quality. They continually updated their music, trying to reflect changing fashions, making this a very interesting compilation.

The first CD includes all but one of the big British and American hits (among them being Cathy's clown, So sad to watch good love go bad, Walk right back, Temptation, Cryimg in the rain, Don't blame me and Ebony eyes), together with some of their most interesting album tracks (especially Sleepless nights and Love hurts). See my review of It's Everly time//A date with the Everly brothers for more about some of these songs. Two of the last three tracks on this CD are covers of country songs written by Don Gibson (Just one time and Sweet dreams). Even at their most popular, they never really strayed too far from their country roots.

The second CD opens with The price of love, their last major British hit - it reached #2 in 1965, but I don't think it did anything in America. It was a brilliant, infectious song with a touch of R+B. At around that time, the Everlys were being compared to the Beatles, but the truth is that the Everlys were a major influence on the Beatles, so people got the comparison the wrong way round.

The remaining tracks, covering the second half of the sixties, see the Everlys experimenting with a variety of styles, including more country songs, albeit with a pop/rock beat.

This is a fine collection for those (like me) who's interest in the Everly brothers goes beyond their hit singles. If you only want their hits, you can get them elsewhere without all the other stuff.

No doubt, the material the Everlys cut for Cadence is classic stuff...it defined the era in which it was released, and remains eminently listenable today; great songs, great voices, great arrangements, all state of the art in the late 50s.

Everyone is always quick to compare the Warner Brothers material to the Cadence material...and find the WB stuff lacking. That is a gross injustice. Simply stated, the Every Brothers were considered passe' in the wake of the British Invasion, just like Roy Orbison, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and a host of other 50s artists. Even King Elvis did not fare that well then. Many of the songs, performances and arrangements contained in this collection WERE hits, many more of them would have been hits had they been released by a "hot commodity".

Most of this material is just very, very good. To compare it to the Cadence material is silly and unfair; the times they were a'changin'. Honestly, this holds up very well when compared to the Candence sides. For the most part, they are great songs, well-arranged and (of course) well-sung. Overall, I think the Rhino 4-CD box covers this period a bit better; better song selection and better sound, but this is still a great collection and a great buy. Long live the Everly Brothers!

I have always loved the beautiful harmony of the Everly brothers and, as a baby boomer, this music is "my life as a teen".

I think this is a WONDERFUL album, with songs that I've forgotten about.

I received my first kiss during "Cathy's Clown" and dated a guy who sang "Love Hurts" in my ear while we danced. Love Hurts is probably one of my favorite songs of all time. I was delighted when I heard "Made to Love" after all these years.

How wonderful to listen and think back to those wonderful years when music was so genuine and "innocent".

So glad I bought this album.

If you love the Everly Brothers, this is a "keeper".

Judging them soley on singing, the Everly Brothers are probably the greatest duo of all time. I hope their music is never forgotten. This set is excellent, although I personally prefer the 4 cd Heartaches & Harmonies box set, because all of their 50's hits on Cadence are on Disc one. You won't find any of them here.

I bought this because I have my 20 year HS reunion coming up this year and my best friend and I used to drive around and listen to the songs on it, so this takes me right back and makes me forget how old I am!