Everly Brothers.

The Everly Brothers: Don Everly, Phil Everly (vocals, guitar).

Producers: Archie Bleyer, Dave Edmunds.

Compilation producer: Andy McKaie.

Recorded between 1957 & 1984. Includes liner notes by Bill Dahl.

This is part of "20th Century Masters: The Millenium Collection" series.

Composer: The Everly Brothers.

The Everly Brothers were an amazing singles band. One look at the track listing of their 20th Century Masters collection bears this out. Eleven of the 12 songs are simply classic examples of rock & roll music at its peak. Songs like "Bye Bye Love," "All I Have to Do Is Dream," "When Will I Be Loved," and "Crying in the Rain" are the perfect distillation of teenage heartbreak, heartache, and joy into two-minute chunks of pop magnificence. The only problem with this disc (other than the questionable inclusion of their middling hit from 1984 "On the Wings of a Nightingale" instead of one of their prime hits) is that it is too brief. The Everlys are the rare group that doesn't need to strain to fill up a 16-track best-of collection. In fact, Rhino's All-Time Original Hits from 1999 does just that. It also draws from the band's tenures at both Cadence and Warner Brothers but ignores the Brothers' comeback and adds loads of great tunes for only a couple bucks more. Everyone should have an Everly Brothers collection. Don't be a cheapskate, go for the Rhino comp. Or better yet, go wild and get the box set, also on Rhino. You won't regret it. ~ Tim Sendra