THE EVERLY BROTHERS Studio Outtakes Bear Family BCD 17587 Bye, Bye Love (Take 1) / I Wonder If I Care As Much (Take 3) / Wake Up Little Susie (Take 1) / Hey, Doll Baby (Take 4) / Brand New Heartache (Take 2) / Keep A' Knockin' (Take 5) / Love Of My Life (Take 1) / Leave My Woman Alone (Take 1) / Rip It Up (Take 4) / Maybe Tomorrow (Take 3) / Claudette (Take 1) / Poor Jenny (Take 7) / Prob-lems (Alt.) / All I Have To Do Is Dream (Take 5) / Take A Message To Mary (Take 7) / Bird Dog (Take 1) / Oh, What A Feeling (Take 4) / Til I Kissed You (Take 3) / Poor Jenny (Take 3) / This Little Girl Of Mine (Take 2) / Be-Bop-A-Lula (Take 4) Claudette (Take 7) / Wake Up Little Susie (Take 6) / Hey, Doll Baby (Take 1) / All I Have To Do Is Dream (Take 1) / Poor Jenny (Take 5) / That Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine (Take 2)
Down In The Willow Garden (Take 3) / Long Time Gone (Take 3) / Oh, So Many Years (Take 4) / Rockin' Alone (In An Old Rocking Chair) (Take 12) / Kentucky (Take 7) / Who's Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet (Take 15) / I'm Here To Get My. Baby Out Of Jail (Take 2) (Playing time: 79:57)
Anyone who missed out on this package of Cadence-era outtakes when it was first released back in 2006 (see NDT 275) now has the chance to pick it up in its new guise as a regular jewel-cased CD (the initial set being in the form of a repro tape box). There's no studio chat, but the 34 alternative performances offer a great work in progress look at the creation of classic after classic. There are lots of differences in instrumentation / arrangements etc. - some more subtle than others - and a few minor lyric changes. too.
The brothers don't always nail their performances as per the flawless master takes. but this is how music was made back in the day and its fascinating to hear how these wonderful songs were created. Diehards, of course. will pick up on all the differences - dig those intricate guitar fills on Take 3 of 'Poor Jenny'. for example, or Phil singing an alternative harmony line on Take 1 of 'Bye. Bye Love, or the band finding its way on the first attempt at Roy Orbison's 'Claudette'... It's the kind of thing that gives long-time fans goosebumps. It also reminded me of one of my favourite ever rhyming couplets. as heard in 'Oh. What A Feeling': "It must be love, although its bitter / It must be love. I can't forgit her..." Some of the later takes are pretty close to the masters, but keen ears can tell the differences instantly. The chunky 36-page booklet carries Andrew Sandoval's track-by-track notes as well as those great studio photos from the original set. though you're a better man than me if you can squeeze it back into the jewel case once you've taken it out...
Trevor Cajiao
