Willard's Wormholes

EB ’84 (1984)
Born Yesterday (1986)
Dave Edmunds Resurrects The Everlys

Not many fireworks, but a fine retro-fit by Dave Edmunds in bringing The Everly Brothers back from the brink for a new generation. First brush won’t wow you like it might on paper, and if these albums have a fault, it’s that producer Edmunds is a tad too respectful of the Brothers’ legacy, dousing the sound in a familiar reverb that DE pinched directly from The Everlys‘ era in the first place. Personally, I might have preferred hearing the boys more naked… or backed by a vital variation of Rockpile, which they do come close to on a couple of rockers (“Danger, Danger” and “I Know Love”). Paul McCartney donates “On The Wings Of A Nightingale,” which the Everlys effortlessly make into their own. Repeated listens will bring out the beauty of the song selection and The Brothers’ timeless abilities with a melody… the 80s/50s production values, be damned. The haunting Don Everly original, “Asleep,” dignifies their aging compositional chops, and their two Dylan covers, “Lay Lady Lay” and “Abandoned Love,” are a cut above the norm, too. Both are out of print, so collectors’ prices are in effect.

EB ’84
On The Wings Of A Nightingale
Danger Danger
The Story Of Me
I’m Takin‘ My Time
The First In Line
Lay Lady Lay
Following The Sun
You Make It Seem So Easy
More Than I Can Handle
Asleep

BORN YESTERDAY
Amanda Ruth
I Know Love
Born Yesterday
These Shoes
Arms Of Mary
That Uncertain Feeling
Thinkin‘ Bout You
Why Worry
Abandoned Love
Don’t Say Goodnight
Always Drive a Cadillac
You Send Me