Tuesday, August 28, 2012

jingle jangle mornings, seven

I like those pop life moments when the student becomes the teacher, and vice versa.  The Everly Brothers’ much underappreciated Two Yanks in England, featuring the Hollies as their backing players, is a case in point.  I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that there would not have been a British Invasion in the absence of the Everly Brothers, or at least the British Invasion would not have been what it was.  The Everlys' sound and melodic structures exerted an enormous influence over Merseybeat in particular.  But by the mid 60s, they were unable to transition into the new order of things and became an unhip relic of a more innocent time. In 1966 they attempted resuscitate their flagging career, setting out to make a record that sounded like a fusion of folk rock and the British Invasion. Unfortunately, Two Yanks in England, recorded at the legendary Pye Studios in London, was about six months behind the curve and failed to do much business. Why would any self-respecting kid with her finger on the pulse of cool things wanna hear the Everlys trying to be hip, a hipness once removed, when much more authentic sounding records were hitting the shelves virtually every day? But this doesn't mean that Two Yanks doesn't sound great now.  Tonight's song deserves to be at least a cult classic. ...Interestingly enough, the Everlys made another attempt to become hip in the late 60s with the country rock flavored Roots. Maybe tomorrow I'll post one from Roots if anything's available.  Both records are ones where things have come full circle.  Usually this only happens once, if at all, which only goes to show how deeply influential Phil and Don were...



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