Stories We Could Tell

The Everly Brothers recorded only briefly for RCA, debuting in 1972 with the John Sebastian composition "Stories We Could Tell" (the title track of their first LP for the label, which failed to become a hit) and ending one year later with Pass the Chicken & Listen, the last record before the Everlys broke up in 1973. Although unpopular, the duo's RCA work saw them charting a consistent course between the loose, slick sounds of country in the early '70s and their background in clean, well-produced country-pop. "Stories We Could Tell" was not an obvious hit, but it's a fine song, one that Gram Parsons could have done well with (and a few others played, including Tom Petty and B.J. Thomas). Other choices for material came from Kris Kristofferson ("Breakdown"), Delaney & Bonnie ("All We Really Want to Do"), and Mickey Newbury ("Sweet Memories"), but Don and Phil themselves contributed one of the highlights, "Green River." Camden couldn't fit everything on one disc, so four songs are missing from this program (including John Prine's "Paradise"), but Everly fans will rejoice at the availability of this solid material from a neglected period. ~ John Bush|