The Everly Brothers

Collectables' The Very Best of the Everly Brothers, Vol. 1 compiles 20 cuts from the legendary siblings' early years. Split into two volumes, the collection suffers from its inability to include any of the duo's Warner Bros. recordings -- hits like "Cathy's Clown" and "Crying in the Rain," as well as anything from their earthy late-'60s/early-'70s period, are sorely missed. Still, there's an awful lot here to recommend as well, like "All I Have to Do Is Dream," pre-Roots traditional cuts such as "Roving Gambler" and "Who's Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet," and the lads' big falsetto harmonies on "Long Time Gone," but for the money, it's awfully hard to beat 1993's Walk Right Back: The Everly Brothers on Warner Bros. or the Bear Family's three-disc Classic Everly Brothers, which between the two have everything here and then some. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide