+1/2 -- Fine collection, but there's more to be had

On the one hand, how could a collection of 21 prime cuts of first-generation rock 'n' roll be anything but great? No matter how many times these tracks get repackaged and reissued, they never get old, and they never lose their magic. On the other hand, with so many Everly Brothers compilations available, many overlapping the Cadence material presented here, one has to ask whether this is the best disc to purchase.

As more and more reissues of the Everly's Cadence recordings come to market, the opening for additional configurations grows slimmer and slimmer. This single disc anthology most closely competes with Rhino's 1986 "Cadence Classics: Their 20 Greatest Hits," swapping a few tracks for a few others, and adding informative new liner notes by Bill Dahl and rare photos. Overshadowing this collection, however, is Varese's own two-disc "The Complete Cadence Recordings: 1957-1960." This latter collection not only includes all of these sides (including all of their flips), but also lower charting singles and sides from the "Songs Our Daddy Taught Us" LP. Given how familiar most of the A-sides are, it's especially gratifying to hear the B-sides and album tracks.

For anyone who can spare the difference in price, Varese's double-disc is the way to go -- there are simply too many great Cadence-era tracks to shoehorn onto a single disc. For those who can't afford the double disc, this 21 track collection provides an excellent introduction to the brothers' immense talents (though it is guaranteed to leave you craving the double-disc, as well as Warner Archives' post-Cadence anthology, "Walk Right Back"). Please see my review of "The Complete Cadence Recordings: 1957-1960" for more detailed comments on the Everlys' Cadence recordings.

Note to audiophiles: both Varese collections feature a stereo version of "('Til) I Kissed You" that exhibits several dropouts. They're minor distractions from these otherwise glorious sets, but frustrating, given that these aural defects don't appear on Rhino's "Heartaches and Harmonies" version of the track.