The Everly Brothers had a rather remarkable comeback in the '80s, reuniting after a decade of estrangement, first for a televised concert, which then led to a contract with Mercury Records. While at Mercury they released three studio albums -- 1984's
EB 84, the 1986 follow-up
Born Yesterday and 1989's
Some Hearts, which still stands as their last studio album -- all of which are collected on Hip-O Select's limited-edition 2005 double-disc set
On the Wings of a Nightingale: The Mercury Studio Recordings. This has the three albums in their entirety, plus a remix of
the Beach Boys' duet "Don't Worry Baby," which might no be much in the way of bonus material, but there's not much bonus material in the vaults, and the primary purpose of
On the Wings of a Nightingale is to get the Everly Brothers '80s albums in print, which this does in stylish fashion even if this is a bit lop-sided with 22 tracks on the first disc and a mere 12 on the second. In any case,
the Everlys' comeback was admirable, even if the recordings themselves haven't aged very well. The problem is not
Don and
Phil, who are in fine form as vocalists and have good songs to sing here, whether it's made-to-order originals like
Paul McCartney's "On the Wings of a Nightingale" or sharply-chosen covers like
Dire Straits' "Why Worry." The problem boils down to what plagued a lot of mainstream productions of the '80s: it's big and brittle, the exact opposite of the warmth of
the Everlys. It's enough to seriously hamper enjoyment of these records even if it doesn't discredit them: beneath the layers of production gloss, there is some superb singing and smart song choices, proof that the talents and taste of
the Everlys didn't diminish over time. That said, it takes a dedicated listener to hear these qualities underneath the sickeningly slick, stiff production -- but that's the audience this is aimed at, the completists who love
the Everlys warts and all, and for that group of fans, this is the way to hear the duo's flawed but admirable '80s comeback. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine