The oldest track here dates from 1957 and the most recent from 1968, so quite where the half-century of the title comes in is anyone’s guess. There’s nothing from the warring siblings’ friction-soaked 70s country output or Brits-assisted (Macca, Edmunds, Knopfler) 80s revival.
Still, it’s hard to argue with any of the 34 tracks here, be it the innocent date snafu of Wake Up Little Susie; Poor Jenny, the wronged man mourning of Cathy’s Clown; The Ferris Wheel; the sombre plane crash spookiness of Ebony Eyes; or the spliced Sinatra croon of Don’t Blame Me. The Everlys married wholesome country values to big city rock’n’roll sophistication and articulated the awkward journey from adolescence to adulthood better than almost anyone.
Pretty much the standard greatest hits which gets a cosmetic overhaul every few years, the sole concession to modern times would appear to be the inclusion of Gone Gone Gone, acknowledging its appearance on the Robert Plant & Alison Krauss album. A reissue of the clearly further-reaching Heartaches & Harmonies 1994 box set would be welcome next.
