Summary
Roots is a 1968 studio album by American singing duo the Everly Brothers. Originally on the Warner Bros. label, the album was re-released on CD in 1995 by Warner Bros. and in 2005 by Collectors' Choice Music. The album is a classic example of early country rock.
| Roots | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 1968 | |||
| Recorded | April 10-October 7, 1968 | |||
| Genre | Country rock[1][2] | |||
| Length | 35:57 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Lenny Waronker | |||
| The Everly Brothers chronology | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [3] |
| Rolling Stone | (Favorable)[4] |
On its release, Roots was not a commercial success for the Everly Brothers,[5] failing to widen their fanbase in spite of their excursion into the new field of country rock.[2] At the time of its release, Rolling Stone, which awarded the album 4 stars in its coverage of the band in The New Rolling Stone Album Guide,[6] described the album as "a showcase for the superb talent of the Everlys as they are today", asserting that anyone "interested in the so-called country revival now sweeping rock should pick up this album".[7] In his reviews of the bands subsequent albums, critic Robert Christgau often utilized Roots as a touchstone, referring to it as "sweet", "thoughtful, even-tempered, and unique".[8] Today, the album is touted as "one of the finest early country-rock albums".[1]
Track listing edit
- Side 1
- "The Introduction: The Everly Family (1952)" – 1:11
- "Mama Tried" (Merle Haggard) – 2:18
- "Less of Me" (Glen Campbell) – 3:03
- "T for Texas" (Jimmie Rodgers) – 3:31
- "I Wonder If I Care as Much" (Don Everly, Phil Everly) – 2:59
- "Ventura Boulevard" (Ron Elliott) – 2:50
- "Shady Grove" (P. O. Wandz; credit also given to Jacquie Ertel (Phil's wife) and Venetia Everly (Don's wife)) – 2:31
- Side 2
- "Illinois" (Randy Newman) – 2:12
- "Living Too Close to the Ground" (Terry Slater) – 2:16
- "You Done Me Wrong" (George Jones, Ray Price) – 2:16
- "Turn Around" (Ron Elliott) – 2:47
- "Sing Me Back Home" (Merle Haggard) – 5:18
- "Montage: The Everly Family (1952)/Shady Grove/Kentucky" (Terry Slater, Karl Davis) – 2:43
Personnel edit
Performance edit
- Don Everly – guitar, vocals
- Phil Everly – guitar, vocals
Production edit
- Frank Bez – photography, cover photo
- Perry Botkin, Jr. – arranger
- Nick DeCaro – string arrangements
- Ron Elliott – arranger
- Lee Herschberg – engineer, mastering
- Bill Inglot –reissue re- mastering
- John Neil – engineer
- Andrew Sandoval – re-issue re- mastering
- Dave Schultz – mastering
- Mike Shields – engineer
- Ed Thrasher – art direction
- Richie Unterberger – liner notes
- Lenny Waronker – producer, concept
- Andrew Wickham – liner notes, concept
References edit
- ^ a b c Roots at AllMusic
- ^ a b Escott, Colin. Everly Brothers Archived 2007-01-04 at the Wayback Machine. Adapted from The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Encyclopedia of Country Music, Oxford University Press. Hosted by the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Accessed October 7, 2007.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
- ^ Ward, Edmund (31 May 1969). "Records". Rolling Stone. No. 34. San Francisco: Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc. p. 36. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
- ^ Unterberger, Richie. Liner notes. Richie Unterberger official website. Accessed October 7, 2007.
- ^ Brackett, Nathan. (2004) The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, 4th ed, Fireside. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. p 286.
- ^ Ward, Edmundo. (May 31, 1969) Roots. Rolling Stone. Accessed October 7, 2007.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. The Everly Brothers. Accessed October 7, 2007.
External links edit
- Collector's Choice Music reissue liner notes by Richie Unterberger.