Thursday, March 1, 2018

SONG THE DILS TAUGHT ME

When you think of the Everly Brothers, you might think of one of their many songs that end up on oldies compilations or the soundtrack from an old Happy Days rerun. I'd heard them from those sources enough that I was in no hurry to actually buy their product. That changed when I saw the Dils, of all bands, do a cover of "Cathy's Clown". The Dils were one of the most politically charged, and tight, West Coast punk bands of the first wave. It was at a San Francisco gig and they were without their regular drummer, John Silvers, for a night so they enlisted the drummer from the Nuns, and Dil-ified a bunch of covers. When they played the Everlys' cover, it surprisingly played to one of their strengths I'd never noticed before, namely their harmonies, the almost Johnny Cash low voice of bassist Tony Kinman and the higher slightly nasally voice of guitarist Chip Kinman. It worked. That sent me back to San Diego with another band on the want list. I had everything by the Dils up to that point, and they never recorded "Cathy's Clown" so I bought a two LP compilation of the Everly Brothers and became a total freak of how their voices worked together. I owe that to the Dils.

If you've never heard the Dils, just take a look at the video below of them, in Houston around the same I saw them. See if you can figure out how a band like that would turn someone onto the Everly Brothers. I'm still scratching my head about that one.

This was just supposed to be a short thing directing you to Time Goes By, an Australian site for seniors. Peter Tibbles handles the music side of things over there and he does a great job. Understated and humble, he possesses the wide ranging musical knowledge that keeps me going back, despite not being part of their demographic. Oh shit. I guess if I go there I'm part of some demographic. Weird.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~
Listen:
The Everly Brothers - Cathy's Clown mp3 at Rocky 52
The Everly Brothers - Keep A Lovin Me mp3
at Rocky 52 Very early, 1955
The Everly Brothers - Be Bop A Lula mp3 at Rocky 52
The Everly Brothers - Eight more songs and profile
at Time Goes By
Video:
The Dils - Live in Houston 1979
at YouTube Not the Everlys

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