... Do you remember 'Claudette', which he wrote in the 50s and was originally recorded by the Everly Brothers, or 'Penny Arcade', an uncharacteristically up-tempo pop number written by British songwriter Anthony King, and incidentally his last UK hit of the 60s? Did you know he also recorded ... Read review
Anybody who doubts that 'The Big O' had one of the finest voices of the last century has probably somehow missed hearing it. This 41-track feast mixes old and new songs together, and in doing so shows that he retained that astonishing vocal range right up to the end of his career, even when he was within weeks of his untimely death.
Although there is a bewildering assortment of Orbisong compilations around, this is one of the best I've seen so far. Most of the old favourites are here, like the vintage 60s songs 'Only The Lonely', 'It's Over', 'Too Soon To Know', 'In Dreams', 'Blue Bayou', and of course 'Oh, Pretty Woman'. We also get two versions of 'Crying', a solo rendition and the re-recorded duet with k.d. lang. A word of warning, though - these are largely mid-80s re-recordings, made shortly after he signed to Virgin Records, and although he repeats his vocal performances faultlessly, you can notice slight differences in the musical backing if you know the originals well. Placing these more or less back to back with late hits like 'She's A Mystery To Me', the peerless 'You Got It', and the excellent 'I Drove All Night', makes you wish that he hadn't been virtually lost to the recording world for so long.
But this collection unearths a few lesser-known gems. Do you remember 'Claudette', which he wrote in the 50s and was originally recorded by the Everly Brothers, or 'Penny Arcade', an uncharacteristically up-tempo pop number written by British songwriter Anthony King, and incidentally his last UK hit of the 60s? Did you know he also recorded 'I Can't Stop Loving You' and 'What Now My Love', songs usually associated with Ray Charles and Shirley Bassey respectively? If not, this will surprise you, though personally I'm not over-keen on these two songs and would much rather hear him on his own material.
In fact, this collection is so diverse that I find myself wondering how appropriate the title 'Love Songs' is. Especially when it includes his versions of 'Land of 1000 Dances' and 'Run Baby Run'. Roy Orbison sings Wilson Pickett and the Newbeats? Well, yes - and very well too. But love songs? Er, let's not split hairs.
That apart, the songs are (nearly all) superb - five stars on musical content, which is after all the main thing. With that voice, what further recommendation do you need?
Advantages: The Very Best Of The Big O Disadvantages: I had to review 41 Songs... phew
sounds fresh, new and different.
2. I Drove All Night
Great sing-along song, evoking amusing memories of the video for me. As a stand alone strong it is very powerful, excellent driving rhythm to it. An excellent song to drive to, for that matter. This is a power ballad in the finest sense, and much superior to Cyndi's version.
3. She's A Mystery To Me
Written for Roy by Bono, a fact I hadn't realised at first, I had not heard this before buying the album. Bono obviously wanted to stretch him with a high pitched chorus and he rose to the challenge brilliantly. A good lovesong which with a lesser artist may have sounded syrupy but Roy's vocal quality makes it sound , as with all his lovesongs, like he's just being honest.
4. Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)
Infectious. If I hear this song once it goes round in my head ...
While I was watching a country music channel quite a few years back, I was captivated by Chris Isaak's video for "Somebody's Crying". It wasn't just the video that had me interested, although Issak is always very handsome, and he appeared to be very much so during the footage, but rather the song. I have been a fan of Isaak's ever since his work with David Lynch on the "Wild at Heart" Soundtrack. His "Wicked Game" is a pure and haunting classic. It is clearly washed in the songs of yesterday that inspired Isaak, such performers as RoyOrbison and Elvis.
Loving "Somebody's Crying", I started looking for the album it would appear on. I found out that it was an album entitled "Forever Blue". Along with expecting and awaiting its release date, I found out the story behind many of the songs that would be featured on the album ...
Advantages: simply the best songs Disadvantages: nothing
He was born in 1913 and died of a heartattack in 1988.
Well, I have been listen to RoyOrbison for many years, and I just want to tell others that he is just the best. the Danish colllection my mom send me, is simply the best. I think that you can hear him anywhere, and that his voice is just great.
When my daddy died of cancer, I was listening to RoyOrbison, some of his songs just got me hanging in there,especially the song" In Dreams " Everyday when I drove home from the hospital crying, I was listening to him, and it maked me wanna go on, maybe it was just, because I needed something, but anyhow, his music is just great and lovely. And the music are not just for old people!!!!!
The album is called The Danish collection - "The very best of RoyOrbison"
The songs on this album that I just love is:
In Dreams
California Blue ...
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