Tag Archives: Pop

Roy Orbison: The MGM Years – 1965-1973

RoyOrbison_TheMGMYears1965-1973Deluxe restoration of Roy Orbison’s MGM catalog

Roy Orbison’s titanic career had four distinct phases. His late ‘50s work for Sun set him up for his most commercially successful period at Monument in the early 1960s. And his return to stardom in the 1980s came after a period of retrenchment. In between, from 1965 through 1973, Orbison recorded a dozen albums for MGM, but edged only a few titles into the lower regions of the U.S. Top 40, including 1965’s “Ride Away” and “Breakin’ Up is Breakin’ My Heart,” and 1966’s Johnny Rivers-styled “Twinkle Toes.” Orbison’s late ‘60s and early ‘70s releases fared better in Australia, Canada and the UK, but amid the rising tide of of the British Invasion, folk rock and psychedelia, competing releases from Monument, and a lack of consistent promotion from MGM, the stateside success of these recordings remained limited.

Orbison left Monument on a high note, with the chart-topping success of “Oh, Pretty Woman,” but in moving to MGM he left behind producer Fred Foster, engineer Bill Porter, and RCA’s Nashville studio. Orbison expected that MGM would expand his career into film and television, but other than the B-movie The Fastest Guitar Alive (whose soundtrack is included here) and a few song placements, his multimedia dreams failed to come true. What he did get was an extraordinary degree of artistic freedom that resulted in the production of eleven MGM album releases in nine years, all of which are included here. Also included in the box set is a twelfth album, The Big O, released in the UK by London in 1970, and a collection of non-LP singles and B-sides.

Though not the hit-making machine of his Monument days, Orbison courted commercial success by writing and recording an enormous number of tracks, touring in support of his releases, and staying true to his core strengths as an artist. His first album for MGM, There is Only One Roy Orbison, retained the string accompaniment of his biggest hits, but with songs that don’t reach the emotion-searing crescendos of his Monument material. There’s a country element to many of the productions, with tinkling, slip-note piano and Mexicali-flavored acoustic guitars providing melancholy sorrow in place of heart-breaking drama. Orbison’s vocal on a remake of “Claudette” is nicely engaged, though the backing arrangement has neither the simplicity of his Sun-era demo or the revved-up energy of the Everly Brothers’ B-side. The album doesn’t really hit full stride until the middle of side two, with “Afraid to Sleep,” one of the few non-original titles, but a classic Orbison-styled drama.

His second MGM album, The Orbison Way, mixed orchestral ballads with pop numbers backed by the Candy Men. The orchestral numbers reached greater emotional heights than his previous album, but the singles (“Crawling Back” and “Breakin’ Up is Breakin’ My Heart”) found a lot of new competition on the charts of late 1965, and the album, released early in 1966, failed to make a commercial impression. Whether the style was out of step with the sounds of the time, or MGM failed to provide adequate promotion, the songs are excellent, the arrangements solid, and Orbison deeply invested in his performances. There are several memorable album tracks, including the stalwart “Maybe,” and a soulful electric piano solo by future Atlanta Rhythm Section founder Dean Daughtry on “Go Away.”

His next album, The Classic Roy Orbison, fared even worse commercially, with only the go-go “Twinkle Toes” denting the charts. The arrangements again include orchestration and band numbers, and though not as strong as the previous album, there are some true highlights, including the falsetto-laced “Pantomime,” the double-tracked vocal of “Going Back to Gloria” and the groovy beat of “Just Another Name for Rock and Roll.” The mid-tempo numbers don’t have the gravitas of Orbison’s best material, and the vocals don’t always sound deeply engaged. With his own writing failing to create hits, Orbison turned to an album of Don Gibson covers for 1967’s Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson. It’s a comfortable, countrypolitan album, and Gibson’s songs fit Orbison well. Particularly worth hearing are Orbison’s reshaping of the classics “Sweet Dreams” and “Give Myself a Party.”

A similar songwriting detour for 1970’s Hank Williams the Roy Orbison Way, met with a similar lack of commercial success. The album’s rock-inflected sound was neither fish nor fowl; not rootsy enough to catch the attention of rock audiences, and too pop to find favor with country radio. One could imagine these arrangements being used on a mainstream television variety show. The tracks that work best, like “You Win Again,” find Orbison’s croon meeting Hank Williams’ sorrow half way, though even here, a background wah-wah guitar provides a distractingly dated touch. Orbison’s 1967 foray into film, The Fastest Guitar Alive, didn’t fare much better commercially. The soundtrack’s western-themed, folk-styled arrangements are unusual within the MGM catalog, and remain terrifically listenable. The closing “There Won’t Be Many Coming Home” was written to the film’s Civil War theme, but had a resonance with the Vietnam war that made it problematic for a U.S. single release.

Orbison’s operatic tenor, flights into falsetto and orchestrated rock ‘n’ roll grew increasingly nostalgic as the distance to his early-60s commercial prime widened. On the one hand, his releases weren’t climbing the domestic charts, on the other, he demonstrated unflinching artistic integrity in refraining from chasing trends. 1967’s Cry Softly Lonely One is filled with songs that would have been major hits four or five years earlier, but amid the psychedelic explosion of 1967, the three singles, including the superb Joe Melson-written title track, barely cracked the charts. The more reserved Many Moods features terrific displays of Orbison’s singing and an unusual number of covers, including the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody,” Gilbert Bécaud’s “What Now, My Love?,” the film theme “More,” a pair of Mickey Newbury songs, and a wonderfully melancholy reading of the Fantastiks’ “Try to Remember.”

Cover songs again dominate 1970’s Big O, including an eclectic selection of material from John D. Loudermilk (“Break My Mind”), the Beach Boys (“Help Me, Rhonda”), Motown (“Money”), the Platters (“Only You”), the Louvin Brothers (“When I Stop Dreaming”), Wilson Pickett (“Land of 1000 Dances”) and Orbison’s Sun-era B-side, “Go, Go, Go (Down the Line).” Recorded in the UK with backing by the Art Movement, Orbison’s enthusiasm pulls together this seemingly disparate material with performances that are spirited and charming. MGM passed on a stateside release at the time, making this album particularly unfamiliar to U.S. ears.

1972’s Roy Orbison Sings includes material co-written with Bill Dees, as well as Monument-era foil, Joe Melson. By this point, Orbison’s commercial success had fully evaporated, including his UK and Australian chart action, markets in which London had found success with singles that MGM couldn’t move in the US. Despite the lack of commercial response, Orbison kept investing himself in both his songwriting and recording, and nearing the end of his contract, he was still coming up with a few great tracks on each album. His cover of “Rings of Gold” is heavier than Don Gibson and Dottie West’s hit, and the vocal on Eddy Raven’s “Plain Jane Country (Come to Town)” reaches back to the sound of his Sun singles. 1972’s Memphis has a few nice moments, including a soulful cover of Don Gibson’s “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” the original “It Ain’t No Big Thing (But It’s Growing),” and a thoughtful expansion of the classic “Danny Boy.”

Closing out his contract with MGM, 1974’s Milestones feels like the end of a long haul. Ever the professional, Orbison gave the songs his best, highlighted by the original “Blue Rain (Coming Down)” and a cover of the Bee Gees’ “Words.” Capping the box set is a disc of sixteen non-LP singles and B-sides whose quality lends weight to Orbison’s complaint about MGM’s lack of promotional. Most of these A-sides could have been international hits, and even B-sides like “Shy Away” and “Flowers” should be better-known among Orbison’s recorded legacy. Though the albums were sprinkled with treasures, MGM B-Sides & Singles is a solid collection of memorable songs, clever productions and top-notch vocals. And even more so than the albums, the lack of commercial exposure and digital availability will make these single sides fresh to all but the most educated fans’ ears. The seven-minute, five-part “Southbound Jericho Parkway” is worth the price of admission on its own. The masters for this disc are stereo, except “So Good” and “So Young,” which are mono.

This is a monumental box. Each disc is delivered in a mini-LP reproduction of the original cover and screened with a period MGM label. The 64-page booklet features photos, covers, ephemera, and detailed liner and album notes by Alex Orbison. The audio was painstakingly transferred from the original multitrack tapes and mixed with the original albums as guides. The three years of work put into all aspects of this set (as well as the accompanying lost album, One of the Lonely Ones) has made it a true labor of love. Though the material could have been squeezed onto fewer discs, there’s a thrill to unboxing the individual albums and honoring their original configuration; those who opt for vinyl should find themselves fully transported back to the original artifacts. Orbison’s years at MGM may not have been as commercially fruitful as his time with Sun, Monument and Virgin, but the catalog is home to many artistic treasures that will be dear to the singer’s fans. [©2015 Hyperbolium]

Roy Orbison’s Home Page

King Curtis: The Complete Atco Singles

KingCurtis_TheCompleteAtcoSinglesSuper collection of King Curtis’ Atco singles – A’s and B’s

King Curtis’ saxophone may have been better known to record buyers than King Curtis himself. In an extensive career as a session musician, his horn provided iconic hooks and solos on singles by the Coasters (“Yakety Yak” “Charlie Brown”), Buddy Holly (“Reminiscing”) and LaVern Baker (“I Cried a Tear”). Curtis’ “Hot Potato,” originally released by the Rinkydinks in 1963, reissued as “Soul Train” by the Ramrods in 1972, and re-recorded by the Rimshots, was used as the original opening theme of Soul Train. But Curtis was also a songwriter and bandleader who produced dozens of singles under his own name, most notably “Soul Twist,” which he waxed for Enjoy, “Soul Serenade” for Capitol, and a number of hits for Atco, including “Memphis Soul Stew” and covers of “Ode to Billy Joe” and “Spanish Harlem.”

While at Atco from 1958 to 1959, and again from 1966 to 1971, Curtis released a broad range of singles that crossed the pop, R&B and adult contemporary charts. His sax could be tough, tender, muscular, smooth, lyrical and humorous, and his material included originals, covers of R&B and soul tunes, contemporaneous pop and country hits, film themes and even Tin Pan Alley classics. He recorded with various lineup of his own Kingpins (though perhaps never a better one than with Jerry Jemmott, Bernard Purdie and Cornell Dupree), but also with the players of the Fame and American Sound studio. He teamed with Duane Allman for the Instant Groove album, kicking out a Grammy-winning cover of Joe South’s “Games People Play,” and recorded “Teasin’” with Eric Clapton.

King Curtis’ singles catalog was filled with interesting selections, including superb covers of Big Jay McNeely’s “Something on Your Mind,” Rufus Thomas’ “Jump Back,” Buddy Miles’ “Them Changes” and a warm take on Mel Torme’s “The Christmas Song” that was lifted from Atco’s Soul Christmas. Curtis’ originals were just as good, including the twangy “Restless Guitar,” the go-go “Pots and Pans,” the manifesto “This is Soul,” the funky “Makin Hey,” and the frantic “Pop Corn Willy.” Of particular interest to collectors are the many singles that didn’t appear on original King Curtis albums, including eight of the first ten tracks on this set. Other non-LP singles include the guitar-centered “Blue Nocturne,” an early rendition of Donny Hathaway’s “Valdez in the Country” titled “Patty Cake,” and the yakety-sax oldies medley “Rocky Roll.” Of paramount interest is Curtis’ previously unreleased final Atco single, “Ridin’ Thumb,” which closes disc three and includes a rare King Curtis vocal.

With more than a third of these tracks having been originally released only as singles, this set will fill a lot of gaps, even for fans who’ve collected Curtis’ albums. The quad-panel digipack includes a 16-page booklet with liner notes by Randy Poe, photos, label reproductions and discographical detail. It would been great to get detailed session data, particularly on the bands and session players (and particularly the excellent guitarists), but such note taking wasn’t always on a producer’s mind in the 1960s. Curtis’ sides for Enjoy and Capitol are essential elements of his catalog, as are his early dates as a sideman; those new to his catalog might start with a multi-label best-of, but once you’re hooked, this collection of Atco singles (in pristine mono!) is a must-have. [©2015 Hyperbolium]

Charlie Rich: 25 All-Time Greatest Hits

CharlieRich_25AllTimeGreatestHitsCharlie Rich’s biggest country hits

Varese’s 25-track set collects Charlie Rich’s biggest hits from his decade on the Epic label, including all nine of his 1970s chart-toppers, and nearly all of his Top 40s. It also threads into the track list the mid-60s recordings for RCA that the label issued as singles in the 1970s in a successful effort to ride the coattails of Epic’s success. These sides represent Rich’s biggest hits, including the landmark “Behind Closed Doors” and the across-the-board smash “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.” Missing is 1975’s “It’s All Over Now” (#23 Country), some lesser charting sides and singles released in the 1970s by Mercury, Elektra and United Artists.

Rich’s soulful delivery and musical range, exemplified by the jazz piano slipped into the pop “Nice ‘n’ Easy,” was unusual among his fellow Nashville hit makers. There’s some contrast between the earlier RCA sides and the Billy Sherrill-produced orchestrations on Epic, but they fit together surprisingly well. This is an excellent collection of Rich’s most commercially fertile years, but only scratches the surface of his artistic versatility. To get a broader view of the Charlie Rich story, supplement this set with collections of his work on Sun and Smash. [©2015 Hyperbolium]

Jeff Crosby: Waking Days

JeffCrosby_WakingDaysLaurel Canyon gets some twang

The Laurel Canyon-styled music heard earlier this year on Matthew Szlachetka’s Waits for a Storm to Find gets a running mate with “City Girls,” the opening track of Jeff Crosby’s third full-length album. Though his voice is more rustic, the production – particularly the bass playing of his brother Andy – is highly reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors, and particularly the song “Dreams.” It’s not the only sound swimming around Crosby’s head, as the album’s split between Los Angeles and Nashville studios adds twang to the West Coast vibe, and the solo acoustic passages, such as the intro to “Red, White and Blue,” play as singer-songwriter country.

Crosby’s voice is strong, but his songs plaintive, describing his struggle to reconnect with the evocative lyric “first day of Spring back home, and I’m just standing here like a payphone nobody uses anymore.” He wonders whether different life choices might have led to better outcomes on “I Should Be Happy,” ponders his place in the world on the album’s title track, but looks outward with the observational “The Homeless and the Dreamers.” Crosby’s material is mostly bittersweet, though he turns optimistic as he takes stock with “The Only One I Need.” The album’s canyon echoes reverberate in a pleasantly familiar way, but the songs are fresh and personal. [©2015 Hyperbolium]

Jeff Crosby’s Home Page

Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas: All-Time Greatest Hits

BillyJKramerWithTheDakotas_AllTimeGreatestHitsRiding the Beatles’ wake

Few British Invasion acts rode the Beatles coattails better than Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas. Not only were they managed by Brian Epstein and signed to the Parlophone label under the direction of George Martin, but more than half of their chart hits and several of their album tracks were penned by Lennon & McCartney themselves. And among the many L&M compositions, which included “I’ll Be on My Way,” “Bad to Me,” “I’ll Keep You Satisfied,” “From a Window,” “I Call Your Name” and “Do You Want to Know a Secret,” only the latter two were released by the Beatles. But even with this British dynamo in their corner, the group reached out to America for several hits, including the Brill Building’s Mort Schuman (and his eccentric co-writer J. Leslie “Pumpkin Juice” McFarland) for “Little Children.”

Varese’s concise, 32-minute collection (featuring an 8-page booklet with excellent liners by Jerry McCulley) includes all seven of the group’s U.S. and U.K. hits plus a handful of album tracks, non-charting singles and the shelved L&M tune “I’m in Love.” It’s a fair sampling of the group’s wares, stretching from their 1963 cover of “Do You Want to Know a Secret” through their last hit, a fine take on Bacharach and David’s “Trains and Boats and Planes.” Among the riches delivered by the British Invasion, the group’s recordings weren’t the most revelatory, but with such strong material to draw upon, a sweet lead voice and talented instrumental backings, they remain quite charming. There are deeper helpings and album reissues of the group’s catalog to be had, but for many, this taste will be just right. [©2015 Hyperbolium]

Billy J. Kramer’s Home Page

Billy Shaddox: I Melt, I Howl

BillyShaddox_IMeltIHowl70s-pop tinged country, rock and folk

Billy Shaddox’s 2013 solo release, Golden Fate, threaded an Americana base with double-tracked vocals that echoed the country-inflected early ‘70s soft-rock of acts like Lobo, America and Gallery. His second album follows a similar path, mixing unabashed pop with rootsier fare that moves the banjo and guitar forward. Shaddox’s voice is a flexible instrument that sings dreamily on the opening title track, but adds a subtle husk for the shuffle “Feels Like Home.” The latter features stomping bass and a terrific electric piano solo before the accompaniment breaks down and reconstitutes itself.

There’s a taste of power pop in “My Hands Don’t Lie” and hints of Badfinger and Elliot Smith in the summery “Fireflies,” but the modern productions keep from turning these songs into nostalgia. He glances backward for a reference point, but keeps his view straight ahead as he sings “you can never look back, and the future is your friend” on “Golden Coast.” When Shaddox howls, it’s optimistic and upbeat, with rising melodies and lyrics that question limitations. He’s as comfortable with raucous electric guitar as he is with fingerpicked acoustic, and his arrangements are incredibly dynamic. This is a real sleeper! [©2015 Hyperbolium]

Billy Shaddox’s Home Page

Marshall Crenshaw: #392 – The EP Collection

MarshallCrenshaw_392TheEPCollectionSix originals, six covers and two bonus tracks

This fourteen-song collection pulls together material Crenshaw originally recorded and released across three years of 10” vinyl EPs [1 2 3 4 5 6] and a Kickstarter campaign. Each EP included an original A-side and a B-side that featured a cover song and a reworking of an earlier Crenshaw tune. Developed as an antidote to the grinding cycle of album-tour-album-tour, Crenshaw used the project as an opportunity to record with a variety of musical friends, as well as alone in his studio, and to revisit favorite songs from his and other writers’ catalogs. This set omits the reworkings of his own material, but adds a bonus live cover of the Everly Brothers’ “Man With Money,” recorded with the Bottle Rockets, and a previously unreleased demo of the original “Front Page News.”

The originals are surprisingly similar in mood, given the span of time over which they were recorded. All are mid-tempo, introspective and slightly downcast, though the earlier sides, “Stranger and Stranger” and particularly the recriminations of “I Don’t See You Laughing Now,” spark with a bit more energy. The covers are an eclectic lot, both in the artists covered and the specific songs selected, spanning titles from The Move, Carpenters, Lovin’ Spoonful, Bobby Fuller Four, Easybeats and James McMurtry. Programming the originals 1-6 (in reverse chronological order) and covers 7-12 undoes the original release structure and makes the disc’s second half more interesting than the first, but a playlist (6, 7, 5, 8, 4, 9, 3, 10, 2, 11, 1, 12) restores the original order and pairings. A nice collection for turntable-less fans, but newbies still need to start with Marshall Crenshaw. [©2015 Hyperbolium]

Marshall Crenshaw’s Home Page