Laminar Flow

by Roy Orbison

Overview

Since finishing his long-term commitment to MGM Records in 1973, Roy Orbison has bounced around from Mercury, back to his old home at Monument, and now to the Elektra/Asylum label for another attempted comeback with Laminar Flow. Producers Clayton Ivey and Terry Woodford take Orbison to Muscle Shoals, AL, for a session that aims to update the singer's style for the late '70s. The result, inevitably, is largely an embarrassment. Lead-off track "Easy Way Out" and "Friday Night" employ trendy disco beats, while "Lay It Down" and "Warm Spot Hot" settle for funk. Trying for different radio formats, "Tears" is one of several contemporary-sounding ballads seemingly intended for adult contemporary radio. None of this has much to do with Roy Orbison, though he dutifully sings over the tracks. "Movin'," co-written by Orbison with Chris Price, is the album's best song, a midtempo rocker in which the singer reflects on his own life and career, which consists of relentless touring. "Ain't got time to get sick," sings a man who has had to overcome illness in recent years. But at least he's still around, which allows him to pay tribute to a peer who isn't, eulogizing Elvis Presley on "Hound Dog Man." Where there's life there's hope, but Laminar Flow does not represent the comeback Roy Orbison needs and deserves. ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	04/21/2023
Label:	Music On Vinyl
UPC:	8719262026896

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Roy Orbison   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Terry Woodford   Vocals (Background)
Clayton Ivey   Keyboards
Charles Rose   Trombone
Mac McAnally   Guitar (Acoustic)
Bill Hinds   Guitar
Lenny LeBlanc   Bass,Guitar (Acoustic),Vocals (Background)
Tom Roady   Percussion
Robert Byrne   Guitar,Vocals (Background)
Roger Clark   Drums,Syndrum,Synthesizer
Mickey Buckins   Percussion
Sheldon Kurland   Strings
Tippy Armstrong   Guitar
Bob Wray   Bass
Ronnie Eades   Sax (Baritone)
Larry Byrom   Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic)
Barbara Wyrick   Vocals (Background)
Harvey Thompson   Sax (Tenor)
Marie Tomlinson   Vocals (Background)
Lonnie "Butch" Ledford   Bass
Jim Horn   Flute,Recorder,Sax (Tenor),Sax (Baritone)
Billy Hinds   Guitar
Harrison Calloway, Jr.   Trumpet
Suzy Storm   Vocals (Background)
Eddie Struzick   Vocals (Background)
Chris Price   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Terry Woodford   Composer,Engineer,Producer
Barbara Orbison   Composer
Clayton Ivey   Producer,String Arrangements
Charles Rose   String Arrangements
Charlie Black   Composer
Lenny LeBlanc   Composer
Leslie King   Engineer
Robert Byrne   Composer
Rory Bourke   Composer
Rory Michael Bourke   Composer
Richard Brannon   Composer
Jim Valentine   Composer
George Soule   Composer
Tom Brasfield   Composer
Spady Brannan   Composer
Jim Horn   Engineer
Roy Orbison   Composer
Harrison Calloway, Jr.   Horn Arrangements
James Valentini   Composer
Mary Beth McLemore   Engineer
Dan Price   Composer
Frank Saulino   Composer
Gary Heery   Photography
Ron Coro   Art Direction
Reg Price   Composer
Eddie Struzick   Composer
Tommy Stuart   Composer
Chris Price   Composer
Don Price   Composer
Ron Lagerlof   Engineer
Johnny Lee   Art Direction
Regi Price   Composer