The Very Best of Roy Orbison [Virgin 1997]

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Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Steve Leggett
The most unlikely of rock stars, there are few images as riveting as Roy Orbison standing completely motionless at the microphone in his trademark dark shades as he climbs the notes of one of his haunting, operatic pop songs, sounding for all the world like an angel stranded on earth and yearning to get back home. From his first recordings in the mid-'50s for Sun Records through his unlikely comeback in the late '80s, Orbison never lost an inch of his astounding vocal range or his knack for writing concise and emotionally nuanced pop ballads that seemed for all the world like mini-operas. This well-chosen collection offers up two dozen of Orbison's key sides taken from ...
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Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Steve Leggett
The most unlikely of rock stars, there are few images as riveting as Roy Orbison standing completely motionless at the microphone in his trademark dark shades as he climbs the notes of one of his haunting, operatic pop songs, sounding for all the world like an angel stranded on earth and yearning to get back home. From his first recordings in the mid-'50s for Sun Records through his unlikely comeback in the late '80s, Orbison never lost an inch of his astounding vocal range or his knack for writing concise and emotionally nuanced pop ballads that seemed for all the world like mini-operas. This well-chosen collection offers up two dozen of Orbison's key sides taken from all phases of his career, including his 1956 debut single for Sun Records, "Ooby Dooby," through his brilliant '60s output ("Oh, Pretty Woman," "Only the Lonely," "Blue Bayou," "It's Over," "Crying") and cuts from his 1989 Mystery Girl album like the well-written and sung "She's a Mystery to Me." The versions here of "In Dreams" and "Claudette" are not the original singles but re-recordings done in the mid-'80s, but it hardly matters, since Orbison gives both the exact same emotional readings as he did the first time around. There are plenty of Orbison best-of collections on the market, but this one gets points for being a true career-spanning survey.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 3/11/1997
  • Label: VIRGIN RECORDS US
  • UPC: 724384235048
  • Catalog Number: 42350

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. 1 Only the Lonely (2:27)
  2. 2 You Got It (3:31)
  3. 3 In Dreams (2:51)
  4. 4 Oh, Pretty Woman (3:02)
  5. 5 Crying (3:46)
  6. 6 Claudette (2:31)
  7. 7 Blue Angel (2:47)
  8. 8 After the Love Has Gone (4:40)
  9. 9 Blue Bayou (2:50)
  10. 10 Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream) (3:53)
  11. 11 Mean Woman Blues (3:03)
  12. 12 Falling (2:25)
  13. 13 Ooby Dooby (2:40)
  14. 14 Pretty Paper (2:40)
  15. 15 California Blue (3:57)
  16. 16 It's Over (3:13)
  17. 17 I Drove All Night (3:48)
  18. 18 Running Scared (2:27)
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Album Credits

Performance Credits
Roy Orbison Primary Artist
k.d. lang Track Performer
Technical Credits
Jeff Lynne Composer, Producer
Roy Orbison Composer, Producer, Liner Notes
Tom Petty Composer
Don Covay Composer
Norman Petty Producer
Pete Anderson Producer
T Bone Burnett Producer
Barbara Orbison Producer, Executive Producer
Don Was Producer
Michael Utley Producer
David Lynch Producer
Marc Mann Engineer
Bill Dees Composer
Claude Demetrius Composer
Tanja Crouch Liner Notes
Dick Penner Composer
Wade Moore Composer
L. Sharpe Composer
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Sort by: Showing all of 2 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Haunting collection of songs filled with a strange beauty and harrowing power

    In Roy Orbison's songs, happiness is always just out of reach. His voice is the sound of desperation, of a man who hungers to regain the bliss that he momentarily basked in before forces stronger than himself took it away. It's this sense of loss that makes Orbison's music so compelling. Just as we indentify with the dignity of a Buster Keaton character whose plans are inevitably foiled, Orbison's music speaks to the desolation that sometimes resides in us all. And then there is that voice! Orbison's voice is the most haunting intstrument ever used in a three minute pop song and its tremelous beauty makes his songs transcend the sometimes tired cliches of rock n'roll. "Crying" is full of badly written lyrics, but because of the pain that is intertwined with that honeyed voice, the song never fails to give me goosebumps. These songs are so nocturnal, the shadows of the night match them so well and add the harrowing experience. Orbison wounds us with his vulnerability, but his music ultmately remains life affirming. It is the sound of grace under pressure, an aural testament to the humanity's ability to endure.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Roy Rocks and Rules

    This is THE Roy Orbison music to buy if you are a Roy Fan. Forget the rest, this one is THE BEST.

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Sort by: Showing all of 2 Customer Reviews