Andy Williams' Dear Heart | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1965 | |||
Recorded | 1965 | |||
Genre |
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Length | 31:49 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | Robert Mersey [2] | |||
Andy Williams chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
Record Mirror | [4] |
Andy Williams' Dear Heart is the sixteenth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released in the spring of 1965 by Columbia Records [5] and was the last of his Columbia releases that remained exclusively within the realm of traditional pop. After covering two Beatles hits on his next non-holiday studio album, The Shadow of Your Smile , he would try out samba music on In the Arms of Love , aim for a much younger crowd with "Music to Watch Girls By" on Born Free , and focus more on contemporary material on subsequent albums.
This album made its first appearance on Billboard magazine's Top LP's chart in the issue dated April 10 of that year and remained on the album chart for 65 weeks, peaking at number four. [6] it also debuted on the Cashbox albums chart in the issue dated April 7, of that year, and remained on the chart for 47 weeks, peaking at number 5 [7] The name of the album was changed to Andy Williams' Almost There for its release in the UK, where it became Williams's first album chart entry, spending 46 weeks there and peaking at number four. (Two of his previous albums, Days of Wine and Roses and Other TV Requests —which was retitled Can't Get Used to Losing You and Other Requests for its UK release—and The Great Songs from "My Fair Lady" and Other Broadway Hits , appeared on the album chart in the UK following the success of this album.) [8]
Andy Williams' Dear Heart received Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America on July 30, 1965. This was Williams's sixth album to receive this award as well as the one to do so the fastest thus far in terms of the amount of time between chart debut and certification, having accomplished this feat in less than four months as compared to the previous recordholder, Days of Wine and Roses and Other TV Requests , which did so in five months. [9]
Williams's acting role in the 1964 film I'd Rather Be Rich [10] included a performance of the original song "Almost There", [11] which makes its first album appearance here. As the B-side of "On the Street Where You Live" (the single from his last album), "Almost There" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 in the issue of the magazine dated November 14, 1964, eventually reaching number 67 during its five-week stay. [12] It performed even better on the Easy Listening (or Adult Contemporary) chart, going as high as number 12 during its four weeks there. [13] The song's biggest success was in the UK, where it spent three weeks at number two during a 17-week run on the singles chart. [8] This album's A-side, "Dear Heart", written for the 1964 Glenn Ford/Geraldine Page movie of the same name, debuted on the pop and Easy Listening charts just two weeks later and spent 11 weeks on each of them, peaking at number 24 on the Hot 100 [12] and spending a week at number two Easy Listening. [13]
The album was released on compact disc for the first time as one of two albums on one CD by Collectables Records on March 23, 1999, the other album being Williams's Columbia release from May 1966, The Shadow of Your Smile . [14] The CD was included in a box set entitled Classic Album Collection, Vol. 1, which contains 17 of his studio albums and three compilations and was released on June 26, 2001. [15]
Allmusic's William Ruhlmann liked the album: "Williams applied his usual warm, smooth vocal style to all the songs, with string-filled arrangements that emphasized the melodies." [1] He also described the LP as "a well-assembled collection of contemporary material in what had become Williams's patented style." [1]
Billboard magazine felt that Williams "performed in his inimitable rich, warm style" [5] and asserted that his "interpretations of 'I'm All Smiles' and 'Who Can I Turn To?' are outstanding." [5]
Cashbox gave a postive review, saying "his usual fine form relaxedly gliding through lush and luscious versions of “You’re Nobody ’Til Somebody Loves You” [16]
Record Mirror described the album as "a soft-tone selection" [4]
From the liner notes for the original album: [2]
Lonely Street is the fifth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams, released in late 1959 through Cadence Records. This, his fifth LP of new material for the label, is described by William Ruhlmann on AllMusic.com as "an album full of songs of lost love and loneliness that found Williams using more of the Mel Tormé-like foggy lower register of his voice." The liner notes on the back of the album jacket read, "The selections in Lonely Street, Andy confides, are those for which he feels a special affection. Every vocalist has a few personal favorites... and it is quite clear to the listener that this collection presents songs which Andy Williams believes, feels -- and loves."
Andy Williams' Greatest Hits is a compilation album by American pop singer Andy Williams that was released in early 1970 by Columbia Records. It was not, however, as its title might suggest, strictly a hit singles compilation, although some of his biggest songs since joining Columbia were included. A couple of selections were never released as singles by Williams, and his signature song, "Moon River", was released in the 7-inch single format but only for jukeboxes. His six Cadence singles that made the Top 10 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 are passed over for the inclusion of his number 11 hit from that label, "The Hawaiian Wedding Song", and 17 of his Columbia recordings that made the Hot 100 up until 1970 are left out here in favor of "Charade", which spent its one week on the chart at number 100.
Danny Boy and Other Songs I Love to Sing is the eighth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams. It was released in early 1962 by Columbia Records. This was his first project after leaving Cadence Records, where his albums each had a specific theme. Additionally, it was his first in a series of LPs that covered songs established on stage, screen, and other hits from the pop chart and the Great American Songbook. This trend would not be interrupted until his 1966 album, The Shadow of Your Smile, hinted at a shift toward contemporary material with its inclusion of songs first recorded by the Beatles.
Warm and Willing is the tenth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released in 1962 by Columbia Records. Allmusic's William Ruhlmann explained that Williams and producer Robert Mersey "followed the Sinatra concept-album formula of creating a consistent mood, in this case a romantic one, and picking material mostly from the Great American Songbook of compositions written for Broadway musicals in the 1920s and '30s by the likes of George and Ira Gershwin, then giving them slow, string-filled arrangements over which Williams could croon in his breathy, intimate tenor voice."
Days of Wine and Roses and Other TV Requests is the eleventh studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released in April 1963 by Columbia Records following his first season as host of his variety series, The Andy Williams Show. The LP has a studio recording of the closing theme from the show, "May Each Day", and continues the format of his previous Columbia releases by including songs from the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.
The Wonderful World of Andy Williams is the thirteenth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released by Columbia Records to coincide with the December 31, 1963, broadcast of The Andy Williams Show. Various tracks were recorded with members of his family, including The Williams Brothers, who joined him for a remake of his first top 10 hit, "Canadian Sunset", from 1956.
The Great Songs from "My Fair Lady" and Other Broadway Hits is the fifteenth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released in September 1964 by Columbia Records, one month before the premiere of the film version of My Fair Lady starring Audrey Hepburn.
The Shadow of Your Smile is the eighteenth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released in April 1966 by Columbia Records and included covers of "Michelle" and "Yesterday", the same pair of Beatles ballads that labelmate Johnny Mathis recorded for his 1966 album of the same name. For Williams these selections initiated a trend away from the traditional pop formula that his album output at Columbia up until this point had adhered to.
In the Arms of Love is the nineteenth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released on December 19, 1966, by Columbia Records and was the last of twelve consecutive Williams studio LPs produced by Robert Mersey.
Born Free is the twentieth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released on April 10, 1967, by Columbia Records and includes half a dozen songs associated with movies or musicals. Two of these tracks, however, originated in the scores of the films indicated on the album jacket but had lyrics added later: the melody for "Strangers in the Night" was written for A Man Could Get Killed, and "Somewhere My Love" began as "Lara's Theme" from Doctor Zhivago.
Love, Andy is the twenty-first studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams, released on October 16, 1967, by Columbia Records to coincide with the NBC special of the same name, which aired on November 6. The LP had a mix of covers of old and recent hits that included two songs from the 1940s that also had chart success in 1966 via Chris Montez: "The More I See You" and "There Will Never Be Another You".
Happy Heart is the twenty-third studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams, released in the spring of 1969 by Columbia Records and continued the trend of his recent albums in relying exclusively on contemporary material. This particular project eschewed offerings from Broadway and Hollywood that had been predominant on his LPs with Columbia.
Love Story is the twenty-seventh studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams that was released on February 3, 1971, by Columbia Records. This was another in his series of cover albums, but the title track, subtitled "Where Do I Begin", was the one song included that he originated.
You've Got a Friend is the twenty-eighth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams, released in August 1971 by Columbia Records. The album bears a striking resemblance to the Johnny Mathis album You've Got a Friend released that same month. Besides sharing their name, the two albums are both made up of covers of easy listening hits of the time, with 11 songs each, and the two albums have seven songs in common that are positioned in a similar order.
Love Theme from "The Godfather" is the twenty-ninth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams, released on March 21, 1972, by Columbia Records. The two new songs on what was otherwise another LP of covers of hits by other artists were the title track and "Music from Across the Way", which came from the songwriters behind his recent hits "Happy Heart" and "(Where Do I Begin) Love Story".
The Way We Were is the thirty-second studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams, released in the spring of 1974 by Columbia Records and was a return to singing songs that his audience was already familiar with after Solitaire, his previous LP that was less reliant on covers of recent pop hits, did not perform well.
Two Time Winners is the third studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released in the spring of 1959 by Cadence Records. This, his third LP for the label, is composed of songs that had been successful on two previous occasions or in two different ways.
To You Sweetheart, Aloha is the fourth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released late in the summer of 1959 by Cadence Records. This, his fourth LP for the label, has a Hawaiian theme that coincides with the admission of the 50th of the United States.
Andy Williams' Best is a compilation album by American pop singer Andy Williams that was released late in 1961 by Cadence Records. This second album to compile the singer's material features 10 songs that made the Billboard Hot 100 along with two of their corresponding B-sides.
Andy Williams' Newest Hits is a compilation album by American pop singer Andy Williams that was released early in 1966 by Columbia Records and was the first LP to compile the singer's Columbia material. Seven of the 12 tracks had reached the charts in Billboard magazine, and another had been released as a single in the UK. Three album cuts were also included along with a recent B-side.