Olivia | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 11 August 1972 | |||
Recorded | 1972 | |||
Studio | Abbey Road, Studio 2, London | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 40:38 | |||
Label | Festival | |||
Producer | Bruce Welch, John Farrar | |||
Olivia Newton-John chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Olivia | ||||
|
Olivia (released in Continental Europe as Olivia Newton-John) is the second studio album by the British-Australian singer-songwriter Olivia Newton-John, released in 1972. Two of its songs were released as singles ("What Is Life" and "Just a Little Too Much"). It was never issued in the United States, where just four of its songs would instead eventually be released on Let Me Be There and If You Love Me, Let Me Know . Festival Records in Australia re-released Olivia in combination with Newton-John's first solo album, If Not For You , as a two-record set in 1973 on the Interfusion label, simply titled Olivia Newton-John, with a cover photo taken in 1972. Olivia wasn't released on CD until 1990, when EMI in Japan issued it on their Pastmasters series. It was finally released in a digitally remastered version by Festival Records Pty Ltd (Aust) in 1998. Fans in the United States had to obtain one of these CD versions as an import, as the album has never been released there.
She covers two songs from George Harrison on this album, "Behind That Locked Door" and "What Is Life", both from Harrison's first solo album, All Things Must Pass , published in 1970. Other noteworthy songs on the album include her rendition of Chip Taylor's "Angel of the Morning", David Gates's "Everything I Own" and Newton-John's own "Changes". The last found its way into Newton-John's live performances and remained there at least through the late 1970s. It was featured during her November 1978 Live in Amsterdam concert which was broadcast in the Netherlands. She also performed it live on the Merv Griffin show that year. And it was included on Newton-John's first greatest hits collection in the United States at the end of 1977.
The cover art, done in blue tint, was later used (in a blueish-green tint) as the cover of the US release of Let Me Be There on MCA Records in 1973, following the success of the hit single penned by John Rostill.
The first single "What Is Life" reached number 18 in Ireland [1] and number 16 in the UK, [2] but the album itself was a commercial failure when released in the UK on Pye International in 1972.
In their review of "My Old Man's Got a Gun", Cashbox stated that "it's only a matter of time before the masses discover one of the most talented female songstresses around today. Well, that time has come as Olivia Newton-John delivers what is destined to become a solid chart item. This outing will please both pop and MOR formats." [3]
Dame Olivia Newton-John was a British and Australian singer and actress. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included fifteen top-ten singles, including five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and two number-one albums on the Billboard 200: If You Love Me, Let Me Know (1974) and Have You Never Been Mellow (1975). Eleven of her singles and fourteen of her albums have been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
"All Things Must Pass" is a song by English rock musician George Harrison, issued in November 1970 as the title track to his triple album of the same name. Billy Preston released the song originally – as "All Things (Must) Pass" – on his Apple Records album Encouraging Words (1970) after the Beatles had rehearsed the song in January 1969 but did not include it on their Let It Be album. The composition reflects the influence of the Band's sound and communal music-making on Harrison, after he had spent time with the group in Woodstock, New York, in late 1968. In his lyrics, Harrison drew inspiration from Timothy Leary's poem "All Things Pass", a psychedelic adaptation of the Tao Te Ching.
John Clifford Farrar is an Australian music producer, songwriter, arranger, singer, and guitarist. As a musician, Farrar is a former member of several rock and roll groups including The Mustangs (1963–64), The Strangers (1964–70), Marvin, Welch & Farrar (1970–73), and The Shadows (1973–76). In 1980, he released a solo eponymous album. As a songwriter and producer, he worked with Olivia Newton-John from 1971 to 1989. He wrote her U.S. number-one hit singles: "Have You Never Been Mellow" (1975), "You're the One That I Want", "Hopelessly Devoted to You" (1978), and "Magic" (1980). He also produced the majority of her recorded material during that time, including her number-one albums, If You Love Me, Let Me Know (1974), Have You Never Been Mellow (1975), and Olivia's Greatest Hits Vol. 2 (1982). He was a co-producer of the soundtrack for the film Grease (1978).
Marvin, Welch & Farrar were a 1970s British and Australian popular music group formed by Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch, both members of The Shadows – as a change of direction manoeuvre during 1970 to 1973 – and John Farrar. The distinction was that while The Shadows were famous for their instrumental work, Marvin Welch & Farrar were a trio, vocal harmony group. They have been favourably compared to USA folk close harmony group Crosby Stills Nash and Young and The Hollies.
If You Love Me, Let Me Know is the third North American album by singer Olivia Newton-John, released on 28 May 1974. Other than the title track, 3 songs were from her previous two international albums, Olivia (1972), Music Makes My Day (1973) and 6 were released just 1 month later on her international album, Long Live Love (1974). It was her first album to top the Billboard 200.
"What Is Life" is a song by the English rock musician George Harrison from his 1970 triple album All Things Must Pass. In many countries, it was issued as the second single from the album, in February 1971, becoming a top-ten hit in the United States, Canada and elsewhere, and topping singles charts in Australia and Switzerland. In the United Kingdom, "What Is Life" appeared as the B-side to "My Sweet Lord", which was the best-selling single there of 1971. Harrison's backing musicians on the song include Eric Clapton and the entire Delaney & Bonnie and Friends band, with whom he had toured during the final months of the Beatles. Harrison co-produced the recording with Phil Spector, whose Wall of Sound production also employed a prominent string arrangement by John Barham and multiple acoustic rhythm guitars, played by Harrison's fellow Apple Records signings Badfinger.
Physical is the eleventh studio album by British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, released through MCA Records on 13 October 1981. The album was produced and partly written by her long-time record producer John Farrar. Recorded and mixed at David J. Holman's studio in Los Angeles additional recording at Ocean Way, Physical became one of Newton-John's most controversial and sexual records, and her most successful studio album. Musically, the album features considerable use of synthesizers, and it explores lyrical themes such as love and relationships, sex, and environmental protection. Upon its release, while the album was a success it received positive reviews from music critics, many of them considering it to be Newton-John's best effort. The album charted high in several countries, including the United States, Japan and Newton-John's native Australia, becoming one of the most successful albums of the early 1980s. It also ranks among the best-selling albums by Australian solo artists, selling more than ten million copies worldwide.
Clearly Love is the sixth studio album by Olivia Newton-John, released in September 1975.
Come On Over is the seventh studio album by British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, released in March 1976. The album peaked at number two on the US Top Country Albums chart and number 13 on the US Billboard 200.
Totally Hot is the tenth studio album by British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, released on 21 November 1978. Commercially, it became her first top-ten album on the Billboard 200 chart since Have You Never Been Mellow (1975). Dressed on the album cover all in leather, Newton-John's transformation was seen to mirror her character Sandy's transformation in Grease. At the time, Totally Hot was her most successful album and became her first album to receive a Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Making a Good Thing Better is the ninth studio album by British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, released in June 1977.
Olivia Newton-John's Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album released by Olivia Newton-John in 1977. In Australasia, it was released as Greatest Hits Vol. 2 as an extension of the 1974 compilation First Impressions, while in other regions, it fully spanned Newton-John's career up to the point of release.
"Don't Let Me Wait Too Long" is a song by English rock musician George Harrison, released on his 1973 album Living in the Material World. It was scheduled to be issued as a single in September that year, as the follow-up to "Give Me Love ", but the release was cancelled. Music critics have traditionally viewed "Don't Let Me Wait Too Long" as a highlight of the Material World album, praising its pop qualities and production, with some considering the song worthy of hit status.
The Rumour is the thirteenth studio album by Olivia Newton-John on 2 August 1988. The title track was written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin and features backing vocals and piano by John. The album featured the singles "The Rumour", "Can't We Talk It Over in Bed" and the Australian-only promo-single "It's Always Australia for Me", which was released for the Australian Bicentenary in 1988. This was also her first album not produced by long-time producer John Farrar.
Let Me Be There is the third studio album by British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John. It was originally released in November 1973 as Music Makes My Day in the United Kingdom, by Pye International Records, and shortly after in Australia as Let Me Be There, which became its most recognisable name. In the United States and Canada, Let Me Be There was released with an alternative tracklist, combining songs from the original release with other tracks from Newton-John's previous albums If Not for You and Olivia.
"If Not for You" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan from his October 1970 album New Morning. It was issued as the A-side of a single in Europe in early 1971. The song is a love song to Dylan's first wife, Sara Dylan. He recorded it several times in 1970; the session for the released version took place in New York in August. He also recorded the song with George Harrison on May 1, soon after the break-up of the Beatles, a session that attracted much speculation in the music press. The May recording remained unreleased until its inclusion on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 in 1991.
If Not for You is the debut studio album by British-Australian singer-songwriter Olivia Newton-John, released in November 1971 by Festival Records. The album was released on the Pye International label in the UK as Olivia Newton-John, with a slightly different cover.
"Nobody's Child" is a song written by Cy Coben and Mel Foree and first recorded by Hank Snow in 1949. Many other versions of this song exist.
"I'd Have You Anytime" is a song written by George Harrison and Bob Dylan, released in 1970 as the opening track of Harrison's first post-Beatles solo album, All Things Must Pass. The pair wrote the song at Dylan's home in Bearsville, near Woodstock in upstate New York, in November 1968. Its creation occurred during a period when Harrison had outgrown his role in the Beatles and Dylan had withdrawn from the pressures of fame to raise a family. "I'd Have You Anytime" is recognised as a statement of friendship between the two musicians, whose meetings from 1964 onwards resulted in changes in musical direction for both Dylan and the Beatles. The song reflects the environment in which it was written, as Harrison's verses urge the shy and elusive Dylan to let down his guard, and the Dylan-composed choruses respond with a message of welcome.
"Behind That Locked Door" is a song by English rock musician George Harrison from his 1970 triple album All Things Must Pass. Harrison wrote the song in August 1969 as a message of encouragement to Bob Dylan, who was making a highly publicised comeback to the concert stage, accompanied by the Band, with a headlining performance at the Isle of Wight Festival. "Behind That Locked Door" is a rare Harrison composition in the country music genre and the second song dealing with the friendship between himself and Dylan, after their 1968 collaboration "I'd Have You Anytime". Its lyrics address Dylan's elusive nature, and reflect the high regard in which Harrison held the American singer's work. The same reluctance on Dylan's part to re-engage with a concert audience led to him retreating again from live performance until August 1971, when he responded to Harrison's request to play at the Concert for Bangladesh.