Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson

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Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson
Sings Don Gibson - Roy Orbison.jpg
Studio album by
Roy Orbison
ReleasedJanuary 1967
Genre Country
Length29:19
Label MGM
Producer Wesley Rose, Jim Vienneau
Roy Orbison chronology
The Classic Roy Orbison
(1966)		Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson
(1967)		 The Fastest Guitar Alive
(1967)
Singles from Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson
  1. "Too Soon to Know"
    Released: July 1966 [1]

Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson is a tribute album recorded by Roy Orbison for MGM Records. Released in January 1967, it is a collection of songs written by Country Music Hall of Fame singer/songwriter Don Gibson who, like Orbison, often wrote about the loneliness and sorrow that love can bring. Its one single, "Too Soon to Know", became a smash hit in the UK, reaching #3 there in September 1966, and also reached no. 4 in Ireland and no. 27 in Australia. In Canada, the song only reached no. 71. [2]

Contents

This album was titled Sweet Dreams in Africa.

The album was released on compact disc for the first time by Edsel Records on September 27, 2004 as tracks 1 through 12 on a pairing of two albums on one CD with tracks 13 through 22 consisting of Orbison's 1970 album, Hank Williams: The Roy Orbison Way. [3] The album was also included in the 2015 box set The MGM Years 1965–1973 – Roy Orbison. [4]

History

A few of the songs were recorded before his first wife Claudette's death in a motor-bike accident in June 1966. [5] The album was put on hold as Orbison was filming The Fastest Guitar Alive . "Too Soon To Know" was banned by the BBC as they felt it was too personal about Claudette's death. [6] The album also included a new, re-recorded version of "(I'd Be) A Legend in My Time", which previously appeared on his 1960 album Lonely and Blue . [5]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]

William Ruhlmann of AllMusic said that the album showed "Orbison's inspiration to go into the studio and record an entire LP of songs by Gibson, at the time a labelmate of his at MGM Records. It was a reasonable decision since, as with "Too Soon to Know," a widescreen romantic lament, Gibson's writing style suited Orbison's taste in heartbreak ballads". [9]

Billboard selected the album for a "Pop Special Merit" review, and stated that Orbison "Does much better when he sticks to fresh, good material, and give them a twist that puts a fresh glow to listening." [10] In its review of the album from February 1967, Cashbox stated that it "shows off his singing ability to good advantage." [11] Disc and Music Echo said that the album showed "Roy's super-dramatic delivery suits them well" [12]

Track listing

All songs written by Don Gibson.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."(I'd Be) A Legend in My Time"2:18
2."(Yes) I'm Hurting"2:15
3."The Same Street"2:18
4."Far, Far Away"2:10
5."Big Hearted Me"1:52
6."Sweet Dreams"3:06
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Oh, Such a Stranger"3:20
2."Blue Blue Day"2:10
3."What About Me?"2:08
4."Give Myself a Party"2:30
5."Too Soon to Know"2:48
6."Lonesome Number One"2:24

Arranged by Bill McElhiney

Charts

Singles

YearTitleU.S. Hot 100 [13] U.S. Cashbox [14] CAN [15] UK [16]
1966"Too Soon to Know"6862713

References

  1. ↑ Amburn, Ellis (1990). Dark star: The Roy Orbison Story. New York, NY: Carol Pub. Group. pp. 149–150. ISBN   9-780818-405181.
  2. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Singles - September 12, 1966" (PDF).
  3. ↑ "Sings Don Gibson/Hank Williams the Roy Orbison Way". allmusic.com. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  4. ↑ "The MGM Years 1965-1973 - Roy Orbison". allmusic.com. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  5. 1 2 Kruth, John (2013). Rhapsody in black : the life and music of Roy Orbison. Milwaukee, WI: Backbeat Books. p. 126. ISBN   978-1-4768-8679-4.
  6. ↑ ""TOO SOON TO KNOW" BY ROY ORBISON – Roy Orbison" . Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  7. ↑ ""Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson" - Album Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
  8. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 1062. ISBN   9781846098567 . Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  9. ↑ "Roy Orbison – Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson: Review". AllMusic . Retrieved 2024-07-14.
  10. ↑ "Pop Special Merit Review: Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson". Billboard . Vol. 79, no. 10. March 11, 1967. p. 47.
  11. ↑ Cash Box. Cash Box Pub. Co. 1967-02-25. p. 36.
  12. ↑ "ON THE COUNTRY & WESTERN AND FOLK FRONT, Orbison's tribute to a giant" (PDF). Disc and Music Echo . 22 April 1967. p. 10. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  13. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Joel Whitburn's top pop singles 1955-2002. Menomonee Falls, Wisc.: Record Research. p. 502. ISBN   0898201551.
  14. ↑ Downey, Pat (1994). Cash box pop singles charts, 1950-1993. Englewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited. p. 254. ISBN   1-56308-316-7.
  15. ↑ "Canadian Singles". RPM magazine. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
  16. ↑ "Roy Orbison". Official Charts. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
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