Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 1967 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 29:19 | |||
Label | MGM | |||
Producer | Wesley Rose, Jim Vienneau | |||
Roy Orbison chronology | ||||
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Singles from Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson | ||||
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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]
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]
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]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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]
All songs written by Don Gibson.
No. | Title | Length |
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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 |
No. | Title | Length |
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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
Year | Title | U.S. Hot 100 [13] | U.S. Cashbox [14] | CAN [15] | UK [16] |
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1966 | "Too Soon to Know" | 68 | 62 | 71 | 3 |