There Is Only One Roy Orbison
There Is Only One Roy Orbison is the seventh album recorded by Roy Orbison, and his first for MGM Records, released in July 1965. It features his studio recording of "Claudette", an Orbison-penned song which had become a hit for The Everly Brothers in 1958. Ironically, at the time he recorded the song in 1965, he had divorced his wife Claudette, who had inspired the lyrics. Orbison later re-recorded the song for In Dreams: The Greatest Hits in 1985. (They later reconciled in 1966, before her death in a motorcycle accident in June of that year near Galatin, Tennessee.[1]) The single taken from the album was "Ride Away", which reached no. 25 in the US charts, no. 12 in Australia and no. 34 in the UK. Cash Box described "Ride Away" as a "rhythmic teen-angled ode about a somewhat ego-oriented lad who cuts-out on romance."[2]
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   link |
| Record Mirror | [3] |
| There Is Only One Roy Orbison | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 1965 | |||
| Recorded | July 2–9, 1965 | |||
| Studio | RCA Studios. Nashville, Tennessee | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 28:15 | |||
| Label | MGM | |||
| Producer | Wesley Rose, Jim Vienneau | |||
| Roy Orbison chronology | ||||
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| Singles from There Is Only One Roy Orbison | ||||
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History
In 1965, Roy Orbison was riding high with the hit single "Oh, Pretty Woman", which was No. 1 globally, when word got about that his Monument contract was due to expire in June. Orbison was interested in Hollywood and signed to MGM Records for $1 million for three albums per year from 1965-1985. Half of the money went to Decca's London Records. He also was looking for freedom when he signed with the label. His producer for Monument Records, Fred Foster and Orbison's manager Wesley Rose were having disagreements about whether or not to keep Orbison. This album charted at No. 10 in the UK and No. 55 (No. 41 on Cash Box, while reaching the Top 30 on Record World) in the US. It was recorded at the RCA Studios in Nashville.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ride Away" | Roy Orbison, Bill Dees | 3:28 |
| 2. | "You Fool You" | Orbison, Joe Melson | 2:10 |
| 3. | "Two of a Kind" | Bob Montgomery, Earl Sinks | 2:37 |
| 4. | "This Is Your Song" | Dees | 2:18 |
| 5. | "I'm in a Blue, Blue Mood" | Orbison, Melson | 1:51 |
| 6. | "If You Can't Say Something Nice" | Orbison, Melson, Ray Rush | 2:21 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Claudette" | Orbison | 2:01 |
| 2. | "Afraid to Sleep" | Buddy Buie, John Rainey Adkins | 2:15 |
| 3. | "Sugar and Honey" | Orbison, Dees | 2:22 |
| 4. | "Summer Love" | Dees, Mathis | 2:29 |
| 5. | "Big as I Can Dream" | Bob Montgomery | 2:08 |
| 6. | "Wondering" | Orbison, Dees | 2:16 |
Produced by Wesley Rose & Jim Vienneau
References
- Orbison, Roy Jr. (2017). The Authorized Roy Orbison. Orbison, Wesley,, Orbison, Alex,, Slate, Jeff (First ed.). New York: Center Street. p. 133. ISBN 9781478976547. OCLC 1017566749.
- "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. August 14, 1965. p. 72. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
- Jones, Peter; Jopling, Norman (30 September 1965). "Roy Orbison: There Is Only One Ray Orbison" (PDF). Record Mirror. No. 238. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
