Shades of Roy Orbison (1994)

I'm going to let Allmusic do the heavy lifting today:

This oddly chosen ten-song budget compilation, running less than 26 minutes, contains five Roy Orbison Top 40 hits of the early '60s, two of which reached the Top Five. The other five tracks are B-sides of singles ("Pretty One," "Indian Wedding") or LP tracks. The slipshod nature of the project is indicated by the misprinting of the title of the first track, which should be called "Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel)," but instead has been listed as "Only the Lonely (Know How I Feel)." Generally, one expects more than a 50 percent hit ratio on a compilation, and the obscurities are not sufficiently interesting to justify their inclusion.

Clever title, though.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart.

Tracks:

1. Only The Lonely (Know How I Feel) [sic]: 1960 single, #2 pop
2. Borne On The Wind: 1964 single, did not chart
3. Pretty One: b-side to 1959 single, Up Town
4. Indian Wedding: b-side to 1964 single, It's Over
5. Blue Avenue: from the 1961 album Lonely And Blue
6. Workin' For The Man [sic]: 1962 single, #33 pop 
7. The Crowd: 1962 single, #26 pop
8. Blue Bayou: 1963 single, #29 pop
9. I'll Say It's My Fault: from the 1961 album Lonely And Blue
10. Oh, Pretty Woman: 1964 single, #1 pop

If you're looking for a budget Orbison compilation, you're better off with Super Hits.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Faithful readers of this space are well-aware of my eBay addiction. I recently ordered a 3 disc lot from that site and this CD arrived with them accompanied by this note:

I don't necessarily like the CD, but I love free. I suspect the seller is simply getting rid of parents' CDs as quickly as possible. Glad I could help.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Super Hits (1995)

Roy Orbison - Super Hits (1995)

What's not to like? Sure, it's not definitive and only 27 minutes long, but for a budget-priced compilation, it's got all you could want. You can shuffle, but you shouldn't skip.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks:  Let's rank 'em!

10. Workin' For The Man (#33, 1962)
9. Running Scared (#1, 1961)
8. I'm Hurtin' (#27, 1960)
7. It's Over (#9, 1964)
6. Blue Angel (#9, 1960)
5. In Dreams (#7, 1963)
4. Blue Bayou (#29, 1963)
3. Only the Lonely (#2, 1960)
2. Crying (#2, 1961)
1. Oh, Pretty Woman (#1, 1964)

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I can't even begin to count the number of times I've tried (and failed) to duplicate Orbison's signature falsetto. Whatever that number is, add a few more attempts this morning while listening and singing along to this compilation.

Also, the 1988 Cinemax special Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night is one of the best of its kind and rightfully introduced a new generation to this music. Since I was yet to be born when these songs were on the radio, this special always come to mind when I remember Orbison and his immediately recognizable voice.