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]

There Is Only One Roy Orbison
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 1965
RecordedJuly 2–9, 1965
StudioRCA Studios. Nashville, Tennessee
GenreRock
Length28:15
LabelMGM
ProducerWesley Rose, Jim Vienneau
Roy Orbison chronology
Early Orbison
(1964)
There Is Only One Roy Orbison
(1965)
Orbisongs
(1965)
Singles from There Is Only One Roy Orbison
  1. "Ride Away"
    Released: 1965
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic link
Record Mirror[3]

History edit

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 edit

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Ride Away"Roy Orbison, Bill Dees3:28
2."You Fool You"Orbison, Joe Melson2:10
3."Two of a Kind"Bob Montgomery, Earl Sinks2:37
4."This Is Your Song"Dees2:18
5."I'm in a Blue, Blue Mood"Orbison, Melson1:51
6."If You Can't Say Something Nice"Orbison, Melson, Ray Rush2:21
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Claudette"Orbison2:01
2."Afraid to Sleep"Buddy Buie, John Rainey Adkins2:15
3."Sugar and Honey"Orbison, Dees2:22
4."Summer Love"Dees, Mathis2:29
5."Big as I Can Dream"Bob Montgomery2:08
6."Wondering"Orbison, Dees2:16

Produced by Wesley Rose & Jim Vienneau

References edit

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. August 14, 1965. p. 72. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  3. ^ 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.