Quad LP/Tape Poll Rich, Charlie: Very Special Love Songs [SQ/Q8]

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Rate Very Special Love Songs

  • 10: Great sound, mix, content

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 9

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 6

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 5

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 4

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 3

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 2

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 1

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    3

EMB

2K Club - QQ Super Nova
Since 2002/2003
Joined
Feb 8, 2004
Messages
4,101
Location
The Top 40 Radio of My Mind
Epic EQ 32531, from 1974.

Side 1:

A Very Special Love Song
Why Don't We Go Somewhere and Love
Take Time to Love
A Satisfied Man
A Field of Yellow Daisies

Side 2:

Why, Oh Why
Almost Persuaded
He Follows My Footsteps
Stay
There Won't Be Anymore
Pretty People

ED :)
 
About as many Charlie Rich fans here as Tom Jones has, heh...:D

Well, the mix is typical Columbia: nicely separated and since this is mild country/pop, conventional in placement and approach. Not a bad thing, that, but I'm a fan of the early Charlie Rich of Phillips International, Hi, Groove ("Big Boss Man"), Smash ("Mohair Sam") and some of the early Epic material. By the time of "Behind Closed Doors" I thought he'd totally sold out, something you really couldn't say about Jerry Lee Lewis, a labelmate (kind of) who worked the country field but kept his inner fire. What happened to Rich's I don't know, but while his voice was still strong enough, the material is mainly weak and wan. Gave this a '7' but mostly for a good mix; played this once and sent it to the files to gather dust.

ED :)
 
It's been noted that Charlie wasn't particularly happy with this MOR-type countrypolitan material; might have been true (the endless use of strings, even on the more energetic tracks, took the edge off the overall results). Rich's curse was that after twenty years of trying, he didn't find consistent success until he hooked up with Billy Sherrill and Epic. The early singles they recorded did Ok but once his producer found a formula that worked ("Behind Closed Doors" is as definitive as it got), it was over...and Rich, apparently prone to depression and alcohol, put up with it, fitfully, not arguing with success. My guess is he was contrary by nature, maybe an uneasy fellow overall, even sometimes unsure of himself when some of his best work received almost no notice, while a novelty like "Mohair Sam" was nice to have as a hit, but nothing to build on. Here, the relaxed version of "Almost Persuaded" is nice in its way, but sums up the lack of energy of Rich's output. That said, some of Charlie's soul peeked through on occasion.

P.S.: "There Won't Be Anymore"--one of Charlie's best for RCA--returned here, one of the album's better cuts but not up to the original.

ED :)
 
I didn't know this album at all before getting it but I'm really enjoying it big time. The fidelity of the Q8 is pretty nice and the mix is another Columbia solid Quad job. I'm really happy to have this one. Charlie had quite a voice and although this is mostly a ballads album, he does a fine job tackling them. This here singer is one smoove feller fer sure.

The musicianship is stellar, like most Nashville recorded albums. In the last bars of Satisfied Man, one the guitar players let's loose with a Wes Montgomery sounding riff which made my smile as it was so unexpected and well done. Why Oh Why is a superb Bluesy affair which one can easily imagine Ray Charles singing.

I gave it a solid 8.


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