A Love So Beautiful

by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Roy Orbison

Overview

Roy Orbison's old Sun labelmate Elvis Presley wound up scoring an international hit in 2015 with If I Can Dream, an album where the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra played over old Elvis recordings. With an audience established, other artist estates stepped into the breech, including Orbison's, who endorsed pairing old Roy recordings with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Given that Orbison's hits often verged on the symphonic, this pairing might seem to make more sense than Presley, but A Love So Beautiful contains a considerable amount of rockers -- "Oh, Pretty Woman," "Dream Baby," "Uptown," "Mean Woman Blues" -- that do not lend themselves well to ornate arrangements; they sound pretty silly with the strings sawing. Odder still, Orbison's lush classics -- "In Dreams," "Crying," "It's Over," "Running Scared" -- do not benefit from the orchestral reinterpretations; they sound sticky and heavy. What was once elegant has curdled into something syrupy, and while the technological achievement is admirable -- the seams can't be heard between the old and new recordings -- the resulting record does a disservice to the imagination of the original Orbison recordings and his gorgeous voice. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	11/03/2017
Label:	Legacy / Sony Music
UPC:	0889854245825
Rank:	188401

Tracks

1. In Dreams
2. Crying
3. I'm Hurtin'
4. Oh, Pretty Woman
5. It's Over
6. Dream Baby
7. Blue Angel
8. Love Hurts
9. Uptown
10. Mean Woman Blues
11. Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel)
12. Running Scared
13. I Drove All Night
14. You Got It
15. A Love So Beautiful
16. Pretty Paper
17. I Drove All Night

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Roy Orbison   Primary Artist,Tambourine,Vocal Harmony,Guitar,Vocals
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Ian Burdge   Pizzicato Violin
John Parricelli   Guitar
Gene Morford   Vocals (Background)
Linda Dillard   Vocals (Background)
Nigel Barr   Trombone (Bass)
Miriam Grey   Vocals (Background)
Bob Moore   Bass
David Bishop   Sax (Baritone)
Martin Williams   Sax (Tenor)
Andrew Playfoot   Vocals (Background)
Carol Parks   Vocals (Background)
Ward Thomas   Featured Artist
Wesley Orbison   Guitar
Phoebe Street   Vocals (Background)
Roy Orbison, Jr.   Guitar
Catherine Ward Thomas   Vocals
Elizabeth Ward Thomas   Vocals
Billy Sanford   Guitar
Robbie McIntosh   Guitar
Steve Pearce   Bass
Trevor Mires   Trombone
Lance Ellington   Vocals (Background)
Paul Garrison   Drums
Steve Sidwell   Conductor
Joe Chemay   Vocals (Background)
Wayne Moss   Guitar
Rita Coolidge   Vocals (Background)
Jeff Lynne   Guitar,Keyboards,Vocals (Background)
Robin Smith   Conductor
Jerry Kennedy   Guitar
Pete Murray   Piano
Nick Patrick   Keyboards
Simon Gardner   Trumpet
Jon Joyce   Vocals (Background)
Ryan Quigley   Trumpet
Jim Haas   Vocals (Background)
Howard McGill   Sax (Alto)
Buddy Harman   Drums
Ralph Salmins   Drums
Annie Skates   Vocals (Background)
Andy Wood   Trombone
Alex Orbison   Drums
Don Reedman   Guitar,Keyboards
Floyd Cramer   Piano
Paul Spong   Trumpet

Technical Credits

Roy Orbison   Composer
Chris Walden   Orchestral Arrangements
Tony Gale   Photography
Glen Erler   Photography
Kirsty Whalley   Engineer,Digital Editing
David Redfern   Photography
Jim Parham   Project Director
Peter Schwier   Mixing,Rhythm Engineer
Jochem van der Saag   Mixing
Jeffrey Schulberg   Music Business Affairs
Johnathan Elliott   Design,Art Direction
Cecile de Tournesac   Digital Editing
Will McKinney   Project Director
Tara Master   Project Director
Chelsie Lykens   Production Director
Chuck Fleckenstein   Executive Producer
Ward Thomas   Duet
Wesley Orbison   Liner Notes
Roy Orbison, Jr.   Executive Producer
Catherine Ward Thomas   Vocal Arrangement
Elizabeth Ward Thomas   Vocal Arrangement
Melody Ewing   A&R,Music Business Affairs
Roy's Boys   Executive Producer
Bill Dees   Composer
Billy Steinberg   Composer
Boudleaux Bryant   Composer
Barbara Orbison   Direction
Cindy Walker   Composer
Gretchen Brennison   Production Director
Claude Demetrius   Composer
Steve Sidwell   Brass Arrangement,String Arrangements
Joe Melson   Composer
Sally Herbert   Orchestral Arrangements
Jeff Lynne   Composer,Vocal Arrangement
John Jackson   Executive Producer
Robin Smith   Orchestral Arrangements
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra   Orchestral Arrangements
Olivia Walker   Production Director
Nick Patrick   Producer,Liner Notes,Programming
Tom Kelly   Composer
Willie Nelson   Composer
Tom Petty   Composer
Jason Glover   Engineer
Alex Orbison   Executive Producer
Richard Cottle   Vocal Arrangement
Don Reedman   Producer,Liner Notes,Programming
Vic Anesini   Mastering