Roy Orbison - The Last Concert (2010)

Roy Orbison, one of the extraordinary talents of rock 'n roll's formative years, was almost Elvis Presley's vocal equal. Like "The King" he preferred ballads to rocking out and, just like Presley, he excelled at both. For those unfamiliar with Orbison his often dramatic (some would say melodramatic) singing style is best represented today by the likes of The Mavericks' Raul Malo.

The Last Concert features the star in top vocal form all during this last memorable show at Highland Heights in Akron, Ohio on December 4, 1988. Unfortunately, one can't listen to it without just a touch of sadness because Orbison died only two days later of a heart attack at age 52 making the title of the CD the cold, dark truth. The singer's passing is made even sadder when you realize he died less than two months after his new supergroup, Traveling Wilburys, released the first of their only two CDs. The Wilburys helped put one of Sun Records iconic pioneers back into the spotlight.

The good news is that this fifty-five minute, fourteen song CD is a joyous best of retrospective as well as a historic document. Orbison tells the audience that "Ooby Dooby" was the first song he ever recorded for Sun and further educates the crowd by announcing that the next tune, "Go, Go, Go (Down The Line)" was the first song he ever wrote. Add them to a bunch of his golden hits including, "Only The Lonely," "Dream Baby," "Blue Bayou," "It's Over," "In Dreams," and his biggest hit, "Oh, Pretty Woman" which closes the show, and you get not only 60s nostalgia but excellent pop sung by a rocker with a four octave range.

The only negative lies with the sparse liner notes. They briefly describe Orbison's last night on stage and the bleak events that followed, but that is all. Other than the track listing there are no other notes, no composing and production credits, and the band is not even given their due. Orbison, and everyone involved, deserved to be treated better than this because the concert really was goodbye forever.

If you like Orbison and oldies you should buy The Last Concert. You won't regret it.

Here is Orbison's final live performance of "Oh, Pretty Woman."

Comments

  1. Perplexio9:51 AM, September 07, 2010

    It's sad to think that after Orbison died, Jeff Lynne wanted to replace him in the Traveling Wilburys with Del Shannon... Before Shannon joined he committed suicide. I guess no one was supposed to replace Orbison in that supergroup.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

WHAT'S HOT TODAY!

Slower Than Slow: 16 RPM Records

Image
Have you ever heard of a long forgotten vinyl format, the 16 2/3 RPM record? They were half the speed of the 33 1/3 RPM albums that were the traditional standard for recorded music. Most record players in the 1950s and 1960s came with a speed setting to play these long forgotten discs that were considered novelties even during the years they were available. Because most, but not all, 16s had big holes and were 7" in diameter many of them were mistaken for 45 RPMs and at that size the speed allowed for up to 20 minutes of playing time per side. However, there was no true standard size and they were also manufactured to be 9, 10, or 12 inches in diameter, and these larger records played even longer. Just like the other speeds and formats 16s could be played one record at a time or stacked on a changer for continuous play. Radio stations often used the discs for pre-recorded radio shows containing interviews, dramas, and documentaries. More frequen...
Read more

The Band - Christmas Must Be Tonight (1977)

Image
In 2006 Hall and Oates released Home For Christmas , their one and only holiday album, an extremely good set of music that immediately became one of my favorite seasonal listens. I wrote then that I was stunned at how many overtly religious songs the famous duo put on the the disc considering the very politically correct climate of the new millennium. One of them was a cover version of a song that alluded me for almost thirty years, "Christmas Must Be Tonight." I liked the new, upbeat track sung by Daryl Hall and it made me go out and search for Robbie Robertson's never-to-be classic. Sung by Rick Danko, it appears on the great American band's last album, Islands (1977). It's a surprise that a group whose members were not known to have any specific or powerfully strong religious beliefs would release a song that tackled the subject of Jesus's birth as blatantly as our most loved Christmas carols. It's not about a reckless reinde...
Read more

The Chieftains With Jackson Browne - The Rebel Jesus (1991)

Image
"The Rebel Jesus" is a Christmas song composed by Jackson Browne and performed with The Chieftains, the eclectic, veteran Irish folk band on  The Bells of Dublin,  their 1991 holiday album. Browne wrote the song specifically for his guest appearance on this record. The singer-songwriter, who is deservedly in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, can be a bit preachy when he wants to be, and he is again here, but no one can dispute what the man is saying.  The last two verses are the key to the song. Browne points out that people often feel more generous at Christmas so they'll give to those who were less fortunate than themselves during the holidays. But, if anyone tries to dig deeper and root out the poverty that envelops the downtrodden they are often scorned like Jesus was. This message is coming from a man who is admittedly a "heathen and a pagan," but on this occasion he is "on the side of the rebel Jesus." At the same time Browne doesn't want to sp...
Read more

The Beatles - Christmas Messages (1963 - 1969)

Image
For seven straight years beginning in 1963 - even before they were famous in America - The Beatles recorded annual Christmas messages exclusively for their fan club members as a holiday thank you. They were issued on seven-inch, vinyl records that were very thin, very bendable, and easily damaged. These flexi-discs, as they were called, could not be stacked on record changers. Over the years the tracks have been bootlegged in countless ways, and until a few years ago the only legal release was sent to fan club members in 1970 on 33 RPM vinyl records after the boys from Liverpool went their separate ways. The LP cover shown here is from that album. Finally, in 2017, a limited edition box set  on colored vinyl was released and is now an expensive collector's item. Many Beatles fans managed to hear these records over the years, and with the Internet being what it is, there are several websites where anyone can easily listen to all of them.  Archive.org ...
Read more

Chicago: An Album By Album Analysis Of The Terry Kath Era (1969 - 1977)

Image
The original lineup of Chicago has always been one of my all time favorite bands. My affection for this great horn band is such that I want to discuss all of the albums they recorded before Terry Kath's unfortunate and accidental passing. Their debut album is now forty years old, and it's followup is not far behind, yet their music endures to this day. * * * * * Everyone Must Own * * * * Excellent * * * Good * * Fair * Poor * * * * * Chicago Transit Authority (1969) - Whether they were playing screaming psychedelic hard rock, jazz, blues, or love songs, everyone in the band proved they were worthy of the huge mass success that followed CTA 's release. The band's ability to play anything and play it well is the hallmark of their debut album. The stars are Robert Lamm, Terry Kath, and the horns, and even Peter Cetera demonstrates he can be a rock and roll animal when he wants to be. The standout tracks are Lamm's "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It...
Read more