Post Description

Roy Orbison - Orbison 1955-1965


Trying to describe the voice of Roy Orbison is like trying to describe the night sky -- it's evocative and full of hues, shades, colors, and feelings, but it's impossible to accurately reflect their shape or meaning, so I won't try. What is possible, however, is to discuss this gigantic wonder of a box set. The German label Bear Family has issued a seven-CD Roy Orbison retrospective from 1955 to 1965; it collects virtually every known Orbison recording from what has been tagged his "golden decade." And when the folks at Bear Family say "every known recording," they mean it. The first treasure trove is the material recorded by the Teen Kings in Odessa, Texas, which was the first version of "Ooby Dooby," backed with "Tryin' to Get to You." There is also the Sun version, of course, with the backing side of "Go! Go! Go!" and, of all things, the issue of "Tryin' to Get to You" released by Orbison's former label boss at Je-Wel, Weldon Rogers (only it was Orbison's own take he was trying to pass off as his own!). There are oodles of unissued alternates takes, unreleased demos -- including Orbison's original versions of songs written for Buddy Holly ("An Empty Cup") and the Every Brothers ("Claudette" as well as "Love Hurts"). There is an entire CD dedicated to the complete recordings of the material recorded by the Teen Kings -- a first for any Orbison collection. In addition, the latter third of the last disc offers all of Orbison's Coca Cola commercials as a cap off (no pun intended) to the golden decade. 

Reissue producers Howard Cockburn, Richard Weize, and John Beecher (for the Teen Kings material) looked under every rock and found tracks believed lost or erased from the period -- including the Wink Westerners material (most likely the Teen Kings under another name) -- and have assembled the most complete Roy Orbison collection of the period ever. This one is definitive. In addition is an authoritative -- and most likely definitive -- musico-biographical essay by Colin Escott bound in hardcover (the cover for book and set are deep blue, of course), with over 100 photographs of Orbison posed, candid, in session, and reproductions of various artifacts from his career, including the jackets to his singles and albums and even his high-school drawings. 

This set completely leaves the travesty that is the Columbia box released in 1988 in the dust. Not only was it ugly, its sound was turgid even for the period. This Orbison box has pristine sound in most cases, and where it doesn't, it is certainly far superior to any other collection on the market -- foreign or domestic, featuring these tunes -- and far better than any of the semi-legal pirates.



Disc 1        Title Composer Time
  1  Ooby Dooby Moore, Penner 2:25
  2  Trying to Get to You McCoy, Singleton 2:49
  3  Ooby Dooby Moore, Orbison, Penner 2:13
  4  Go! Go! Go! Ellis, Orbison 2:10
  5  Trying to Get to You McCoy, Singleton 2:44
  6  You're My Baby Cash 2:09
  7  Rock House Jenkins, Phillips 2:05
  8  Sweet and Easy to Love Orbison, Phillips 2:15
  9  Devil Doll Orbison, Phillips 2:14
  10  Love Dumb Baby [Fragment]  Harris 0:29
  11  Fool's Hall of Fame Freeman, Wolfe 2:29
  12  A True Love Goodbye Orbison, Petty 2:20
  13  Chicken Hearted Justis 2:17
  14  I Like Love Clement 2:34
  15Mean Little Mama Phillips 2:00
  16  Problem Child Phillips 2:20
  17  Domino Orbison, Phillips 2:16
  18  You Tell Me Phillips 1:36
  19  I Give Up Orbison 2:00
  20  One More Time Orbison 1:18
  21  Lovestruck Orbison 1:27
  22  The Clown Orbison 1:48
  23  Claudette Orbison 2:15
  24  The Cause of It All Orbison, Phillips 2:29
  25  You're Gonna Cry Phillips 2:09
  26  This Kind of Love Phillips 2:10
  27  It's Too Late Willis 2:02
  28  I Never Knew Phillips 2:23
  29  Claudette Orbison 1:56


Disc 2        Title Composer Time
  1  Ooby Dooby Moore, Orbison, Penner 2:13
  2  Ooby Dooby [Alternate 2]  Moore, Orbison, Penner 2:14
  3  Ooby Dooby [Alternate 3]  Moore, Orbison, Penner 2:15
  4  Trying to Get to You McCoy, Singleton 2:44
  5  Chicken Hearted [Semi Spoken Vocal]  Justis 2:17
  6  Problem Child Phillips 2:29
  7The Clown Orbison 1:57
  8  This Kind of Love Phillips 2:07
  9  It's Too Late Willis 2:50
  10  I Was a Fool Orbison 2:28
  11  Seems to Me Bryant 2:19
  12  Sweet and Innocent Hall, Sherrill 2:21
  13  I'll Never Tell Loudermilk 2:07
  14  Almost Eighteen Orbison 2:05
  15  Jolie Bryant, Bryant 1:54
  16  Paper Boy Orbison 2:16
  17  With the Bug Orbison 2:29
  18  Ooby Dooby Moore, Penner 2:27
  19  Hey! Miss Fannie Ertegun 2:36
  20  A True Love Goodbye Orbison, Petty 2:22
  21  An Empty Cup Orbison, Petty 2:22
  22  Domino Orbison, Phillips 2:08
  23  I Guess I'm Lonely Unknown 2:40
  24  You Fool You Melson, Orbison 1:31
  25  Velveteen Doll Unknown 1:36
  26  She's Okay Unknown 1:29


Disc 3        Title Composer Time
  1  Ooby Dooby Moore, Orbison, Penner 2:02
  2  Racker Tacker Ellis, Kennelly, Morrow, Orbison 2:08
  3  Blue Suede Shoes Perkins 1:54
  4  Brown Eyed Handsome Man Berry 2:17
  5  St. Louis Blues Handy 1:55
  6  All by Myself Bartholomew, Domino 1:57
  7  Lawdy Miss Clawdy Price 2:18
  8  Jam Ellis, Kennelly, Morrow, Orbison 2:00
  9  Rock House Jenkins, Phillips 1:53
  10  Singing the Blues Endsley 2:07
  11  Pretend Douglas, Lavere, Parman 2:12
  12  Rip It Up Blackwell, Marascalco 3:04
  13  Trying to Get to You McCoy, Singleton 2:22
  14  TK Blues Ellis, Kennelly, Morrow, Orbison 2:20
  15  Go! Go! Go! Ellis, Orbison 1:32
  16  Bo Diddley McDaniel 2:03
  17  Do You Remember? [Talk About the Teen Kings]   38:34


Disc 4        Title Composer Time
  1  Paper Boy Orbison 2:12
  2  Double Date Clement, Orbison 2:22
  3  With the Bug Orbison 2:26
  4  Uptown Melson, Orbison 2:06
  5  Raindrops Melson 1:57
  6  Pretty One Orbison2:20
  7  Blue Avenue Melson, Orbison 2:22
  8  Only the Lonely Melson, Orbison 2:29
  9  Here Comes That Song Again Flood 2:48
  10  Today's Teardrops Pitney, Schroeder 2:13
  11  Blue Angel Melson, Orbison 2:55
  12  I'll Say It's My Fault Foster, Orbison 2:27
  13  Come Back to Me (My Love) Melson, Orbison 2:31
  14  (I'd Be) A Legend in My Time Gibson 3:09
  15  Bye Bye Love Bryant, Bryant 2:17
  16  Twenty-Two Days Pitney 2:53
  17  Cry Kohlman 2:46
  18  I Can't Stop Loving You Gibson 2:46
  19  I'm Hurtin' Melson, Orbison 2:48
  20  Darkness Pitney 2:51
  21  Let's Make a Memory Melson, Orbison 2:18
  22  Love Hurts Bryant 2:28
  23  Running Scared Melson, Orbison 2:15
  24  Nite Life Melson, Orbison 2:33
  25  Summer Song Melson, Orbison 2:47
  26  Loneliness Melson, Orbison 2:33
  27  Dance Melson, Orbison 2:51


Disc5        Title Composer Time
  1  Lana Melson, Orbison 2:17
  2  Dance Melson, Orbison 2:43
  3  She Wears My Ring Bryant, Bryant 2:33
  4  Crying Melson, Orbison 2:48
  5  Sunset Melson, Orbison 2:31
  6  The Great Pretender Ram 3:02
  7  Candy Man Neil, Ross 2:43
  8  House Without Windows Pockriss, Tobias 2:24
  9  (They Call You) Gigolette Melson, Orbison 2:49
  10  How Are Things in Paradise Melson, Orbison 2:11
  11  (They Call You) Gigolette Melson, Orbison 2:39
  12  Wedding Day Melson, Orbison 2:09
  13  Yes Melson, Orbison 2:19
  14  Let the Good Times Roll Goodman, Lee 2:34
  15  Blue Bayou Melson, Orbison 2:29
  16  Party Heart Bryant 2:34
  17  Evergreen Tanner 2:48
  18  Love Star Walker 3:01
  19  Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream) Walker 2:36
  20  The Actress Melson, Orbison 2:40
  21  No One Will Ever Know Foree, Rose2:31
  22  The Crowd Melson, Orbison 2:25
  23  Mama Melson, Orbison, Rush 3:02
  24  (I Get So) Sentimental Melson, Orbison 2:42
  25  Leah Melson, Orbison 2:42
  26  Working for the Man Orbison 2:25
  27  Borne on the Wind Dees, Orbison 2:54
  28  Distant Drums Walker 3:10


Disc 6        Title Composer Time
  1  Falling Orbison 2:25
  2  Shahdaroba Walker 2:42
  3  In Dreams Orbison 2:52
  4  Dream Mercer 2:17
  5  My Prayer Boulanger, Kennedy 2:49
  6  Lonely Wine Wells 2:58
  7  Beautiful Dreamer Foster 2:22
  8  All I Have to Do Is Dream Bryant, Bryant 2:39
  9  Mean Woman Blues DeMetruis 2:27
  10  What'd I Say Charles 2:55
  11  San Fernando Bradtke, Walker 2:34
  12  Mama Melson, Orbison, Rush 2:46
  13  Pretty Paper Nelson 2:47
  14  Almost McAlpin, Toombs 2:49
  15  It's Over Dees, Orbison 2:51
  16  Indian Wedding Orbison 3:08
  17  Oh, Pretty Woman Dees, Orbison 3:00
  18  Yo Te Amo Maria Dees, Orbison 3:19
  19  Only With You Dees, Orbison 2:23
  20  Goodnight Dees, Orbison 2:33
  21  (Say) You're My Girl [Fast]  Dees, Orbison 3:09
  22  (Say) You're My Girl [Slow]  Dees, Orbison 2:51
  23  Sleepy Hollow Dees 2:42
  24  Ride Away Dees, Orbison 3:27


Disc 7        Title Composer Time
  1  Oh, Pretty Woman Dees, Orbison 3:33
  2  Twenty-Two Da