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Olivia Newton-John - Clearly Love Audio CD

A fair review of the Olivia Newton-John "Clearly Love" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Olivia Newton-John reviews here, or go back to the Olivia Newton-John tabs.

Olivia Newton-John Band: Olivia Newton-John
Title: Clearly Love
Rating:
Release Date: 1998-03-31
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Something Better to Do 2: Lovers 3: Slow Down Jackson 4: He's My Rock 5: Sail into Tomorrow 6: Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying 7: Clearly Love 8: Let It Shine 9: Summertime Blues 10: Just a Lot of Folk (The Marshmallow Song) 11: He Ain't Heavy...He's My Brother

One of Olivia's Loveliest Recordings
It lacks a mega-hit of the caliber she had most recently enjoyed, and yet the recording taken as a whole is a real gem that holds up even 35 years later. I owned several of Olivia Newton-John's albums in the 70s, and this 1975 release was the first of those. John Farrar was a genius at writing and arranging for Olivia's voice, and she's never sounded better than on the radiant "Sail Into Tomorrow" and the short but glorious title track, both of which show her to be a singer of substantial ability and not just a garden-variety pretty voice. A surprisingly effective cover of "He Ain't Heavy," the gentle, folksy "Marshmallow Song" and the lovely, jazz-tinged "Slow Down, Jackson" are among the other winners. Aside from the unfortunate choice of "Summertime Blues," which probably was added because the A&R guys thought there were too many ballads on the record, Olivia shines on every track. It's also worth noting that the CD booklet contains all the album's original (and exceptionally beautiful) photos of Olivia as well as all the song lyrics. Recommended listening for Olivia fans who may not own this hard-to-find release, as well as for fans of gentle, melodic, soft country/rock/folk/pop.


Clearly enough.
In truth, I doubt that much thought or time went into these recordings as Olivia was touring much of the time and releasing two albums a year to boot. Being a long-term Olivia fan, it's tempting to see albums like 'Clearly Love' as classics, such are the memories of the time they came out and the happiness of our youth (and budding love for O!) we associate with them.

Back in 1975, enduring albums with four or five hit singles weren't the done thing. It was enough to have one hit, two at most, per album as there'd be another LP six months down the line. This album's big hit (#13) was 'Something Better To Do', penned by Olivia's devoted producer and writer John Farrar. Mr Farrar himself was under pressure to top the previous album's huge hit, 'Have You Never Been Mellow', and while 'Something Better. . . ' is pleasant, it's average at best and chances are that if you're not a big Olivia fan you won't even remember it. The second single, 'Let It Shine', sort of a country cousin to 'Let Me Be There' and 'If You Love Me (Let Me Know), was a double A side with Olivia's version of 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother', something of a baffling choice for Olivia as the song clearly doesn't suit her. Another odd choice is Olivia's cover of 'Summertime Blues', possibly the most upbeat thing she'd recorded at the time. It's quite dreadful, really and I always feel embarrased for her when I hear it.

'He's My Rock' is more of the plastic country that wasn't doing it for her anymore, but 'Sail Into Tomorrow' and 'Just A Lot Of Folk (The Marshmallow Song)' show off her range beautifully and the title track, 'Lovers' and 'Slow Down Jackson' fall into that pleasant but forgettable catergory.

One of the best memories of this album is the beautiful gatefold sleeve with lyrics and photos of a 'down home' Olivia it came packaged in. And while looking back, my review of 'Clearly Love' is hardly overflowing with praise, it's still special to me, I still could sing every word and Olivia sounds effortlessly heavenly throughout, it's just not the classic I'd like it to be.


Something Better To Do
I remember looking at the front picture and thinking, "Why did she cut her hair?" But this became one of my favorite records which I now own on CD. I had this as an LP when it first came out. I have to say my most favorite song on this album is "Sail Into Tomorrow. " I never get tired of listening to it. It's a beautiful combination of Olivia's voice and great lyrics. I also love "Something Better To Do. " It's a happy upbeat song that I can't help but sing along with. Overall this is a great CD that is a fine example of Olivia's ability to sing like an angel.


Olivia never dies
This is one of her softer albums, nice easy listen. I have been one of her biggest fans, I grew up when she was in her hieght of her career. I have all her albums, and most of them now on CD's. I've always felt like she had a voice of an angel.


Horrible packaging!
However, the packaging was a great disappointment not only for this CD, but all the Olivia Remastered CDs. First, I loved this album growing up, and for whatever reason, this was my favorite all time Olivia album cover. Sure it comes with a booklet of lyrics and pictures from the original albums, but EVERY photo is so grainy that it looks absolutely amatueristic. This includes the front and back covers and the photos inside the booklet. I would have sworn they were booklet copies if I hadn't purchased them from Amazon directly.


You can see a complete list of all Olivia Newton-John discography, or go back to the Olivia Newton-John tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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