Cliff Richard - Back from the Wilderness Singles and Albums 1975 - 1995

I'd heard he'd written some songs about his ordeal in the last two years.

 

It could be a fascinating album. I think there would be interest and it'd do well.

 

I never knew that Cliff wrote some of the songs on his albums.

 

I absolutely loved that David Cassidy single, I didn't know that Cliff had recorded a version of it.

 

I don't think he wrote many album tracks apart from occasional co-writes but possibly wrote more on his religious albums ? I had a couple of 80's singles where he wrote the b-side.
I'm no expert but suspect the aforementioned The 31st of February Street was the one pop album where he did a fair bit of writing.

 

I reckon you're right with the last bit. Though @Jarleboy would know for sure.

I know he wrote the title track of Rock 'n Roll Juvenile, though.

 

I think he's got more musical ability and skill than his detractors would admit. I remember seeing him on TV doing some solo acoustic songs and he was more than usual on guitar. I believe he said his playing improved because he had done a fair amount of solo performances on his religious tours.
An interviewer once made the mistake of making a sarcastic comment about him to Van Morrison and Van made an impassioned defence of him.

 

I like the title track of "Real As I Wanna Be" and "She Makes me Feel Like a Man". The rest leaves me cold, mostly. ("The Miracle" is kind of fun.)

Yes, according to Cliff, we can expect a second volume of the rock´n´roll songbook. Colour me disappointed...

 

3 pages already. And we've only covered one (flop) single.

 

Cliff co-wrote some of the earlier singles, like "Don´t Talk to Him" and "On the Beach". Later on, he wrote a few B-sides, some of which I like and some of which are... very bland. He did write four songs for "The 31st of February Street" album, all of which are melancholy and good, IMO, and he wrote some songs for the "Rock Connection" album. ("La Gonave" is a good one.) And, as Bobby rightly pointed out, he wrote the title track for the wonderful "Rock´n´Roll Juvenile" album. The 1993 album, eh, "The Album", which went to No. 1, included one song that he wrote, "Hold Us Together". Good song, though not great.

I´ll cover these songs later, but Cliff has a talent for writing good songs, but he has yet to write a great one, IMO. But we´ll see... Who knows?

 

Still on sale over here - from the Amazon US site : This 1994 release by EMI Canada titled Cliff Richard - The Hit List (the small seal also says "The Best Of 35 Years") contains the following 18 tracks covering elements of his career from 1958 to 1994 on a single disc and is not, as one reviewer suggests, a 2-CD set: 1. Up In Canada (2:43) - Feb 1978; 2. Move It (2:22) - Sept 1958; 3. Living Doll (2:37) - July 1959; 4. The Young Ones (3:10) - Jan 1962; 5. Do You Wanna Dance? (2:24) - May 1962; 6. Bachelor Boy (2:00) - Dec 1962; 7. Summer Holiday (2:16) - Feb 1963; 8. Don't Talk To Him (2:52) - Nov 1963; 9. We Don't Talk Anymore (4:13) - July 1979; 10. Daddy's Home (2:58) - Nov 1981; 11. Some People (3:50) - Aug 1987; 12. The Best Of Me (4:10) -June 1989; 13. Miss You Nights (3:55) - Nov 1975; 14. Dreaming (3:38) - Aug 1980; 15. Devil Woman (3:33) - April 1976; 16. A Little In Love (3:41) - Jan 1981; 17. I Still Believe In You (3:43) - Nov 1992; 18. All I Have To Do Is Dream - duet with Phil Everly (2:50) - Nov 1994.

Regarding Wuthering Heights, I prefer my Bernard Herman Opera version. YMMV as we say

 

I know, and I´m ever so pleased. I thought no one would be interested, but there are some fans out there. I feel my love for Cliff´s music being resurrected...

 

...all this remind me how Cliff Richard and the Shadows made great rock records in the sixties until nearly 1965...!

 

Thank you for taking the time to write out the entire track list! Appreciate it! A strange compilation, mixing old an new material without any sense of flow, it seems. Glad "Up In Canada" got its outing on a compilation - and as the opening track, even. I like it.

He, he... I do understand. A different genre, and a bit deeper, I imagine.

 

Glad to hear that! I love their duet, and Van is certainly not one to bandy praise about without reason. Cliff isn´t given much credit, but I think he´ll receive more when he dies. Too bad that it has to be that way. You really don´t know what you´ve got till it´s gone. I read the - very deserved - praise Robin Gibb got after he died. Why did so few tell him when he was still alive? There´s a lesson there somewhere.

 

I really love his cover of "Someday You´ll Want Me to Want You". Cliff at his best, and it was, as you suggest, in 1965. The year I was born...

 

I have practically no interest in anything Cliff Richard did after 1963 and much of what he did before.

Everyone on this board should check out his singles 1958 to 60, a and b sides (sometimes the a side sucks and the b is a corker).
His first album Cliff, Me and My Shadows and Rollercoaster Records "Let Me Tell You Baby It's Called Rock n Roll", a stunning compilation of 1958 to 60 BBC radio sessions.

Move It is the flashpoint of British pop and the moment it would be possible for the Beatles to happen. Cliff, The Shadows, Johnny Kidd and The Pirates and Billy Fury (The Sound Of Fury and early 45s) paved the way.

light the fuse

 

It´s mainly the same melody, with a few minor changes. The lyrics are new, written by David himself, I think. To be honest, I prefer David Cassidy´s version of the song, even though I feel like I´m cheating on Cliff... He, he. I like both versions - Cliff´s a bit more muscular, David´s sweeter.

 

I like his early rockers, and I have actually come to appreciate them more now than I did when I was a "real" fan. I also like the "Me And My Shadows" album, and I like the single they lifted from it, "Gee Whiz, It´s You". I really like the arrangements and the sound of the recordings. So warm.

 

There is no accounting for taste...I loved the b-side "You're the One" so much more than the a-side. His voice is just so good on it...I like everything about it...

 

I had to play for a production of the stage show Summer Holiday. I'm sure you know the show - it has the songs from the film plus other Cliff songs from the late 50's and 1960's. I'd forgotten how good some of those songs are and Gee, Whiz Its You was one that I didn't know but really liked. Time Drags By was another one where I went back to the record and thought it had a great sound.

 

We Don't Talk Anymore is a very cool song, really well-recorded and well-sung. I've always thought his later post 60s voice has a particularly nice tone. Maybe there was reverb etc in use but no matter, I like that voice.

 

"Me and My Shadows" (the mono version) is my favorite really early Cliff album. I'm not sure I can call anything a favorite in the mid sixties though. "31st of February Street" is really good, but "Green Light" is my favorite middle period album from him. I'm thinking that his later period hasn't really produced a solid album ("I'm No Hero" perhaps)...however, there are some great single songs and single records from the period: "Born to Rock and Roll" "Misunderstood Man" "What Car" "Lucille (the Little Richard song)", "Shakin' All Over".

 

"Time Drags By" is from a terrible film, but the soundtrack is great! "Washerwoman", "Oh, Senorita" etc. All good pop songs. Even the bonus tracks are good! And "Time Drags By" is one of those half-forgotten hits that really deserves better. Great song!

 

Surprisingly, I see we actually share some favourites - the "Green Light" and "I´m No Hero" albums, "Shakin´All Over", "What Car" etc. This could get interesting. I´ll try to post the next single tomorrow, and then on to the first album. Hope you all have lots of strong opinions!