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

Yes, they are sort of similar, though David Cassidy uses the "breathy" vocals a bit more, in general. I like the verses of Cliff´s single, but the choruses are not as memorable. An O.K. single.

 

I don't know . . . what would you call his rendition of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" as b/w "Mistletoe And Wine," as can be seen over here?

 

He, he... I knew his very last hit single in the US was "NEVER SAY DIE" in 1983, so I knew this wouldn´t have been a hit.

I actually love his version of "HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS", if it´s the version from 1991. "MISTLETOE & WINE" is not one of my favourites. Strange to see it relegated to a B-side, though.

 

I have a busy week ahead of me, so the next single will be posted on Monday or Wednesday, and the full album on Friday. I hope to be able to post before that, but trivialities like work play a part every now and again.

 

I do quite like REMEMBER ME, and its B sides. I think I liked ANOTHER CHRISTMAS DAY more back in 1987, before we were somewhat overloaded with Christmas songs in the years to come. Perfectly good though - maybe could even have popped up on TOGETHER a few years later. BRAVE NEW WORLD is perfectly acceptable too. Could it have fitted on the album? Maybe, reminds me a bit of CLEAR BLUE SKIES on STRONGER. Nice cover sleeve for the single too.

 

Really not keen on this version by David Cassidy. Could quite easily have fallen asleep during it...

 

I think the B-sider are O.K.. but whereas the other singles from "ALWAYS GUARANTEED" have sorted of faded into the background - especially the next one, "TWO HEARTS". "REMEMBER ME" remains a song that I play rather often, and I like it. I think it´s the moodiness of the verses that get to me, and I really like them. "REMEMBER ME" was used as the title for a compilation album released in Germany in 1988, and it´s a rather good one disc compilation.

 

He, he... Perhaps it takes the wispy approach to an extreme...

 

Yep - I see what you mean. Not really single material.

 

'Wispy' is a very good way to describe it!

 

Thanks. He has a good voice, but I´m not always crazy about the way he uses it. Just like Cliff and his vibrato. (Had to be careful of my spelling there...)

 

I think Always Guaranteed only has two real singles on it, and we've had those. Remember Me is a pleasant little shuffle. Quite representative of the album. However, I don't think it's a song that would stick in people's minds. No matter who sings it. Not one of Alan Tarney's finest compositions, and the synths droning away in the background don't help much.

Nice picture sleeve. Don't remember the CD single, though I'd probably see it back in the day. There weren't a lot of artists releasing CD singles in 1987.

 

I certainly wasn't buying CD singles back then, still firmly on vinyl, probably until 1990-1991. Got hold of a copy since then though. The video was good for this one too. There was a video released with the four singles videos from Always Guaranteed, with brief introductions for each from Cliff. I still have the video tape, but alas, no way of playing it.

 

A lot of artists released those video EPs back then. As I recall, they were quite pricey!

 

I honestly can't remember how much it would have been, but would most probably have been more than the cost of the album. I paid £5.99 for ALWAYS GUARANTEED. 7" Singles, I think were about £1.79. All comparatively very expensive compared to a CD today.

 

Videos were usually expensive. I did a thread featuring old issues of Smash Hits that included some of the ads from the mag.. Usually videos were around £20. I'm talking about the mid-80s here too.

 

I like the single more than that, but I am enough of a realist to realise that you are right - the chart placings tell their own little story. "A pleasant little shuffle..." Yes, that describes the song pretty well. Still love those verses.

CD singles were just coming in fashion, and this was the first real Cliff CD single. I ordered the CD single from England, as far as I remember, and loved it when it arrived.

 

I also had that video tape. I can´t play it anymore, either. Not to worry, all four videos were included on a laserdisc I bought later. Can´t play that, either... He, he.

 

My first one was Whitney Houston's I Wanna Dance With Somebody from the same year. It cost £4.49. Over double what the vinyl single would cost!

 

I bet it's on YouTube somewhere.

 

Yes, pricey no matter how you considered them, and not value for money, either. I remember when DVD arrived - they released a Cliff & The Shadows Video EP with two tracks!

 

I know it is. I don´t watch music videos most of the time - they belong to the 80s and 90s for me.

 

Mildly interesting that Cliff was still putting REMEMBER ME into concert setlists for quite a few years on. I recall it being a medley with A LITTLE IN LOVE and SOME PEOPLE at the Countdown Concert in 1999. He must have liked it more that MY PRETTY ONE at least!

 

I rather suspect he likes the lines in the chorus: "Remember me, I am the one who sees in your eyes". I don´t mind - I like the song.