Olivia Newton-John. Yay or Nay?

No! But I have three different versions on the way...

But I got something else in the mail today from Jarleboy!

 

Is that what I think it is?

 

Yes, someone took the short way home because they were misunderstood... Get it, Bobby? You´re usually a quick and thorough thinker. I also added a little bit of something for the main course... He, he... You need some nourishment, walking along all those country lanes we have over here, you know.

 

Pretty bad! Not the three songs....lol.

 

Nice. Main Course is a Bee Gees classic. It'll be interesting to see how he gets on with it.

 

Did he just get a copy? Wow is he in for a treat if so!

 

Yes, "Main Course" is one of the three Bee Gees albums to get, I think. (Before you get all the other ones, of course...) Too bad that the only CD sounding close to good is the Japanese one. (I do like the whole package with that one, though - the sound, the packaging, the attention to detail. I only wish they would have kept the RSO pig, but I see why that was difficult. Loved the RSO pig.)

I´m also interested to hear what he thinks about the album. It may have some of their biggest hits, but here it´s really the deep cuts that rule. And therein lies the rub. I feel the album is more of a grower than an instant hit, but knowing Marble Index, I am quite sure he´ll know to let a good thing have the time it needs to grow. I think it´s a great album - not a single weak track.

 

He, he... You´re right, Jrr. It took me about three seconds to drop those hints. Not that clever...

 

Yes, of the 1987 Polydor version of the album. The sound isn´t great, but it´s the second best on CD, I suppose. Not that that´s saying a lot...

 

Main Course is brilliant indeed. My West German CD 833-790-2 sounds really good to me though! Have never heard the japanese one.

 

Early this year I finally obtained a Japanese OBI vinyl pressing of that album, my all time favorite. I have owned around 15 different copies. A few years ago I finally got a decent domestic copy, but I suspected a better one might exist. After being blown away by Japanese vinyl of the double hits album, Children of the World, SNF and Spirits Having Flown, I plinked down $50 plus shipping for a Japanese version of Main Course. Wow. Just beautiful. The CD is a joke compated to it, and though most of the vinyl is at least okay, it is always marred by bad quality vinyl itself with pops and clicks. The only thing good about domestic RSO vinyl then was the cow you like so much...lol! Children of the World, amd Andy's albums, had the most striking differences though. Living Eyes is good either way.

 

I agree....Main Course may not grab him on the first listen. I hope he stays in for the long haul and allows it to grow on him. I like pretty much everything from Mr. Natural through This Is Where I Came In but feel Main Course is BY FAR their best and most consistent album, followed closely by Spirits. They are a group, if there ever was one, that would have benefitted greatly by using producers so that their albums would have sounded more even. They are all over the place in most cases. Children of the World in paticular is very disjointed, but the individual songs are good over all. With all in fighting that seemed to exist between Barry and Robin, I think a good producer would have helped immensely.

 

After listening to the Main Course CDs and many versions of vinyl, all sounding pretty dull and lifeless, the Japanese vinyl convinces me the issue is with masters that sound too far away from the original. I don't know why the Japanese received better generstion masters, but clearly they did. You should hear Andy's After Dark on Japanese RSO vinyl. The difference and clarity compared to the US copies is quite stunning, and the US versions aren't bad.

 

Thank you for correcting me - I hadn´t seen the RSO logo for years, and in my mind it had turned from a cow to a pig. Of course it´s a cow!

I like the sound of vinyl, but I always think I can hear the actual deterioration each time I play an album or a single. I do have a turntable, but it is rarely used.

 

I agree with this. You CAN hear the deterioration every time you play vinyl.

When I was growing up, it was pretty much the only option. As soon as CDs came along all the stress and strain of buying music vanished. CDs would play perfectly and you no longer had to take pot luck! I realise vinyl is becoming popular again, but for me the bad far outweighs the good.. Check out any new vinyl thread here. They're rife with complaints about scratches, pops and general bad pressings. The only thing that's changed is vinyl is a lot more expensive now...

 

Yes and no....just depends on your table. A lot of tables and cartridges will do what you suggest, but a good one will give you amazing sound and not wear out your records. But it is a lot of effort and I get it that many don't want to bother with it. However, I love music and it is worth it. You just can't get that awesome analog sound any other way, unfortunately. If you grew up on CDs I can see how the pops and clicks would bother people, but minor ones I am used to. New vinyl that has that should be returned.

 

Olivia: I’m really loving doing my show in Vegas and we’ve extended that into the new year. I also have a new album coming out next year with my friends, Amy Sky and Beth Nielsen Chapman, designed to uplift hearts burdened by grief. It’s very special. I continue to raise funds for the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in Australia! Oh! And I’m very excited that my Gaia Retreat and Spa just won the “World’s Best Day Spa” at the World Spa Awards!

Excerpt from a recent interview with Olivia where she mentions her upcoming new album.

Sounds like another one I'm not getting.

 

Even if all the people in here tell you it´s her greatest since.. Well, "Physical"? I don´t think that is going to happen, but just in case...

 

I'll give it a spin online, but it'll probably join the Christmas and live albums that I've no interest in getting..

 

I understand. I still buy all of Cliff´s releases. Sometimes I even listen to them... Seriously, I do listen to most of them - it´s the various songs on other people´s albums I generally tend to forget. "All That Matters" on the Diana album, and his duets with Engelbert Humperdinck, Olivia and various others. It´s not that I mind them, but I tend to forget about them.

Having said that, to give "Live In Sydney" a chance, won´t you? Not the CD, which only contains ten tracks, but the DVD.

 

I will give Live In Sydney a go one day. The thing is, as much as I like music, I don't really enjoy concerts or live albums. One of my little peculiarities.

 

I understand. Personally I love concerts and live recordings. (Though not single live tracks on an otherwise studio album.)

 

Ugh. I know I'll buy it, and I'll be especially glad if profits from it go to charity, but I'll probably listen to it once and then put it on the shelf where it will never be touched again. Somehow, her songs that are supposed to be "uplifting" for people who are suffering end up being really, really depressing.

But maybe we'll be wrong and it'll be wonderful. Have to keep an open mind.

 

I don't know why she's so obsessed with these 'healing' albums... Is it a good thing to treat your fans as though they're permanently sick or depressed?!

I've said it times over, but I wish she'd just find a batch of pop songs that she likes (not her own) and record them. Is it so hard? It served her pretty well in the 70's and 80's!

 

I've faced more than my share of life-threatening illness during my lifetime, and when I've been hospitalized in need of treatment for my illness, the last thing I've wanted to hear was music that talked about my struggle with illness or my path to healing. I've wanted music that distracts me. Music that transports me to a carefree place. In other words, good pop music. Olivia would better serve her fans -- grieving, ill, or even her perfectly happy ones -- by doing an album of great pop music.