Olivia Newton-John. Yay or Nay?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Bobby Morrow, Jun 9, 2015.

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  1. David G.

    David G. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin, TX
    I'll occasionally dream that I'm in a record store and I find an album full of songs I've never heard before. Tremendous excitement as I race home to play it. Then I awaken, depressed out of my mind that it wasn't real...
     
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  2. Bobby Morrow

    Bobby Morrow Senior Member Thread Starter

    That’s what happens with the Olivia album I mentioned. I used to have it lots when she wasn’t recording much in the 80s.
     
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  3. MMM

    MMM Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Lodi, New Jersey
    In my experience from hearing some of the Festival discs, they are quite below what they should be though. I first heard the OLIVIA album via this, and led me to believe there were mixing issues with the album, but that certainly is not the case. All the compression and/or limiting used in the mastering of the Festival release created a "busy" sound which throws off the mix and the music. I heard a few others in the series, and they had similar issues, though CLEARLY LOVE didn't come out too bad there.

    Olivia's material has been very well engineered and mixed over the years. There is a lot of potential to have fabulous sounding new releases, if sensitively produced...
     
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  4. Bobby Morrow

    Bobby Morrow Senior Member Thread Starter

    Yes, the Festivals aren’t great. And to think how excited to get them we were in 1998.:)

    Compared to modern remasters, I don’t think they’re badly compressed, but they are quite shoddy. The artwork is legendarily bad. The ‘clipped’ beginnings on some songs is unforgivable. The only thing I can say is that at least they were relatively cheap back then. Also, many are still in print and remain the only place you can buy these Olivia albums on CD at a realistic price.

    Still, I’d love her catalogue to be sensitively reissued. I don’t need it to be, I suppose... I get by with a mixture of early UK, US and Japanese CDs and the couple of SACDs they put out. These all sound excellent, and I consider myself lucky that I have them. Though obviously I’d buy the lot again if they were reissued.:D
     
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  5. Pizza

    Pizza With extra pepperoni

    Location:
    USA
    The Festival discs are garbage. I used to buy everything and anything that came out for Olivia. The Festival discs convinced me to stop doing that. I don’t recall which ones I nabbed first but after I played them I decided no more.
     
  6. Chris_Sydney

    Chris_Sydney Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    A little news - Olivia has recorded new duet versions of 'Let Me Be There' and 'Love Is A Gift' (nice to see this one dusted off!) for the soundtrack to the forthcoming biopic with Delta Goodrem. An international release is on the cards.

    I believe she was also at Disney World this week to film something for a television project.


    x
     
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  7. Bobby Morrow

    Bobby Morrow Senior Member Thread Starter

    She doesn’t stop does she?!
     
  8. Chris_Sydney

    Chris_Sydney Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    Her work ethic is astounding. At least now we can be sure that she is doing it because she loves it - Olivia would have every reason (and our support, I'm certain) in light of the last year's events to step quietly away from all her work as a performer.


    x
     
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  9. David G.

    David G. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin, TX
    Dang. We won't be back at Walt Disney World for a couple of weeks. With a couple of family members who work there, we can sometimes get access to these types of things...
     
  10. Dave Gilmour's Cat

    Dave Gilmour's Cat Forum Resident

    Wonderful. Thought this was worthy of its own thread: Pop dreams? Post ’em here
     
  11. Frosst

    Frosst Vinyl-obsessive kiddo

    Location:
    Sweden
  12. Frosst

    Frosst Vinyl-obsessive kiddo

    Location:
    Sweden
    This could be a dream for me...
     
  13. Chris_Sydney

    Chris_Sydney Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
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  14. Bobby Morrow

    Bobby Morrow Senior Member Thread Starter

    Thanks for posting this, but it looks absolutely terrible. Delta looks and sounds- with her trumpeting OTT vocal style- nothing like Olivia. And the wigs are horrendous. I know I’ll spend the whole time just looking and laughing at them. They would have been far better picking an unknown actress to play Olivia rather than making it a vanity project for Delta.

    “John Travolta” looks fun. I didn’t realise Sandy was a foot taller than him in Grease.:)

    And is the guy rowing with ‘Olivia’ meant to be Lee Kramer? Poor Lee!
     
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  15. Chris_Sydney

    Chris_Sydney Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    The gorgeous Christie Whelan Browne who was Kira in the first Aussie stage production of 'Xanadu' and had a cameo as Olivia in the Peter Allen miniseries would have been more believable. I don't see a lot of Olivia in this footage, I just see Delta playing herself.

    She does seem to handle the latter day scenes better in this second trailer (which, cleverly, uses 'Xanadu' as the focus rather than 'Grease', which gives it a different but arguably just as memorable look). I actually think this is a much better trailer overall.

    I imagine Channel 7's thinking was that Delta is a known entity and would draw a much bigger audience. The similarities in her own career story as well as her very public admiration for Olivia probably sealed the deal. The miniseries, and Delta's performance, looks very broad-brushstrokes in terms of painting a picture of Olivia's life, rather than an accurate, method portrayal. That said, Channel 7 are pitching it as one of their big ticket items of this year's programming so they must have confidence in it. If nothing else, it is yielding two 'new' recordings with Olivia on the soundtrack and will remind the Australian public what a revered and loved artist she is. I'm hoping younger viewers who might be tuning in just to see Delta will be inspired by Olivia's story, and if there is a plug for the Cancer, Wellness & Research Centre in there somewhere then it might lead to some more fundraising.

    Time will tell!


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    Last edited: Mar 21, 2018
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  16. Bobby Morrow

    Bobby Morrow Senior Member Thread Starter

    I suppose people who have a passing interest in Olivia’s life and career might enjoy it.. Obviously the folks on this thread might look a little deeper and nit pick more. :D It has a definite Karen Carpenter Story vibe to me, and I can’t help thinking Olivia deserves better than this... Delta is obviously an attractive woman, but is too big and cumbersome to play Olivia. She also lacks her sweetness and charm. There’s something a bit vulgar and common about Delta and hearing her sing Olivia’s songs, you just know they’d have never been worldwide hits in her hands. I’ve said it before, but for all the similarities between Olivia and Delta, they may as well have cast Dame Edna in the role...

    Of course I’ll watch it it it’s shown here. I’m expecting it to turn up on Channel 5 where all the worst US and Aussie shows go to die.:) I’m particularly looking forward to seeing the actors who play the surrounding characters in Olivia’s life. I’m sure there’ll be much to enjoy.:)
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2018
  17. MMM

    MMM Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Lodi, New Jersey
  18. John Adam

    John Adam An Introvert In Paradise

    Location:
    Hawaii
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  19. Pizza

    Pizza With extra pepperoni

    Location:
    USA
    It’s a miniseries? I thought it was a TV movie. I can’t imagine a miniseries on Olivia.
     
  20. David G.

    David G. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin, TX
    I can imagine a miniseries about Olivia, but that isn't necessarily a good thing...


    Announcer: "Next time on OLIVIA."

    Olivia: "I don't know, Don. Do you really thing this psychedelic space musical is going to launch my international singing career?"

    Don Kirchner: "Of course, sweetie! Imagine it -- movies, TV shows, tours! Toomorrow's going to be the biggest thing since The Monkees!"

    Announcer: "Tune in next week at 7."
     
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  21. Chris_Sydney

    Chris_Sydney Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    It is a TV movie, but it's split over two weeks - hence why it's also being referred to as a miniseries!


    x
     
  22. Bobby Morrow

    Bobby Morrow Senior Member Thread Starter

    So is it 2 hours long?
     
  23. Bobby Morrow

    Bobby Morrow Senior Member Thread Starter

    That would be cool.

    John Travolta: “Olivia, this new movie, Two Of A Kind, is the best script I’ve ever seen for us.”

    Olivia: “John...I’m not sure. I don’t want to make another mistake.”

    JT: “If you don’t do this, I’m never looking for another script for us ever, ever again!”

    Dramatic music.

    “Next week on Olivia!”
     
  24. bob60

    bob60 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London UK
    Last night I dreamt that I was shopping in TK maxx With David and Victoria Beckham and their kids. Sad but true..
     
  25. Mylene

    Mylene Senior Member

    They guy who plays Olivia's manager is best known in Australia for this commercial

     
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