Suggestions for someone trying to be a Roy Orbison completist

Anyone know the origin of that cigarette smoking "problem child" photo on the cover of that 1988 album ?

It's an interesting pic...

 

I'm a little confused about Weldon Rogers....

Apparently there was a Weldon Rogers single in 1957 that used a recording of Roy Orbison on the b-side singing "Trying To Get To You"
(of course the label said "Weldon Rogers"). The a-side of the single featured the Teen Kings (minus Orbison) backing Weldon Rogers on "So Long, Good Luck, Goodbye"

Given that single by Weldon Rogers was recorded by Norman Petty, it would seem that the errant track on the Weldon Rodgers single is the same thing that's on the 1956 Je-Wel single featuring Orbison and the Teen Kings on both sides (???)

Apparently Rogers got released from his contract because of this.

Weldon Rogers - Wikipedia »

Or is the Weldon Rogers b-side an alternate recording ? Given the copyright dates for the two versions of "Trying To Get To You" on discs 1 and 2 in the Bear Family box, it would seem to be the 1956 copyright - because the alternate recording has a 1988 copyright (and would seem to have not been used - accidentally - or otherwise - on a 1957 single)

 

I have a kd Lang VHS which includes her live "Crying" duet with Orbison - an absolutely stunning performance. Much better than the duet single they released. I don't know if this performance made it to DVD.

 

I'm talking strictly Sun material. If making a complete Sun sessions 2 CD set, I would include overdubs as long as Roy is on them.

Darryl

 

I picked this cd up from amazon.uk, it appears to be a cd-r (no actual matrix number laser etched on the cd, but one apparently scanned on the top/ label side of the cd) I am not familiar with the Inverse label....is this cd-r only?

 

Yes they are a little independant label, the covers are not sexy, but the sound is here. This CD is actually by best source for the relased SUN material, that I always hated on all the previous CDs I listened... And I listened a lot!

They planned to issue a volume 2... hope they will, the mono version of This is Your Song is still unreleased on Cd so far...

 

For me a true CD covering the early career of Orbison, could only look like this. Like I wrote previously I don't like when released and unreleased stuff are mixed.

01 This Kind Of Love (Dubbed Version)
02 Devil Doll
03 You're My Baby (Sun Dubbed Version)
04 Trying To Get To You (Sun Dubbed Version)
05 It's Too Late (Dubbed Version)
06 Rock House (Sun Dubbed Version)
07 You're Gonna Cry (Dubbed Version)
08 I Never Knew (Dubbed Version)
09 Sweet And Easy To Love (Sun Dubbed Version)
10 Mean Little Mama (Dubbed Version)
11 Ooby Dooby (Sun Dubbed Version)
12 Problem Child (Dubbed Version)
13 Trying To Get To You (Je-Wel Single)
14 Ooby Dooby (Je-Wel Single)
15 Ooby Dooby (Sun Single Version)
16 Go Go Go
17 Rock House (Single Version)
18 You're My Baby (Single Version)
19 Sweet And Easy To Love (Single Version)
20 Chicken Hearted (Sun Single)
21 I Like Love (Sun Single)
22 Seems To Me (Rca Single)
23 Sweet And Innocent (Rca Single)
24 Almost Eighteen (Rca Single)
25 Jolie (Rca Single)
26 BONUS Cat Called Domino (Clovis Version)
27 BONUS Claudette (Band Version)

 

Thanks, looking forward to hearing this!

 

I've been using the "song catalog" provided by Bespin in one of his first posts in this thread...

It's been helpful.

I will be able to reconstruct the whole REGENERATION album, using tracks from the

1990 LEGENDARY ROY ORBISON (4 disc) box set (has eight of the 10 songs from REGENERATION)
1990 OUR LOVE SONGS compact disc (for one song from REGENERATION)
THE SOUL OF ROCK AND ROLL (for one song from REGENERATION)

https://www.discogs.com/Roy-Orbison-Our-Love-Song/master/433183

Plus it looks like the "Our Love Song" disc (looks like a boring budget collection) has one alternate that
was accidentally left off the 7 disc Bear Family box set.


I also bought a two disc DVD set of the LIVING LEGEND movie and I think I was able to piece together
something that would be close to the extremely limited very rare vinyl LP soundtrack. I found a track
list for the vinyl LP (10 songs) and a photo of the album cover. 9 of the 10 songs are DVD 2 of the
set I purchased (with a recent copyright date, but probably identical to the set put out earlier)... I ripped
"Friday Night" from the actual film...

The fidelity on the DVD is putrid for some tracks and a little better than putrid for others. It looks
like the DVD producers didn't have access to all of the recordings and made a video some of the tracks
from the movie (with jet sounds between scenes not even trimmed)

What a stinkeroo of a movie. I wasn't familiar with Earl Owensby... but it's a name I will try my best
to avoid in the future.

 

The biggest oversight on the Bear Family Boxset is the original studio version of "My Prayer". The boxset only features an alternate version.

 

Well, Not certain about the completist factor...
But, I will honestly tell you that an entire new world of record collecting began when I started adding original
authentic acetates of my personal faves The Beatles and Bob Dylan. The superb Roy Orbison would absolutely be the same.
I have seen many Orbison very rare original acetates, many with different mixes, or even unreleased versions, etc...
Saw a real one on eBay a few weeks ago. While these are indeed pricy, they are the true historical, and often priceless items that will become the immediate apex of your collection.

 

There are two Orbison test pressings of the newly Classic Records releases recently listed on eBay.
Test pressings are super also... while not near as scarce as acetates, nice collectible items. These are sealed numbered I believe. I know of a couple other places feel free to PM me if interested, they are well known established record/hi fi internet companies... just trying to help. I have no affiliation, but have used them with good results.

 

TOPTEN -
I have just now found a new "In Dreams" MONO Classic Test Pressing for $50.00 On Sale - marked down from $15o.00 .... a very fair price indeed. I have purchased many Dylan test discs from this place.

 

I absolutely have no appetite for unreleased stuff, unless when the material should absolutely have been released.

It's already hard to collect the released stuff no need for more!

 

On a different note, anyone remember the old SNL skit with John Belushi imitating Roy Orbison ?

There was a comment about how he sang perfectly still - and that's how Belushi played it - singing like a mannequin.

I think at one point Belushi's Orbison starts to tip over and "roadies" run to prop him back up. All the while, he's singing and not moving.

 

What about the 'Benny Hill' clip?



Darryl

 

I got a seven song japanese CD in the mail this weekend by Roy Orbison called "The RCA Days"

It's basically the four tracks on his two RCA singles plus three sides.

All seven songs are available elsewhere, but I bought this disc hoping that the disc would be mono.

I was a little confused listening to the disc. My first instinct was to declare all seven tracks mono, but
then I loaded them into Audacity and looked at the wave forms and watched the level meters dance.

The L and R waveforms looked identical on first glance, but on second glance I could see spots where
they differed. The level meters didn't stay completely together - BUT - I still thought the songs seemed
like mono to my ears. If it's stereo, it's a very narrow form of stereo... if definetely sounded NOTHING
like the very wide stereo for those 7 songs found elsewhere.

Maybe, it was a mono master that was improperly transferred ? Or it's just a very narrow form of stereo.
It definitely seemed more like a 1950s listening experience for something like "Amost Eighteen" (which
sounds amazing in the wide stereo version - but modern - as if it was recorded yesterday)...

The end result was I was content to put four of the seven in my digital library as the old RCA singles - because
I'm not about to own those anytime soon - and I'm nor sure I can find that Mono CD collection referred to above.

Did two of those seven get re-recorded when they got issued on the Monument label ? I noticed the photos of
the old single don't show a producers credit. If it had said "Chet Atkins" on the Monument single, that would
have been a clue... but I suspect the titles were redone when Monument issued the songs "Paper Boy" and "Bug"

My Bear Family box arrived on Saturday, but I haven't even opened the box yet.

 

The RCA singles were originally released in mono.

But they were recorded using two-tracks (Voice & guitar on one track, drums and extras on the other). Having two tracks allows you to adjust their volume to create a better mono mix later.

So today, a variety of versions can appears on CD:

- The true mono mixes from the Masters or the Singles;
- New mono mixes (sometimes with added "stereo" echo, it can explain the difference in the WAV curves...);
- The stupid way, where one track is putted on the Left channel, and the other one on the Right channel (I personally hate this way, because it makes no sense to have the voice not in the center, it's impossible to listen... but the good part, is that it allow you to make you own mix...);
- "Fake" Stereo mixes (I personaly did that with the Bear Family Boxset RCA recordings...).

 

I would like to bring attention to a song that was, in my opinion, forgotten on the recent MGM boxset.

- Just One Time [1966] – Roy Orbison 1965-1973, Vol. 2 (The Classic Roy Orbison/Cry Softly Lonely One) (2004, Edsel); Cry Softly Lonely One (1968, London, SH-U 8357)

This song was originally included on the UK version of the "Cry Softly Lonely One" album, it was reissued on CD in 2004.

 

I'm glad you pointed my attention to that.

I bought the Edsel two-fer, so I should have it, but I'm going to check.

But I will change the artwork in my digital library to something different than the other 11 songs. I'll probably include a London LP label scan for that specific song. I'm usually very attentive to finding an LP sleeve scan that has the correct looking sleeve for its time period.... in this case something that has a MGM logo somewhere is what I probably used when I ripped the album from the two-fer... but since that one song wasn't on the MGM version of that album, it needs something different. I could use a LONDON LP sleeve scan for all 12 tracks but then that doesn't call my attention to the one special track.


Any word if that disc of b-sides and rarities from the MGM box might get a separate release ? It looks like a vinyl limited release came out (for Record Store Day??) but I can't find a CD release for what was essentially a limited edition bonus disc in the box set.

I also see mention of an older collection of MGM singles (presumably all in mono) on what I'm guessing was a mail-order-only release on the Orbison label. Was that a fan-club thing? Possible bootleg ?

 

MGM Singles made the object of two CD releases in 1989 and 2002:





On both releases, there are some errors regarding the "versions" they used (ex. use of the LP version instead of the Single version). This is well documented in my catalog.

One thing is sure, the mixes on these CD are totally outdated, now we have the recent remasterings.

The 2002 CD is still interesting for these two takes:

- Cry Softly Lonely One [1967] – MGM Singles CD, Orbison Records (2002); The Legendary Roy Orbison (1990, CBS Box Set); Single (1967, MGM, K-13764) --> (THAT'S THE SINGLE VERSION, VERY SIMILAR TO THE LP VERSION)
- I Got Nothing [1969/unreleased] – MGM Singles CD, Orbison Records (2002)

In another hand, the new 2015 B-Side MGM album, introduced two - unvoluntary - (well I hope) alt takes.

- How Do You Start Over [1969] – The Platinum Collection (2004); Love Songs (2002, EMI); Best Of His Rare Classics (1991, Curb, D2-77481); Single (1969, London, HLU 10294)
- How Do You Start Over [1969/alt/unreleased] – The MGM Years 1965-1973, CD-13 B-Sides & Singles, UMe (2015)

- Tennessee Owns My Soul [1969] – The Other Side of Roy Orbison, TNT Laser (1991); Single (1969, MGM, K-14079)
- Tennessee Owns My Soul [1969/alt/unreleased] – The MGM Years 1965-1973, CD-13 B-Sides & Singles, UMe (2015)

___

We have to say it, the reissue of Roy Orbison's catalog always was a mess.

And now that Roy's Boys are in charge... well, it continues!

 

I found the 1989 CD and now own it.

Only info I have about the 2002 release was your list. I haven't seen anyone selling it. I did use your list to justify the
purchase of the 1990 Legendary box set. Yep, definitely a different version of Cry Softly... not sure I would have noticed
on my own but when I listened to that version and the album version it was clear they were different.

It looks like I wrongly assumed the 2002 disc was all a-sides and all b-sides for those years - with versions identical to
the actual singles (which presumably started as mono and shifted to stereo at some point in the late 60s/early 70s)

So the 2002 "singles" disc had an unreleased track on it ? I was a little puzzled by the designation "unreleased"

I saw a note somewhere (amazon review maybe) by someone calling an Orbison compilation "yet another ticket in the
Roy Orbison sweepstakes..." I thought that was pretty funny. Frustrating for those who've bought a ticket every
time.

Your list can help guide me towards a simpler path.

I bought that double CD set with a few of the alternates from the horrible Owensby movie. I'm not real optimistic about
that set, but I won't know what to think until it arrives.


For anyone who cares... go to youtube and type in Roy Orbison and Pete Anderson.

Anderson's two clips talking about his time with Roy and KD Lang are priceless.

I've always like Pete Anderson (guitarist for Dwight Yoakum, producer for Michelle Shocked and others, sometimes solo artist).

 

The 2002 MGM Singles CD have to be ordered on the official website. Don't know if it's still available.

"Unreleased" means only that the song was not released when it should normally be... but many years later... and as an "unreleased" track. ;-)

Of course, all the "unreleased" songs of my catalog are now "released".

There's no use to list unreleased songs that are not released and that we can't hear!!!

 

the 2002 MGM Singles disk is no longer available on the official website making "I Got Nothing" a very rare song indeed. It's also an excellent song worth chasing down.

 

Another rarity, the solo version of That Lovin' You Feelin' Again:

- That Lovin' You Feelin' Again [198?/unreleased] – Love Songs (2002, EMI); Anthology CD, Orbison Records (1999)

And this wonderful duet, still unreleased, but that we all have:

- Bridge Over Troubled Water [1998/unreleased virtual duet with Raul Malo]