Any ONE of these extras would be worth the price of the CD. This is the only album that was issued once on disc in the early 90's (I think) and then never again. And it's the only legit ONJ CD I don't have. I don't want to pay upwards of $100 on ebay. I wish they would re-release it so badly! Until then, I have it 'on' CD but not 'the' CD. I never could figure out WHY it was done (or not done) this way and no one else seems to know.
It would have made far more sense to reissue IYLMLMK instead of If Not For You. I know the latter is her debut album, but the former is the one fans really want. BTW, I wouldn’t bother seeking out the original CD of IYLMLMK. It’s basic at best and there’s barely any artwork.
That's why I'm hoping PW will continue with physical releases of Olivia's classic albums. Most of those '70s albums have been out of print on CD here in the US for over 30 years and MCA's packaging was the definition of "the bare minimum." PW's packaging of the CDs so far has been great with lots of photos and complete liner notes and essays. All of her MCA albums should receive the same treatment that Physical and If Not For You received. From what I've been reading, my understanding is that PW's main interest in purchasing artists' catalogs is for licensing. They own Whitney Houston's catalog and so far they've released a biopic movie and they're doing some kind of perfume/fragrance thing??? I don't what they've done (if anything) with her actual music as far as reissues go. The physical releases of the PW reissues of Olivia's albums so far have been on Green Hill Music. Are they the ones handling the actual manufacturing of the CDs and vinyl? Should all the frustration we've hurled at PW instead go to Green Hill? If PW is mainly in the licensing business you would think they would want to license Olivia's catalog out to a label that specializes in curating releases like that.
The deal PW has for Whitney is more of a revenue sharing partnership with her estate and, from what I gather, they do not have ownership of her recordings. From a very lengthy and informative Billboard article about what PW has done with the Houston brand (and a what PW does in general): “Primary Wave announced a partnership giving the company a 50% stake in Whitney’s assets — including her publishing, master recording revenue, name, likeness and brand.” The full article (which briefly mentions Olivia as well) is here: Whitney Houston’s Estate & Legacy: Can Primary Wave Transform It? – Billboard
That reminds me of the initial Rhino Bee Gees reissue campaign. They come out with that incredibly well done box set of their first three albums…from the 60’s. Huh? They must have spent a fortune producing that set, and it’s a model example of how to do a premium box set right. But I could have told them there wasn’t going to be a big enough market for those albums for such a lavish (and as a result expensive at the time) set. And of course, it didn’t sell well and the label stopped. Had they done the three big ones from the 70’s, it would have sold. Yes, INFY was just a very weird choice. Of course it didn’t sell. I don’t know who runs these labels sometimes. And the mastering was pathetic, as was the artwork quality. Obviously they didn’t care and had it done on the cheap. Agree they had no business doing the physical media. Why is it we can’t get really great product of fantastic pop artists from the 70’s? Seems to be a rule that if it sold really well,and it was a pop album, the audiophile labels won’t do it.
I came across this video on Youtube where Oliva sang "Yesterday Once More" and on the picture it said "Deluxe edition" and the info also said Primary Wave, maybe fan made ?.
I think they deserve credit for the bonus disc of INFY. That was more thorough than any fan could've asked for, and it's telling to me that the CD has held its price while the vinyl has plummeted in value. I wonder if they're missing the boat about the formats her fan base would prefer? Maybe it's just me, but I grew up on vinyl and then cassette and then CD, and getting all these albums on vinyl isn't as interesting to me as reissues that take full advantage of the CD format. As far as the US goes, there's never been a time when her entire MCA catalog has been in print on CD, and they were all budget line releases when they were in print. They could've done a great reissue campaign when she resigned with MCA for Back With a Heart but they didn't bother.
So I was watching the 1984 film, Top Secret with Val Kilmer in the other night, and this sudden Olivia reference popped up in a gag about one of the dumb East German guards who only believes anything he reads in the New York Post
I think she had at least two serious stalkers - as in, men who were obsessed with her and who murdered people - in the early 80s. I wouldn't be surprised if this was one of the things that resulted in her pulling back from so much in-person promotions after that period. [EDIT] - I was remembering correctly: Ralph Nau began stalking Olivia-Newton John in 1980, after he became convinced she loved him. Four years later, he tried to join her onstage at an L.A. concert (he was intercepted) and then followed her to Australia. Back in the United States later that year, he beat to death his autistic brother. Nau remains committed to an Illinois mental institution. Michael Perry also fell for the winsome Australian singer's charms that year. Security consultant Gavin de Becker's people caught him on his way to her California house and encouraged him to leave the state. As soon as he got home to Louisiana, he killed his parents, his cousins and a baby nephew. He's currently on death row. Source: APS - Infamous Stalkers
Yep, you can bet they all ramped up the personal protection after the ghastly manner in which Lennon was taken from us. What the police call I believe, fixated individuals. Happens a lot with the Royals too apparently, behind the scenes. On a lighter note, literally, I took a listen to those two old records, Olivia of course dueting with Barry on Face to Face, 7 years apart those albums, and the production shows, his more mechanical, and uptempo, with her '77 LP having a slightly more subdued, analogue groove. Leland Sklar's light bass touches on Coolin' Down, very nice. Wasn't so struck on the Argentina track if truth be told, but the Johnny Cash cover (track 3, side 1) was a pleasant, feisty surprise. Quite an easy rhythm to strum along with! You've got some nice Jay Graydon guitar work across some of these songs with Jeff Porcaro from Toto holding the beat. Interestingly, she using much of the same back up singers as Barry was still employing on his '84 release. One of the later tracks, side 2, sounds like they are layering her own chirpy voice back over the main refrain. You've got a Linda Ronstadt slow vibe with a light Country twang on one number (3, or 4 side 2), then the next cut goes uptempo full Nashville style à la Emmylou Harris, which again, I was not expecting. Then is it 5 or 6 (sorry, the play-thru was few nights ago), a classic soft '70s rock vibe with possibly her best harmonising across the album. Elements of both The Carpenters and even The Eagles, both of whom of course were also huge around this time frame. My equipment isn't much newer than when this album came out, fairly primitive now, but some clean, flat records like Bryan Ferry '85 or Dire Straits '79 produce a stable clarity to match any CD I ever heard, but with that sensuous rich warmth only vinyl can provide™, with the added authenticity of how people would've listened at the time So... I have no idea which region or cutting people prefer generally for ONJ records. I inspected the record over, brushed it down (the jacket was very good, stiff, bright, barely any scuffing on the bottom even. I don't think it had been played or handled much) and let it run. No real crackle, jumps or hiss, but a tad muffled. Certainly not as bright in the reproduction as some others I have around this era in similar shape. I'd describe this EMI wax as about mid-range, performance wise, bearing in mind I haven't got a fancy cart or anything (but I have got other '70s LPs alone that shine and soar on the same system a bit more than this one did) I won't give it a mark out of 5 or 10, but it's OK, fits in with a few others I have around this time. More or less knew what I was getting here. If you like this recording quite a lot, let me recommend something along similar lines: Came out a year later
I always thought Torn Between Two Lovers would have suited Olivia. Others must have noticed the similarities. In a review of the same-titled Mary Macgregor album that it came from, Robert Christgau wrote "I consider it significant that Peter Yarrow's first commercial success of the decade is an Olivia Newton-John substitute, albeit one who's willing to admit she f*cks around."
I’ve never heard Mary Macgregor sing anything else, but Torn is very Olivia vocally. The song would have been great for her, though MM does a fantastic job with it. As I’ve said before though, in 1976, Olivia had difficulty admitting to one lover, let alone two, so it’s not a huge surprise she passed on the song (assuming she was offered it in the first place).
I have seen this movie a couple times but i never noticed this newpaper with Olivia on the front in the movie, i really need to see this movie someday again.
I've always compared Mary MacGregor and Charlene Duncan (known for "I've Never Been To Me") their singing voices to Olivia Newton-John's, and Mary has sung many beautiful songs, I discovered her music last year on Spotify, and there are indeed a few songs I wish Olivia had sung, unfortunately Mary only had one known hit "Torn Between Two Lovers" I think and same case for Charlene Duncan.
It was only released as part of the MCA budget Compact Disc/Compact Price line in 1987. Same goes for most of her other 70s albums, and then GHV2, Physical, and Soul Kiss were added to that line, replacing their rather nice first editions on CD. I remember passing some of them over when I was a kid because I just assumed that they would always be available. I grew up with all of ONJ’s catalog easily available on LP and cassette.
Never Been To Me, classic, still gets played on the flashback shows now and then The arrangements on the '77 record also share some similar styles to the Helen Reddy releases around that time. Turns out they were close (makes sense, operating same time frame in the US, both from Oz), and plenty of pictures across the net showing them together: And here they are, performing together:
Wow, I didn't realise she was actually married to Matt Lattanzi, around ten years her junior. Here's Matt in 1983 with the lovely Caren Kaye, playing the older woman love interest: Gotta the '80s And the happy couple, from a French magazine dated 1986:
Making A Good Thing Better is typical of Olivia’s mid-70s stuff. Have You Never Been Mellow and Don’t Stop Believin’ are better albums by her, but there’s much to enjoy on MAGTB. Like you, I’m not a fan of Don’t Cry For Me Argentina. She sings it well enough but it drags the album down and doesn’t really fit on it at all. If you liked this, you’d probably enjoy the rest of Olivia’s 70s albums too. They all have their merits. Another album you might enjoy is Rita Coolidge’s Anytime…Anywhere from 1977. Lovely mellow record. Easily to find on vinyl than it is on CD.
I was able to obtain all of them through ebay, Amazon, GoHastings, and other sources. All but If You Love Me. It's so strange.
Good call on Rita yes, loved her Octopussy song, bit huskier and almost ennui laden in her singing compared to Olivia, rather unique voice, similar to Karla Bonoff, sort of a weary lilt. But some of the production crosses over for sure. Have a few of her records, and stay tuned the old CD thread, might have a little Rita surprise in mind in a few days/weeks
