Olivia Newton-John Single by Single Thread

My favorite version is on the Live at the Sydney Opera House DVD. The track was (stupidly) not included on the CD of the concert.

 

This is where I get lost. I have very little post 2000 material.

And only in Oz would John Farnham get top billing. That said, he deserved much bigger success internationally than he had. Last Christmas I bought my best friend a huge mounted promo poster he'd signed. Cost a fortune in shipping to the UK!

 

Only in Oz is right. Which I still find amazing as Olivia has practically become the music mascot of Australia for the rest of the world.

 

The DVD was lovely. The CD was comprised of ten tracks only. Ten tracks! And a few of those were the medley versions - very short. Of course, it was all saved by the bossa nova version of "Physical"... OK, Bobby, you may kick me.

 

Here is the last single from the album "2"

2002
1. Lift Me Up (duet w/ Darren Hayes)
2. I Love You Crazy (duet w/ Human Nature)
CD Single Promo (Australian release only)

 

I don't know where to start with this album, probably my least favorite album ever put out by her....some of these songs sound like they should have been kept in her own personal library. There are only 3 that I uploaded into my iTunes library from the CD I bought. Lift Me Up, I Love You Crazy and Act of Faith. The last being my favorite off the album. I remember once I got the CD home and played it, what a let down, all the songs are forgettable. I know it's sounds harsh but was she trying to alienate her fans on purpose?

I think she got to a point in her career where she didn't need to be back on the charts but seriously the writing on this CD is not good in my opinion and when I got to the rodeo song, I'm Counting On You...well that just put me over the edge. I don't think I've played this CD through since I bought it.

 

All these Olivia albums onward blur for me. They all sucked and I just don't play them. I bought them for the collection. The only thing I liked at this point onward non-concert wise was Hotel Sessions and the two remixes that were a bonus CD included with a re-release of Grace and Gratitude.

 

I did order Hotel Sessions from her site. They sounded promising, fingers crossed.

 

I like some of the songs on (2), and the two songs on this single are among the songs I like. "Love You Crazy" is my favorite song from the album, actually. I don't dislike the album as much as everyone else seems to, but I don't really care for about half the songs on it. "Tenterfield Saddler" is one of the worst, and I can't imagine what possessed anyone to release it as a promo single.

While I'm not a fan of most of Olivia's post-2000 catalog, there are still songs I like on most of her albums of this period. She's released more albums over the last 15 years than most people realize. The problem is that it's almost all forgettable stuff...

 

I don't think she's had any desire to get back on the charts or make a top ten album in the last 15 yrs. This is sad because she still has her voice and it could have been possible with the right songs and writers. This is why most of the public has said is she still recording music?

 

Olivia and Hall & Oates have the capacity to make another killer album with the right team. Neither are strapped for cash. They could easily fund a really decent project themselves and get some good PR team to work it. Neither probably want to though. Much like Diana Ross could do the same.

Annoys me that Streisand is still capable of doing it but IMO, much better acts can't be arsed.

 

Olivia's next studio album is titled, Indigo, Women of Song which is a covers album produced by the late Phil Ramone. It appears there were 2 promo singles issued. I got mine from the Only Olivia club (they got them from her live concerts back in 2004 and mailed them to club members) which consisted of 3 tracks below. It was very cheaply put together, it's basically a sticker of her photo and a blurry one at that then they put it on a square piece of cardboard (my sticker was put on slightly crooked, argh!!) and was in a standard jewel case but no back cover. When I first got it, I said really she deserves so much better, why this cheap looking single. I still don't understand it but at least I got it.

I didn't realize a promo CD single was also issued in Australia with different tracks than the US.

2004
Prelude To Indigo
U.S. CD Single Promo (Limited Edition)
1. How Insensitive
2. Anyone Who Had A Heart
3. Cry Me A River

 

I can't really comment on the Australian release, if someone has it please post your comments on how it looks in person.

2004
Indigo Women Of Song
Australian Limited Edition CD Promo Sampler

1. Rainy Days And Mondays
2. Anyone Who Had A Heart
3. Loving You

 

Olivia deserves better? More like the fans deserve better. Shame.

 

The songs from Indigo are pleasant. Unfortunately, that's about all I can say about them. It's a decent album, and none of the songs are bad. They're just sort of blah. The material isn't very interesting, and the arrangements aren't very interesting. Olivia sings the songs extremely well, but she doesn't really make the songs her own -- almost as if any vocalist could have stepped in and recorded these songs.

It does make one wonder if this material could have been made to sound more "Olivia" if John Farrar had been the producer. Hearing these songs really emphasizes what a team they were, and how much Olivia doesn't sound like "Olivia" without him.

 

It reminds me of Diana Ross I Love You covers project, a good idea poorly executed. Sadly I Love You is Diana's last release ten years ago! There weren't even any singles from it.

 

The fans do deserve better, I just can't get over how cheap this CD single was put together, it's like they did it in a garage or something. I think the single also reflects on the artist, I can't see how Phil Ramone could have approved of this packaging, I mean all that hard work in the studio and money involved and this is how the single is presented? It just seems off to me.

It was nice that she included a Carpenters song, it starts off a bit shaky but I feel she does a better job further into the song. I do like her vocals on Insensitive. There's just no spark on the album.

 

I feel so bad that most of these last reviews have been negative from me. I just wished she had better material and a producer she could stick with that knew her voice like John F. I'd admit that Indigo was a better than "2" but is that really saying much? It would have been more interesting if she ditched Indigo and instead recorded Karen's solo album material and commented on Karen's choice of songs in the booklet, heck Phil was already there. Olivia covers Karen Carpenter. I want to hear Olivia sing, Making Love In The Afternoon.

 

I was thinking about her later work today. It makes me appreciate the TH to SK run as I reckon she was forced to make herself more marketable and edgy. Without that push the 80s could have been filled with Indigos.

 

I agree....these latest albums are making Soul Kiss sound pretty darn good!! It makes you wonder how much of her career in "taking risks" were really her doing? Soul Kiss, Totally Hot, concerned about how Physical would go over being banned from radio stations, her doubting she'd fit into the Grease role, etc...was she being pushed by people around her like JF suggesting to take more risks or others in her team. Back With A Heart, "2" and Indigo are just ok, nothing risk taking and "2" gets below ok for me.

 

Olivia's next album would be released in Hallmark stores and with that purchase a portion would be donated to the Susan Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. I bought mine from a Hallmark store and got the flyer promo they were issuing on the counter. I believe it was later sold in other retail outlets. I don't own this promo single and after hearing the CD I wouldn't buy it anyway because it's the only song I don't like off the CD.

2005
Phenomenal Woman (Radio Edit)
Phenomenal Woman (Album Version)
CD Single Promo

 

Here is my promo flyer I got from Hallmark when I bought this CD.

 

Since there's no reason for me to talk about the single since I don't like it....I'll just mention that I really these tracks Stronger Than Before, Under My Skin, Pass It On and Serenity. Yeah we get a John Farrar song, well sorta of....I do really like this re-make of her hit song Don't Stop Believin', it still doesn't top the original but this was a much better remake than I Honestly Love You.

 

Stronger Than Before is my favorite of Olivia's post-2000 albums, but it's not really a great album. "Phenomenal Woman" is an awful song, and a horrible choice as a way to promote the album.

I suppose the assortment of other singers on "Phenomenal Woman" (including Patti LaBelle, Delta Goodrem and Beth Nielsen Chapman) made it an appealing choice for a single, but the song is too weak to have generated any interest in the album. As this album was designed to raise money for charity and was only sold in Hallmark stores, you'd think they would have wanted to generate as much interest as possible. This single definitely didn't do that. As it was, I think I only knew about it because I kept up with Olivia news on the Internet.

 

I didn't even know Don't Stop Believin' was even on this until you guys talked about it in another thread. Yep. I gave up listening to her albums at this point. Still bought them but felt no interest to play them. Still don't.