Halfway To Paradise/Don’t Worry/You’re Having The Last Dance With Me/Push Push/Fury’s Tune/Talkin’ In My Sleep/Stick Around/A Thousand Stars/Cross My Heart/Comin’ Up In The World/He Will Break Your Heart/Would You Stand By Me
For his third album Halfway To Paradise Billy Fury moved away from the rock & roll of his debut towards the melodic pop ballads upon which his reputation rests. The magnificent title track was a UK No. 3 hit single and the equally impressive A Thousand Stars reached No. 14. (UK:5)
“This marks the end of Fury's transition from 'wannabe-rocker' into the 'light entertainment' category: the cover of Goffin and King's Halfway To Paradise, sent him to the top of the charts, lost him a squadron of devoted hardcore fans but gained an army of newly evolved softcore ones.”
“If you have nothing against early 1960s soft-rock, Halfway To Paradise is as nice and elegant a ride back into the epoch as anything. There is only one syrupy, orchestrated ballad, floating along at a slow waltz tempo A Thousand Stars; most of the rest is upbeat, catchy pop with occasional echoes of blues and R 'n' B. If only the arrangements relied a little less on keyboards, strings, and girlie harmonies, than on a well played guitar sound, the whole thing could have been a cool, tasteful example of pre-Beatles pop.”
“A Thousand Stars is one of my absolutely favourites by Billy. It's an eternal classic, such a beautiful song that has a lovely rhythm and style. And Billy's voice has never sounded better than here.”
“What a voice this guy had and so much passion in his songs. Billy had a fantastic presence and talent.”
“Historically, it helped make Billy a national star while at the same time forever burying his hopes of artistic growth - but the same could, indeed, be said about Elvis' early 1960s records, and we still enjoy them. Seems like there is more to life than artistic growth, after all.”
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