Monday 6 June 2016

The Wonderful World Of – ANDY WILLIAMS***

Canadian Sunset/Sing A Rainbow/Dream/This Is All I Ask/Wives & Lovers/First Born/A Fool Never Learns/ Noelle/Pennies From Heaven/September Song/Let It Be Me/Softly As I Leave You

Andy Williams achieved the top selling album of 1963 with Days Of Wine & Roses boosted by his TV show. His follow up The Wonderful World Of Andy Williams was not quite so successful. Includes the US top twenty single A Fool Never Learns. His then wife Claudine Longet duets on Let It Be Me. (US:9)

"Produced at the beginning of his career, it shows Andy at the peak of his singing ability. His vocal range is astonishing, his capacity to hold a note unlike any other singer."

"Sometimes the notion of an 'early' album suggests lesser quality recordings or something else a little dodgy. Have no fear in this case, however, for the studio had found the way to bring out the full qualities of his warm, lustrous singing."

"Wonderful World was all over the lot, with Williams sometimes being subsumed under a vocal chorus and with the arrangements sometimes being alarmingly up-tempo."

"Each track proves his capability to handle any song expertly. His version of Softly As I Leave You stands out, but each track demonstrates his mastery of lyric and range. It makes you wonder why there isn't anyone today who can carry on this tradition of vocal expertise."

"The Wonderful World Of Andy Williams featured a couple of songs associated with movies and some uptempo numbers, but it was really neither here nor there as a collection."

"Pennies From Heaven has Williams buried in a chorus and an abrupt shift from slow ballad to driving rock & roll, complete with screaming electric guitar halfway through. That, of course, was uncharacteristic for the usually smooth-sailing Williams, but you could easily imagine it making for an amusing production number on his television show."

No comments:

Post a Comment