Pop & Miscellaneous

Gilbert O'Sullivan - Back To Front (1972)

2012-07-02T16:27:50Z

Gilbert O'Sullivan - Back To Front (1972)


01. Intro - 0:20
02. I Hope You'll Stay - 2:24
03. In My Hole - 2:43
04. Clair - 2:58
05. That's Love - 2:59
06. Can I Go With You - 2:42
07. But I'm Not - 2:30
08. I'm In Love With You - 4:20
09. Who Was It? - 2:25
10. What Could Be Nicer - 3:00
11. Out Of The Question - 2:55
12. The Golden Rule - 2:31
13. I'm Leaving - 2:33
14. Outro - 0:24

Personnel:
- Gilbert O'Sullivan (Raymond Edward O'Sullivan) – vocals
- Frank Barber, Johnny Spence - arrangers
- Gordon Mills – producer

A sudden switch in image accompanied Gilbert O'Sullivan's second album, 1972's Back to Front and its simultaneously released separate single "Alone Again (Naturally)." Gone was the mischievous little scamp sporting a jaunty cap and hand-me-down tweeds, in was a slick, hairy-chested lothario and along with this visual makeover came an aural overhaul, with O'Sullivan's sprightly show tune-inspired pop sounding slicker than before. And it's not just that Back to Front is given a gloss that would not have seemed out of place on a televised variety show from 1972, it's that O'Sullivan is taking great care to write sprightly theatrical tunes, songs that take great pride in their clever-clever twists, smiling, crowd-pleasing melodies, and the proudly cheeky sentimentality that drips off of “Clair,” to name the most obvious example here. In many ways, the unabashed showbiz cheer of Back to Front trumps the bedsit introspection of Himself: in his heart Gilbert O’Sullivan is a song-and-dance man possessing a way with a snappy hook or tearjerking melody, qualities that are amply -- and charmingly -- displayed here. [Salvo's 2012 reissue of Back to Front is remastered, has its fair share of expanded packaging, and adds three bonus tracks: the smash hit single "Alone Again (Naturally)" and its flip side "Save It," and the single "Ooh-Wakka-Doo-Wakka-Day."] --- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

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Gilbert O'Sullivan - Essential Collection (2016)

2018-08-11T13:33:43Z

Gilbert O'Sullivan - Essential Collection (2016)


1-1 	No Way (2016 Radio Version) 	3:18
1-2 	Nothing Rhymed 	3:24
1-3 	Clair 	3:00
1-4 	What's In A Kiss 	2:36
1-5 	I Guess I'll Always Love You (2016 Radio Version) 	3:38
1-6 	You Are You 	3:19
1-7 	Ooh-Wakka-Doo-Wakka-Day 	2:47
1-8 	Get Down 	2:40
1-9 	The Golden Rule 	2:34
1-10 	Out Of The Question 	2:58
1-11 	No Matter How I Try 	3:01
1-12 	Happiness Is Me And You 	3:08
1-13 	Why, Oh Why, Oh Why 	3:51
1-14 	Houdini Said 	5:23
1-15 	Can't Think Straight (Duet With Peggy Lee) 	4:02
1-16 	Lost A Friend 	3:04
1-17 	Dear Dream 	3:15
1-18 	Doing What I Know 	4:42
1-19 	Thunder And Lightning 	2:59
1-20 	You Got Me Going 	2:40
1-21 	Made In Love (2015 Radio Version) 	3:06
1-22 	Matrimony 	3:14

2-1 	Alone Again (Naturally) 	3:40
2-2 	We Will 	3:56
2-3 	The Niceness Of It All 	5:53
2-4 	Ooh Baby 	3:44
2-5 	So What 	4:18
2-6 	Answers On A Postcard (Please) 	3:34
2-7 	Young At Heart (We'll Always Remain) 	4:59
2-8 	I Wish I Could Cry 	3:34
2-9 	Miss My Love Today 	3:50
2-10 	All They Wanted To Say 	4:05
2-11 	Can't Get Enough Of You 	3:34
2-12 	Where Would We Be (Without Tea) 	3:13
2-13 	Stick In The Mud 	3:34
2-14 	I Don't Love You (But I Think I Like You) 	3:11
2-15 	Missing You Already 	3:59
2-16 	Because Of You 	2:26
2-17 	At The Very Mention Of Your Name 	4:46
2-18 	Bear With Me 	3:23
2-19 	A Friend Of Mine 	3:22
2-20 	Mr Moody's Garden 	3:01
2-21 	End-vironmental Piece 	1:23

Singer/songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan successfully combined a flair for Beatlesque popcraft with an old-fashioned music hall sensibility to emerge as one of the most distinctive and popular new performers of the early 1970s. Born Raymond O'Sullivan in Waterford, Ireland on December 1, 1946, he went on to attend art school in Swindon, England, writing songs throughout his formative years and sending out demo tapes to little avail. After graduating he went to work in a London department store; one of his co-workers there was under contract with CBS, and soon O'Sullivan was signed to the label as well. Early singles like "What Can I Do?" and "Mr. Moody's Garden" were released to little attention, however, and so O'Sullivan sent his demo to impresario Gordon Mills, whose MAM label was home to superstars like Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck; the gambit worked, and his first single for MAM, "Nothing Rhymed," became a Top Ten U.K. hit in late 1970.

The wit and craft of O'Sullivan's music aside, much of his early success was predicated on his unusual image -- at the peak of the hippie movement, he resembled nothing so much as a Depression-era street urchin, complete with pudding-bowl haircut, short pants, and flat cap. Subsequent hits including "We Will" and "No Matter How I Try" followed, and in 1971, O'Sullivan issued his debut LP, Himself; a year later, he finally broke through to the American market with the ballad "Alone Again (Naturally)," which topped the U.S. pop charts. Around this time, the singer jettisoned his so-called "Bisto Kid" image in favor of an endless series of collegiate-styled sweaters embossed with the letter "G." In late 1972, O'Sullivan scored his first British number one with "Clair," falling just shy of topping charts on the other side of the Atlantic; the follow-up, "Get Down," reached number one at home as well, as did the LP Back to Front.

As quickly as O'Sullivan ascended to fame, however, his star began to fall. Although singles like "Ooh Baby" and "Happiness Is Me and You" continued to chart, they sold increasingly fewer copies, and after 1973, his overseas popularity essentially ceased altogether. At home, he notched his final Top 20 hit with 1975's "I Don't Love You But I Think I Like You," subsequently leaving MAM after a well-publicized dispute with Gordon Mills; returning to CBS, albums like 1977's Southpaw and 1980's Off Centre failed to find an audience, and outside of the minor hit "What's in a Kiss?" O'Sullivan disappeared from the charts. In 1982, he took Mills to court, ultimately winning back the master tapes to his recordings as well as the copyrights to his songs; in 1991, O'Sullivan was again victorious thanks to a judge's landmark ruling that rapper Biz Markie's unauthorized sample from "Alone Again (Naturally)" was in fact theft.

Regrettably, O'Sullivan's court appearances constituted his highest public profile during this period. After releasing the Graham Gouldman-produced Life & Rhymes in 1982, he did not issue another new LP until Frobisher Drive five years later. In the Key of G followed in 1989, and although none of these records made an impact on the charts they did appeal to the singer's small but fiercely devoted cult audience, much of it now centered in Japan; indeed, O'Sullivan's next three releases (1992's Rare Tracks, The Little Album, and 1993's Live in Japan, respectively) were initially issued only in Asian markets, and he performed live there regularly. O'Sullivan remained a prolific talent throughout the decade to follow, with subsequent LPs including 1993's Sounds of the Loop, 1994's By Larry, 1995's Every Song Has Its Play, and 1997's Singer Sowing Machine. O'Sullivan saw a spike in his popularity around 2004, when the Berry Vest Of Gilbert O'Sullivan reached 20 on the charts, but he otherwise played the cult who liked his 2007 set A Scruff At Heart, 2011's Gilbertville and the all-Latin Latin Ala G! in 2015. ---Jason Ankeny, allmusic.com

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Gilbert O'Sullivan ‎– The Best Of Gilbert O'Sullivan (1991)

2017-01-24T16:32:17Z

Gilbert O'Sullivan ‎– The Best Of Gilbert O'Sullivan (1991)


1 	–Gilbert O'Sullivan 	Nothing Rhymed 	
2 	–Gilbert O'Sullivan 	Underneath The Blanket Go 	
3 	–Gilbert O'Sullivan 	Too Much Attention 	
4 	–Gilbert O'Sullivan 	Matrimony 	
5 	–Gilbert O'Sullivan 	No Matter How I Try 	
6 	–Gilbert O'Sullivan 	Alone Again (Naturally) 	
7 	–Gilbert O'Sullivan 	Ooh-Wakka-Doo-Wakka-Day 	
8 	–Gilbert O'Sullivan 	Clair 	
9 	–Gilbert O'Sullivan 	Out Of The Question 	
10 	–Gilbert O'Sullivan 	Who Was It 	
11 	–Gilbert O'Sullivan 	Get Down 	
12 	–Gilbert O'Sullivan 	At The Very Mention Of Your Name 	
13 	–Gilbert O'Sullivan 	Ooh Baby 	
14 	–Gilbert O'Sullivan 	Why, Oh Why, Oh Why 	
15 	–Gilbert O'Sullivan 	Happiness Is Me And You 	
16 	–Gilbert O'Sullivan 	A Woman's Place 	
17 	–Gilbert O'Sullivan with Peggy Lee 	Can't Think Straight 	
18 	–Gilbert O'Sullivan 	I Don't Love You But I Think I Like You 	
19 	–Gilbert O'Sullivan 	You Got Me Going 	
20 	–Gilbert O'Sullivan 	What's In A Kiss (Original Version)

Gilbert O'Sullivan's lengthy but erratic career is nicely summarized on this well-assembled 20-track retrospective. Best remembered in the U.S. for the coy, McCartney-esque pop of hits like "Alone Again (Naturally)" and "Clair," O'Sullivan was actually a major star in his native Britain, notching a series of smashes which also included "Nothing Rhymed," "Underneath the Blanket Go," and "What's in a Kiss"; although at times his material can be insufferably cute, at its peak the music also possesses an undeniable charm as well as a playfulness that makes even the most saccharine moments tough to actively dislike. ---Jason Ankeny, AllMusic Review

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Gilbert O'Sullivan – Himself (1971)

2012-06-17T18:26:19Z

Gilbert O'Sullivan – Himself (1971)


01. Intro - 0:22
02. January Git - 3:07
03. Bye-Bye - 3:16
04. Permissive Twit - 4:05
05. Matrimony - 3:13
06. Independent Air - 5:01
07. Nothing Rhymed - 3:20
08. Too Much Attention - 2:30
09. Susan Van Heusen - 2:56
10. If I Don't Get You (Back Again) - 2:41
11. Thunder And Lightning - 2:57
12. Houdini Said - 5:20
13. Doing The Best I Can - 2:34
14. Outro - 0:30
Bonuses:
15. Disappear (1967, original demo) - 1:36
16. What Can I Do (1967, original demo) - 1:28
17. Mr. Moody's Garden (B-side "I Wish I Could Cry", 1971) - 2:58
18. Everybody Knows (B-side "Nothing Rhymed", 1970) - 2:16
19. Underneath The Blanket Go (A-side single, 1970) - 3:03
20. We Will (A-side single, 1971) - 3:51
21. I Didn t Know What To Do (B-Side "We Will", 1971) - 1:42
22. No Matter How I Try (A-side single, 1971) - 3:00

Personnel:
- Gilbert O'Sullivan - vocals
- Johnnie Spence - arranger
- Gordon Mills – producer

In 1972, MAM/London saw fit to let the U.S. have its first proper Gilbert O'Sullivan record, a repackaging of his 1971 U.K. debut release, Himself. The repackaging included new cover art (with Gilbert sporting the first of his famous "G" emblazoned varsity sweaters) as well as an altered track listing. "Susan Van Heusen" and "Doing the Best I Can," from the U.K. release, were omitted in favor of "We Will" and his Number One, U.S. smash "Alone Again (Naturally)." In an effort to make sure every American knew exactly what they were getting, the album title was even augmented to read, 'Himself (Featuring Alone Again (Naturally))'. The two songs omitted from the original release are missed, mostly, for their role in the nice flow and careful sequencing of Side Two. "We Will," however, proved to be a welcome addition to the U.S. version. An epic and beautifully arranged ode to the simple, unspoken promises kept between friends and family, the tune showed that Gilbert O'Sullivan could be as good as Ray Davies at painting touching pictures of the ordinary. Also fantastic is Side One's "Permissive Twit," a song about an unplanned pregnancy that, through O'Sullivan's thoughtful treatment, ends up surprisingly warm, witty, and wholesome. "January Git" and "Matrimony" roll out the barrel in true dancehall- tradition, while "Houdini Said" and "Thunder and Lightning" take a stab at good old piano driven rock & roll. Whether it be the U.K. or U.S. version, Gilbert O'Sullivan's debut is essential to any lover of Beatles-tinged Brit-pop, and any fan of the mundane made profound. --- J. Scott McClintock, Rovi

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Gilbert O’Sullivan – I’m A Writer Not A Fighter 1973

2010-10-19T14:07:01Z

Gilbert O’Sullivan – I’m A Writer Not A Fighter (1973)


01. I’m A Writer Not A Fighter              play
02. A Friend Of Mine
03. They’ve Only Themselves To Blame
04. Who Knows Perhaps Maybe
05. Where Peaceful Waters Flow
06. Ooh Baby
07. I Have Never Loved You So Much So I Love You Today
08. Not In A Million Years
09. If You Love Me Like You Love
10. Get Down
11. A Very Extraordinary Sort Of Girl       play

1973 had started with so much promise for Gilbert O'Sullivan. In January, his second album, Back to Front had topped the chart and in March he had his second number one single with the up-tempo, bouncy "Get Down," which referred to a dog that seemed uncontrollable. However, changing his image from the street urchin from the poverty stricken 1930s to an up-to-date college lad, complete with sweaters with the big letter "G" on them, plus the twin-pronged attack on the charts by glam rock, particularly the Sweet and Gary Glitter, and teen idols David Cassidy and Donny Osmond, had changed the musical landscape. Then to launch his third album, I'm a Writer, Not a Fighter, his label MAM released the single "Ooh Baby" which was his first to miss the Top Ten after a long string of successes, hardly surprisingly, as "Ooh Baby" was not a great song, lacking both any sort of melody and lyrical ingenuity. In this context, the third album was released and although peaking at number two in October 1973, it was a disappointment compared to Back to Front; When it finally fell out of the Top Ten in February 1974, O'Sullivan appeared a spent force. The opening title track of I'm a Writer started with a funky guitar in an attempt to sound like a Stevie Wonder song, but O'Sullivan did not have Wonder's voice, and this type of song really didn't suit him. The same problem was on "Who Knows Perhaps Maybe" which could have been a rewrite of his own "Get Down." Much better were the ballads "They've Only Themselves to Blame" and "Where Peaceful Waters Flow," with its gospel style ending. I'm a Writer, Not a Fighter ended with its best song, "Get Down," and O'Sullivan would never again hit these heights. ---Sharon Mawer, AllMusic Review

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