In My Solitude / Love Is a Now & Then Thing

 (4 customer reviews)

What a treat to hear young Newley at his most subdued and for the most part understated. One sometimes forgets what a wonderful sound he had, and it was all his own....he imitated no one.

These are all great songs. Ray Ellis is master orchestrator and one of great creativity who has charted for everyone from Billie to Barbra and it's a revelation to hear scoring with a singer like this after all the overblown stuff today. Newley tosses these songs off like he is inside them, like he loves them, like he must express them to someone. The "Love is a now and then thing" tracks are in stereo and sound amazing. "In my solitude" was released in 1964 in the states on RCA and in stereo. My major complaint with this CD release, (and one that seems to have got the 5-star treatment), is that it is here presented in mono. Albiet, the mono sound really is great too, but I don't understand why the stereo was not put out here.

I have always been a fan of the Sinatra "torch" songs - albums such as "Wee small hours" and "Only the lonely" When I stumbled across this album and saw the song selection, I immediately recognised many of the titles and was interested to hear how Anthony would do these. I wasn't disappointed. All songs are sung well, in tune and with great feeling. The orchestral arrangements are excellent. A great album to be played in the late hours - a wistful, melancoly mood. Sounds like it was mastered from the original session tapes. Lovely stereo. Best tracks: "When your lover has gone" and the perennial weeper "Guess I'll hang my tears out to dry"

These albums were recorded shortly after Newley's initial success in "Stop The World -- I Want To Get Off!" The selections are a wonderful collection of standards, beautifully orchestrated, with Newley in the first bloom of his remarkable talent (years before his elongated Cockney vowels became rich material for Vegas impersonators). "In My Solitude" was always one of my favorite albums on vinyl, and I am so grateful to have it back on CD. This is a two-for-one offer, so you also get his album "Love Is A Now And Then Thing," which I had never heard of before this release. It's not quite as good as "Solitude," but has some really wonderful tracks. Both albums focus on melancholy yearnings for lost love, which is why I have always saved them for rainy days, or evenings with candles and wine. Anthony Newley was a unique performer who currently seems to be having a well-deserved renaissance.