With his pale skin, thick glasses and stiff performance, Roy Orbison was an unlikely rock 'n' roll star. His first hit, Ooby Dooby, saw Sun boss Sam Phillips as a fluke and in 1959 he canceled the contract with 'The Big O'. Orbison took musical revenge with Monument Records. The shy singer found two like-minded minds in label boss Fred Foster and songwriter Joe Melson. The three of them determined
… Orbison's new sound. Contrary to much rock and roll, the Orbison Sound did not focus on the drums, but on his slightly tormented voice. The composition of the songs was also different. Many of Orbison's songs were ingeniously put together, something Orbison knows from the fact that he learned to play himself as an autodidact. This compilation album brings together all of the singles Orbison released between 1960 and 1964. All his well-known songs, such as Only The Lonely, Crying, In Dreams and Oh, Pretty Woman, are on it. (PdK)more
