Maps of Music

Laminar Flow (1979)

Where the lyrics of Laminar Flow take you, and where it was really made.

The album was cut in a small Alabama studio, and it became the last all-new Orbison record released in his lifetime.

Key places

Where Laminar Flow was recorded (1979)

Recording site Muscle Shoals Sound Studios — Laminar Flow was recorded at Wishbone Recording Studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The point marks the city of Muscle Shoals, not the studio building itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Laminar Flow: album by American musician Roy Orbison
• Released May 16, 1979 by Asylum Records
• Recorded at Wishbone Recording Studio, Muscle Shoals, Alabama
• Last album of new material Orbison released in his lifetime
• The next studio album, In Dreams, re-recorded old Orbison hits
• Mystery Girl and King of Hearts, his final all-new collections, were released after his death
• Hound Dog Man is a tribute to Elvis Presley

Background

• First album Orbison made for Asylum, after returning to Monument Records for Regeneration in 1977
• Orbison died in 1988, nine years after this album
• Single Easy Way Out reached number 109 on the Billboard Hot 100

Recording

• Recorded and mixed at Wishbone Recording Studio, Muscle Shoals, Alabama
• Engineers credited: Leslie King, Mary Beth McLemore, Ron Lagerloff, Terry Woodford
• Jim Horn credited on tenor, baritone and flute parts
• Personnel include Mac McAnally and Larry Byrom on acoustic guitar, Clayton Ivey on keyboards, Roger Clark on drums and synthesizer
• Side one has six tracks, side two has five

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com · es.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Roy Kelton Orbison (born April 23, 1936, Vernon, Texas; died December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist.
• He began singing in a country-and-western band as a teenager in Wink, Texas, formed the Wink Westerners in 1949 and later the Teen Kings.
• He was signed to Sun Records by Sam Phillips in 1956.

Career

• Known for a distinctive, powerful voice, complex song structures and dark, emotional ballads.
• Signed to Monument Records; from 1960 to 1966, 22 of his singles reached the Billboard top 40.
• Wrote or co-wrote almost all of his own top-10 hits, including "Only the Lonely", "Running Scared", "Crying" and "Oh, Pretty Woman".
• Suffered personal tragedies after the mid-1960s, including the deaths of his first wife Claudette and two sons, and his career faltered.
• Revived in the late 1980s after cover versions of his songs; co-founded the Traveling Wilburys with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne in 1988.
• Died of a heart attack in December 1988 at age 52.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987; received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Los Angeles Times: called it a collection of easy-listening pop that shows Orbison's voice in glorious form
• Billboard: said it was a departure from his usual sound, but he still handled ballads well, citing 'Love Is a Cold Wind', 'I Care' and 'Poor Baby'
• Cashbox: described a decidedly MOR feel, with the rocker 'Lay It Down' as a notable exception
• The Globe and Mail: called the record a travesty, with disco and fake California rock behind Orbison
• Record Mirror (Lindsay Jones): called the album kind of boring and said it tried for variety without landing it

Reappraisal

• AllMusic (William Ruhlmann): noted trendy disco beats on 'Easy Way Out' and 'Friday Night', funk on 'Lay It Down' and 'Warm Spot Hot', and adult contemporary ballads such as 'Tears'

Records

• Single 'Easy Way Out' reached number 109 on the Billboard Hot 100
• It was the first Orbison song to enter that chart in almost a decade

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The single Easy Way Out reached number 109 on the Billboard Hot 100, the first Orbison song to enter the chart in almost a decade.
• Hound Dog Man is credited to Barbara Orbison, Terry Woodford and Tommy Stuart, and closes the album as a tribute to Elvis Presley.
• Jim Horn is credited on tenor and baritone saxophone, and the album's Recording credits list him for horn and flute.
• The Discogs release notes that the booklet included lyrics and credits in an 8-page format.

Sources: es.wikipedia.org

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