Maps of Music

Mystery Girl (1988)

Where the lyrics of Mystery Girl take you, and where it was really made.

Roy Orbison finished this album a month before he died, and it came out after his death and reached number 5 on the Billboard 200.

Key places

Recording studio in Los Angeles (1988)

Recording site Rumbo Recorders — The album was recorded at Rumbo Recorders in Los Angeles. Recording was completed in November 1988, a month before Orbison's death. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording studio in England (1988)

Recording site F.P.S.H.O.T. — The album's recording is linked to F.P.S.H.O.T. in the candidate data. The studio's exact location is not confirmed here. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Mystery Girl: 22nd album by American singer Roy Orbison
• Last album he recorded in his lifetime, completed in November 1988
• Orbison died on 6 December 1988 at age 52, a month after the album was completed
• Released posthumously by Virgin Records on 30 January 1989 in the UK, 7 February 1989 in the US
• Includes the hit singles "You Got It" and "She's a Mystery to Me"
• "You Got It" was co-written by Orbison, Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty
• "She's a Mystery to Me" was written by Bono and The Edge
• First album of all-new material since Laminar Flow in 1979

Background

• Orbison's US record sales had fallen for years after his early-1960s international stardom
• From 1986, support from David Lynch and Bruce Springsteen revived his career
• He again became a popular concert draw in the late 1980s
• Recording ran alongside his work in the Traveling Wilburys, a supergroup led by George Harrison and Jeff Lynne
• Elvis Costello contributed "The Comedians" from his 1984 album Goodbye Cruel World
• The album takes its name from the chorus of "She's a Mystery to Me"

Recording

• Recording began in July 1987 at Ocean Way Studios in Hollywood, starting with "(All I Can Do is) Dream You"
• Jeff Lynne, who produced the album, began writing songs with Orbison over Christmas 1987
• "You Got It" was recorded in April 1988 at the garage studio of Mike Campbell, a Heartbreakers member
• Campbell, T Bone Burnett and Orbison's wife Barbara Orbison also served as producers on some tracks
• The Heartbreakers played on much of the album
• Recording for the album was completed in November 1988

Sources: en.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

• Chicago Tribune: David Silverman said the publicity around Orbison's death threatened to reduce the album to novelty status
• Silverman praised "Dream You" and called "The Comedians" the only weak track
• New York Times: Stephen Holden called "The Comedians" the album's outstanding song, a witty parody of "Running Scared"
• Holden said the singing, songwriting and production updated Orbison's sound without diluting his emotional intensity
• Deseret News: described it as a great album that sealed Orbison's comeback
• Deseret News: highlighted "You Got It" as an exceptional single
• Billboard: described the album as a fitting testament to the glory of his voice
• Record Mirror: Andy Strickland said the arrangements were honed tight and the performance matched Orbison's customary excellence

Reappraisal

• May 2014: reissued in a 25th anniversary edition
• The reissue added bonus material such as demos and the new song "The Way Is Love"
• "The Way Is Love" was completed by John Carter Cash and Orbison's sons from a cassette demo recorded around 1986

Records

• UK Albums Chart: number 2, its peak position, dated 11 February 1989
• US Billboard 200: number 5, the highest album placing of Orbison's career in the US
• "You Got It" peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, his first top 20 hit there since 1964
• 8 April 1989: first deceased musician since Elvis Presley with two albums in the US top five, alongside Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 at number 4

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The title comes from the chorus of "She's a Mystery to Me," which Bono and The Edge wrote.
• Bono said he woke up for a soundcheck after a late night listening to the Blue Velvet soundtrack, with the tune in his head, thinking it was another Orbison song.
• Orbison later met U2 backstage at one of their concerts and asked Bono whether he wanted to write a song with or for him.
• Orbison's wife Barbara Orbison took part in the production of some tracks.
• Orbison died two days after performing a show in Highland Heights, Ohio.
• The cassette demo of "The Way Is Love" dates from around 1986, and it was finished only for the 2014 reissue.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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