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The Big O (1970)

Where the lyrics of The Big O take you, and where it was really made.

Orbison's band recorded this album in a Yorkshire variety club that had been turned into a studio, and MGM declined to release it in North America.

Key places

Batley Variety Club recording session (1970)

Recording site Batley Variety Club — Orbison and the Art Movement turned this West Yorkshire club into a recording studio using a mobile studio truck, so the album was recorded in a live-sounding way. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Nashville orchestra overdub (1970)

Recording site Nashville — The orchestra parts were overdubbed in Nashville over the stereo two-track mix, so the city is a recording location for the album. The source gives only the city, not a specific studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• The Big O: 14th studio album by Roy Orbison
• Per the authorised Orbison biography, his second album for London Records in the UK
• Music and backing vocals by English group the Art Movement on all tracks except "Penny Arcade"
• "Penny Arcade" was a studio recording, released as a single in 1969
• Released in Europe in early 1970
• MGM chose not to release the album in North America
• London-Decca released it elsewhere in early 1970

Background

• May 1969: Orbison planned a live album during his UK tour
• The planned title was Roy Orbison Live in England
• MGM Records was unhappy with the plan, so Orbison had to compromise
• Orbison signed with MGM in 1965, hoping for a film career like Elvis Presley's
• Orbison's nickname was "The Big O"

Recording

• Orbison and the Art Movement turned the Batley Variety Club in West Yorkshire into a recording studio
• A mobile studio truck carrying all the gear was used, with cords run into the recording area
• The method gave a polished studio sound in the most live-sounding way possible
• The orchestra was overdubbed in Nashville over the stereo two-track mix
• All tracks produced by Ron Randall, except "Penny Arcade" (produced by Wesley Rose)
• Arrangements by Jim Hall
• Personnel: Orbison on guitar and vocals; Art Movement members Billy Dean, Roger Bryan, Keith Headley, Terry Widlake, Bob Munday and John Switters

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org · ko.wikipedia.org · pt.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

• AllMusic's Bruce Eder described the album as studio recordings of oldies such as "Help Me Rhonda", "Money" and "Land of 1,000 Dances", which were part of Orbison's concert set
• Eder said these oldies are broken up by originals such as "Down the Line", which he called highly charged and exciting

Records

• "Penny Arcade" released as a single in 1969, peaking at No. 27 in the UK
• "Penny Arcade" was Orbison's last UK chart success during his lifetime
• "Penny Arcade" reached No. 1 in Australia for four weeks in September 1969, his biggest hit there
• "Break My Mind", the second single, reached No. 26 in Australia in January 1970
• "Break My Mind" was Orbison's last Australian chart success during his lifetime
• The Spanish-language Wikipedia entry describes "Penny Arcade" as the last big hit of Orbison's lifetime

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album was first released on CD by Edsel Records in 2004, paired with Roy Orbison's 1969 album Roy Orbison's Many Moods on one disc
• Tracks 1 through 11 on that disc are Many Moods; tracks 12 through 23 are The Big O
• The album is part of the box set The MGM Years 1965-1973, released on December 4, 2015
• That box set contains 12 of Orbison's MGM studio albums and one compilation
• Discography lists The Big O right after Hank Williams the Roy Orbison Way (1970)

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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