Customer Reviews

Clearly Love

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I listened to this recording back in the mid seventies when it was originally released and like it as much or more today. Compared to alot of the current popular music, it is nice to listen to someone who has some talent and sends a positive message. As far as the cover art goes, the CD I obtained (import by Festival records) has all the same artwork that the LP sleeve had including the words. Perhaps the US release was missing this part...

Olivia churned out album after album through out the 70's, but Clearly love stands out with its simple catchy melodies and Olivia's pure voice. The songs on this album are great to sing along to and, while they all represent her 70's style, they do so by covering a wide range of genres, such as the jazzy, blues-like Something Better to Do, the optimistic anthem Let it Shine, the poppy Slow Down Jackson, and the emotional cover of He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother. By far, the most moving performance on the album is the somber Just a Lot of Folk--this song displays her ability to filter emotions into lyrics. How many singers can take lyrics that include the word "marshmallow" and still move the listener to tears? On that note, however, I could have done without the cover of Summertime Blues. That being said...this album is CLEARLY one of her best---put it in on a rainy day and simply "Let it Shine."

First, I loved this album growing up, and for whatever reason, this was my favorite all time Olivia album cover. However, the packaging was a great disappointment not only for this CD, but all the Olivia Remastered CDs. Sure it comes with a booklet of lyrics and pictures from the original albums, but EVERY photo is so grainy that it looks absolutely amatueristic. This includes the front and back covers and the photos inside the booklet. I would have sworn they were booklet copies if I hadn't purchased them from Amazon directly.

having fallen in love with ONJ's music in the 70's i was thrilled to find out someone had finally started remaking the old albums in cd. this was was the first album i ever bought and it is still as good as i remembered it to be.

Like other albums from Olivia around that time, Clearly love is full of top quality pop country music, although not everybody thought that back then. Perhaps to convince people that she really was a country girl, the pictures in the booklet show Olivia in a rural setting, usually in the company of a horse or a dog.

The set opens with the wistful Something better to do, which sets the standard for what follows. There are several other great ballads, including Lovers (a Mickey Newbury song) and Slow down Jackson. Let it shine, a bright, upbeat song, was the main single. There are also excellent covers of He ain't heavy he's my brother (Hollies), Summertime blues (Eddie Cochran) and He's my rock (I don't know the original artist, but it was later recorded by George Jones as She's my rock).

While this album does not contain any of Olivia's really big hits, it is a really lovely album that all fans of Olivia's early music will treasure.

I owned several of Olivia Newton-John's albums in the 70s, and this 1975 release was the first of those. It lacks a mega-hit of the caliber she had most recently enjoyed, and yet the recording taken as a whole is a real gem that holds up even 35 years later. John Farrar was a genius at writing and arranging for Olivia's voice, and she's never sounded better than on the radiant "Sail Into Tomorrow" and the short but glorious title track, both of which show her to be a singer of substantial ability and not just a garden-variety pretty voice. A surprisingly effective cover of "He Ain't Heavy," the gentle, folksy "Marshmallow Song" and the lovely, jazz-tinged "Slow Down, Jackson" are among the other winners. Aside from the unfortunate choice of "Summertime Blues," which probably was added because the A&R guys thought there were too many ballads on the record, Olivia shines on every track. It's also worth noting that the CD booklet contains all the album's original (and exceptionally beautiful) photos of Olivia as well as all the song lyrics. Recommended listening for Olivia fans who may not own this hard-to-find release, as well as for fans of gentle, melodic, soft country/rock/folk/pop.

I had this as an LP when it first came out. I remember looking at the front picture and thinking, "Why did she cut her hair?" But this became one of my favorite records which I now own on CD. I have to say my most favorite song on this album is "Sail Into Tomorrow." I never get tired of listening to it. It's a beautiful combination of Olivia's voice and great lyrics. I also love "Something Better To Do." It's a happy upbeat song that I can't help but sing along with. Overall this is a great CD that is a fine example of Olivia's ability to sing like an angel.

I'll get straight to the point and tell you why I love this album so much. Livvy's pure, untainted, heavenly and at times "raw" voice. This girl can really sing. Songs like Sail Into Tomorrow (what a lovely melody - John Farrar writes the prettiest tunes and is, in my opinion, one of our most underrated guitar players...ever), Clearly Love (I love the part when she goes - "I just don't know...'who'am I when you are you" - gives me goosebumps) and they said she was just another pretty face! Crying, Laughing, Lying, Loving (love the subtle layering of this arrangement with the different instruments talking to each other - just brilliant), Slow Down Jackson (love the jazzy feeling of this song, John, again, plays a really lovely guitar solo at the end and also the beautiful lyric - "love must have left you at my door" - I am assuming Jackson was knocking on Olivia's door with his paws!), Lovers (Olivia shines again in this song and they could've cleaned up her vocals when there were some emotional moments when you could actually 'hear' Olivia swallowing her saliva. But I am glad that they (the producer/producers) did not try to alter that. It showcased Olivia's vulnerability when she recorded that song. Another brilliant move.) Oh, gosh, I could go on and on and on how wonderful I think Olivia is. She just has a way of singing into your heart like no other. And she is...timeless.

I have always liked Olivia Newton-John's music...but I used to think "If only someone who could really sing sang these songs...really belted it out...then they would be amazing" because I never appreciated the gentleness in her voice. But after listening to Track #5 "Sail Into Tomorrow", I gladly ate my words. WOW! What a sweet ballad that sends shivers up your spine the way Olivia really hits those high notes! This album is worth the price alone to own this one song that can be whipped out to dismiss any critic of ONJ's singing ability ever in the future! To think, this song was produced in the early 70s- way before "digital enhancement" techniques that vocoder singers voices and make them sound better and clearer. Olivia- you really can sing and I'm sorry for ever doubting you!

The rest of the tracks still stand out on this very pleasant album. "Something Better To Do" is a bit of a schmaltzy song you can imagine "Good Sandy" singing with innocent lyrics about birds singing and being home by 10PM! But John Farrar wrote it so you know it has a decent melody that you can whistle to. "Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying" is probably one of the rare song I can think of that just doesn't have a chorus! It is just a series of four verses...but it is incredibly catchy and has a great play-on-words with an easy-listening, mellow tune. "Let It Shine" is a perky, toe-tapping song that is probably the most "country" sounding song ONJ has ever done and that's not a bad thing! A solid track. "Just a Lot of Folk (The Marshmallow Song)" sounds bizarre when you read the title on paper before you ever hear the song, but it is a very cosy campfire song that ONJ articulates beautifully and puts a lot of emotion into it. The rest of the tracks are decent enough, but buy this album basically to appreciate the stunning "Sail Into Tomorrow"! Now!

Olivia gets lush - the album just sucks you in. I don't think there's any particular high point, play it and you know you've enjoyed it but I cannot pick out any particular hook. Strange but I'm not complaining - original LP had a gateway sleeve, her first, shame the CD does not contain the extra photos.