All I Can Do Is Dream You

[michelej1]

[This Orbison review mentions Billy's song]

Atlanta Journal and Constitution (GA), February 19, 1989


Section: ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

ON 'MYSTERY GIRL,' SINGER GOES OUT ON A HIGH NOTE\RECORD REVIEW

Bill King Staff Writer

Mystery Girl. Roy Orbison. Virgin Records.

Predictably, Roy Orbison's death of a heart attack in December boosted sales of the Traveling Wilburys album on which he had participated, along with a home video of his Cinemax special and an album of new versions of his old hits.

No doubt, many will buy "Mystery Girl," the first album of new material by Orbison in a decade, out of nostalgia. Or, for morbid reasons, because it's his last album.

Mr. Orbison, and this album, deserve better.

"Mystery Girl," completed before Mr. Orbison's death, is a finely crafted album of mostly strong material showcasing one of pop music's most remarkable voices at the top of its form.

Yes, that unmistakable silky, soaring voice, with its three-octave range and emotion-packed vibrato, is as thrilling as ever. Full-voiced, he hits notes that other singers wouldn't even attempt in falsetto. And this was a man who knew how to put life into even the most banal lyrics.

But "Mystery Girl" certainly is no trip down memory lane to the '60s, when Mr. Orbison was turning out hits such as "Only the Lonely," "Running Scared," "Cryin' " and "Oh Pretty Woman."

Unlike some of his contemporaries, whose work seems stuck in a 30-year-old time warp -- Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins come to mind -- Mr. Orbison sounds fresh and contemporary on "Mystery Girl." It's hard to imagine a better fit between singer and song than his performance of "She's a Mystery to Me," written for him by Paul "Bono" Hewson and David "The Edge" Evans of the supergroup of the late '80s, U2.

The 10 tunes on "Mystery Girl" explore the traditional Orbison themes of loneliness, dreams, melancholy and desperate passion -- without sounding the least bit dated. There's a variety of production styles, with Jeff Lynne producing three songs, T-Bone Burnett handling two, Bono producing his song and Mr. Orbison co-producing four tunes with Mike Campbell of Tom Petty's band. But Mr. Orbison, who co-wrote half the numbers, seems in control throughout.

The album opens with the excellent first single, "You Got It," a moderately upbeat rocker written by Mr. Orbison and Mr. Lynne (who adds just a touch of his old Electric Light Orchestra sound to the backing vocals) with Mr. Petty, another fellow Wilbury. This represents the "Oh Pretty Woman" side of Mr. Orbison's music.

His specialty, however, always was the big ballad, and there are two on this album that rank with his best. "In the Real World," a song about coming to terms with the fact that dreams usually don't come true, begins with an almost-spoken introduction and then builds dramatically. And the delicate, haunting melody of "A Love So Beautiful," an Orbison-Lynne composition, should help it become a pop standard. The acoustic guitar on the latter is provided by another of the Traveling Wilburys, George Harrison.

"She's a Mystery to Me," with its exotic-sounding chiming guitar and syncopated rhythm, is a bit of a musical departure for Mr. Orbison, but he stamps his trademark all over it, his urgent vocals hitting the stratosphere toward the end.

An offbeat selection that falls just short of being fully realized in Mr. Orbison's hands is Elvis Costello's "The Comedians," a bittersweet song about a guy left stranded at the top of a Ferris wheel by his faithless girlfriend and her new lover, the wheel's operator. The way this one builds on the bridge is reminiscent of "Running Scared," but Mr. Orbison doesn't sound quite cynical enough, unlike what you can imagine Mr. Costello doing with it.

The rest of the album isn't quite up to the standard of those songs, but there aren't any throwaways, either. "(All I Can Do Is) Dream You," contributed by new Fleetwood Mac member Billy Burnette, is a punchy nod to Mr. Orbison's rockabilly roots. "The Only One," co-written by Orbison's oldest son, Wesley, and featuring guitarist Steve Cropper and the Memphis Horns, adds a taste of soul. "Careless Heart" is a solid "lost love" number sung with convincing emotion. And "California Blue" and "Windsurfer" are pleasant if barely memorable country-pop songs that feature some fine singing.

Still, at least five tunes on this album, together with "

Alone Any More," Mr. Orbison's tour de force from the Wilburys album, can stand with the finest work from his heyday. Indeed, any singer, past or present, would be proud to cap his career as admirably as Mr. Orbison.

[michelej1]

Daily News (Los Angeles, CA), February 10, 1989

Section: L.A. LIFE

SOUND CHECK ROCK Roy Orbison's farewell

BRUCE BRITT

MYSTERY GIRL/Roy Orbison

Our rating: 3 stars

''Mystery Girl'' (Virgin Records), the final studio album by Roy Orbison, who died Dec. 6, commences with ''You Got It,'' an easy-rocking pop tune with a chorus discomfortingly similar to the Beatles' ''All You Need Is Love.''

But it isn't until the following tune, ''In the Real World,'' that the listener is reminded of Orbison's show-stopping vocal power. The tune starts with Orbison singing a cappella, and his voice quavers with a pathos few opera singers could match.

Unfortunately, that is one of few transcendent moments on ''Mystery Girl.'' Orbison's first album of new material in 10 years, the disc is a well-intentioned but ultimately unsatisfying rehash of Orbison's past hits.

But when ''Mystery Girl'' scores, it scores big. ''(All I Can Do) Is Dream You'' hits the listener square between the eyes with slamming drums and rockabilly guitars courtesy of Fleetwood Mac's Rick Vito and Billy Burnette.

''She's a Mystery to Me,'' written by U2's Dave ''The Edge'' Evans and Bono, is a delicate ballad highlighted by resilient guitar and Orbison's angelic falsetto. ''The Only One'' layers Memphis-ized horns over Jordanaires-like harmonies.

[michelej1]

South Florida Sun-Sentinel, December 14, 1988

Section: FEATURES LIFESTYLE

`MYSTERY GIRL` JUST MIGHT PUT ORBISON BACK AT TOP OF CHARTS
STEVE MORSE, The Boston Globe

In an odd twist of fate, Roy Orbison only recently finished his first album of new songs in the `80s. Called Mystery Girl, it will be released in early February and feature five songs he wrote, plus others penned by Bono of U2, Elvis Costello and Tom Petty.

``The record was to have been the next phase of Roy`s career. Now it will come out as a tribute. It feels very strange,`` Audrey Strahl, a publicist for Virgin Records, said last Wednesday. Orbison died Dec 6.

The album lives up to its high expectations, based on an advance tape that arrived late last week. The record is filled with yearning, slow-build ballads in the finest Orbison tradition. His voice, shining over gently syncopated acoustic guitars, hasn`t lost a glimmer of its warmth or intimacy.

The best songs are three Orbison originals co-produced by guitarist Mike Campbell of Tom Petty`s band, The Heartbreakers. These include The Only One, where, with the help of Memphis-soul saxophones, Orbison sings the plaint:

``You think you`re the only one who`s all alone -- the only one whose love is all gone.``

Another Campbell track, Careless Heart, is a disarmingly confessional song about blowing a relationship.

The Bono composition, also co-written by U2 guitarist David ``The Edge`` Evans, is the more apocalyptic She`s a Mystery to Me. It contains a beautiful but brooding melody, with Orbison singing in his most dreamy vibrato:

``Darkness falls and she will take me by the hand, take me to some twilight land ... Daylight comes and my heaven turns to hell. Am I left to burn and burn eternally? She`s a mystery to me.``

It`s the most complex song on the album, which belies the fact that Bono first taught Orbison the lyrics by singing them over the telephone from Ireland.

Orbison`s incurably romantic ways also are served beautifully by a rockabilly tune by Billy Burnette, who plays guitar with Fleetwood Mac. Titled (All I Can Do Is) Dream You, it comes alive with a moving slide guitar solo. And the Elvis Costello song, The Comedians, is another beauty. It`s about a sad-sack lover left up on a carnival Ferris wheel by an attendant who runs off with the rider`s girlfriend. It may sound implausible on paper, but not when Orbison`s trembling tenor makes it appear scarily true.

A couple of his originals are marred by overly orchestrated arrangements by Orbison`s Traveling Wilbury bandmate, Jeff Lynne. But the best is California Blue, with a country lilt that resembles Blue Bayou, his 1963 song revived in a hit version by Linda Ronstadt, he sings with vintage Orbison heartbreak:

``I`m just killing time/I feel the rain fall the whole night through/

Far away from you/California Blue.``

This is an album that would have vaulted him back to the top of the charts. There seems no doubt about that.

[Miss Vicky]

Great song, great album, great artist. Orbison possessed the greatest male singing voice ever.

Still, it's unfortunate that we don't have a recording of Billy Burnette doing the song himself. There's a little snippet of it in the film Saturday Night Special, but sadly no full-length audio anywhere to found.

[Street_Dreamer]

I wonder if All I Can Do Is Dream You was supposed to be a B-side to one of the singles from Coming Home much like Can't Get Over You was for Tangled Up In Texas? I really would like to hear the full version someday.

Matt

[wetcamelfood]

Originally Posted by Street_Dreamer

I wonder if All I Can Do Is Dream You was supposed to be a B-side to one of the singles from Coming Home much like Can't Get Over You was for Tangled Up In Texas? I really would like to hear the full version someday.

Matt

Yeah, especially since he performed it himself in Sat Night Special too.

John