Solitaire (Andy Williams album)

Solitaire
Studio album by Andy Williams
Released 1973
Recorded 1973
Genre Vocal pop
Traditional pop
Soft rock[1]
Length 37:32
Label Columbia
Producer Richard Perry[2]
Andy Williams chronology
Andy Williams' Greatest Hits Vol. 2
(1973)		 Solitaire
(1973)		 The Way We Were
(1974)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

Solitaire is an album by American pop singer Andy Williams that was released in the fall of 1973 by Columbia Records. It made its first appearance on the Billboard 200 chart in the issue dated November 17, 1973, and remained on the album chart for 6 weeks, peaking at number 185.[3] It entered the UK album chart the following month, on December 22, and stayed there for 26 weeks, during which time it made it all the way to number three.[4] On January 1, 1974, the newly formed British Phonographic Industry awarded the album with Silver certification for sales of 60,000 units in the UK, and Gold certification from the BPI, for sales of 100,000 units, followed on January 1, 1975.[5]

The first single from the album was the title track, which entered Billboard magazine's list of the 40 most popular Easy Listening songs of the week in the U.S. in the issue dated October 6, 1973, and stayed on the chart for nine weeks, peaking at number 23.[6] Although the song did not make the magazine's Hot 100, it did make the top five in the UK, where it entered the singles chart two months later, on December 8, and reached number four during an 18-week stay.[4] Williams's rerecording of another song from the album, "Remember", as a duet with his daughter Noelle resulted in another Easy Listening chart entry as of the January 5, 1974, issue that made it to number 30 over the course of seven weeks.[6] A third song, "Getting over You", entered the UK singles chart four months later, on May 18, and lasted there five weeks, eventually getting to number 35.[4]

Solitaire was released on compact disc for the first time as one of two albums on one CD by Collectables Records on February 19, 2002, the other album being Williams's Columbia release from the fall of 1972, Alone Again (Naturally).[7] Collectables included this CD in a box set entitled Classic Album Collection, Vol. 2, which contains 15 of his studio albums and two compilations and was released on November 29, 2002.[8] Solitaire was paired with the UK version of Alone Again (Naturally) (which was entitled The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face)) as two albums on one CD by Sony Music Distribution in 2003.[9]

Track listing

This is the first Williams album that credits the musicians involved, and they are listed on the back cover of the LP with each track as follows:[2]

Side one

  1. "Solitaire" (Phil Cody, Neil Sedaka) - 4:22
  2. "Make It Easy for Me" (Peter Skellern) - 3:12
  3. "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" (Stevie Wonder) - 3:11
    • Jim Keltner - drums
    • Joe Osborn - bass
    • Jimmy Calvert - electric guitar
    • Vini Poncia - acoustic guitar
    • John Morrell - acoustic guitar
    • Billy Fender - acoustic guitar
    • Tom Hensley - piano and choral arrangement
    • Tom Scott - string, horn and woodwind arrangement
    • Chuck Findley - flugelhorn solo
  4. "Getting over You" (Tony Hazzard) - 3:23
    • Klaus Voormann - bass
    • Jim Keltner - drums
    • Jimmy Calvert - electric guitar
    • Vini Poncia - acoustic guitar
    • Billy Fender - acoustic guitar
    • John Morrell - acoustic guitar
    • Tom Hensley - piano, string and horn arrangement
  5. "Remember" (Harry Nilsson) - 4:03

Side two

  1. "That Is All" (George Harrison) - 4:28
  2. "Walk Right Back" (Sonny Curtis) - 3:10
  3. "Last Tango in Paris" (Gato Barbieri, Dory Previn) - 2:38
    • Hal Blaine - drums
    • Lyle Ritz - bass
    • Mike Lang - electric piano
    • Ben Benay - acoustic guitar
    • Clark Gassman - piano
    • Mike Deasy - electric guitar
    • Gene Cipriano - bass clarinet solo
    • Kirby Johnson - string arrangement
  4. "My Love" (Linda McCartney, Paul McCartney) - 4:00
    • Jim Keltner - drums
    • Joe Osborn - bass
    • Jimmy Calvert - electric guitar
    • Vini Poncia - acoustic guitar
    • John Morrell - acoustic guitar
    • Billy Fender - acoustic guitar
    • Tom Hensley - electric piano, string and woodwind arrangement
  5. "The Dreamer" (Nicky Hopkins) - 5:08
    • Nicky Hopkins - piano
    • Klaus Voormann - bass
    • Jim Keltner - drums
    • Vini Poncia - acoustic guitar
    • John Morrell - acoustic guitar
    • Billy Fender - acoustic guitar
    • Lon Van Eaton - percussion
    • Derek Van Eaton - percussion
    • Tom Hensley - choral arrangement
    • Del Newman - string and horn arrangement

Song information

"Walk Right Back" by The Everly Brothers reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100,[10] and their run on the UK singles chart that paired the song with "Ebony Eyes" included three weeks in the number one position.[11] "Solitaire" first appeared on Neil Sedaka's 1972 UK album of the same name but did not make the charts until the Williams version was released the following year.[12] Stevie Wonder's recording of "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" reached number one pop,[13] number one Easy Listening,[14] number three R&B,[15] and number seven on the UK singles chart.[16] "Last Tango in Paris" entered the Billboard charts as an instrumental recording by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass that reached number 77 pop[17] and number 22 Easy Listening.[18] "My Love" earned Paul McCartney & Wings four weeks in the top spot on the Hot 100,[19] three weeks at number one Easy Listening,[20] a number nine hit on the UK singles chart,[21] and Gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America.[22]

In 1973 Herman's Hermits lead singer Peter Noone released "Getting over You" as a single,[23] and a trio of albums featured recordings of some of the lesser-known songs here: "Remember" was first sung by Johnny Mathis on Me and Mrs. Jones;[24] George Harrison's "That Is All" was included on Living in the Material World;[25] and "The Dreamer" was recorded by its composer/lyricist, Nicky Hopkins, for The Tin Man Was a Dreamer.[26] "Make It Easy for Me" was eventually recorded by its composer/lyricist, Peter Skellern, for his 1975 album Hold On to Love, which also featured the song "My Lonely Room", which Williams later recorded for his 1976 album Andy.[27]

Personnel[2]

Notes

  1. 1 2 "Solitaire - Andy Williams". allmusic.com. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 (1973) "Solitaire" by Andy Williams [album jacket]. New York: Columbia Records KC 32383.
  3. ↑ Whitburn 2010, p. 844.
  4. 1 2 3 "Andy Williams". Official Charts. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  5. ↑ "BPI search results". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  6. 1 2 Whitburn 2007, p. 296.
  7. ↑ "Alone Again (Naturally)/Solitaire - Andy Williams". allmusic.com. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
  8. ↑ "Classic Album Collection, Vol. 2". allmusic.com. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  9. ↑ "Solitaire/Alone Again Naturally". allmusic.com. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
  10. ↑ Whitburn 2009, p. 328.
  11. ↑ "Everly Brothers". Official Charts. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  12. ↑ "Solitaire by Neil Sedaka". rate your music.com. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
  13. ↑ Whitburn 2009, p. 1074.
  14. ↑ Whitburn 2007, p. 301.
  15. ↑ Whitburn 2004, p. 635.
  16. ↑ "Stevie Wonder". Official Charts. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  17. ↑ Whitburn 2009, p. 36.
  18. ↑ Whitburn 2007, p. 8.
  19. ↑ Whitburn 2009, p. 635.
  20. ↑ Whitburn 2007, p. 182.
  21. ↑ "Wings". Official Charts. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  22. ↑ RIAA Gold and Platinum Search for titles by Wings
  23. ↑ "Peter Noone - Discography". NoOne, Inc. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  24. ↑ "Me and Mrs. Jones - Johnny Mathis". allmusic.com. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  25. ↑ "Living in the Material World - George Harrison". allmusic.com. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  26. ↑ "The Tin Man Was a Dreamer - Nicky Hopkins". allmusic.com. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  27. ↑ "Hold On to Love by Peter Skellern". rate your music.com. Retrieved 17 February 2011.

References

  • Whitburn, Joel (2004), Joel Whitburn Presents Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles, 1942-2004, Record Research Inc., ISBN 0-89820-160-8 
  • Whitburn, Joel (2007), Joel Whitburn Presents Billboard Top Adult Songs, 1961-2006, Record Research Inc., ISBN 0-89820-169-1 
  • Whitburn, Joel (2009), Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 1955-2008, Record Research Inc., ISBN 0-89820-180-2 
  • Whitburn, Joel (2010), Joel Whitburn Presents Top Pop Albums, Seventh Edition, Record Research Inc., ISBN 0-89820-183-7 
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