UK, 1973. EMI – EMC 3010 (Vinyl, LP)
Side A
1. Because (Teschemacher — D’Hardelot)
2. Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise (From “The New Moon”) (Romberg — Hammerstein)
3. You Are My Heart’s Delight (From “Land Of Smiles”) (Lehar — Graham)
4. I’ll Walk Beside You (Murray — Lockton)
5. You’re Breaking My Heart (Genaro — Skylar)
6. I’ll See You Again (From “Bitter Sweet”) (Noel Coward)
Side B
1. All The Things You Are (Kern — Hammerstein II)
2. My Heart And I (From “Old Chelsea”) (Tauber — Tysh)
3. Serenade (From “The Student Prince”) (Donnelly — Romberg)
4. Just Say I Love Her (Kalmonoff — Ward — Val — Dale)
5. The Story of a Starry Night (Adapted from Tchaikovsky’s “Pathetique” Symphony) (Hoffman — Curtis — Livingston)
Robert Young with The Mike Sammes Singers and Tony Osborne and His Orchestra. Produced by Norman Newell. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios.
Description
When it was decided to produce this album, “Songs That Live Forever”, a great deal of care was taken in choosing the right singer. It had to be someone with a voice combining power, range, warmth and sincerity.
He also had to be versatile enough to interpret such contrasting all-time favourites as Franz Lehar’s bubbling You Are My Heart’s Delight and Jerome Kern’s standard All The Things You Are. Moreover he had to be a singer of today – capable of introducing this collection of beautiful romantic ballads to a whole new generation too young to remember Mano Lanza, Richard Tauber and Beniamino Gigli.
I can think of no-one better qualified than Robert Young. In a pop-crazy world where the second-rate often triumphs, his is a shining talent built firmly on years of training, hard work and experience. Newcastle-born Robert is only 30 but started in show business when he was 19 in a double act with his brother. He trained for an operatic career for seven years but decided his real talent lay in singing good songs in a popular vein.
I ve known him for several years and I hope he won’t mind me saying he reminds me of Mario Lanza at times in the way he projects passion and excitement in his magnificent voice.
Blend this rare ability with Tony Osborne’s brilliant new arrangements and the polished backing of the Mike Sammes Singers and these love songs of the past take on a new lease of life, making this an album you will enjoy now and many, many more times in the future
Aldo Nicolotti
Album Portrait of Robert Young