Elvis Presley has had two huge albums with rearranged versions of his original recordings with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, If I Can Dream (2015) and The Wonder of You (2016). Both albums were chart toppers in Britain but fared far worse in the U.S.
On November 3, the music of Roy Orbison will receive a similar treatment with A Love So Beautiful: Roy Orbison With the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on Sony’s Legacy Recordings in partnership with Roy’s Boys LLC.
Orbison’s original recordings of fifteen songs are mixed with new orchestral arrangements by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra along with additional backing by Roy’s sons Wesley (guitar), Roy Jr. (guitar) and Alex (drums).
Alex Orbison, President of Roy’s Boys and the youngest of Roy Orbison’s sons, stated, “If ever there were a singer whose body of work benefits from a collaboration with the Royal Philharmonic it would be Roy Orbison. During the course of his career and after his passing it was constantly noted that his transcendent vocal ability made him something of an anomaly in the world of pop and rock and that, in another life, he would have taken the classical music/opera world by storm. Soon, we’ll all be able to experience that ‘life’ with the release of this project. It’s more than an album release, it’s the fulfillment of a prophecy in a very tangible way.”
A Love So Beautiful was produced by Don Reedman and Nick Patrick, who were also at the helm for the Elvis albums with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The orchestral component was recorded at Abbey Road Studios, Studio 2, in London (every Beatles album from 1964 on), while Roy’s sons recorded their parts in Nashville at Black River Studios that was previously owned by their father.
The track list:
In Dreams
Crying
I’m Hurtin’
Oh, Pretty Woman
It’s Over
Dream Baby
Blue Angel
Love Hurts
Uptown
Mean Woman Blues
Only the Lonely
Running Scared
I Drove All Night
You Got It
A Love So Beautiful
