Eddy Arnold

Eddy Arnold – Walkin’ In Love Land (1968/2018) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · January 3, 2023 · Comments off

Walkin’ in Love Land has an aura of nostalgia because of the number of older pop songs, like the Everly Brothers’ “All I Have to Do Is Dream” and Glen Campbell’s “Turn Around, Look at Me” (which was on the charts again in 1968 thanks to the Vogues). The wistful “Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye” was deservedly a number one hit for Eddy Arnold, even if Johnny Tillotson’s 1963 recording was better. The Platters’ “I’ll Never Smile Again” is a surprising selection that is well-suited to Arnold’s style, and the title track sounds like a missed opportunity for a single. On the downside, the cloying “Apples, Raisins and Roses” and most of side two are bland pop ballads of the sort that dominate Arnold’s late-’60s LPs. About half of Walkin’ in Love Land ranges in quality from above-average to very good, which is enough to place the album among the best of Eddy Arnold’s late RCA albums.

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Eddy Arnold – The Last Word in Lonesome (1966/2016) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · January 3, 2023 · Comments off

Eddy Arnold drifted steadily toward the pop mainstream throughout the late ’50s and ’60s until, with The Last Word in Lonesome, he arrived at his destination. “Country-pop” and “Nashville sound” do not describe the music here – it is pure MOR pop vocal material of the sort in which John Gary and Al Martino dealt. The cover photo of Arnold in an elegant black velvet jacket and white silk scarf tells the story before the needle even touches the vinyl. The songwriters, from Bob Montgomery and Dottie West to Cindy Walker and Hank Cochran, hail from the field of country music, but Arnold’s smooth crooning and Bill Walker’s easy listening string arrangements are bound for the supper club. “Why” is particularly lovely, and “Misty Blue” became a big hit for Arnold in 1967 (and again for Billy Jo Spears in 1976). Arnold’s recording of the title track, one of Roger Miller’s most affecting compositions, almost reached number one and crossed over to the pop Top 40. If country music was moving uptown in the ’60s, The Last Word in Lonesome saw it comfortably ensconced in a Manhattan penthouse, sipping champagne and bragging about its golf scores.

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Eddy Arnold – The Glory of Love (1969/2019) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · January 3, 2023 · Comments off

Eddy Arnold’s The Glory of Love is one of a few of his late RCA albums on which every song sounds like either Glen Campbell or Bobby Goldsboro. “Heaven Below” is melodically similar to Campbell’s “Witchita Lineman,” and “Then She’s a Lover” (a hit for Roy Clark) is a slice-of-life song like Goldsboro’s “The Straight Life,” or “Honey” without the morbid ending. Veteran arranger Bill Walker’s contributions are in keeping with the times and are most interesting on the hit “But for Love” with its echoey guitar leads. “Please Don’t Go” was Arnold’s last Top Ten hit for over a decade, and in the context of the album doesn’t particularly stand out. Arnold was entering a commercial as well as creative dry spell at this point, and his best cuts are better-heard on collections. ~ Greg Adams

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Eddy Arnold – The Easy Way (1965/2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · January 3, 2023 · Comments off

Despite the title, which implies that this is going to be another one of Eddy Arnold’s many MOR pop albums, The Easy Way is actually one of the most invigorating and enjoyable of his mid-’60s LPs. “Bad News” is a funny, boastful tune that had been a minor hit for its writer, John D. Loudermilk. “Tell ‘Em Where You Got Your Blues” and “Baby I’ve Got It” are blues-based with some ace guitar, probably played by producer Chet Atkins. “What-Cha Gonna Do” is the kind of up-tempo country song that became a rarity on Arnold’s later albums, and the melody of “Understand Your Man” is very close to Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.” Most of the other tracks take a laid-back approach and are more in alignment with the expectations of the mainstream listeners who made giant hits out of songs like “Make the World Go Away” and “What’s He Doing in My World” around this time. Bill Walker’s arrangements seem to favor the electric guitar a little more than usual, which lends a slight edge that is often lacking on Arnold’s pop ballads.

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Eddy Arnold – Songs of the Young World (1969/2019) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · January 3, 2023 · Comments off

Eddy Arnold’s evolution from a hillbilly singer to a middle-of-the-road pop balladeer was gradual enough that he continued to be identified with country music even when his albums contained not a whit of country. His late-’60s singles often appeared simultaneously on the pop, country, and adult contemporary charts, and his repertoire came to include some surprisingly modern pop songs. His 1969 album Songs of the Young World contains his Top Ten hit “They Don’t Make Love Like They Used To” and inevitable versions of the country-pop hits “Witchita Lineman” and “Little Green Apples.” “Tender Is Her Name,” with its flutes and lazy soul vibe, shows what a short distance Arnold would have had to travel at this stage to turn into a deep-voiced Bobby Goldsboro. In 1973 RCA’s Camden imprint reissued Songs of the Young World under the title I Love How You Love Me. ~ Greg Adams

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Eddy Arnold – Somebody Like Me (1966/2016) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · January 3, 2023 · Comments off

It is telling that Somebody Like Me, one of the blandest middle-of-the-road pop records Eddy Arnold made in the ’60s, was also one of his most commercially successful. Its strong sales performance explains why the so-called Tennessee Plowboy came to make such an abundance of easy listening records: a lot of people were buying them. There are several good songs, but the sweet, languid arrangements lack the moodiness and atmospherics of his best easy listening records. The limp interpretation of Bill Anderson’s “The Tips of My Fingers” was a number three hit, and “Somebody Like Me” spent a month at number one. The appearance of “Lay Some Happiness on Me” a year before either Dean Martin or Bobby Wright had a hit with it is notable, but chart status notwithstanding, Somebody Like Me is not one of Arnold’s strongest albums.

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Eddy Arnold – Romantic World of Eddy Arnold (1968/2018) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · January 3, 2023 · Comments off

Eddy Arnold moved hillbilly music to the city, creating a sleek sound that relied on his smooth voice and occasionally lush orchestrations. In the process, he became the most popular country performer of the 20th century, spending more weeks at the top of the charts than any other artist. Arnold not only had 28 number one singles, he had more charting singles than any other artist. More than any other country performer of the postwar era, he was responsible for bringing the music to the masses, to people who wouldn’t normally listen to country music. Arnold was initially influenced by cowboy singers like Gene Autry, but as his career progressed, he shaped his phrasing in the style of Pete Cassell. Nevertheless, he was more of a crooner than a hillbilly singer, which is a large reason why he was embraced by the entertainment industry at large, and frequently crossed over to the pop charts. Arnold’s career ran strong into the ’90s. Although his records didn’t dominate the charts like they did during the ’40s and ’50s, he continued to fill concert halls and reissues of his older recordings sold well.

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Eddy Arnold – Loving Her Was Easier (1971/2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · January 3, 2023 · Comments off

Richard Edward Arnold (May 15, 1918 – May 8, 2008) was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a Nashville sound (country/popular music) innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the Billboard country music charts, second only to George Jones. He sold more than 85 million records. A member of the Grand Ole Opry (beginning 1943) and the Country Music Hall of Fame (beginning 1966), Arnold ranked 22nd on Country Music Television’s 2003 list of “The 40 Greatest Men of Country Music.”

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Eddy Arnold – I Want to Go with You (1966/2016) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · January 3, 2023 · Comments off

“I Want to Go With You” spent six weeks at the top of the country chart and crossed over to the pop Top 40, becoming one of the biggest hits of the year and one of Eddy Arnold’s biggest hits in the ’60s. The song is a pure pop ballad with a luxuriant vocal chorus that sounds more like something Vic Damone would have recorded in the ’50s than the product of a country artist, and that may be why Arnold’s huge easy listening hits from the ’60s are not as highly regarded today as his earlier country recordings: In the ’60s, he had a huge following among older, traditional pop lovers who have since sailed to glory on the ebb tide. Easy listening vocal music is a hard sell to most younger listeners and, consequently, Arnold’s ultra-smoothie phase faces an ever-shrinking pool of potential listeners. The handful who remember Arnold from his heyday and appreciate the font of old-fashioned pop music he became will enjoy most of the album I Want to Go With You because it is molded in the image of its big hit single. A couple of mildly countrified cuts are slipped in toward the end to placate the country crowd, but the album is mainly a string-laden extravaganza of pop vocal music (even though many of the songs were written by Nashville songwriters) ably sung and arranged for maximum crossover appeal.

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Eddy Arnold – Sings for Housewives and Other Lovers (1972/2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · December 31, 2022 · Comments off

Eddy Arnold - Sings for Housewives and Other Lovers (1972/2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz] Download

Eddy Arnold – Lonely People (1972/2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · December 31, 2022 · Comments off

Eddy Arnold - Lonely People (1972/2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz] Download

Eddy Arnold moved hillbilly music to the city, creating a sleek sound that relied on his smooth voice and occasionally lush orchestrations. In the process, he became the most popular country performer of the 20th century, spending more weeks at the top of the charts than any other artist. Arnold not only had 28 number one singles, he had more charting singles than any other artist. More than any other country performer of the postwar era, he was responsible for bringing the music to the masses, to people who wouldn’t normally listen to country music. Arnold was initially influenced by cowboy singers like Gene Autry, but as his career progressed, he shaped his phrasing in the style of Pete Cassell. Nevertheless, he was more of a crooner than a hillbilly singer, which is a large reason why he was embraced by the entertainment industry at large and frequently crossed over to the pop charts. Arnold’s career ran strong into the ’90s. Although his records didn’t dominate the charts like they did during the ’40s and ’50s, he continued to fill concert halls, and reissues of his older recordings sold well.
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