Bobby Vinton - Mr. Lonely: Greatest Songs Today

Bobby Vinton's Blue Velvet Astral Plane.

I disagree with the comments Steve Albert from Massachusetts made about Bobby Vinton's new version of Blue Velvet. Bobby did not just phone in this song, far from it! I love what Bobby did with "Blue Velvet". He put some variations in his vocals, added a saxophone solo and used back up singers who sang with a beautiful Black gospel feel. Bobby and the back up singers created waves of sound, color and feeling in this new version of Blue Velvet that sends me flying to the Astral Plane!

I also disagree with the comments he made about Bobby's new versions of "Roses are Red" and "Melody of Love". I prefer the newer versions of these two songs because of the country twang of "Melody" and the soulful Black gospel sound of the back up singers in "Roses". June 5, 2000

Vinton Classics Updated

In the early 90's living very comfortably in semi-retirement, Bobby Vinton found himself hot again because of a song he had recorded as an album filler almost thirty years before. A cold cream maker in Great Britain used Vinton's classic 1963 number one hit "Blue Velvet" as the theme to its television commercial. Sales soared for the cold cream - and demand surged for Vinton and his "new" old song! Before he knew it Bobby Vinton had another number one hit as "Blue Velvet" raced to the top of Great Britain's pop charts. On the American front, Vinton took advantage of the unexpected publicity and recorded an updated version of his 1964 signature tune "Mr. Lonely", this time with new lyrics geared to soldiers in the Gulf War. The song was a number one hit with the military and showed that yes, Bobby could still hit that unreal falsetto high note. Meanwhile Vinton's 1962 breakthrough hit "Roses Are Red" was featured in the movie "Goodfellas" in which Robbie Vinton can be seen in a cameo playing his dad. These three songs headline this collection and make for very interesting listening. The updated "Mr. Lonely" is by far the stand-out with its strong vocal. Unfortunately by its very nature it was dated the minute the Gulf War ended, but is still a great remake. "Roses" and "Velvet" do not have the same feel and Bobby does not seem to have his heart in them here. The remake of "My Melody of Love" is very strange, since the only change seems to be a country flavored twang added over Vinton's original 1974 vocal. Since this is a song that has always yearned to be faster, its a shame the opportunity was missed to really update this track. The balance of the material is repackaged from the largely unsuccessful 1988 Curb country album "Timeless" The strongest cut of the album is the surprising "This Time I Know It's Real" with Vinton reaching for and attaining powerful high notes and dramatic vocals. You'll repeat this track over and over. Overall a good album with a great concept. May 11, 1999

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