Lonely and Blue

This article is about the album by Roy Orbison. For the album by Etta Jones, see Lonely and Blue (Etta Jones album).

Lonely and Blue is the debut studio album by Roy Orbison, released on Monument Records in January 1961.^[2][3] It entered the UK albums chart two years later, on June 30, 1963 and reached number 14 over the course of eight weeks.^[4]

Sings Lonely and Blue
Studio album by Roy Orbison
Released	January 1961
Studio	RCA Studio B, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre	Rock and roll
Length	28:33
Label	Monument
Producer	Fred Foster
Roy Orbison chronology
Sings Lonely and Blue (1961) Roy Orbison at the Rock House (1961)
Singles from Lonely and Blue
"Only the Lonely" Released: May 9, 1960[1] "Blue Angel" Released: August 29, 1960[1] "I'm Hurtin'" Released: November 1960[1]

The track, "Come Back to Me (My Love)", features an almost identical intro to "Only the Lonely" because this is where the vocal figure of "Only the Lonely" came from.^[5] The album also features multiple covers of songs from Don Gibson, The Everly Brothers, Gene Pitney, and Johnnie Ray"^[6]

The album was released on compact disc by Monument Records in 1993 as tracks 1 through 12 on a pairing of two albums on one CD with tracks 13 through 24 consisting of Orbison's 1962 album, Crying.^[7] Bear Family included also the album in the 2001 Orbison 1955-1965 box set.^[8] Sony Music label included this CD in the 2013 Roy Orbison The Monument Box Set.^[9] Avid Rock 'n' Roll labels included this CD in the 2017 3 Classic Albums Plus Box Set.^[10]

History

After a two-year stint at Sun Records, Roy Orbison signed up with RCA Records in 1958, but left after two singles. In early 1959 Orbison's manager Wesley Rose asked producer and owner Fred Foster if he was interested in signing him for Monument Records. Foster said yes. The album was recorded at RCA Studio B using two- and three-track tape machines.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[11]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[12]

Bruce Eder of AllMusic said that the album "packed with great moments and different permutations of that sound: the powerful lead vocal and the Boots Randolph sax break on "I'll Say It's My Fault"; the haunting Orbison-Melson "Come Back to Me (My Love)," a vest-pocket romantic melodrama sung with operatic depth and played to a light rock & roll beat; Don Gibson's "I'd Be a Legend in My Time", and "I Can't Stop Loving You".^[11]

Billboard magazine identified the album as a "Spotlight Winner of the Week" in its review from January 1961, described the album as "a Spinnable Album".^[13]

Cashbox appreciated the effort. "Good material and a striking delivery add up to strong merchandise."^[14]

Variety wrote "Only The Lonely' [and] I'm Hurtin' are included here as well as some other Nashville originated songs".^[15]

Track listing

All tracks recorded 15–17 September 1960, except where indicated.

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Only the Lonely" (March 25, 1960)	Roy Orbison, Joe Melson	2:26
2.	"Bye Bye Love"	Felice & Boudleaux Bryant	2:14
3.	"Cry"	Churchill Kohlman	2:41
4.	"Blue Avenue" (March 25, 1960)	Roy Orbison, Joe Melson	2:20
5.	"I Can't Stop Loving You"	Don Gibson	2:43
6.	"Come Back to Me (My Love)"	Roy Orbison, Joe Melson	2:27

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Blue Angel" (August 8, 1960)	Roy Orbison, Joe Melson	2:51
2.	"Raindrops" (September 18, 1959)	Joe Melson	1:53
3.	"(I'd Be) A Legend in My Time"	Don Gibson	3:08
4.	"I'm Hurtin'"	Roy Orbison, Joe Melson	2:43
5.	"Twenty-Two Days"	Gene Pitney	3:07
6.	"I'll Say It's My Fault"	Roy Orbison, Fred Foster	2:21

Charts

Album

Chart (1963)	Peak position
UK Albums Chart[16]	14

Singles

Year	Title	US Hot 100[17]	US Cashbox[18]	CAN[19]	UK singles chart[16]
1960	"Only the Lonely"	2	2	2	1
	"Blue Angel"	9	13	14	11
	"I'm Hurtin'"	27	28	27	—