IN DREAMS is Roy's the fourth full album, his second on Monument following his departure from the legendary Sun Records. It contains arguably his best song, the title track.
'In Dreams' is an operatic ballad of lost love with a unique structure that builds through seven verses, no choruses and ends on a heroic crescendo. Orbison's powerful voice rises through two octaves to end as a vulnerable falsetto. It's an incredible song and performance which is given even greater weight by the tragedies that beset Orbison only a few years later.
His Wife Claudette was killed in 1966 in a road accident and only two years later his two oldest sons were killed in a house fire in the family home at Henderson, Texas. The remains of the house were actually bought by Orbison's friend and Sun Records label mate Johnny Cash bought who planted a memorial fruit orchard on it.
Knowing these tragedies it gives Roy's words added poignancy:
"But just before the dawn
I awake and find you gone
I can't help it...I can't help it
If I cry
I remember
That you said goodbye
To end all these things
And I'll be happy in my dreams
Only in dreams
In beautiful dreams"
'In Dreams' was a big hit back in 1963 while Orbison toured the UK with The Beatles. It was supposed to be an Orbison headline tour but given that Beatlemania was sweeping the nation it was the mop tops frequently headlined, Orbison graciously agreeing to support. But according to Beatles biographer Philip Norman "As Orbison performed, chinless and tragic, The Beatles stood in the wings, wondering how they would dare to follow him". The audience demanded Orbison play for double the time he was scheduled for. After many encores Lennon and McCartney refused to allow by Roy back on stage, physically holding him back.
25 years later while his career was in the doldrums the song got a new lease of life. In the David Lynch movie Blue Velvet, Dennis Hopper's murderous psychopath Frank Booth is obsessed with the song. We also see Dean Stockwell's character lip-syncing along. Orbison initially refused the songs usage but Lynch ignored him and used it anyway.
IN DREAMS is worth having for this track alone but there are plenty more classic Orbison cuts on here. In fact if its 'classic' 60s Orbison your after, get this rather than one of the numerous Greatest Hits packages.
It also features the excellent 'Shahdaroba' which appeared in a recent episode of Mad Men, the country-tinged boogie 'Sunset', his cover of the Everly Brothers hit 'All I Have To Do Is Dream' and the southern lament 'Blue Bayou'. IN DREAMS ends as it began with another operatic crescendo, 'My Prayer'. (the iTunes albums also contains sone classic bonus tracks like 'Falling' but we'll skirt over these modern bolt-ons as they weren't part of the original vinyl LP)
Between 1960 and 1964 Orbison racked up 22 top 40 singles on the US Billboard charts and as IN DREAMS comes smack in the middle of this period, it is quite simply, vintage Orbison.
IN DREAMS
SHADAROBA
SUNSET
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