• Source: Clearly Love

      • Clearly Love is the sixth studio album by Olivia Newton-John, released in September 1975.


      Commercial performance


      The album was certified gold in the US. and both of the album's singles were country chart hits, with "Something Better to Do" reaching number 19 and "Let It Shine" (written by Nashville songwriter Linda Hargrove) reaching #5. Clearly Love also did well in Japan, reaching number 3 on the Oricon Albums Chart and selling 110,450 copies there.


      Singles


      The 1940s retro sounding "Something Better to Do" and the country "Let it Shine" (backed with her version of "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother") were the two single releases. This song became popular on country music stations, hitting the top 10 on the Country chart. Both singles were number 1 Adult Contemporary chart hits in the United States, but performed comparatively poorly on the Billboard Hot 100 at numbers 13 and 30 respectively, the beginning of a decline at Newton-John's popularity at Top 40 radio in the US that would not be reversed until her starring role in the movie musical Grease in 1978.


      Reception



      In their review, Billboard praised the album as "another set from one of the real superstars of pop, and one in which she opens up a bit more than on past efforts and tries a few more types of music. The usual Olivia breathy ballads are here, as well as some country flavored material...As a singer, Miss Newton-John continues to improve and the choice of more varied material is a wise one. As always, John Farrar has come up with excellent production. LP should suit pop fans, country fans and the Las Vegas club type audience she has been steadily building over the past year. Nothing radically different here, but enough to keep her from getting
      caught in a rut."
      Cashbox stated "what makes Olivia Newton-John stand out above the glut of singers is the innocence she exudes. The very fiber of her vocal stance is of a starry-eyed wonder and it is this very magic that makes "Clearly Love" the joy it is. Olivia's excursions into the upbeat laidback are a controlled proposition that work by virtue of the ease of the overall presentation."
      Allmusic were more mixed in their assessment of the album, noting "the choices for cover songs on this album are strange indeed" whilst also stating "the gems here are what sound like Olivia Newton-John bread-and-butter staples - "Slow Down Jackson," which is as bubbly and beautiful as "Have You Never Been Mellow"; "Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying"; the stunning title track "Clearly Love"; along with, of course, the hits...Very pleasant, inoffensive, and able to put the listener in a good mood, Clearly Love is a nice addition to Newton-John's collection."


      Track listing




      Personnel


      Olivia Newton-John – lead vocals
      Graham Todd – keyboards; arrangement on "Slow Down Jackson"
      Terry Britten – acoustic guitar
      John Farrar – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, backing vocals, arrangements
      B.J. Cole – steel guitar
      Keith Nelson – 5-string banjo
      Alan Tarney – bass
      Dave Olney – bass on "Summertime Blues"
      Mike Sammes – bass vocal on "Summertime Blues"
      Brian Bennett – drums
      Vicki Brown – backing vocals
      Pat Farrar – backing vocals
      Margo Newman – backing vocals
      Clare Torry – backing vocals
      John Fiddy – orchestration on "Slow Down Jackson"


      = Production

      =
      John Farrar – producer
      Tony Clark – engineer
      Allan Rouse – engineer
      Michael Stavroes – mixing
      Brian Ingoldsby – mastering
      George Osaki – art direction, design
      Charles William Bush – photography
      Larry Marmorstein – graphics
      Studios
      Recorded at Abbey Road Studios (London, UK).
      Mixed at AIR Studios (London, UK).
      Mastered at MCA Recording Studios (North Hollywood, California, USA).


      Charts




      Certifications and sales




      References

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