what Frank is listening to #61- CILLA BLACK – Sings a Rainbow – (Parlophone) – 1966
Who doesn't know Cilla Black ?
But, who knows:
- that she was the second biggest act to come out of Liverpool (yep, above Gerry and the Pacemakers, Billy J Kramer, The Searchers)
- she was a hat check girl at the Cavern Club where The Beatles hit their initial fame and actually started singing in 1961.
Well there you go …
Cilla Black was born Priscilla White and is a redhead … for more bio: http://www.cillablack.com/biog.htm
This is her second album and it is produced by George Martin (as was all her work up until 1973 – Brian Epstein was her manager) and the instrumentation is excellent on songs which are half popular swing and half pop rock. There is always something interesting going on in the background, thanks to Martin, I suspect. Claims that he was the fifth Beatle are probably well founded – who knows what The Beatles mini pop operas would have sounded like without George Martin. A lot of music and music history is just "Kismet" I guess.
Here, Cilla Black has good material and sings the crap out of most of the songs … and sounds downright sexy on a few tunes. And, sensibly, regardless of the instrumental fills, Martin keeps Cilla's voice up front. There is a tendency to slip into the Shirley Bassey bombastic territory, though generally, Cilla manages to stay in pop without going over the top.
Best Tracks:
- Loves Just a Broken Heart – #5UK.
- Make it Easy on Yourself – the Bacharach-David track which Jerry Butler did, and the Walker Brothers did later.
- One Two Three – the Len Barry classic track (one of the best blue eyed soul songs ever).
- When I Fall in Love – the old standard.
- Yesterday – yup that track.
Oddly – all the best tracks are on Side 1 – on Side 2 Cilla attempts US soul numbers (in the Motown tradition) and none of the songs really come off. Her voice is good enough though there is very little "soul" in it. Maybe you have to be Afro-American?
The album went to #4 in the UK – her highest placed album.
This is not as good as Dusty Springfield, possibly a bit better than Petula Clark and probably on a par with Lulu and Sandie Shaw ... though I want that statement reserved because these English 60s pop divas put out a lot of albums … a lot which I havent heard.
Me here: Record some tracks and sell.
Sounds:
Loves Just a Broken Heart
One Two Three
When I Fall in Love
Yesterday
attached
Trivia: the album sleeve is different (Australian) to the UK release.
(originally posted: 13/07/2009)
