Ricky Sings Again Explained

Ricky Sings Again
Type:album
Artist:Ricky Nelson
Cover:Ricky nelson sings again cover.jpg
Released:January 1959
Recorded:1958–1959
Genre:
Label:Imperial
Producer:Charles "Bud" Dant
Prev Title:Ricky Nelson
Prev Year:1958
Next Title:Songs by Ricky
Next Year:1959

Ricky Sings Again is the third rock and roll album by Ricky Nelson, released in 1959. it features a group of songs from The Burnettes, & Baker Knight,[1] including covers of Elvis Presely & Hank Williams"[2] The Jordanaires provide vocal accompaniment.

The album debuted on the Billboard Best Selling LPs chart in the issue dated February 2, 1959, remaining on the chart for 19 weeks and peaking at number 14.[3] It debuted on the Cashbox albums chart in the issue dated January 10, 1959, and remained on the chart for in a total of 27 weeks, spending a week at number one[4] Five singles were released from the album: "Lonesome Town", "It's Late", "Never Be Anyone Else But You", "Believe What You Say" and "Old Enough To Love". They peaked at No. 9, No. 6, No. 7, No. 4, and No. 94 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart., They reached numbers 12, 7, 5, 6, and 86, respectively, on the Cashbox Singles Chart, "Never Be Anyone Else But You" and ''It's Late" peaked at number 14 and 3 in the UK

The album was released on compact disc by Capitol Records on June 19, 2001, as tracks 1 through 12 on a pairing of two albums on one disc with tracks 18 through 29 consisting of Nelson's other Imperial album from November 1959, Songs by Ricky.[5] Bear Family included also the album in the 2001 The American Dream box set.[6]

Reception

William Ruhlmann of AllMusic said that the album showed off Nelson's "much more confident vocals" but with more original songs and fewer covers, he "still sounded like a carbon copy of his betters." Ruhlmann concludes that Ricky Sings Again "did not live up to his star status."

Billboard notes "Nelson packs plenty of heart and sales savvy into his rendition of a group of teen-appeal tunes".[7]

Cashbox described the songs from the album as "uptempo and ballad beat Nelson sessions".[8]

Gary Graff, & Daniel Durchholz of MusicHound described the album as "one of the great, unhearlded rock 'n' roll albums of the '50s"[9]

Track listing

  1. "It's Late" (Dorsey Burnette) - 1:59
  2. "One of These Mornings" (Dorsey Burnette) - 1:54
  3. "Believe What You Say" (Dorsey Burnette, Johnny Burnette) - 2:05
  4. "Lonesome Town" (Baker Knight) - 2:14
  5. "Tryin' to Get to You" (Rose Marie McCoy, Charlie Singleton) - 2:15
  6. "Be True to Me" (James Kirkland, Nat Stuckey) - 2:23
  7. "Old Enough to Love" (Al Jones, Bill Jones, Merle Kilgore) - 2:17
  8. "Never Be Anyone Else But You" (Baker Knight) - 2:16
  9. "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)" (Hank Williams) - 2:20
  10. "You Tear Me Up" (Baker Knight) - 2:21
  11. "It's All in the Game" (Charles Dawes, Carl Sigman) - 1:58
  12. "Restless Kid" (Johnny Cash) - 1:57

Charts

Album

Chart (1959)Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Best Selling LPs (Billboard)14
U.S. Cashbox1

Singles

YearTitleU.S. Hot 100[10] U.S. Cashbox[11] U.K. Singles Chart[12]
1958"Believe What You Say"412
"Lonesome Town"77
1959"Never Be Anyone Else But You"6514
"It's Late"963
1963"Old Enough to Love"9486

Notes and References

  1. Book: Homer, Sheree . Rick Nelson, Rock 'n' Roll Pioneer . 2012 . McFarland . 978-0-7864-6060-1 . Jefferson, N.C. . 56.
  2. Book: Selvin, Joel . Ricky Nelson: Idol for a Generation . 1990 . Contemporary Books . 978-0-8092-4187-3 . Chicago . 109.
  3. Book: Whitburn, Joel . Joel Whitburn's top pop albums : 1955-1996 : compiled from Billboard magazine's pop album charts, 1955-1996 . 1996 . Record Research . 0898201179 . Menomonee Falls, Wis. . 556.
  4. Book: Hoffmann, Frank W . The Cash box album charts, 1955-1974 . 1988 . Scarecrow Press . 0-8108-2005-6 . Metuchen, N.J. . 268.
  5. Web site: Ricky Sings Again - Songs By Ricky . 15 September 2024 . AllMusic.
  6. Web site: The American Dream: The Complete Imperial and Verve 1957-1962 . 29 November 2024 . AllMusic.
  7. January 12, 1959 . Billboard Spotlight Pick: Ricky Sings Again . . 28 . 72 . 2 .
  8. January 17, 1959 . Album Reviews Popular Picks Of The Week: Ricky Sings Again . . 44 . 20 . 16.
  9. Book: MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide . Visible Ink Press . 1996 . 0-7876-0780-0 . Graff . Gary . Farmington Hills, MI . 482 . Durchholz . Daniel.
  10. Book: Whitburn . Joel . Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles . Record Research Inc. . 2009 . 978-0898201802 . 12th . Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin . 697 . October 10, 2023.
  11. Book: Downey, Pat . Cash box pop singles charts, 1950-1993 . 1994 . Libraries Unlimited . 1-56308-316-7 . Englewood, Colo. . 244–245.
  12. Web site: 1958-02-27 . RICKY NELSON . 2024-05-19 . Official Charts . en.