The Night Has a Thousand Eyes (album) explained

The Night Has a Thousand Eyes
Type:studio
Artist:Bobby Vee
Cover:The Night Has a Thousand Eyes (Album).JPG
Released:February 1963
Genre:Pop
Length:26:28
Label:Liberty
Producer:Snuff Garrett
Prev Title:Merry Christmas from Bobby Vee
Prev Year:1962
Next Title:Just for Fun
Next Year:1963

The Night Has a Thousand Eyes is the ninth studio album by American singer Bobby Vee, and released in February 1963 by Liberty Records. Ernie Freeman arranged the album, while Snuff Garrett produced it.

The album features the tracks "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes", "Anonymous Phone Call", and the first recording of "Go Away Little Girl".[1] Released as a single prior to the album, "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes" peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and number 2 on the Middle Road Singles chart in the United States and at number 3 in the United Kingdom.

The album debuted on the Billboard Top LPs chart in the issue dated April 13, 1963, peaking at No. 102. It reached No. 51 on the Cashbox albums chart and No. 15 on the UK Albums Album Chart.

The album was released on compact disc for the first time by Beat Goes On on September 16, 1998 as tracks 1 through 12 on a pairing of two albums on one CD with tracks 13 through 24 consisting of Vee's 1962 Collaborative album, Bobby Vee Meets the Ventures.[2] It was also released as one of two albums on one CD by Collectables Records on October 17, 2000, paired with Vee's 1962 Collaborative album, Bobby Vee Meets the Crickets.[3]

Reception

Bruce Eder of AllMusic stated that "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes marked Bobby Vee's plunge into pop music", calling the title track "quintessential teen idol pop" and describing the rest of the album as "quality soft pop...but without anything resembling a dynamic or threatening edge."

Billboard selected the album for a "Spotlight Album" review and believed it "should turn into another strong-selling album" for Vee"[4]

Cash Box claimed Vee's "wide-range voice and distinctive phrasing carry him in good stead on a host of pop favorites."[5]

Record Mirror raved, "Bobby's innumerable fans will be flocking to the shops to purchase copies and many folks will discover they like what they hear even though they may not be regular customers for Bobby's discs."[6]

The Hartford Courant noted that Vee is "backed by a full orchestra and a good choral group" and "rambles through many pleasing current ballads".[7]

Track listing

Side two

Charts

Chart (1963)Peak
position
US Billboard Top LPs[8] 102
US Cash Box[9] 51
UK Albums Chart[10] 15
Singles
YearSingleChartPeak
1963"The Night Has a Thousand Eyes"
Canada CHUM[11] 2
US Cash Box[12] 4
"Anonymous Phone Call"US Billboard Hot 100[13] 110
US Cash Box108

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Young, Brian C. . RUNAWAY - The Del Shannon Story . 2023-06-30 . Xlibris Corporation . 979-8-3694-0147-7 . en.
  2. Web site: The Night Has a Thousand Eyes/Bobby Vee Meets the Ventures . 16 September 2024 . allmusic.com .
  3. Web site: The Night Has a Thousand Eyes/Bobby Vee Meets the Crickets . 16 September 2024 . allmusic.com .
  4. March 2, 1963 . Album Reviews: Pop Spotlight: The Night Has a Thousand Eyes . . 31 . en . 75 . 9.
  5. Album Reviews . February 24, 1963 . . 24 . 24 . 22.
  6. U.S. Beat LPs . September 28, 1963 . . 10 . en.
  7. News: April 28, 1963 . A Look at the Record . January 19, 2024 . . 140 . en.
  8. Book: Whitburn, Joel . Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Albums: 1955–1996 . 1996 . Record Research . 978-0-8982-0117-8 . Menomonee Falls, Wis. . 814.
  9. Book: Hoffmann, Frank W . The Cash box album charts, 1955-1974 . 1988 . Scarecrow Press . 0-8108-2005-6 . Metuchen, N.J. . 388.
  10. Web site: 1961-01-25 . BOBBY VEE . 2024-09-07 . Official Charts . en.
  11. http://chumtribute.com/63-01-07-chart.jpg CHUM Hit Parade, January 07, 1963
  12. Book: Downey, Pat . Cash box pop singles charts, 1950-1993 . 1994 . Libraries Unlimited . 1-56308-316-7 . Englewood, Colo. . 362-363.
  13. Web site: Bobby Vee Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography. MusicVF . April 22, 2023.