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A Black & White Night Live
Live album by
Roy Orbison
ReleasedOctober 23, 1989
RecordedSeptember 30, 1987
VenueCoconut Grove Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles
Genre Rockabilly, country
Length57:32
Label Virgin
Producer T-Bone Burnett
Roy Orbison chronology
Mystery Girl
(1989) 		A Black & White Night Live
(1989) 		King of Hearts
(1992)
Alternative cover
1999 cover art

A Black & White Night Live is a Roy Orbison music album made posthumously by Virgin Records from the HBO television special, Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night, which was filmed in 1987 and broadcast in 1988. According to the authorised Roy Orbison biography, [1] the album was released in October 1989 and included the song " Blue Bayou" which because of time constraints had been deleted from the televised broadcast. However, it did not include the songs " Claudette" and " Blue Angel", which were also cut from the original broadcast for the same reason.

The SACD/CD Hybrid Audio Disc includes "Blue Angel" as a bonus track; the SACD/CD Hybrid Disc is contained in a pack with the DVD released by Image Entertainment, USA (ID27700BDVD). "Claudette" was included in later releases of the concert. According to the authorised biography, all tracks are now released on the 30 year anniversary Black & White Night 30.

On piano was Glen D. Hardin, who had played piano for Buddy Holly as well as Elvis Presley. Lead guitarist James Burton, drummer Ronnie Tutt and bassist Jerry Scheff were also from Presley's group. Male background vocals and some guitars were provided by Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther and Steven Soles. [2] Female background vocalists were k.d. lang, Jennifer Warnes and Bonnie Raitt.

Not all the stars were on stage. Glimpses of celebrities in the audience can be seen, including Kris Kristofferson, Patrick Swayze, Billy Idol and Sandra Bernhard. [3]

On February 24, 2017, a 30th anniversary edition, titled Black & White Night 30, was released. The edition has been expanded, re-edited to include new footage and original running order to set list, and remastered. It is available both as a CD/DVD and a CD/Blu-ray set. [4] This release has sold 161,400 copies as of March 2017. [5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [6]
American Songwriter [7]

Bruce Eder of AllMusic writes, "The best-recorded Roy Orbison live disc ever issued, taken from the soundtrack of the HBO concert from the 1980s with VIP guests like Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello. This was a sort of magical video, and the performances are splendid, along with the good feelings involved." [6]

Grant Britt of American Songwriter also thinks this album rates 4 out of 5 stars and calls Black and White Night "one of the best rock shows ever filmed." [7]

No Depression's review, also by Grant Britt, begins with, "The voice grabs you and won't let go. It’s impossible to duplicate, a soaring, ethereal instrument that swoops and dips with a range few humans ever get within earshot of. Roy Orbison was a musical God, his songwriting skills just as awe-inspiring as his vocal abilities. His legacy endures with a wealth of recorded material, but nothing eclipses 1987’s Black and White Night" [3]

Ryan Reed writes for Rolling Stone, "In a backstage interview, Costello called Orbison "the greatest," explaining how he learned about the singer's music second-hand through the Beatles." [8]

Gary Graff reviews the album for Billboard and writes, "The Black & White Night show was a pivotal event during Roy Orbison's late '80s comeback. Preceding his involvement with the all-star Traveling Wilburys band (Orbison, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne), the show put a spotlight on Orbison's classic hits with help from Elvis Presley's TCB Band and guests Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt, k.d. Lang, Tom Waits, Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther and Steven Soles." [2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson, except as noted

1989 release
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1." Only the Lonely" 2:43
2." In Dreams"Roy Orbison3:10
3." Dream Baby" Cindy Walker3:50
4."Leah"Roy Orbison3:00
5." (Move On) Down the Line"Roy Orbison5:13
6." Crying" 3:08
7." Mean Woman Blues" Claude Demetrius3:07
8." Running Scared" 2:31
9." Blue Bayou" (not on the original video release) 3:11
10." Candy Man"
3:34
11."Uptown" 3:20
12."Ooby Dooby"
4:11
13."The Comedians" Elvis Costello3:37
14."(All I Can Do Is) Dream You"
3:26
15." It's Over"
3:13
16." Oh, Pretty Woman"
  • Roy Orbison
  • Bill Dees
6:15
Total length:57:29
1999 release
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Only the Lonely" 2:59
2."Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)"Cindy Walker3:57
3."Blue Bayou" (not on the original video release) 3:16
4."The Comedians"Elvis Costello3:30
5."Ooby Dooby"
  • Dick Penner
  • Wade Moore
4:08
6."Leah"Roy Orbison3:07
7."Running Scared" 2:30
8."Uptown" 3:22
9."In Dreams"Roy Orbison3:16
10."Crying" 3:14
11."Candy Man"
  • Fred Neil
  • Ronald & Ruby
  • Beverly "Ruby" Ross
3:32
12." Go Go Go (Down the Line)"Roy Orbison5:28
13."Mean Woman Blues"Claude Demetrius3:00
14."(All I Can Do is) Dream You"
  • Billy Burnette
  • David Malloy
3:36
15." Claudette" (not on the original video release) 3:01
16."It's Over"
  • Roy Orbison
  • Bill Dees
3:09
17."Oh, Pretty Woman"
  • Roy Orbison
  • Bill Dees
6:35
Total length:61:40
Black and White Night 30 (30th Anniversary expanded reissue in 2017)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Only the Lonely" 2:38
2."Leah" 3:01
3."In Dreams"Roy Orbison3:02
4."Crying" 3:02
5."Uptown" 3:22
6."The Comedians" Elvis Costello3:30
7." Blue Angel" (not on the original video release) 3:05
8."It's Over"
3:14
9."Running Scared" 2:22
10."Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)"Cindy Walker3:47
11."Mean Woman Blues"Claude Demetrius2:56
12."Candy Man"
  • Fred Neil
  • Ronald & Ruby
  • Beverly "Ruby" Ross
3:29
13."Ooby Dooby" 4:08
14."Blue Bayou" 3:11
15."Go! Go! Go! (Down the Line)" 5:31
16."(All I Can Do Is) Dream You"
  • Billy Burnette
  • David Malloy
3:31
17."Claudette" 3:04
18."Oh, Pretty Woman" (alternate version)
  • Roy Orbison
  • Bill Dees
2:52
19."Oh, Pretty Woman"
  • Roy Orbison
  • Bill Dees
6:06
Total length:65:51
Digital download (Secret Post Show)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."(All I Can Do Is) Dream You" (alternate version)
  • Billy Burnette
  • David Malloy
 
2."The Comedians" (alternate version)Elvis Costello 
3."Candy Man" (alternate version)
  • Fred Neil
  • Ronald & Ruby
  • Beverly "Ruby" Ross
 
4."Claudette" (alternate version)Roy Orbison 
5."Uptown" (alternate version)  

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1989) Peak
position
Australian Albums ( ARIA) [9] 28
UK Albums ( OCC) [10] 51
US Billboard 200 [11] 123

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia ( ARIA) [12] Gold 35,000^
Spain ( PROMUSICAE) [13] Gold 50,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Orbison, Roy Jr. (2017). The Authorized Roy Orbison. Orbison, Wesley; Orbison, Alex; Slate, Jeff (First ed.). New York: Center Street. p. 248. ISBN  9781478976547. OCLC  1017566749.
  2. ^ a b Graff, Gary (12 January 2017). "30th Anniversary". Billboard. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  3. ^ a b Britt, Grant (21 February 2017). "Black and White Night Revisited". No Depression. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  4. ^ "Roy Orbison's Black & White Night 30 DVD, Blu-ray and Audio CD Out Feb 24 on Roy's Boys/Legacy, Featuring Never-Before-Seen Performances, Camera Angles and Mini-Documentary" (Press release). Legacy Recordings. January 12, 2017 – via PR Newswire.
  5. ^ Bjorke, Matt (March 5, 2017). "Top 10 Country Albums Sales Chart: March 6, 2017". Roughstock.
  6. ^ a b Eder, Bruce. Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  7. ^ a b Britt, Grant (25 November 2013). "Review". American Songwriter. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  8. ^ Reed, Ryan (23 February 2017). "Black and White Night 30". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  9. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Roy Orbison – {{{album}}}". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  10. ^ "Roy Orbison | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  11. ^ "Roy Orbison Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  12. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1990 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  13. ^ Sólo Éxitos 1959–2002 Año A Año: Certificados 1979–1990 (in Spanish). Iberautor Promociones Culturales. 2005. ISBN  8480486392.
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