Cliff Richard Albums (49)
'Healing Love: Songs of Inspiration'
Release Date 4/3/2007
Tracks 10
Label Music Mill
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The older an artist grows, the more he or she is likely to start pumping out the live albums -- souvenirs, every time, of what might well prove to be the last time (and proof, cynics smirk, that the legs haven't quite gone just yet). And so it is with Cliff Richard, although, as The World Tour rumbles on, it's sometimes easy to forget that you are listening to (or, on the companion DVD, watching) a man who was then staring 64 in the face. Recorded during the U.K. leg of the outing in 2003, The World Tour is predictably little more than a showcase for the "greatest hits live," although with around 125 U.K. chart singles to choose from, there is still plenty of room for surprise -- "Born to Rock 'n' Roll," from the musical Time is one such; a sugar-sweet "I Honestly Love You" is another. But the highlights are those that you could list with your ears closed -- the opening flourish of "We Don't Talk Anymore," an energetic blast through "Move It," and a bunch of '50s rockers to prove where his heart has always been. In terms of all-around action, the DVD necessarily leaves the CD in the shade -- if nothing else, it boasts more tracks. But the 14 songs on the CD can rightly claim to be the best of the batch. ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Rock Connection was originally released in 1984, some 26 years into Cliff Richard's career. Along with the Rock 'n' Roll Silver album from the prior year, this record constituted Richard's back-to-basics phase, working virtually live in the studio with a loud five-piece band built around John Clark on guitars, Mark Griffiths on bass, and Dave Cook and Alan Park on keyboards, with Stuart Tosh and Graham Jarvis alternating on drums. The resulting album was decidedly uneven -- much of it came off as a loud, lean, crisp mix of rock & roll and power pop, Richard's voice surrounded by (and often immersed beneath) in-your-face electric guitars and synthesizers. On most of those numbers, Richard tried hard but, apart from a few moments, particularly on the synthesizer-laden ballad "La Gonave," he's overwhelmed by the sheer wattage of the sound around him -- not so much his voice as whatever personality he brings to it seems buried beneath the guitars and drums, so that even where the melody comes through, as on the haunting middle section of "Lovers and Friends," his singing seems mechanical. And the squeaky, beeping synthesizers on what starts out as the minimalist version of "Lucille" (before turning into very brittle noise) added nothing to the song -- Richard actually comes close to doing something with this number, except that he sings too loudly and ends up trying too hard. But "Be Bop A Lula" ended up rather better, exuding raw power and no ultramodern distractions. And then there was "Donna," which receives a soaring, powerful, yet eloquent performance and is one of Richard's few reconsiderations of his classic recordings that comes off better than his original. And the highlight was a song that had been Richard's May 1983 single, "She Means Nothing to Me" -- the track straddled several decades and an ocean, written by Dave Edmunds' bassist John David and featuring the best vocals on the album, no surprise there as it is a duet between Richard and Phil Everly and is worth the price of admission by itself. The 2004 CD reissue improves what was good about the original LP, bringing up the impact of the instruments and boosting the volume, which brings up the impact of the best songs (which were good enough to carry the original LP) -- the bonus tracks boost it up a notch in value; the remake of "Move It" is a waste of time, lacking the original's depth and passion, but "Teddy Bear" done as a slow ballad, and bracing renditions of "Little Bitty Pretty One" and "Tutti Frutti" are a delight, the latter oozing energy out of every seam; and as the perfect closer, the producers have included the stunning harmony ballad "I'll Mend Your Broken Heart," Richard's other duet (in conjunction with "She Means Nothing to Me") with Everly. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Given that many of Cliff Richard's biggest hits of the '80s and beyond tended to be his seasonal offerings, Christmas compilations such as this have long been a sure-fire banker, and Cliff at Christmas did not disappoint, either commercially or creatively. A Top Ten hit in December 2003, Cliff at Christmas gathers up nine past festive hits, including the inevitable "Mistletoe and Wine," "Saviour's Day," "Little Town," and "Millennium Prayer" -- albeit with the occasional remix thrown in to give them a more contemporary sheen. The real meat, however, are the eight new recordings that complete the set, and if the album does veer more towards the crasser side of the holidays (does anybody ever need to re-record "Walking in the Air," the theme from The Snowman?), then that only adds to the lightheartedness of the affair. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "Winter Wonderland," and "Let It Snow" are so much a part of the modern holidays that Cliff at Christmas would have seemed incomplete without them. For obvious reasons, this is not an album you feel like listening to for 11 months of the year. But once the Advent calendar is hung on the wall, and before you start sweeping the pine needles off the carpet, you'll certainly want to spin it at least once. And if you happen to press "repeat" by accident -- oh, what the hell, it's Christmas, after all. ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Released in 2003, Rockspell was Cliff Richard's first full-on religious disc since Small Corners, a collection of his best-known gospel rockers that drew its title from a term Richard coined in the mid-'80s to encapsulate his own brand of Christian rock. Back then, he performed a dozen songs for the BBC's cameras, on a show that was likewise titled Rockspell; the album repeats some of those selections, but it is not (sadly) the original soundtrack to the show. Richard's core audience largely remains ambivalent about his religious recordings. The singer's own sincerity and determination are, of course, admired, and several of the songs do stray into the average listener's "best-of" collection -- "From a Distance," which of course titled (and helped highlight) Richard's 1989 Wembley extravaganza, is a case in point. "Every Face Tells a Story" and "Fighter/Thief in the Night" are likewise excellent contributions to the canon. It should also be pointed out that, though Richard's conviction shines through every song, he rarely allows his lyrics to pontificate (on the one hand) or flap fatuously in the breeze (on the other). Indeed, Rockspell has a rocking edge that rivals any of his better-known albums. Nevertheless, fans (and sales figures) effortlessly line it up alongside those other sacred collections that Richard has released over the years, and Rockspell remains recommended only to listeners who absolutely have to experience every album he has ever made. ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The 30th anniversary of Cliff Richard's entry into the music industry was marked in 1988, and the year fittingly found him experiencing one of his most successful spells ever. "Mistletoe and Ivory" became the biggest-selling single of the year, while the follow-up, the number two hit "The Best of Me," established him as the first British artist to release 100 singles. The Private Collection 1979-1988, a compilation of a decade's worth of hits, topped the chart, and Stronger, the first new album of his fourth decade, was to spin off no less than four hit singles, including "Just Don't Have the Heart," a dynamic collaboration with producers Stock, Aitken & Waterman. The album itself represents one of the most eclectic of Richard's entire career, a fact signposted by his union with British reggae band Aswad for the wonderful "Share a Dream." The aforementioned "The Best of Me" stands as one of the loveliest ballads he'd cut in years, and if Stronger has any serious shortcomings, it's the reliance on machines, not men, for the drum sounds. Even at his weakest, Richard's records had rarely lacked for emotion, but the robotic percussion saps the soul from far too much of the music. Indeed, if the selection of songs had been any weaker, Stronger might well have collapsed altogether. Instead, the likes of "Everybody Knows," "Better Day," and "Lean on You" conspire to raise it so high that many fans regard Stronger as one of the strongest of all Richard's post-Shadows albums. ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
There have been some very peculiar Cliff Richard compilations released over the decades, but My Songs deserves some kind of award, if only for imagination. Never regarded as a tunesmith in his own right and rarely even acknowledging his songwriting himself, Richard has nevertheless written (or co-written) a number of his own recordings, including a handful that rank among his all-time greatest. "Bachelor Boy," "On the Beach," and "Don't Talk to Him" in the early days, "31st of February Street," "Rock 'n' Roll Juvenile," and "Hold Us Together" in later years -- are all firm audience favorites, probably without anybody even glancing at the writing credits. My Songs remedies that oversight by rounding up no less than 19 Richard originals, the aforementioned among them. Not every inclusion is a stunning achievement -- "Love on (Shine On)," "Gonave," and "Lindsay Jane" always did rank among the weaker cuts on their respective albums. But "Fireside Song," "Over You," and, best of all, "I'll Love You Forever Today" are understated gems that revel in the limelight that this album serves up; besides, in the world of Cliff Richard compilation albums, it's great to hear something other than the biggest hits. ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide
'The Cliff Richard Show: Live at the ABC Kingston 1962'
Release Date 3/19/2002
Tracks 19
Label EMI
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
When Cliff Richard and the Shadows toured Britain in 1962, they were by far the biggest band in the land, both riding on a string of massive hits and effortlessly selling out a 23-date outing. The decision to record a live album two-thirds of the way through the tour, then, was less an insightful attempt to preserve history as it happened than another way of prizing pennies from the grasp of Cliff Richard's so-loyal fan base. Of course, the album's eventual shelving ensured that it didn't quite turn out that way, and many observers probably will view it simply as an historical artifact. That, however, is only half of the story. First, forget all notions you might have about live recordings from the 1960s. The Cliff Richard Show: Live at the ABC Kingston is more or less flawless in that department; certainly it wipes the floor with the similar in-concert offerings from the Beatles, Elvis Presley, and the Rolling Stones. Secondly, disavow yourself of the popular notion that the once-rockin' Richard had softened his approach by 1962. He may have become an all-around family entertainer, but the show smokes. The first half of the disc, devoted to the Shadows' supporting slot, does show its age -- interspersed with the songs (classics one and all, of course), the band's on-stage patter and humor doesn't quite translate to the modern era. From the moment Richard appears on-stage, however, blasting into a blistering "Do You Want to Dance," the energy level soars even as the years fall back. In the decades since this was recorded, many historians have pondered the singer's timeless appeal. The answer to their questioning is here. The recording is ancient, but the performance is fresh. Highlights: a medley of hits from The Young Ones movie; a clutch of songs that have never previously appeared on a Cliff Richard album, including a warmly humorous "Roving' Gambler"; and an audience singalong through "When the Girl in Your Arms" that is almost chilling in its purity and beauty. Wrap all this up in a deluxe seven-inch tri-fold sleeve, designed to replicate the EP jackets of the era, packed with bonus photographs and a replicate souvenir program, and The Cliff Richard Show emerges an absolutely essential purchase. ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide
