Gilbert O'Sullivan Albums (10)
'Stranger in My Own Backyard'
Release Date 10/2/2001
Tracks 15
Label JVC Japan
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Gilbert O'Sullivan's fourth album, Stranger in My Own Backyard, was recorded in California (at the urging of American-based producer and manager Gordon Mills) in 1974, but only saw release that year on U.K. shores. The patchiest of O'Sullivan's early albums, Stranger occasionally finds its footing and delivers a witty and well-crafted song or two. "It's So Easy to Be Sad" merges traditional British dancehall gallop and American West Coast smoothness to great effect, and contains some of the best examples of well-planned lyrical phrasing O'Sullivan has ever put on record. "My Father" more closely follows the established template of his earlier outings, with its single piano and woozy horn providing just the right atmosphere for a tipsy ode to dear old dad. Like an Irish Harry Nilsson, O'Sullivan's songwriting often has the uncanny ability to illuminate and find humor in the everyday trials of common folk. Not every track seems to have been crafted as carefully as those two. Slap-dash efforts (both lyrically and musically) like "The Thing Is" and "15 Times" sound like filler (because they are) and the shockingly chauvinistic "A Woman's Place" (delivered without a trace of irony) probably did not go over very well in the decade of Helen Reddy's "I Am Woman." Low points aside, it's hard not to admit O'Sullivan's influence on later, crafty British songwriters like Andy Partridge, Graham "Suggs" McPherson, and Glenn Tilbrook, and for that, Stranger in My Own Backyard deserves a tip of the old cap. ~ J. Scott McClintock, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Gilbert O'Sullivan was a retro artist in the sense of looking like a refugee from the 1930s, and his music hearkened back to simpler times, with witty lyrics that took ordinary, everyday living and found something to weave from it coupled with melodies that didn't need fancy production, just a man sitting at the piano, singing really quite pretty tunes. And in a business sense, his albums also hearkened back to the '60s as he attempted to keep a distance between the tracks that were included on albums and the hit singles that he was racking up regularly. Back to Front was the pinnacle of his achievements, his only number one album, squeezing in just one week at the top in January 1973 and although it included the chart-topping single "Clair," the album did not feature any of the other hits he had achieved throughout 1972. Instead, Back to Front served up another 12 songs with well crafted melodies and lyrics that obviously had a lot of thought and tender loving care put into them. The intro to "I Hope You'll Stay" was a true introduction to the album, a personal invitation for his audience to put their feet up, make a cup of tea, sit and listen and relax for the next half-an-hour. Side one of the album included the single "Clair," a song with a twist that could be a man's thoughts about his lover until the final few seconds, when the true nature of his affections were revealed with the giggle and gurgle of a baby. Side one ended with the bouncy "But I'm Not" ("to me some say that you're a fool -- but I'm not") which led straight into the first "Outro" ("I'm not quite finished yet -- there's another side to go before I go.") Back to Front included the beautiful ballad "What Could Be Nicer (Mum the Kettle's Boiling)," but this was the only true ballad on side two of the original vinyl which included "Out of the Question," a music hall throwback, "Who Was It," which had been a hit earlier in the year for Hurricane Smith, and "The Golden Rule," which included the classic lyrics "when in no doubt get a card out, and while you're there how about, fetching me one of those pneumatic drills" and "I wouldn't be here if wasn't for my dear old Mum and Dad and the fun they had." The backing track of "In My Hole" sounded as if it was the music used in the Persuaders TV series, "Can I Go with You" was reminiscent of the Beatles' I"f I Fell." The album had a definitive end with the song "I'm Leaving" leading into the second "Outro," which had the simple lyric, "I'm almost finished now, when I start fading you'll hear me say...I'm almost finished now" and that was it, the end of Back to Front, a great example of early-'70s singer/songwriter material at its best. ~ Sharon Mawer, All Music Guide
'I'm a Writer, Not a Fighter'
Release Date 10/5/1992
Tracks 10
Label Park
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Gilbert O'Sullivan: Himself'
Release Date 1/1/1972
Tracks 14
Label Mamou
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
In 1972, MAM/London saw fit to let the U.S. have its first proper Gilbert O'Sullivan record, a repackaging of his 1971 U.K. debut release, Himself. The repackaging included new cover art (with Gilbert sporting the first of his famous "G" emblazoned varsity sweaters) as well as an altered track listing. "Susan Van Heusen" and "Doing the Best I Can," from the U.K. release, were omitted in favor of "We Will" and his Number One, U.S. smash "Alone Again (Naturally)." In an effort to make sure every American knew exactly what they were getting, the album title was even augmented to read, 'Himself (Featuring Alone Again (Naturally))'. The two songs omitted from the original release are missed, mostly, for their role in the nice flow and careful sequencing of Side Two. "We Will," however, proved to be a welcome addition to the U.S. version. An epic and beautifully arranged ode to the simple, unspoken promises kept between friends and family, the tune showed that Gilbert O'Sullivan could be as good as Ray Davies at painting touching pictures of the ordinary. Also fantastic is Side One's "Permissive Twit," a song about an unplanned pregnancy that, through O'Sullivan's thoughtful treatment, ends up surprisingly warm, witty, and wholesome. "January Git" and "Matrimony" roll out the barrel in true dancehall- tradition, while "Houdini Said" and "Thunder and Lightning" take a stab at good old piano driven rock & roll. Whether it be the U.K. or U.S. version, Gilbert O'Sullivan's debut is essential to any lover of Beatles-tinged Brit-pop, and any fan of the mundane made profound. ~ J. Scott McClintock, All Music Guide
