Olivia's recommended album
Olivia Newton-John
Born September 26, 1948, in Cambridge, England.
Newton-John’s massive early-1980s hits were a precursor for what the radio now calls “adult-contemporary pop”. At the time, she looked hip and with-it, with good looks, a good voice, excellent taste in clothes, and perk to spare. But it’s hard today to imagine anybody aerobicizing vigorously to Newton-John’s “Let’s Get Physical” or any of her other trademark hits; hearing them on a Las Vegas casino elevator seems much more appropriate.
When Newton-John was 16, she won a talent contest in Australia (where she was living at the time) and was sent to England to make her mark. Her first hit was a sweetened-up re-make of Bob Dylan’s “If Not for You,” while in England she also scored with remakes of George Harrison’s “What Is Life” and John Denver’s “Take Me Home Country Roads.” She even used her supple tones to mine the country market for a while, though she caused a stir when she was named the Country Music Association’s Female Vocalist of the Year in 1974. Well, if folks were going to get sassy with her, Newton-John could get sassy right back.
Following her starring role in the film Grease, she put out two albums - Totally Hot and Physical - that let her body do the talking right around the time music videos were starting to take hold in the U.S. There were more films and more hits, though Newton-John did slow down after marrying actor Matt Lattanzi and giving birth to a daughter. During the early ’90s, just after the release of a new greatest-hits collection, Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer, for which she was successfully treated.
what to buy: Singles are her stock in trade, so Back to Basics: The Essential Collection 1971-1992 000 (Geffen, 1992, prod. various) is a good place to start, though it would be much better if the brand-new songs were removed to make room for neglected hits such as “If Not for You.”
what to buy next: It was a sales bust, but The Rumour 200 (MCA, 1988/1993, prod. Davitt Sigerson) was a daring, uncommercial twist for Newton-John, who worked with different textures as well as an inspired group of guests that included Elton John, Paulinho Da Costa, and rock troubadour David Baerwald.
what to avoid: Physical woof! (MCA, 1981, prod. John Farrar) was huge. But it stinks.
the rest:
Have You Ever Been Mellow 4 (Griffin, 1975/1995)
Come on Over (MCA, 1976)
Making a Good Thing Better (MCA, 1977/1990)
Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 (MCA, 1982)
(With John Travolta) Two of a Kind 2 (Original Soundtrack) (MCA, 1983/1997)
Soul Kiss (MCA, 1985/1993)
Worm and Tender 002 (Geffen, 1989)
worth searching for: The out-of-print Greatest Hits 880 (MCA, 1977) has the crucial-and far more palatable-early hits.
Influences: Sandra Dee, Lulu, Cilla Black, Julie London, Ann-Margret
Debbie Gibson, Tiffany, Kylie Minogue
By Gary Graff