To mark what would have been his 75th birthday in April, this does-what-it-says-on-the-tin release offers a straightfoward account of Orbison’s time at the humble independent label that also gave an early leg-up to the likes of Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton. Monument succeeded where Sun had failed, essaying The Big O’s trademark operatic heartbreakers into million-selling hits.
Disc One focuses on the A-sides, from the snappy wishful thinking of Uptown to the inevitable sorrow of It’s Over, the romantic uncertainty of Runnin’ Scared to the borderline stalking of Oh, Pretty Woman. The disc of B-sides, however, is where we find the lesser-celebrated beauties, such as the orchestral grandeur of Here Comes That Song Again and the mariachi waltz of Yo Te Amo Maria.
Longtime fans already familiar with even the more obscure flip-sides may want to proceed directly to the DVD: an entire 1965 concert recorded for Dutch television, Orbison fronting a tightly-drilled band called The Candymen on rip-roaring versions of Dream Baby and Mean Woman Blues. The live readings stick rigidly to what appeared on record, but the Orbison voice is given an even freer reign, his high notes melting hearts at will.
