Best Always is the twelfth studio album by rock and roll and pop idol Rick Nelson,[1] and his fifth for Decca Records, released on April 19, 1965. Jimmie Haskell arranged the album and Charles "Bud" Dant produced it. The LP contains a mix of covers of old and recent hits that included four songs also having chart success: "My Blue Heaven" by Fats Domino from 1956, "Since I Don't Have You" by the Skyliners in 1959, "You Don't Know Me" by Ray Charles from 1962 and "I Know a Place" by Petula Clark.
| Best Always | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 19, 1965 | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll | |||
| Length | 28:08 | |||
| Label | Decca | |||
| Producer | Charles "Bud" Dant | |||
| Rick Nelson chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Best Always | ||||
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The single, "Mean Old World", debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 in the chart dated March 20, 1965, reaching number 96 in a two-week stay.[2] Another single, "Lonely Corner", spent a week on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart in the issue dated August 29, 1964, peaking at number 113.[3]
The album was released on compact disc by Ace Records on March 10, 1998 as tracks 1 through 12 on a pairing of two albums on one CD with tracks 13 through 24 consisting of Nelson's 1965 album, Love and Kisses.[4]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| New Record Mirror | [5] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [6] |
Richie Unterberger of AllMusic says Best Always" isn't bad but "there's little to distinguish it from the other easygoing pop/rock albums he made during the period", suggesting "Nelson stretches his vocal range on the cover of the Skyliners' 'Since I Don't Have You', and gives a taste of his upcoming move into country with a version of 'You Don't Know Me'.[1]
Billboard stated that the covers Nelson recorded "are given fine interpretations."[7]
Cashbox described it as "a compilation of mixed tunes, some soft and some driving. Along with his recent single, "Mean Old World," Nelson bounces through "I Know A Place" and the while back "Since I Don't Have You."[8]
Record Mirror thought the album was "genuinely entertaining" and claimed that each track was "given single treatment, rather than a general album sound".[9]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music called the album "Disappointing"[6]
Track listing
editSide one
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I'm Not Ready for You Yet" | Buzz Cason, Paul Hampton | 2:05 |
| 2. | "You Don't Know Me" | Eddy Arnold, Cindy Walker | 2:24 |
| 3. | "Ladies Choice" | Jerry Fuller | 2:17 |
| 4. | "Lonely Corner" | Johnny Burnette, Betty Murdoch | 2:03 |
| 5. | "Only the Young" | Pat Boone, Jimmy Seals | 2:23 |
| 6. | "Mean Old World" | Billy Vera | 2:18 |
Side two
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Know a Place" | Tony Hatch | 2:48 |
| 2. | "Since I Don't Have You" | Jackie Taylor, James Beaumont, Janet Vogel, Joseph Rock, Joe Verscharen, Lennie Martin, Wally Lester | 2:33 |
| 3. | "It's Beginning to Hurt" | Dave Burgess | 1:58 |
| 4. | "My Blue Heaven" | Walter Donaldson, George A. Whiting | 2:17 |
| 5. | "How Does It Go" | Jay Goodis, Jerry Keller | 3:01 |
| 6. | "When The Chips Are Down" | Dash Crofts, Keith MacKendrick, Jimmy Seals | 2:01 |
Charts
editSingles
edit| Year | Title | U.S. Hot 100[2][3] | U.S. Cashbox[10] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | "Lonely Corner" | 113 | 105 |
| 1965 | "Mean Old World" | 96 | 94 |
References
edit- ^ a b c Unterberger, Richie. Rick Nelson – Best Always: Review at AllMusic. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2003). Joel Whitburn's top pop singles 1955-2002. Menomonee Falls, Wisc.: Record Research. p. 502. ISBN 0898201551.
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (1982). Joel Whitburn's Bubbling under the hot 100, 1959-1981. Menomonee Falls, Wis: Record Research. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-8982-0047-8.
- ^ "Best Always/Love and Kisses". allmusic.com. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
- ^ Jones, Peter; Jopling, Norman (14 October 1965). "Rick Nelson: Best Always" (PDF). New Record Mirror. No. 14. p. 8. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 1020. ISBN 9781846098567. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- ^ "Pop Spotlight: Best Always". Billboard. Vol. 77, no. 17. April 24, 1965. p. 60.
- ^ Cash Box. Cash Box Pub. Co. 1965-04-17. p. 32.
- ^ "16 Brash & Ballady Tracks from LULU :Norman Jopling and Peter Jones new albums reviewed by Norman Jopling and Peter Jones new albums" (PDF). Record Mirror. October 14, 1965. p. 8.
- ^ Downey, Pat (1994). Cash box pop singles charts, 1950-1993. Englewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited. pp. 244–245. ISBN 1-56308-316-7.