Just Today is the seventeenth studio album by American singer Bobby Vee[1] and released in April 1968 by Liberty Records.[1] Dallas Smith arranged and produced the album.
| Just Today | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 1968 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 25:58 | |||
| Label | Liberty | |||
| Producer | Dallas Smith | |||
| Bobby Vee chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Just Today | ||||
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According to Robert Reynolds, in The Music of Bobby Vee, the executives at Liberty Records believed they were on to something with Bobby's Rhythm and blues hit medley and several Motown flavored tunes were recorded. However instead of releasing an entire R&B album, they put out a disjointed mix of similar Motown-like recordings and the rest more in line.[2]
The album debuted on the Billboard Top LPs chart in April 28, 1968, remaining on the album chart for seven weeks and peaking at No. 187.[3] It was Vee's last album to make it onto the Billboard charts.[2]
The album was released on compact disc for the first time by Beat Goes On on February 14, 2001, as tracks 1 through 11 on a pairing of two albums on one CD with tracks 12 through 22 consisting of Vee's 1968 album, Do What You Gotta Do.[4]
Singles
editThe first single from the album, "Beautiful People", made its debut on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on November 18, 1967, spending three weeks at No. 37 during its seven-week stay,[5] No. 27 on the Cash Box singles chart.[6] The second single, "Maybe Just Today", debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 10, 1968, spending one week at number forty-six during its six-week stay,[5] and No. 38 on the Cash Box singles chart.[6] The third single, "Medley: My Girl/Hey Girl" made its debut on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on April 20, 1968, spending one week at No. 35 during its nine-week stay[5] and No. 17 on the Cash Box singles chart.[6] Vee's Medley Cover Version's of those song marked his last of fourteen appearances in the US top-forty singles Billboard charts, the first being "Devil or Angel" in 1960.[5]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| New Record Mirror | [7] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [8] |
Bruce Eder of AllMusic said that the album "showed [Vee's] sincere cover of "Sealed with a Kiss," which is his look back on his own early-'60s past. "Beautiful People" is an upbeat piece of late-'60s pop/rock with a catchy melody, and "Maybe Just Today" and "Sunrise Highway" are nicely contemporary (yet gently nostalgic) pieces by an artist a decade out of his era and still competing for a softer listenership".[1]
Billboard called it "His tribute to durability", and stated that "[Vee] has a disciplined style and incorporates the best features of the rock and standards singer."[9]
Record Mirror wrote that "Bobby retains his some what courteous charm and knack of dealing with a tuneful song in straight forward and ungimmicky style".[7]
Meriden Journal called it "a good listening in the pop music vein. and stated that "he sings well, read lyrics well, is very good looking, and a pleasant performer".[10]
The Surrey Mirror and County Post stated that "it follows recent visit to this country and his voice is improving all the time and his relaxed vocal style comes over well".[11]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Maybe Just Today" | Martha Sharpe | 2:08 |
| 2. | "Get Ready" | Smokey Robinson | 2:35 |
| 3. | "Medley: My Girl/Hey Girl" | Smokey Robinson, Ronald White, Carole King, Gerry Goffin | 2:32 |
| 4. | "Sunrise Highway" | Bobby Bloom, John Linde, Pete Andreoli, Vini Poncia | 2:27 |
| 5. | "Just Keep It Up (And See What Happens)" | Otis Blackwell | 2:07 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Girl I Left Behind" | Carole Bayer, Neil Sedaka | 2:42 |
| 2. | "The Way You Do the Things You Do" | Smokey Robinson, Robert Rogers | 2:20 |
| 3. | "Nobody's Home To Go Home To" | Carole Bayer, Toni Wine | 2:24 |
| 4. | "Sealed with a Kiss" | Peter Udell, Gary Geld | 2:02 |
| 5. | "Tiffany Rings" | Alan Gordon, Garry Bonner | 2:15 |
| 6. | "Beautiful People" | Kenny Gist Jr. | 2:08 |
Charts
edit| Chart (1964) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Top LPs[3] | 187 |
| Year | Single | Chart | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | "Beautiful People" | US Billboard Hot 100 | 37 |
| US Cash Box | 27 | ||
| Canada CHUM RPM | 19 | ||
| 1968 | ""Maybe Just Today" | US Billboard Hot 100 | 46 |
| US Cash Box | 38 | ||
| Canada CHUM RPM | 35 | ||
| "Medley: My Girl/Hey Girl" | US Billboard Hot 100 | 35 | |
| US Cash Box | 17 | ||
| Canada CHUM RPM | 7 |
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Bobby Vee – Just Today: Album Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
- ^ a b Reynolds, Robert (2016-04-19). The Music of Bobby Vee. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1-365-05412-9.
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (1996). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Albums: 1955–1996. Menomonee Falls, Wis.: Record Research. p. 814. ISBN 978-0-8982-0117-8.
- ^ "Just Today/Do What You Gotta Do". allmusic.com. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ a b c d Whitburn, Joel (2002). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles: 1955-2002. Menomonee Falls, Wis.: Record Research. p. 742. ISBN 0898-2-0155-1.
- ^ a b c Downey, Pat (1994). Cash box pop singles charts, 1950-1993. Englewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited. pp. 362–363. ISBN 1-56308-316-7.
- ^ a b Mirror, Record (13 July 1968). "Bobby Vee: Just Today" (PDF). New Record Mirror. No. 141. p. 08. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 1446. ISBN 9781846098567. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- ^ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1968-03-16. p. 86.
- ^ The Journal's Popular Music Survey: Written specially for the Meriden Journal by Wrop by Bob Paiva. Meriden Journal. March 28, 1968.
- ^ "The Surrey Mirror and County Post, etc. from Reigate, Surrey, England". Newspapers.com. 1968-08-16. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
- ^ Bobby Vee Single Releases. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ^ Bobby Vee Charting Singles. Retrieved April 22, 2023.