Think she may have been featured earlier but… hey! This is Olivia Newton-John we’re talking about!
OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN
Clearly Love
(MCA, 1975)
The 70s was a wild decade – the Rubik Cube (let’s reclaim the Rubik Cube for the 70s! None of this revisionist crap – we were in high school when we twiddled our blocks, and that was the 70s!), pop rocks (little candies that exploded in your mouth), lycra tops and roller-boogie (disco on rollerskates). And upside-down album sleeves! Which way is up? Which way is down? Whatever, man. If it feels good, do it. Witness the gatefold sleeve to Clearly Love – we love the denim overcoat, but can’t decide if it’s overshadowed by the haunting foreknowledge Olivia obviously had of Princess Di’s haircut. And upside down? An Indian Maiden. Olivia has always possessed a great country voice – witness her haunting yet chirpy version of the song that Blue Cheer earlier made famous (“Summertime Blues”). We like “Xanadu”, that’s the one. We met Debbie Harry’s ex-manager once, and he told us that Olivia was the singularly most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. Is that relevant? We like “Xanadu”. This is a very personal album. On the inner sleeve there are photos from her family scrapbook, in her different denim outfits, showing off her ponies and puppies. Plus, there’s a song about cooking marshmallows. And “Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying”… this album will soon replace Bobby Gentry in our affections. Hair-stylist: Arthur Johns. A bit of a find, we thinks.
Cost 92 cents. Bargain value 7, slip cover 8
