Published on Jan 16, 1998
Up until recently, there was only one live album by the late Roy
Orbison available on the market – the
Black & White Night tribute concert. Now, almost ten
years after his death, Orbison’s widow Barbara has combed the
vaults and come up with
Combo Concert, a 1965 performance from Holland.
The concert, held on March 25, 1965, is short in comparison to
the concept of a “concert” today – Orbison only performs nine songs
in just under a half-hour. This is probably the most disappointing
feature of this album – it just begins to whet your desire to hear
more, when it cuts off. The five songs from Orbison’s Paris show
two days earlier help a little bit, but not much, as four of the
songs are repeats.
For those who grew up listening to Orbison on the radio,
Combo Concert will be both a blast from the past and a
breath of fresh air. Almost all of the big hits that can still be
heard on oldies radio are here. “Only The Lonely” is a good kickoff
to the show, allowing the backing band to quickly establish a
groove. The dual guitar work of Billy Sanford and John Rainey
Adkins is particularly noteworthy, as is the drum work of Paul
Garrison.
At times, Orbison sounds like he’s rushing himself; “Running
Scared” is plowed through in what feels like record time. I don’t
remember the song being that fast on the studio counterpart (though
I’m willing to admit I’m wrong on this one). For that matter, both
versions of “Dream Baby” also sound a bit sped up – I don’t know
why this bothers me like it does.
The only real mis-step here is Orbison’s cover of “What’d I
Say,” where his deadpan lyric delivery just doesn’t fit the song
the way that Ray Charles delivered it. It also seems like someone
missed a cue on “Blue Bayou,” the only song from the Paris set not
performed in Holland. However, when Orbison and crew were on, they
could almost do no wrong. “Mean Woman Blues” is a rollicking good
time, while “It’s Over” and “Goodnight” are very moving. And both
versions of “Oh, Pretty Woman” are standouts.
In one sense, the listener should be amazed that the tapes of
this show sound as good as they do 33 years after they were
recorded; there are very few dropouts (though when they occur they
are noticeable). I do, however, question the term “authorized
bootleg recordings,” used to describe the Paris selections (which
sound like they were remastered from a vinyl source). Not to be
nitpicky, but if something is “bootleg,” trust me – it ain’t
authorized. I do wish that this disc had been longer; 37 minutes
just doesn’t do Orbison justice here. (I have a feeling that we’ll
be seeing more releases like this in the future – and I welcome
them.)
Orbison’s star was definitely back on the rise around the time
of his death in 1988;
Combo Concert should help raise today’s generation’s
awareness of one of the legends of rockabilly. For the “baby
boomers” like my dad, this one should bring back some memories.