Olivia Newton-John - Clearly Love (1975) [1998, Digitally Remastered]

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Olivia Newton-John - Clearly Love (1975) [1998, Digitally Remastered]

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"Clearly Love" is an album by Olivia Newton-John, released on 30 September 1975. The album's peak of #12 in the US was also something of a disappointment, considering that Newton-John's previous two albums, "If You Love Me, Let Me Know" and "Have You Never Been Mellow", had both reached #1. Nevertheless, the album did earn a Gold certification, and both of the album's singles were Top 20 country chart hits, with "Something Better to Do" reaching #19 and "Let It Shine" (written by Nashville songwriter Linda Hargrove) reaching #5. In the United Kingdom it was a different story, as neither the album nor its singles charted at all there. The market in which the album was most successful in terms of chart position was the Netherlands, where it went to #1. "Clearly Love" also did well in Japan, reaching #3 on the Oricon Albums Chart, the LP sold 110,450 there. "Something Better to Do" and "He Ain't Heavy...He's My Brother" were released as singles from the album, with the latter single (in the US) featuring Newton-John's version of "Let It Shine" as its B-side, and the former topping the charts in the Netherlands. This song became popular on country music stations, hitting the Top 10 on the Country chart. Both singles were #1 Adult Contemporary chart hits in the United States, but performed comparatively poorly on the Billboard Hot 100 at #13 and #30 respectively, the beginning of a decline at Newton-John's popularity at Top 40 radio in the US that would not be reversed until her starring role in the movie musical "Grease" in 1978.

Nine beautiful photos accompany the lyrics Olivia with horses, Olivia in the hay, Olivia with a doggy; following up the phenomenal success of Have You Never Been Mellow was pretty elementary Newton-John ruled the Top 40, adult contemporary, and country charts at this point in time. From the end of 1975 to early 1976, Clearly Love generated a Top 20 and two Top 30 hits: "Something Better to Do" and "Let It Shine" b/w "He Ain't Heavy...He's My Brother," respectively. They both topped the adult contemporary charts while the flip of "Let It Shine," a rare female-vocalist cover of "He Ain't Heavy...He's My Brother," also garnered radio and sales action. The choices for cover songs on this album are strange indeed: an unnecessary "Summertime Blues" which adds nothing to Eddie Cochran's song of hot-weather angst and the interesting remake of the Hollies' hit "He Ain't Heavy," with its big country-ballad ending to what started as a lilting love song. The gems here are what sound like Olivia Newton-John bread-and-butter staples "Slow Down Jackson," which is as bubbly and beautiful as "Have You Never Been Mellow"; "Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying"; the stunning title track "Clearly Love"; along with, of course, the hits. "Let It Shine" has lots of country twang John Farrar's impeccable production was pretty much automatic after all their previous success. "Something Better to Do" might not be among her biggest hits, but the class and style the Newton-John/Farrar team brought to the table a prime example being this title was very well-crafted pop and set the stage for the movie soundtracks down the road, which would bring her back to chart dominance. The transition from the Linda Ronstadt soft rock of "Summertime Blues" to the harmonica-laden "Just a Lot of Folk (The Marshmallow Song)" had Newton-John covering all the bases. Very pleasant, inoffensive, and able to put the listener in a good mood, Clearly Love is a nice addition to Newton-John's collection.

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Olivia Newton-John - Clearly Love (1975) [1998, Digitally Remastered]

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Olivia Newton-John - Clearly Love (1975) [1998, Digitally Remastered]

Close