The Official Website of The Soul of Rock and Roll
Congratulations Steve Cropper!
The guitarist, song writer, and record producer will receive his Music City Walk of Fame Star next month! This year’s honorees are Cropper, Miranda Lambert, and Bud Wendell. Cropper played on the Roy Orbison (who received his star in November 2006) track “THE ONLY ONE” and can be seen in the documentary Mystery Girl: Unraveled talking about working with Roy-
ROY ORBISON DOCUMENTARY
MYSTERY GIRL: UNRAVELED
TO SCREEN IN NASHVILLE, LA AND TORONTO IN MAY
A series of intimate screenings of Mystery Girl: Unraveled, a new documentary film that chronicles the recording of Roy Orbison’s hugely successful Mystery Girl album and its resonance, 25 years after its original release, has been set for Nashville, Los Angeles and Toronto next month. The film will be screened at the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville on Monday, May 19, the actual release day of Mystery Girl, Mystery Girl Expanded and Mystery Girl – Deluxe releases through Sony’s Legacy imprint. The film will be the centerpiece of a Grammy Museum program in Los Angeles on May 20 and will have a “sneak peek” promotional preview in Toronto on May 12, details of which will be announced soon. Wesley, Alex and Roy Orbison, Jr. will be on hand at the Nashville and Los Angeles screenings for an onstage discussion of the film that they wrote and executive produced. Alex Orbison will be present at the Toronto screening. They are Roy Orbison’s sons and the principals of Roy’s Boys LLC, the company that has spurred renewed interest in the life and work of Roy Orbison in recent months with an ambitious schedule of releases of which Mystery Girl is a key component. It is expected that some of those who participated in the album’s recording and are seen in the film will also be on hand at one or more of these special screenings.
Mystery Girl: Unraveled, directed by Alex Orbison, offers unique insight into the song-by-song creation of Roy Orbison’s Mystery Girl album through rare and intimate archival footage and the memories of those who were there captured in new, never-before-seen interviews. Special appearances and on-screen commentary from Tom Petty, Bono, Jeff Lynne, Steve Cropper, Billy Burnette, Barbara Orbison, Jeff Ayeroff, John Carter Cash, Mike Campbell, Steve Cropper, Richard Dodd, Jim Keltner, David Malloy along with Wesley, Alex and Roy Orbison Jr, plus archival studio footage of Roy Orbison, as lensed, literally, in Mike Campbell’s garage where much of Mystery Girl was recorded, makes this one of the most authentic and compelling music documentaries of our time. Billy Burnette and David Malloy will participate in the discussion following the Nashville screening and it is expected that other notables who are seen in the film will also be on hand at the Grammy Museum program.
Nashville and Los Angeles screenings are open to the public; ticket information:
Monday, 5/19 – Belcourt Theatre, Nashville http://ow.ly/vYtMI
Tuesday, 5/20 – Grammy Museum, Los Angeles http://www.grammymuseum.org/programs
Through a promotion sponsored by the Nashville Scene, Orbison fans will have the opportunity to enter for a chance to win two tickets to the Nashville screening of Mystery Girl: Unraveled. Grand prizewinner will receive a flight for two, hotel accommodations, a dinner, plus two tickets to attend the Belcourt Theatre screening on May 19. Fans will get the chance to enter the contest via Roy Orbison page on Facebook. Additional prizes including CDs and merchandise from the Roy Orbison store will be awarded runners-up.
Roy Orbison would have been 78 years old this Wednesday, April 23 had he not died tragically at the age of 52, a few months before the 1989 release of Mystery Girl at a time when his late career comeback was in full flower. Mystery Girl capped that remarkable comeback that had begun just a few years earlier with the use of the song “In Dreams” in Blue Velvet, the David Lynch-directed surrealist mystery thriller. In 1988, Roy Orbison joined with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne to form The Traveling Wilburys, underscoring his role as one of rock’s keystone musical personalities and, arguably, its greatest vocalist. As seen in Mystery Girl: Unraveled, Petty, Harrison and Lynne all played activist roles in the creation of the Mystery Girl album.
Mystery Girl: Unraveled concludes with new documentary footage illuminating the creation “The Way Is Love” produced by John Carter Cash and engineered by Chuck Turner. Roy Orbison’s vocal “The Way Is Love” vocal was sourced from a newly discovered work tape recorded at the time of the Mystery Girl sessions. That vocal was taken to Johnny Cash’s Cabin studio in Hendersonville, Tennessee in 2013. Realizing a life-long dream to record with their father, Wesley and Roy Jr. played guitars on the song with Alex handling the drums and all three sons bringing background vocals to the mix. “Cutting a track with my brothers was more incredible than I can describe,” said Alex. “I have been looking forward to this for my entire life.” Roy Jr. noted that, “More or less the reason Alex and Wesley and I are musicians was to play in Dad’s band when we got older” and Wesley summed it up nicely, “I think we really got something special.”
Other voices heard (and seen) in Mystery Girl: Unraveled:
Jeff Lynne: “When he sang it, it was absolutely magnificent. His voice, I had never heard a voice like that live, you know, in the studio, ever…. He had this wonderful spirit, almost like a kid in many ways. I love him…. One of the proudest things I’ve ever done is to have become his friend. I’d look at him and just go, ‘Wow, it’s him. The Big O.'”
Tom Petty: “I was just taken by how amazing this guy was. Just sitting, singing softly, sitting on the sofa with an acoustic guitar, his voice was unbelievable. The music will live on, you know; it’s very timeless music.”
Bono: “He was a real innovator, truly a great singer. The real rebels to me always had manners. Elvis, you know, and Roy, Roy was a true gentleman. And that’s a scary thing in a man, do you know what I mean? A man that’s so sure in himself that he can be polite.”
Mike Campbell: “Any time I hear one of Roy’s songs, wherever I am, I just stop and listen to it and he’s there, you know. His artistry and his voice and his spirit and the depth of his soul is so unique and it just connects with you in such a deep way…. He just had a way of getting into your heart.”
Steve Cropper confided that, “I’ve only met basically three, maybe three-and-a-half, of what I call ‘light bulbs’ in my life. And what I mean by ‘light bulbs’ is they’re the brightest one in the room and when they walk in the door every head turns. Every head. Not just a few, not some people still talking in the corner. It’s like everyone stops what they are doing. Elvis Presley, Otis Redding and Roy Orbison. And I saw that happen to Bill Clinton. So, there you go and I’ve never seen that happen to anybody else, ever.”
In case you missed it!
Here’s the trailer for –
-The stunning documentary from Roy’s Boys LLC andLegacy Recordings that accompanies MYSTERY GIRL DELUXE ( http://bit.ly/1jdFXuc ). All about the making of MYSTERY GIRL, the film was written and produced by Roy Orbison‘s sons and features appearances by Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Steve Cropper, Bono, and many more.
Legacy Recordings Announces CD/DVD Release of Mystery Girl – Deluxe, the 25th Anniversary Edition of Roy Orbison‘s Final Album Masterpiece, on May 20, 2014
Package Debuts Unreleased Studio & Work-tape Demos
Deluxe Edition DVD Premieres “Mystery Girl: Unraveled,” the New One-Hour Documentary Directed by Alex Orbison
Mystery Girl – Expanded CD Also Set For Release
2 LP, 19-track Mystery Girl – Deluxe Vinyl Set Out June 10
* * * * *
New York, NY – March 20, 2014-Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, in conjunction with Roy’s Boys LLC, the Nashville-based company formed by the sons of the late Roy Orbison, commemorate the 25th anniversary of the artist’s Mystery Girl with the release of both a CD/DVD Deluxe edition coming Tuesday, May 20, 2014 as well as a 15-track (audio only) Mystery Girl Expanded edition CD.
Mystery Girl – Deluxe brings together the album’s original 10 songs, including the worldwide smash single “You Got It,” in addition to premiering nine previously unreleased studio and work-tape demos. Among those is “The Way Is Love,” featuring a newly restored Roy Orbison vocal track layered with contemporary guitar, drum and vocal accompaniment by Roy’s three sons (Roy Jr., Alex and Wesley). The package includes “Mystery Girl: Unraveled,” a new one-hour documentary chronicling the song-by-song creation of Mystery Girl through rare and intimate archival footage and the memories of those who were there. In addition to the “Mystery Girl: Unraveled” documentary, the DVD includes eight Roy Orbison music videos, four of which are previously unreleased including a piece documenting the renewal and rebirth of “The Way Is Love.”
Mystery Girl – Expanded is an audio-only version of the original Mystery Girl album with five tracks added to the line-up including “The Way Is Love.”
Mystery Girl – Deluxe LP will also be available as a collectible 2 LP set, struck on 180 gram 12″ vinyl for audiophiles, vinyl aficionados and Orbison fans, in general. The set includes the original album’s track listing on one LP and the 9 bonus tracks offered on the Mystery Girl – Deluxe CD on the second LP. The vinyl set will be released on June 10 in time for Father’s Day.
Those who purchase the Mystery Girl – Deluxe set through the online store at RoyOrbison.com will also be sent an exclusive, limited edition 18-month calendar (July 2014 – December 2015) featuring art derived from the Mystery Girl – Deluxe package.
Executive produced by “Roy’s Boys” (Wesley Orbison, Roy Orbison, Jr. and Alex Orbison) and directed by Alex Orbison, “Mystery Girl: Unraveled” features new interviews with Billy Burnette, John Carter Cash, Mike Campbell, Steve Cropper, Richard Dodd, Jim Keltner, Jeff Lynne, David Malloy, Tom Petty and Roy’s three sons. The film also incorporates never-before-seen interviews with Bono, Barbara Orbison, Jeff Ayeroff and others, all sharing insights into Roy’s life and work.
Archival footage includes revelatory sequences lensed, literally, in Mike Campbell’s garage (aka “Mike’s Garage,” where much of the album was recorded) in addition to breathtaking studio sequences and live footage shot around the time of the album’s recording.
“Mystery Girl: Unraveled” concludes with new documentary footage illuminating the creation of “The Way Is Love,” one of the previously unreleased tracks on Mystery Girl – Deluxe. Roy’s vocals were found on a previously unheard Roy Orbison/Bill Dees work-tape, originally recorded on a boombox cassette player, and meticulously stripped out for this extraordinary new recording. Produced by John Carter Cash and engineered by Chuck Turner, the “The Way Is Love” vocal was taken to Johnny Cash’s Cabin studio in Hendersonville, Tennessee in 2013, using the newly discovered Roy Orbison vocal as its core. Realizing a life-long dream to record with their father, Wesley and Roy Jr played guitars on the song with Alex handling the drums and all three sons bringing background vocals to the mix. “Cutting a track with my brothers was more incredible than I can describe,” said Alex. “I have been looking forward to this for my entire life.” Roy Jr. noted that “More or less the reason Alex and Wesley and I are musicians was to play in Dad’s band when we got older” and Wesley summed it up nicely, “I think we really got something special.”
Everyone involved with Mystery Girl sensed the magic in Roy Orbison, who, in 1988, was enjoying a full creative renaissance and resurgence of popularity. One of Roy’s classic recordings, “In Dreams,” memorably lip-synched into a hurricane lamp by Dean Stockwell, had served as a key thematic element in David Lynch’s “Blue Velvet,” igniting a renewed interest in the Big O.
In a series of bold aesthetic moves, Orbison directly addressed his legacy, first with Class of ‘55 (a 1986 reunion album with fellow Sun Records alumni Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins) and then, In Dreams: The Greatest Hits, where Orbison recut many of his biggest songs, using 1980s technology to produce results often surpassing his original recordings.
At this same time, Roy Orbison became a founding member of the Traveling Wilburys, the roots rock supergroup also featuring Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, and Tom Petty. It was during work with the Wilburys that the vision for Mystery Girl, a new Roy Orbison album made of original songs from a variety of writers–including Roy Orbison, Diane Warren, Elvis Costello, Wesley Orbison and U2’s Bono and the Edge (among others)–began taking shape.
“When he sang it, it was absolutely magnificent,” said Jeff Lynne, who would produce tracks for Mystery Girl. “His voice, I had never heard a voice like that live, you know, in the studio, ever…. He had this wonderful spirit, almost like a kid in many ways.
He was just a happy guy. I love him…. One of the proudest things I’ve ever done is to have become his friend. I’d look at him and just go, ‘Wow, it’s him. The Big O.'”
Roy’s core group of musicians on the original Mystery Girl recordings included Jeff Lynne (guitar, piano, bass, backing vocals), Tom Petty (acoustic guitar, backing vocals), Mike Campbell (guitar, bass, mandolin), Jim Keltner (drums), Howie Epstein (bass, backing vocals), and Benmont Tench (piano, organ, cheap strings). Contributing artists on the album include Barbara Orbison, Roy Orbison, Jr., Al Kooper, George Harrison, Bono, T Bone Burnett, Steve Cropper, The Memphis Horns, and more.
“I was just taken by how amazing this guy was. Just sitting, singing softly, sitting on the sofa with an acoustic guitar, his voice was unbelievable.” remembers Tom Petty. “The music will live on, you know; it’s very timeless music.”
Mike Campbell added, “Any time I hear one of Roy’s songs, wherever I am, I just stop and listen to it and he’s there, you know. His artistry and his voice and his spirit and the depth of his soul is so unique and it just connects with you in such a deep way…. He just had a way of getting into your heart.”
“He was a real innovator, truly a great singer,” said Bono. “The real rebels to me always had manners. Elvis, you know, and Roy, Roy was a true gentleman. And that’s a scary thing in a man, do you know what I mean? A man that’s so sure in himself that he can be polite.”
The legendary guitarist Steve Cropper confided that, “I’ve only met basically three, maybe three-and-a-half, of what I call ‘light bulbs’ in my life. And what I mean by ‘light bulbs’ is they’re the brightest one in the room and when they walk in the door every head turns. Every head. Not just a few, not some people still talking in the corner. It’s like everyone stops what they are doing. Elvis Presley, Otis Redding and Roy Orbison. And I saw that happen to Bill Clinton. So, there you go and I’ve never seen that happen to anybody else, ever.”
The Mystery Girl – Deluxe CD/DVD Edition may be pre-ordered at Amazon (http://smarturl.it/roy_MGdeluxe_amzn ).
Roy Orbison – Mystery Girl Deluxe
CD + LP track listing
You Got It
(Jeff Lynne/Roy Orbison/Tom Petty)
In The Real World
(W. Jennings/R. Kerr)
(All I Can Do Is) Dream You
(B. Burnett/D. Malloy)
A Love So Beautiful
(J. Lynne/R. Orbison)
California Blue
(R. Orbison/J. Lynne/T. Petty)
She’s A Mystery To Me
(David Evans/Paul Hewson)
The Comedians
(Elvis Costello)
The Only One
(Wesley Orbison/Craig Wiseman)
Windsurfer
(R. Orbison/B. Dees)
Careless Heart
(Roy Orbison/Diane Warren/Albert Hammond)
Bonus songs
The Way Is Love (unreleased with new instruments and vocals)
She’s A Mystery To Me (Studio demo with Bono)
(All I Can Do Is) Dream You (Studio Demo)
The Only One (Studio Demo)
The Comedians (Studio Demo)
In The Real World (Studio Demo)
California Blue (Studio Demo)
Windsurfer (Work-tape Demo)
You Are My Love (Work-tape Demo)
Mystery Girl – Deluxe bonus DVD content
“Mystery Girl: Unraveled”
Plus Eight Bonus Videos:
‘New’ videos
The Way Is Love
California Blue (new alternative version set to the studio demo bonus audio track)
You Got It (2014 version)
She’s a Mystery To Me (alternate Fincher version, unreleased)
‘Old’ official videos:
You Got It
California Blue
She’s a Mystery To Me
A Love So Beautiful
Mystery Girl – Expanded
CD Track listing
You Got It
In The Real World
(All I Can Do Is) Dream You
A Love So Beautiful
California Blue
She’s A Mystery To Me
The Comedians
The Only One
Windsurfer
Careless Heart
Bonus songs:
The Way Is Love
She’s A Mystery To Me
The Only One
California Blue
You Are My Love
* * * * *
For more information, please contact:
Bob Merlis/M.F.H., bobmerlis@bobmerlis.com, 323.962.6887
Tom Cording, Tom.Cording@sonymusic.com, 212.833.4448
Maria C. Malta, Maria.Malta@sonymusic.com, 212.833.6511