Happy 60th: Cliff Richard, CLIFF SINGS

60 years ago, Cliff Richard released his second album, but it was actually his first studio album, since his debut LP was, in fact, a live album.

Recorded a mere two months before its release, CLIFF SINGS was produced by Norrie Paramor, who was so successful in his field that his only competition for having produced the most #1 UK Singles was George Martin. (It’s worth noting that Martin did eventually beat Paramor’s record, but when he finally did so, he had the advantage of having not died 18 years earlier like Paramor did.) The LP is a split between rock ‘n’ roll and covers of pop standards, with Richard backed by the Shadows on the former tracks and by the Norrie Paramor Orchestra on the latter. While CLIFF SINGS didn’t exactly spawn any big hits, there was a reason for that: in addition to being marketed as an LP, it was also split into four EPs, most of which climbed into the top 10.

And, hey, as long as we’re talking about Cliff, we might as well make note of a very special holiday reissue that Rhino is releasing on November 29: a limited-edition 7” picture-disc single of ”Savior’s Day” b/w “Mistletoe and Wine” that also doubles as a Christmas card.

Yes, really. Here's the link.