Cat. No. 2709: RAL DONNER ~ THE SINGLES COLLECTION 1959-1962. JASMINE JASCD 240. (IMPORT)

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RAL DONNER BEGAN HIS MUSIC CAREER IN THE LATE 1950s AS A MEMBER OF THE GENTS. THE GENTS MADE SOME RECORDINGS AND THEY LED TO RAL’s FIRST SOLO DISCS CUT IN MEMPHIS AND LEASED TO THE SMALL SCOTTIE LABEL. RAL’S MAJOR INSPIRATION WAS NOT SURPRISINGLY ELVIS PRESLEY DUE TO HIS VOCALS WHICH WERE NOT FAR REMOVED FROM ELVIS. IN 1960 HE CUT A DEMO OF A TRACK FROM ELVIS’ THEN CURRENT ALBUM “ELVIS IS BACK” CALLED “THE GIRL OF MY BEST FRIEND” BUT AS ELVIS’ VERSION WAS NOT RELEASED AS A SINGLE RAL HAD NO COMPETITION FROM ELVIS. RAL WAS COAXED INTO RE-RECORDING THE SONG IN A BIGGER STUDIO. AFTER FORMING A NEW BACKING BAND CALLED THE STARFIRES, RAL CUT A SESSION AT GLORIA FOX STUDIOS IN MIAMI, FLORIDA. OF THE FOUR SONGS RECORDED “GIRL OF MY BEST FRIEND” AND “IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME” WERE RELEASED AND THE DISC TOOK OFF AND BECAME A NATIONAL HIT. IN MAY OF 1961 DONNER WENT BACK INTO THE STUDIO AND CUT 13 SONGS IN 2 DAYS. THE SONG SELECTED FOR RELEASE FROM THIS 2 DAY SESSION WAS “YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’VE GOT (UNTIL YOU LOSE IT). THE DISC BECAME RAL’S BIGGEST HIT PEAKING AT NO.4 RAL DIED OF LUNG CANCER IN 1984. V.GOOD ROCK’N’ROLL ****

TRACK LISTING: Tell Me Why / That’s All Right With Me / Girl Of My Best Friend / It’s Been A Long Long Time / And Then / To Love / You Don’t Know What You’ve Got / So Close To Heaven / I Didn’t Figure On Him / Please Don’t Go / School Of Heartbreak / Because We’re Young / She’s Everything / Will You Love Me In Heaven / What A Sad Way To Love Someone / Bellsl Of Love / Loveless Life / Sweetheart. BONUS TRACKS: Nine Times Out Of Ten / Lonely Star / She’s My Baby / Turn Back The Clock / With You Now / Pray For Me / For Love Nor Money / I Don’t Need You / Your Skies Of Blue.

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