Oh, I guess they'll never know

Continuing my trip back in time through the album charts

01/04/73 : Portrait Of Donny - Donny Osmond



The opening track on this album is "Puppy Love" which I detest with a passion, so it's fair to say I'm not expecting to love this.

And boy, do I not love this.  However, it's not really any different from the stuff that's been aimed at that section of the market ever since - I guess it must have existed before, but I'm not really familiar enough with those times (yet).  It fulfils a need and obviously Donny hit the spot nicely for those that needed it - they're welcome to it and I suspect he's fine with me not liking it.  Having said that, "I've Got Plans For You" features some terrible talky bits and "All I Have To Do Is Dream" is really very horrible indeed.  I'd also say that his voice throughout isn't as strong as I was expecting - but I appreciate that in later times, any such evidence would be auto-tuned out of existence.  I'd also have to say that album cover is not doing it for me (but don't tell Auntie Rosemary I said that).

We're at #13 in the charts this week on his 29th week of a 39 week run, having peaked at #5 - I'm surprised it wasn't higher!  The top five this week are 20 Flash Back Greats of the 60s, 40 Fantastic Hits of the 50s and 60s (a new entry), Alice Cooper, T Rex and Pink Floyd - which is a bizarre mix.  There's one more new entry in the top ten - Roxy Music (#7) and that's it until Liza at #28, who is just behind the highest woman who is Carly at #21.

Wikipedia has four sentences on the album - I was expecting slightly more, if not necessarily any more actual content.  But all I can tell you is that it's his third solo album and got to #6 in the US.  It was his most successful album in the US, but was surprisingly beaten over here by A Time For Us, which is his sixth solo album, which we only narrowly avoided at the beginning of this year.  And, depressingly, this isn't going to be our last visit with Donny for this year.

"Customers also listened to" all kinds of Osmondry and David Cassidy - nobody expected that!  Let's just leave it at this is not for me and move on...

25/03/73 - A forgotten/undiscovered classic?
08/04/73 - Some very fine haircuts indeed!

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