Anthony Newley - Tony (1961) - VINYL - 24-bit/96kHz plus CD-compatible format

He started as the Artful Dodger in David Lean's "Oliver Twist" and ended up as an inspiration for Austin Powers. In between he was a groundbreaker in theater and a terrific songwriter. What a life!

Review by William Ruhlmann
Anthony Newley's belated career as a recording artist was an afterthought of his starring role in the film Idle on Parade, which was about an Elvis Presley-like entertainer, but it brought him a string of hit singles in his native Great Britain starting in the spring of 1959. His debut LP, Love Is a Now and Then Thing, established that he was interested in being a mainstream pop singer, not a rock & roll idol, and Tony, his second album, furthered that intention. The obvious influence was Frank Sinatra, although, in his phrasing and his confident, even exaggerated swagger, Newley sometimes came off as Bobby Darin with a British accent. This was most pronounced in his rendition of "Pop Goes the Weasel," released as a single that reached the Top 20, a performance that also brought out his theatricality and sense of humor. (It was tracks like this that became a major influence on David Bowie when he came to record his first album for Deram Records six years later.) Effectively handling pop standards like "I Should Care" and "By Myself," amusingly resurrecting Tin Pan Alley evergreens like "Yes! We Have No Bananas" and "Bye Bye Blackbird," and even turning in a French interpretation of "Basin Street Blues," Newley seemed to be preparing himself for a career in nightclubs and Nevada gambling casinos. Instead, less than a month after the release of Tony, he opened in the West End in his own musical, Stop the World – I Want to Get Off, expanding the range of his talent even further. Meanwhile, Tony, which reached the U.K. Top Five, proved to be his most successful solo album.


01 - Yes We Have No Bananas.flac
02 - You're Free.flac
03 - I Was Never Kissed Before.flac
04 - Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes.flac
05 - All Or Nothing At All.flac
06 - Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit-Bag.flac
07 - Pop Goes The Weasel.flac
08 - Who Can Say.flac
09 - Bye Bye Blackbird.flac
10 - I Should Care.flac
11 - Basin Street Blues.flac
12 - By Myself.flac




No music was harmed in the making of this vinyl rip.