Dressed for the Occasion

Description

Dressed for the Occasion is a live album by the British singer and songwriter Cliff Richard, released on EMI Records in January 1983. The album – featuring The London Philharmonic Orchestra – was recorded live at The Royal Albert Hall in London, England; and was co-produced by Cliff Richard and Beatles/Paul McCartney veteran conductor/arranger Richard Hewson.

Cliff Richard’s sixth live album, originally released in 1983 (and coinciding with his 25th anniversary in music), is also his most ambitious, avoiding his early repertoire entirely and focusing on his career from the mid-’70s up through the early ’80s, and offering the accompaniment of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, 60 pieces strong. Recorded live at Royal Albert Hall, it offered the Cliff Richard of «Green Light», «We Don’t Talk Anymore», and «Devil Woman» in a bigger-than-life musical setting, his core band of the period – including Mark Griffiths (bass), Dave Cooke (synthesizers), and Graham Jarvis (drums) – augmented by more than two-dozen string players and the rest of the LPO, all conducted by Beatles/Paul McCartney veteran conductor/arranger Richard Hewson. The results are the most impressive of all of Richard’s concert albums, at least as far as the sheer power of the singing and playing – «We Don’t Talk Anymore» as performed here could easily be in the running for the best recording ever done by Richard, and «Green Light» isn’t far behind. His version of «True Love Ways» is also rather overpowering, his intonation and exquisite nuances, coupled with the most elegant accompaniment the song ever had (and remember that Buddy Holly also did it with an orchestra), making it one of the more finely realized renditions ever. Even numbers that were never that impressive before, such as «Galadriel (Spirit of Starlight)», offer a freshness and impact here that is memorable and, in the case of the latter song, ultimately quite haunting. [Bruce Eder, AMG]

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/dressed-for-the-occasion-live-remastered/726352980)

LP tracklist:

Side One
A1. “Green Light” – 4:11
A2. “We Don’t Talk Anymore” – 4:34
A3. “True Love Ways” – 3:11
A4. “Softly As I Leave You” – 3:28
A5. “Carrie” – 3:25
A6. “Miss You Nights” – 4:04

Side Two
B1. “Galadriel (Spirit of Starlight)” – 5:36
B2. “Maybe Someday” – 3:31
B3. “Thief In The Night” – 4:07
B4. “Up In The World” – 2:40
B5. “Treasure Of Love” – 2:20
B6. “Devil Woman/Reprise” – 4:36

Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and 12-inch vinyl LP by EMI Records. Later re-issued on CD. Re-issued on CD in 2004, Digitally Remastered and featuring five bonus tracks; “Golden Days Are Over” (5:04), “You, Me and Jesus” (2:19), “Discovering” (3:55), “Daddy’s Home” (4:03), and “Little Town” (6:39).

---

---

CREDITS. Co-produced by Cliff Richard and Richard Hewson. Arranged by Richard Hewson. Recorded on the Pumacrest Mobile by Doug Hopkins. Recording engineer: John Kurlander. Mixed at Strawberry Studios South. Mixing engineer: Keith Bessey. Concert sound engineers: Colin Norfield, John James. Concert lightning designer: Bob Hellyer.

Musicians: The London Philharmonic Orchestra. Guest musicians: Dave Cooke (Synthesizers), Steve Gray (Piano, Fender Rhodes), Graham Jarvis (Drums), Mark Griffith (Bass). Vocal group: Tony Rivers, Stu Calver, John Perry, Tony Harding.