All the Way (Brenda Lee album)

All the Way
Studio album by Brenda Lee
Released August 7, 1961
Recorded August 16, 1960 – May 21, 1961[1]
Genre Pop, Nashville Sound
Length 31:08
Label Decca
Producer Owen Bradley
Brenda Lee chronology

Emotions
(1961)		 All the Way
(1961)		 Sincerely, Brenda Lee
(1962)
Singles from All the Way
  1. "Dum Dum" / "Eventually"
    Released: June 1961
  2. "Speak to Me Pretty" / "Lover, Come Back to Me"
    Released: March 1962 (UK-only release)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [2]

All the Way is the fifth studio album by American pop and country artist Brenda Lee. The album was released August 7, 1961 on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. It was the second of two studio albums released by Brenda Lee in 1961 and spawned the single "Dum Dum", which became a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and a UK single (not released as a single in the US) "Speak to Me Pretty", which reached No.3 on the UK singles chart (which was the highest placing Lee ever achieved with a single in the UK).

Background and content

All the Way was recorded in four separate recording sessions at the Bradley Film and Recording Studio, beginning on August 16, 1960 and ending on May 21, 1961.[1] The album contained twelve tracks of material, seven of which were cover versions of previously recorded songs. The album's cover versions included "Kansas City", first recorded by Little Willie Littlefield. It also included a cover version of Ray Charles's "Talkin' About You" and "On the Sunny Side of the Street". Songwriter Ronnie Self, who had previously written other songs by Lee, co-wrote the song "Eventually" for the album. Allmusic's Richie Unterberger praised the album's production, calling it a "pretty good record" and "certainly well produced". Overall, Unterberger gave the album three and a half out of five stars, explaining that while he felt the album was "pretty good", he said that it seemed to "showcase versatility", like "many albums of its time". Unterberger commented, "It seems a little strange to apply the adjective "overlooked" to a singer as popular as Lee was at this time, but the album, like so much of her early-'60s work, is further evidence of her underrated skills as a rock and pop singer. And it was appreciated by listeners at the time, the album making the Top 20, even if most of the songs are unfamiliar today even to many Brenda Lee fans."[2] All the Way was released originally as an LP record, containing six songs on each side of the record.[3] The album was reissued on a compact disc in both the United Kingdom and Russia.[4]

Release

All the Way spawned its lead single in June 1961 entitled "Dum Dum". The song became Lee's seventh consecutive Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #4,[5] while also reaching #22 on the UK Singles Chart.[6] The single's B-side "Eventually" also gained significant radio airplay and peaked at #56 on the Billboard Hot 100 around the same time of the single's release to radio.[5] All the Way was officially released on August 7, 1961 on Decca Records and peaked at #17 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, her first album that year to peak within the Billboard 200 Top 20.[7] The album also became Lee's first album to chart in the United Kingdom, peaking at #20 on the UK Albums Chart.[8]

Track listing

Side one
  1. "Lover Come Back to Me" (Oscar Hammerstein, Sigmund Romberg) – 2:32
  2. "All the Way" (Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 3:00
  3. "Dum Dum" (Jackie DeShannon, Sharon Sheeley) – 2:22
  4. "On the Sunny Side of the Street" (Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh) – 3:16
  5. "Talkin' 'Bout You" (Ray Charles) – 2:34
  6. "The Prisoner's Song" (Guy Massey) – 2:40
Side two
  1. "Do I Worry (Yes I Do)" (Jerry Lordan) – 2:04
  2. "Tragedy" (Fred Burch, Gerald Nelson) – 2:42
  3. "Kansas City" (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) – 2:35
  4. "Eventually" (Dub Albritten, Ronnie Self) – 2:58
  5. "Speak to Me Pretty" (By Dunham, Henry Vars) – 2:13
  6. "Big Chance" (Burch, Nelson) – 2:12

Personnel

Sales chart positions

Album
Chart (1961) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 200[7] 17
U.K. Albums Chart[8] 20
Singles
Year Song Peak chart positions
US
[5]		 UK
[6]
1961 "Dum Dum" 4 22
"Eventually" 56 —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Brenda Lee's recording sessions". Praguefrank's Country Music.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "All the Way > Review". Allmusic.
  3. ↑ "All the Way by Brenda Lee". Rate Your Music.
  4. ↑ "All the Way profile". Brenda Lee.com.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Billboard chart positions > singles". Allmusic.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Brenda Lee UK chart runs". Polyhex.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "All the Way > charts". Allmusic.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Charts Stats - Brenda Lee". The Official Charts Company.