Gilbert O'Sullivan Goes "Back to Front" On Next Salvo Reissue

Would the real Gilbert O’Sullivan please stand up? When peering at his sophomore album, Back to Front, potential purchasers back in 1972 didn’t see the same nostalgic figure of the previous year’s Himself. Gone was the chap in his flat cap, pudding-basin haircut and jacket. In his place was a tanned, rather more mainstream-looking fellow, shirt open and chest hair exposed. But the opening “Intro” in which the singer implored listeners to sit back, relax and enjoy the album, was proof positive that the lovably eccentric O’Sullivan hadn’t changed that much despite his new fashions. (Listeners would be rewarded with outros at the ends of both Side One and Side Two of the original vinyl!)

The Salvo label has remastered Back to Front as the second title in its ongoing O’Sullivan reissue program, due February 21. The album (his first and only U.S. chart-topper, and also No. 1 in the U.K.) has been expanded with three bonus tracks, including the international smash “Alone Again (Naturally)” and the fan favorite U.K. single hit “Ooh Wakka Do Wakka Day.” “Alone Again (Naturally)” O’Sullivan’s calling card, needs no introduction here, but if you’d like one anyway, we kindly direct you to our initial posting about Salvo’s acquisition of his catalogue. “Alone” was added to the U.S. edition of O’Sullivan’s debut album Himself, but was a single-only release in the U.K., hence its inclusion as a bonus track here.

Back to Front was a hot seller largely on the strength of its single “Clair,” which was kept only from pole position by Carly Simon and that mysterious man who probably thinks her song was about him. “Clair” was written by O’Sullivan for the daughter of his then-manager Gordon Mills, an ode to a young girl from her Uncle Ray (or Raymond O’Sullivan, Gilbert’s real name). O’Sullivan’s earnest delivery and the irresistible melody add up to a likable and lighthearted song from a rather less cynical time. Almost as infectious as “Clair” is another track off Back to Front, the toe-tapping “Who Was It.” It was also recorded by Norman “Hurricane” Smith prior to O’Sullivan’s own rendition, and was also covered by Andy Williams.

Hit the jump for more, including the track listing with discographical info, plus a pre-order link!

Back to Front offers the usual musical variety expected of an O’Sullivan album, from music hall to straightforward balladry to offbeat pop. The third and final bonus track is “Save It,” the B-side of “Alone Again” in both the United States and United Kingdom. In the U.S., “Ooh Wakka Do” was the B-side of “Clair.” In the U.K., where “Ooh Wakka Do” was the A-side, the album track “But I’m Not” was the flip.

You can savor the work of a true pop individualist when Salvo’s expanded Back to Front arrives in stores on February 21. You can pre-order at the link below!

Gilbert O’Sullivan, Back to Front (Salvo Music, 2012)

Intro
I Hope You ll Stay
In My Hole
Clair
That’s Love
Can I Go With You
But I’m Not
I’m In Love With You
Who Was It
What Could Be Nicer
Out Of The Question
The Golden Rule
I’m Leaving
Outro
Alone Again (Naturally) [single]
Save It [b-side]
Ooh Wakka Do Wakka Day [single]

Tracks 1-14 from Back to Front, MAM LP SS-502 (U.K.)/MAM-5 (U.S.), 1972
Tracks 15-16 from MAM single 66 (U.K.)/3619 (U.S.), 1972
Track 17 from MAM single 78 (U.K.)/3626 (U.S.), 1972

Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.