Decca Records release True Love Ways, a brand-new orchestral recording of Buddy Holly's most-loved hits, featuring Holly's original vocals. The album features Holly’s distinctive original vocals and guitar playing set to arrangements performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It celebrates the 60 year anniversary of Holly’s last ever recording session and is the poignant realisation of a dream the star first explored just four months before his tragic death in a plane crash at the age of 22...

On 21 October 1958, Holly embarked on a musical adventure he would have continued, had he had the chance. He entered the Decca Studios in New York for a three-and-a-half hour stint with an 18-piece orchestra, fronted by Dick Jacobs, the man bringing strings to rock and roll. They recorded four tracks: ‘True love Ways’, ‘Raining in My Heart’, ‘Moondreams’ and ‘It Doesn’t Matter Anymore’, all of which are soaked in strings, clearly demonstrating a new direction for Buddy.

Now, 60 years later, Decca release a new album. Recorded in London’s Angel Studios, and produced by Nick Patrick, the man behind the Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison orchestral albums, True Love Ways reflects Buddy Holly’s love for strings and reminds us why he influenced legendary artists such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and many, many more.

This 12 track album (29 min, 30 sec) will be of interest to Holly fans, giving some of his best-loved songs a new, fresh sound. On the first play through I was struck by how flat Holly's vocals sounded next to the orchestrations... but then that's probably because as most of us already know the original tracks the rich sound of the orchestra adds an extra level to the recording which, at first, sounds a little out of place.

But, once you get used to it, it's amazing how fresh these recordings sound. There's a tinge of a festive element that creeps in too - making this the perfect Christmas gift.

What was interesting was that the producers didn't overdo the orchestrations, swallowing the feel and sound of Holly's original songs. It's here, very much, as an accompaniment that helps enrich Holly's original sound, hoping to capture what Holly himself would have been striving for if he'd lived to experiment with his music.

It's a short, but incredible sweet, album that every true Holly fan will cherish.

Track listing:

01 - True Love Ways
02 - It Doesn't Matter Anymore
03 - Everyday
04 - Heartbeat
05 - Raining In My Heart
06 - Oh Boy
07 - Rave On
08 - Words Of Love
09 - That'll Be The Day
10 - Peggy Sue
11 - Moondreams
12 - Maybe Baby

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Darren Rea