Personnel: Charlie Rich (vocals, piano); The Jordanaires, The Nashville Edition.

Producer: Billy Sherrill.

Reissue Producer: Al Quaglieri.

Recorded in Nashville, Tennessee in between 1971 and 1973. Originally released on Epic (32247). Includes liner notes by Chet Flippo and Raul Malo.

Digitally remastered by Joseph Palmaccio (Sony Music Studios, New York, New York).

Charlie Rich had been heading toward full-blown country-pop on his previous Epic records, but Behind Closed Doors is where Billy Sherrill pulled out all of the stops and created a heavily orchestrated, pop-oriented album. It's to Rich's credit that he never sounds like he's drowning amid the grand production and layers of instruments -- in an odd way, he thrives. While Behind Closed Doors doesn't have the casual eclecticism that distinguished all of Rich's past recordings, it is an expertly crafted album -- it's easy to see why it made the Silver Fox a superstar. All of the material, from the hit singles ("Behind Closed Doors," "The Most Beautiful Girl," "I Take It On Home") to the album tracks, are classy songs, designed to appeal to a maturing country audience. Furthermore, the arrangements expertly walk the line between pop and schmaltz -- the sound of Behind Closed Doors is the sound of early-'70s countrypolitan and numerous artists used the record as a template for their own style. Rich made better, grittier records, but the combined collaborative effort of the vocalist and Sherrill resulted in a seamless, influential work -- even if it is one that earned the scorn of hardcore country purists. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

A truly great voice of American music, Charlie Rich began pursuing his musical vision in the 1950s, but it wasn't until this 1973 release that he achieved a major commercial breakthrough. Along the way, he tackled a mix of blues, pop, country, and R&B with such grace that many critics put him on par with Elvis Presley, and Rich's early work easily marks him as Elvis's peer aesthetically, if not commercially. That all changed with BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. To capture the ear of mainstream America, Rich adopted the strings-and-choir-enhanced "countrypolitan" aesthetic so popular in Nashville at the time.

While others rode that approach to crossover schlock, Rich kept it classy, and the songs here are always served (but never overpowered) by the arrangements. On "I Take it on Home" and "A Sunday Kind of Woman," Rich's R&B roots can be detected, but it's the romantic ballads, "The Most Beautiful Girl" and the title tune that made Rich a superstar after years of flirting with success. For a summary of Rich's eclectic early work, turn to the FEEL LIKE GOING HOME collection, but for an introduction to the Charlie Rich embraced by millions, look no further than this reissue, which comes complete with tasty bonus cuts.