2 LPs on 1 CD: BORN FREE(1967)/LOVE, ANDY(1967).

Also available as part of the Collectables box THE LEGEND AT HIS BEST!.

BORN FREE originally released on Columbia (9840). LOVE, ANDY originally released on Columbia (9566). Includes liner notes by Mark Marymont.

Andy Williams delivers these 1960s ballads with reliably smooth romance. This double-CD holds 23 songs whose melodies and lyrics are usually not viewed as representative of 1967's music. Although we may think of that time in terms of the rebellious and uninhibited rock culture, Williams wrote an overlooked chapter in history, combining old-time charm and airy flower-power harmonies.

Movie themes like "Born Free" are crooned loud and clear with solid drama. Andy's voice is aided by a silky vocal chorus and violins. There's much more than cuteness to "Somethin' Stupid." Timeless and intelligent, Williams' mellifluous delivery oozes sincerity. It's a personal performance. Even when he takes on the upbeat bugaloo-bounce of "Music to Watch Girls By," Andy Williams takes rough-edged syncopation and transforms it into a tranquil foxtrot.