2 LPs on 1 CD: DEAR HEART(1965)/THE SHADOW OF YOUR SMILE(1966).

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

DEAR HEART orignally released on Columbia (9138). THE SHADOW OF YOUR SMILE originally released on Columbia (9299). Includes liner notes by Mark Marymont.

Liner Note Author: Mark Marymont.

Andy Williams' successive annual LP releases Dear Heart (1965) and The Shadow of Your Smile (1966) make for a good two-fer CD reissue. Williams was a leading exponent of movie theme songs in the mid-'60s, and both albums derive their titles from then-current films, 1964's Dear Heart and 1965's The Sandpiper, with several other film songs ("I'm All Smiles" from The Yearling, "Emily" from The Americanization of Emily, "Almost There" from I'd Rather Be Rich) also included. Williams also drew upon theater music for his repertoire, here including "Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)" (The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd), "Try to Remember" (The Fantasticks), "Somewhere" (West Side Story), and "A Taste of Honey" from stage works. He also liked to update old chestnuts like "It Had to Be You" and "That Old Feeling." The Shadow of Your Smile shows a subtle change in his choices, as the film songs dwindle and he introduces songs by contemporary writer-performers the Beatles ("Michelle," "Yesterday") and Antonio Carlos Jobim ("Meditation," "How Insensitive"). But no matter the source of the material, all the songs get satisfying, melodic treatments from the smooth-voiced balladeer, backed by supportive strings and occasional vocal choruses. This was the definition of easy listening music in the mid-'60s, and it holds up well more than three decades later. (Note that Collectables' packaging is somewhat skimpy and that Mark Marymont's typo-filled liner notes actually concern another reissue in this series, Born Free/Love, Andy, not this one!) ~ William Ruhlmann

This double-CD shows off Andy Williams as a brilliantly versatile performer. His ability to handle music of varying styles is one reason why he has endeared himself to millions for decades. Whether it's a masterpiece from Tin Pan Alley, a country serenade, or a Beatles tune, he forges an emotive drama from the raw material.

With a voice that's mellow and tender, he takes the old favorite, "That Old Feeling," and fairly turns the song into an aria with his broad, prolonged notes. He gets right to the point with "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You," gracing the melody with his effortless bravado. A tropic samba suits Williams as he buffers his belting for a soft and sultry rendition of "How Insensitive." He puts his touch on the Beatles' hit "Yesterday" and, as is his knack, gets to the emotional core of the oft-covered song.