Conway Twitty – I Can’t See Me Without You/I Can’t Stop Loving You/She Needs Someone To Hold Her (When She Cries)/You’ve Never Been This Far Before

BGO Records have recently released another box set comprised of 4 original albums by Conway Twitty. The set includes the albums I Can’t See Me Without You, I Can’t Stop Loving You, She Needs Someone To Hold Her (When She Cries) and You’ve Never Been This Far Before. Originally released between 1972 and 1973, many of the tracks have never been previously issued on CD.

Do these albums stand the test of time and is this box set a good buy for fans and discoverers alike?

Containing some of Conway Twitty’s most well-known numbers, as well as some cracking covers of contemporary hits, these 4 albums did a lot of heavy lifting. With songs like Hello Darlin’, Conway had cemented himself as a reliable exponent of country music at the turn of the decade between the 1960s and ’70s. With songs such as the controversial You’ve Never Been This Far Before, he continued this streak of success, helping to shape what country music would sound like in the 1970s.

My highlights…

The title track on I Can’t See Me Without You does much heavy lifting. Penned by Twitty himself, it gives him ample opportunity to showcase just what an emotionally powerful vocalist he was.

A track that stands out for me on I Can’t Stop Loving You is a highlight for a different reason. There were artists like Conway Twitty in the country music world who could take a song made famous by one of their contemporaries and make it their own so successfully that it sounds as if it belongs wholly to them. One such example is Twitty’s fun and energetic rendition of White Lightning, with its surprising slight flavour of surf music.

1973’s She Needs Someone To Hold Her (When She Cries) offers a very effective cover of a Merle Haggard song, It’s Not Love (But It’s Not Bad). This, along with the aching Darlin’, imbues the album with the vocal emotion and agony for which Twitty was celebrated.

1973’s You’ve Never Been This Far Before was a Gold album. It contained the monster hit of the same name. It seems populist and trite to single out that track as the strongest on the album but it really does have a lot to offer and is deserving of its status. It is masterfully written and delivered, with really clever use of certain techniques and arrangements to build to a climax as it draws towards it close. It is irresistible, even over 50 years later, because it is so clever. Perhaps there is a very thin, superficial layer of its era’s pretended innocence, but once that is peeled away, the emotional and musical sense on display is visceral and impressive.

Sound Quality…

Every track of this mammoth set sounds as full and fresh as the day it was recorded. There is a vibrance to the music that makes it feel so alive and compelling, reproduced with brilliant clarity and integrity.

A Little Something Extra…

Once again, BGO have put together a great companion booklet which really enhances the experience of the whole set. It is helpful for anyone who may not already be familiar with Twitty’s life and work to be able to add context, and therefore sometimes extra meaning, to his music.

Track Listing

I Can’t See Me Without You

1. I Can’t See Me Without You
2. Looking Through My Glass
3. It’s Been One Heck Of A Day
4. Kiss An Angel Good Morning
5. I Didn’t Lose Her (I Threw Her Away)
6. I’ll Never Make It Home Tonight
7. This Road That I Walk
8. She Knows What She’s Crying About
9. She’s All I Got
10. One More Sunrise
11. It’s A Crying Shame

I Can’t Stop Loving You

1. (Lost Her Love) On Our Last Date
2. Candy
3. Hold To My Unchanging Love
4. I Still See Him (Through The Hurt In Your Eyes)
5. I Just Wanted You To Know
6. I Can’t Stop Loving You
7. Imagination Running Wild
8. White Lightning
9. Back When Judy Loved Me
10. The Key’s in The Mailbox
11. Since She’s Not With The One She Loves (She’ll Love The One She’s With)

She Needs Someone To Hold Her

1. She Needs Someone To Hold Her (When She Cries)
2. Sweet Memories
3. I’ve Just Destroyed The World
4. Even The Bad Times Are Good
5. It’s Not Love (But It’s Not Bad)
6. Dim Lonely Places
7. Darlin’
8. I Don’t Believe I’ll Fall In Love Today
9. Each Season Changes You
10. Why Not Tonight
11. Don’t Cry Daddy

You’ve Never Been This Far Before

1. You’ve Never Been This Far Before
2. Born To Lose
3. Bring It On Home (To Your Woman)
4. ’Til The Pain Outwears The Shame
5. The Weakness In Your Man
6. Seasons Of My Heart
7. Baby’s Gone
8. When The Final Change Is Made
9. Above And Beyond
10. (You Make It Hard) To Take The Easy Way Out
11. I Love You More In Memory

In Conclusion…

Conway Twitty – I Can’t See Me Without You/I Can’t Stop Loving You/She Needs Someone To Hold Her (When She Cries)/You’ve Never Been This Far Before boasts everything that any fan of Conway Twitty could desire. To have four original albums together in one set on CD presents brilliant value.

Twitty’s sound was so well established by this time and his output so consistent that this set is also a very worthy jumping-off point for anyone looking to explore his music for the first time. These albums contain examples of everything that Twitty did so well, from his songwriting to his fun and energy to his heartrending and passionate vocal ability.

I thoroughly recommend Conway Twitty – I Can’t See Me Without You/I Can’t Stop Loving You/She Needs Someone To Hold Her (When She Cries)/You’ve Never Been This Far Before. It is currently available from BGO Records.