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Olivia Newton-John: A Musical Journey

Written by Ramzi Salti, Ph.D.

 

            When Olivia Newton-John announced to the world that she had been stricken with breast cancer on July 14, 1992, she claimed that she was doing so "to save Enquiring minds 95 cents" and to avoid the lurid headlines in the tabloids.  For anyone acquainted with Olivia's environmentally conscious, vegetarian, and otherwise healthy lifestyle, the prepared statement came as complete shock.  During the preceding weeks, Olivia had made numerous TV appearances around the world to promote her Back to Basics album and upcoming tour—both of which had been intended as a commemoration of her twenty-one years of recording—and her new single, "I Need Love" had debuted on the charts on July 11, 1992, three days before the tragic news broke.

            For Olivia, the cancer ordeal was the latest in a series of tragedies and misfortunes that had plagued her throughout what she later described as "the worst year of my life."  Her close friend's 5 year old daughter, Colette Chuda, had died of a rare children's cancer in late 1991, her worldwide fashion chain Koala Blue had officially declared bankruptcy, and her father had died only days before she learned of her own illness.

            Olivia's 8-week, 16-city tour (her first in ten years) which was to be launched at Ceasars Palace in Las Vegas on August 6, 1992, was immediately canceled and she underwent a mastectomy at Cedar Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.  As she recovered from her successful operation—the doctors had detected the cancer early and predicted a full recovery—Olivia's name and photos were temporarily restored to the cover of tabloids and magazines that had ceased to see her as a headliner since the decline of her musical career in the mid-eighties.

            As in the case of any major performer facing a life threatening illness, many retrospectives on Olivia's career began to (re)surface in the popular press and on television.  For the first time in over a decade, Olivia Newton-John's name and accomplishments were being highlighted in a way that seemed reminiscent of an earlier decade when her face continuously adorned magazine covers and her songs consistently flooded the airwaves.  A new generation who had first come to know Olivia as Travolta's partner in Grease (1978) was baffled at her hefty pre-Grease discography, while seventies groupies who had ceased to follow her career since the early eighties were surprised to discover the vast amount of varied material that the singer had recorded since her "Physical" days without much chart success.

            Olivia's album, Back to Basics: The Essential Collection 1971-1992, which debuted on the charts on June 27, 1992, was in fact her nineteenth U.S. album release since 1971.  It featured four new tracks as well as eight of her twenty-seven top 40 pop singles, including all five of her U.S. number one songs, "I honestly love you" (#1 on Oct. 5, 74), "Have you never been mellow" (March 8, 75), "You're the one that I want" (with John Travolta) (June 10, 78), "Magic" (Aug. 2, 80), and "Physical" (Nov. 21, 81).

            Intended as a musical journey through Olivia's career, Back to Basics peaked at #121 on Billboard's album chart and dropped out after only eight weeks.  Part of the reason for that unimpressive run was probably due to Olivia's illness which had forced her to cancel her tour and promotional appearances; yet another contributor to that lackluster performance was that, aside from the four new tracks, the album mostly contained hits that had already been featured on Olivia's two previous U.S. compilation albums, Olivia Newton-John's Greatest Hits (1977) and Olivia's Greatest Hits, Volume 2 (1982), both of which had also been released by MCA on CD.  As one reviewer put it, "there's too much missing from this so-called Essential Collection"^[1] a statement that rings even more true when one takes into account the vast body of early Olivia material that has never been released on CD and is hard to find on vinyl.

            The CD absence and rarity of most of Olivia's pre-1971 recordings certainly warrants a CD box set—to date, no label has ever attempted such a project—which may be marketed as a true 'essential collection'—one that would go back to 1966 (rather than 1971) when Olivia's first single, "Till You Say You'll Be Mine" was released in England.

            In order to truly get back to basics with Olivia Newton-John, one would have to travel to Cambridge, England, where Olivia was born on September 26, 1948 to Brinley and Irene (Born) Newton-John, the third addition to their family that included Hugh (who later became a doctor) and Rona (who went on to become an actress).

            Although Olivia was born in an overwhelmingly academic household—her father was Professor of German at King's college in Cambridge, her grandfather the German Nobel winning physicist, Max Born, who was friends with Albert Einstein—Olivia was nevertheless not raised at a distance from music.  Her Welch father, who had decided on a career in academia, was gifted with an operatic voice that could have enabled him to sing professionally and her German mother, who had at one point translated letters between Max Born and Albert Einstein, encouraged music around the house. 

            In 1953, when Olivia was five, her father accepted a promotion to Dean of Ormond College in Melbourne, leading to the family's move to Australia.  When she was eleven, her parents divorced and Olivia moved with her mother to an apartment in Melbourne.  It was soon afterwards that she won a Hayley Mills lookalike contest, her sister Rona having sent in Olivia's photo without telling her.

            Olivia went on to make her acting bow in Green Pastures in a Melbourne theater at age 12 and by the age of fourteen, had formed a band with three other girls called the Sol Four.  Although the group was forced to disband because her parents claimed that it interfered with schoolwork, Olivia continued to sing, making her first television appearance on an Aussie version of the Gong Show where she sang  "Summertime" with a friend accompanying her on guitar.  She also joined a local folk singer on stage at her brother-in-law's coffee lounge where one of the customers suggested she enter Johnny O'Keefe's talent contest.  She won the contest with a rendition of "Everything's Coming Up Roses", and the prize was a round trip boat trip to England.  Olivia decided to postpone her trip for a year, quit school at 16, and became the hostess of a local children's TV program called 'Lovely Livvy.'  She also made local TV appearances with another Aussie girl, Pat Carroll.

            Later in 1965, Olivia left for Britain where she auditioned for Decca upon arrival.  The result was an unsuccessful single, "Till You Say You'll Be Mine" (written by Jackie De Shannon) released by Decca in May 1966 along with its arguably superior B-side "For Ever."  Although this rare single—which has never appeared on any vinyl LP—has by now become a precious collector's item, both tracks were unexpectedly issued on CD in 1993 as part of the See For Miles Records' Pop Inside the Sixties: 1963-1969 a British compilation featuring various artists.

            Shortly after Olivia's unsuccessful Decca release she was joined in Britain by Pat Carroll who had also won a trip to the UK through an Aussie talent contest.  As 'Pat and Olivia' they performed duets in British pubs for two years and even appeared on the BBC before Pat's visa expired and she had to return to Australia.  Olivia, being British born, was able to stay.

            While performing with Carroll in Bournemouth in September 1966, Olivia met Bruce Welch of the Shadows, the popular British group that also included Hank Marvin, Brian Bennett, and John Farrar.  Welch, who was to become a major influence on Olivia's career, was instrumental in offering her the chance to star in the Cliff Richard and the Shadows' London Palladium Pantomime, "Cinderella," an offer she declined so as to return to Australia for Christmas.

            When Olivia returned to England in 1967, she became romantically involved with Welch, whose marriage was ending.  Shortly thereafter, they got engaged and moved together into a flat in West London.  Olivia was also cited in Welch's divorce proceedings in June 1968.

            One of Olivia's earliest musical contributions on an album may be found on The Shadows' 1967 album, From Hank, Bruce, Brian and John (now available on CD) where she sings partial vocals on the track "The Day I Met Marie."

            1970 brought a major turn for Olivia when she was recruited by Don Kirshner, the record producer who created the Monkees and the Archies, for a foursome deliberately misspelled Toomorrow.  The other members were Americans Ben Thomas and Karl Chambers (who was later replaced by Chris Slade) as well as Britain's Vic Cooper.  The group starred in a much publicized yet financially disastrous "science fiction musical" called Toomorrow (produced by Harry Saltzman of James Bond fame).

            In addition to the release of a soundtrack from the movie, the group was responsible for two simultaneous yet equally unsuccessful 1970 singles: The first, "You're My Baby Now" (RCA 1978; released in special RCA sleeve) was taken from the soundtrack as was its flip side, "Going Back."  The other single, "I Could Never Live Without Your Love" and its B-side "Roll Like The River" (Decca F 13070) were released independently from the movie and did not appear on the soundtrack.  Both the singles and the soundtrack have never appeared on CD and vinyl copies are difficult to find today.  In addition, the movie has never been released on video.

            It was also in 1970 that Olivia hooked up with Cliff Richard (often referred to as England's Elvis Presley) who was to help in launching her career in Britain.  She soon recorded a duet with him, "Don't Move Away" which appeared on the B-side of Richard's UK hit "Sunny Honey Girl" (DB 8747) (UK #19 in January 1971).  Since the duet did not subsequently appear on any of Olivia's or Cliff's albums, the single has become extremely collectable today.

            Olivia joined Richard on tour, eventually guesting on his BBC holiday special, Getaway with Cliff along with Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch, and John Farrar (who was later responsible for a string of Olivia's hits).  She also became a 13-week guest resident on Richard's second BBC TV weekly series, It's Cliff Richard, which aired in January 1972 (other guests were The Flirtations).

            In 1971, while still touring with Cliff Richard, Olivia was encouraged by fiancé Bruce Welch, John Farrar, and her then manager Peter Gormley to record Bob Dylan's "If Not For You" on the Pye label. The song, which Olivia disliked initially, became her first hit single, reaching #7 on the UK charts in April 1971 and peaking at #25 on the U.S. charts on September 25, 1971 on the Uni label.  The B-side of the single is a John Rostill song, "The Biggest Clown" which has not appeared on any of Olivia's albums to date.

            Her follow-up single, "Love Song" failed to make an impression on either sides of the Atlantic but her next single, "Banks of the Ohio" (which peaked at a mere #94 on the U.S. charts) reached #6 on the UK charts, winning her a Silver Disc in England and a Gold Disc in Australia.  The single was followed by a UK album, Olivia Newton-John, and a U.S. album, If Not for you, released in October and November 1971 respectively and containing similar tracks.  Olivia also recorded a version of the single in German, "Unten am FluB, der Ohio heiBt" (Polydor 2001 274) which appeared around that time and has become extremely collectable since.

            Olivia released three singles in 1972, "What Is Life" (UK #16), "Just A Little Too Much" (which did not chart) and "Take Me Home Country Roads" (UK #15, US #119).  The latter single has become collectable today because its B-side, "Sail Into Tomorrow," differs from the version that later appeared on Olivia's 1975 Clearly Love album, and remains otherwise unobtainable.

            Olivia's second UK solo album, Olivia, was released in October 1972 on the Pye label, yet although her solo career had taken off, she did not stop working with Cliff Richard with whom she now enjoyed a close yet platonic relationship.  She appeared in his TV movie The Case (which aired on UK TV on Sep. 2, 72) where she sang a duet with Richard called "If I Was Close To You"—a song that has never been released commercially.  She also joined Cliff's tour to the Far East in September 72, singing backup along with her previous singing partner Pat Carroll and joined on stage by Hank Marvin, John Farrar, Allan Hawkshaw, Brian Bennett, and John Rostill.  One of the Far East concerts, recorded at the Kosei Nenkin Hall in Tokyo on September 22-23, 1972, yielded at least three different albums of live recordings:  Cliff Live with Olivia Newton-John (Japanese Odeon EMS 80538), Cliff Goes East (Hong Kong Columbia SLEAC 1041/2) and an edited version of the latter double album entitled Cliff Richard Live (MFP 50307) which was released in Britain.  This same concert was also released in 1994 on a CD called Cliff Richard: Oriental Gems (Italy, Fremus CDFR 0527) and is expected to be released in the UK in the near future.

            By the end of 1972, Olivia had succeeded in capturing a faithful following in Japan resulting in various pressings of her singles and LPs.  Of those, one of the most collectable is Crystal Lady (EMS 65001.2), a double album released exclusively in Japan in 1974 and featuring 32 of Olivia's early songs.

            Although she had gained popularity in England, Olivia's career in the U.S. seemed less than certain—that is until her next single, "Let Me Be There," released in November 73, reached #6 on the U.S. charts, becoming her first US top ten single (it hadn't even charted in the UK).  Just as the single was taking off, ex-Shadows member John Rostill, who had written that song as well as later hits for Olivia, died of accidental electrocution while playing guitar in his home studio.  His untimely death denied him the opportunity of seeing "Let Me Be There" win Olivia her first Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal 1973.

            It was also in 1973 that Marvin and Farrar released a self-titled album which included the single "Music Makes My Day" (EMI 2044) on which Olivia plays recorder solo.  Neither the album nor the single were successful, leading Farrar to turn his attention back to producing and writing for Olivia.

            By the time MCA released the Let Me Be There album in the U.S. in December 1973 Olivia's title single had reached #6 on the pop charts while topping the country charts, officially establishing her, much to her surprise, as a country singer.  On a personal level, she had broken her engagement to Bruce Welch back in March 1972 and was preparing to represent the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 with "Long Live Love," a song she later admitted to having disliked from the start.  Although she did not win the Eurovision that year—the prize went to a Swedish group called Abba—the single went to #11 on the UK charts, launching a UK album by the same name.  Olivia also recorded a unique version of "Long Live Love," sung in German, although that track has never been released as a single.

            By 1974, it seemed clear that Olivia's career was finally beginning to take off in the U.S.  She had also met and become romantically involved with Lee Kramer (who later became her manager) during a trip to the South of France and he encouraged her to focus her attention on the American market.

            Thus began Olivia's enormous success in the USA:  Her single "If You Love Me (Let Me Know)" also written by John Rostill, reached #5 on the U.S. pop charts, topped the country charts, and enabled the album by the same name to top the pop charts for one week, making it Olivia's first U.S. #1 album.  As with Let Me Be There, If You Love Me (Let Me Know) was primarily arranged and produced by Bruce Welch and John Farrar who had married Olivia's ex-singing partner Pat Carroll.  The B-side to "If You Love Me" is "Brotherly Love," a track that has never appeared on any of Olivia's U.S. albums but which shows up on her 1973 British album, Music Makes My Day (now available on CD).  Incidentally, this was the last album that Olivia recorded on the Pye label before moving to EMI in England.

            In August 1974, "I Honestly Love You," a song that Olivia immediately considered as flawless, debuted on the U.S. charts.  Written by Peter Allen, it had been initially offered to Anne Murray and Helen Reddy, both of whom had turned it down, the latter suggesting that Allen send the song to Olivia.  The song proved to be a huge success for Olivia, giving her her first #1 U.S. single as well a string of awards in 1974 and 1975, including two Grammys (one for Best Female Pop Performance 1974, and one for Record of the Year for "I Honestly Love You"), and the Country Music Association's Top Female Vocalist 1974.  The latter award so enraged some members of the CMA—who felt that Olivia did not qualify as 'country'—that they left the CMA to form the Association of Country Entertainers.  The controversy also led Stella Parton to record the single "Ode to Olivia" (Country Soul 333) in which she defended Olivia's right to be considered a country singer.

            Olivia also recorded a special version of "I Honestly Love You," sung in French, entitled "Mon Amour, Mon Impossible Amour" (EMI 2C004 96 118) but this promotional single was never commercially released (its B-side is the widely available "Home Ain't Home Anymore").  Needless to say, copies of that picture sleeve single are most collectable today.

            Olivia's fifth UK album, First Impressions was released on EMI in November 1974 and included songs from the previous three years.  It was issued by EMI with two different labels, one red and one blue, but failed to make any 'impression' on the UK charts at all.

            Responding to the ensuing controversy surrounding the authenticity of her country roots, Olivia declared that she rejected any classification of her music into one category.  Her next album, Have You Never Mellow, seemed to reaffirm that view by blending pop and country with the greatest of ease.  Produced by John Farrar, the album (which topped the U.S. charts on March 15, 1975) yielded a #1 U.S. single with the title track (written by Farrar) and a #3 single with "Please Mr. Please," a song originally written by John Rostill and Bruce Welch.  Ironically, Welch had originally written the song about his breakup with Olivia and had recorded it himself earlier in 1974, but the single—his only solo release ever—had been unsuccessful (EMI 2141).

            In order to better take advantage of her U.S. success, Olivia moved to the USA in 1975 along with her boyfriend Lee Kramer (who became her manager in 1976) and her producer John Farrar.  She soon bought and settled in a ranch in Malibu, California, surrounding herself with her favorite animals (dogs, cats, and horses).

            Her next single "Something Better To Do" (released as a double A-sided single with "He ain't heavy, He's My Brother") debuted on the U.S. charts in September 1975, peaking at #13.  It was followed by the album Clearly Love which peaked at #12 despite the apathy of many music critics, one of whom stated at one point that "if white bread could sing, it would sound like Olivia Newton-John."

            Two new songs by Olivia also appeared in 1975.  The first was "Richard's Window," the theme to the movie The Other Side of the Mountain (MCA 2086); the second was "Fly Away" (RCA 10517), a duet with John Denver which peaked at U.S. #13 in January 1976.

            Olivia released her next single, "Come on Over" in March 1976 on the heels of a seemingly endless list of awards and honors by such renowned names as Cashbox, ASCAP, Record World, and the British Country Music Association.  The single reached #23 while the album with the same name peaked at #13 in May 1976.

            Olivia's next album, Don't Stop Believin', which hit the charts on November 6, 1976 (peaking at #30), reflected many changes in Olivia's recording:  It was the first album that Olivia recorded in the USA, her previous albums having been recorded in England, and may have also been a way to dissuade Nashville from seeing her as an outsider.  The album yielded 3 singles, the highest ranking being "Sam" which peaked at #20 in April 1977. 

            Olivia also toured Japan in 1976, a move that resulted in a live album, Love Performance (EMS-91010) which was released exclusively in the Far East in 1981.  The gatefold album, which came with a limited edition poster, remains Olivia's only officially released solo album of live material.

            Meanwhile, Olivia was busy exploring other outlets for her music.  On November 17, 1976, ABC-TV aired the first of Olivia's four television specials, A Special Olivia Newton-John with guests ranging from Lee Majors to Rona Barrett.  Subsequent specials were Olivia in May 1978 with guests Andy Gibb and Abba (a show that was released exclusively on laser disc in 1980); Hollywood Nights in April 1980 with guests including Cliff Richard, Tina Turner, and Elton John; and Olivia Newton-John: Let's Get Physical in February 1982.  Worthy of mention is the fact that the first three Specials included a wide range of material that has never been commercially released.

            Olivia toured the U.S. and Great Britain in May 1977, making her New York City debut at the Metropolitan House in Lincoln Center to a sold out audience on May 8 and performing as part of the Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations in England.      Olivia's next album, Making a Good Thing Better, failed to make a great impact on the charts and received little critical acclaim, peaking at #34 and yielding one unsuccessful single, the title song, which only reached #87.  Ironically, Olivia did receive much critical praise for her rendition of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" on that album although the track was never released as a single.  It did, however, appear on the B-side of the American rerelease of "I Honestly Love You" which peaked at #48 in late 1977, as well as the flip side of the UK release of "Please Mr. Please" in December 1977.

            Her next album, Olivia Newton-John's Greatest Hits, originally released in gatefold, restored Olivia to the Top 20 album chart, peaking at #13 in January 1978 and going Platinum in the USA while peaking at #19 on the British charts.  It contained all of her hits but no new material.

            In spite of Olivia's musical successes, the singer was by now busy launching her film career, having been cast to play the role of Sandy in Grease opposite John Travolta by Allan Carr, whom she had met at a soirée at Helen Reddy's home.  Unlike her first film Toomorrow back in England in 1970, Olivia's move to the screen proved to be extremely rewarding this time around.  Grease, which had already been a Broadway hit, became the highest grossing movie musical of all time, and the soundtrack from the movie gave Olivia 3 Top 5 singles:  "You're the One That I Want" (with John Travolta) which topped the charts in both the USA and the UK, "Hopelessly Devoted To You" which peaked at #3 (UK #2), and "Summer Nights" (with John Travolta) which reached the #5 position (UK #1) in August 1978 (the former two tracks were written especially for the movie by John Farrar).

            After unsuccessfully suing her record company MCA for $10 million in May 1978 for "failure to adequately promote and advertise her product," Olivia went on to release her album Totally Hot.  Perhaps inspired by the change in her character's image from virginal to vampy in the movie Grease, this album saw the birth of a new, leather clad Olivia singing songs that generally distanced her from her country beginnings.  The LP was also released as a Picture Disc in the UK in December 1978—now a rare collector's item—and yielded three singles:  "A Little More Love" (US #3), "Deeper Than the Night" (US #11; also released as a promotional 7" Picture Disc showing Olivia peeking through a red scarf), and the double A-sided "Totally Hot/ Dancin' 'Round And 'Round" (#52 and #82 respectively).  The album also yielded a British 12" release of "Deeper Than The Night" (EMI 12 EMI 2954).

            In 1979, Olivia participated in the UNICEF Gift of Song Concert from the United Nations in New York, leading to the album Music For UNICEF (Polydor 2335 214) which features two tracks by Olivia: "The Key" (never released on any of Olivia's albums) and a duet with Andy Gibb, "Rest Your Love on Me" which appears on Gibb's After Dark album (RS-1-3069).  The duet has never been released as a single in the U.S., but Olivia did score a #12 hit in May 1980 with another duet with Gibb, "I Can't Help It" which also appears on his After Dark album.

            Although Olivia's next movie, Xanadu, proved to be a box office flop in 1980, the soundtrack became a huge success for Olivia.  It included her #1 hit "Magic" (written by John Farrar), the #8 single "Xanadu" (with the Electric Light Orchestra; the single went to #1 in the UK) and "Suddenly," (also written by Farrar), a duet which reunited her with Cliff Richard and reached US #20.  The U.S. B-sides to "Magic" and "Suddenly" are "Fool Country" and "You Made Me Love You," two tracks that were not included on the movie soundtrack or any subsequent album.  "Magic" was also released as a limited edition 7" Picture Disc (ETLX 526) in the UK.

            It was on the set of Xanadu that Olivia met and fell in love with Matt Lattanzi, a dancer eleven years her junior whom she married in 1985.  The couple had one child, Chloe Rose, who was born on January 17, 1986.

            If Olivia had begun to change her girl-next-door image by the late seventies, the metamorphosis seemed complete with her next album, Physical.  The title track, which fueled the fitness craze of the early eighties, proved to be Olivia's longest running #1 single to date, topping the charts for ten consecutive weeks and creating controversy by being banned on some radio stations in Utah for its suggestive lyrics.

            The song coincided with the Physical video which earned Olivia her fourth Grammy, this time for Best Video 1982.  The album was followed by 2 singles, "Make A Move On Me" (US #5) and "Landslide (#52) as well as a successful North American tour in 1982 which was aired on HBO and later became available on video cassette and laser disc.  "Physical" also appeared as a 12" Maxi Single in Germany (EMI 1C K052-64570Z) and France (EMI 2C 052-52904Z).

            Basking in her success, Olivia released Olivia's Greatest Hits, Volume 2 in the U.S. in 1982, an album which included two new tracks, both of which were released as singles: "Heart Attack" (US #3) and "Tied Up" (US #38).  In the UK, a different compilation, Olivia's Greatest Hits was released by EMI and reached #8 on the album chart.  A British rerelease of "I Honestly Love You" (in a collectable picture sleeve) reached #52 in 1983 and included a live version of "Physical" on the B-side.  The single was also released as a UK Maxi Disc on EMI 5360.

            By late 1983, Olivia had teamed up once again with Grease partner John Travolta for a non-musical called Two of a Kind.  As with Xanadu, the film did not live up to expectations but the soundtrack from the movie, which included 4 tracks by Olivia, did peak at #26 in January 1984.  It included Olivia's #5 hit "Twist of Fate, " and her #31 single "Livin' in desperate times," both of which were remixed for the double A-sided 12" version.  The videos for Olivia's four soundtrack songs, combined with the "Heart Attack" and "Tied Up" clips, were also released on video cassette and laser disc.

            Olivia's career slowed down significantly in 1984 when the singer decided to open the first of her Koala Blue chain of boutiques on Melrose Ave in West Hollywood along with her ex-singing partner Pat Carroll.  Her only musical credit that year is a duet with Barry Gibb, "Face to Face" which appears on Gibb's Now Voyager (MCA 5506) (the song was released as a single in some countries but not in the U.S.).  She also sang back-up vocals to "Fine Line" on that same album.

            It wasn't until September 1985 that Olivia's album Soul Kiss was released, containing all new material including a duet with the Beach Boys' Carl Wilson.  The album photos—taken by Helmut Newton and Herb Ritts—showed Olivia in daring sultry poses and reflected her new harder sound.  The album, her first solo effort in over four years, reached #29 on the U.S. charts while the title single peaked at #20.  The B-side of the U.S. single is "Electric" which does not appear on the US album or CD.  Her next single from the album, "Toughen Up" failed to chart although it was, like its predecessor, remixed for a separate 12" version that is now considered difficult to find.  Even the MCA home video/laser disc release of some of the Soul Kiss songs in June 1986 did little to further the interest of a public who seemed to have rejected her hard-core look and music style.

            The next two years were characterized by a silence on Olivia's part.  She devoted most of her time to motherhood and to her Koala Blue chain, which was expanding worldwide.  Her only musical contributions were a single with David Foster, "The Best Of Me" which peaked at #80 and appeared on Foster's self-titled album (Atlantic 7 81642-1) and singing backup vocals on the title track from James Reyne's Hammerhead album (Capitol/EMI 48982).  The latter track also appeared on Reyne’s The Best (EMI 7807582) in 1992.

            Olivia's next album, The Rumour, came in August 1988, and was accompanied by an HBO Special called Olivia Newton-John in Australia (later released on home video as Olivia Down Under).  The Aussie version of the album also included the track, "It's Always Australia For Me" which Olivia and John Caper had written as a tribute to Australia's Bicentennial celebration, and which had already appeared as a limited edition Aussie picture sleeve single (Festival MX 69825) that same year.

            Although the title song from The Rumour was written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin (and was remixed by Shep Pettibone for the 12" release) the single only reached #62 on the charts while the album attained an unimpressive #67 (the B-side to the single is "Winter Angel" which was written by Olivia but not included on the album).  This disappointing result, combined with the fact that Koala Blue was by May 1989 boasting $14 million in sales through its 27 stores worldwide, convinced Olivia that her next album would be done for personal fulfillment, rather than for commercial gain.

            Since the birth of her daughter Chloe, Olivia had wanted to make a personal album just for her and one which emphasized Olivia's growing involvement with environmental causes.  The result was Warm and Tender (#124 in January 1990) an album of lullabies which Olivia recorded in Australia, and marked Olivia's surprising move to Geffen Records after MCA proved less than enthusiastic about the project.

            The first single off the album, "Reach Out For Me," did not make a mark on the pop charts but reached #32 on the Adult Contemporary chart and the second single, "When You Wish Upon A Star," was only released in the UK (Mercury 313).  The album was supported by many TV appearances including a VH-1 Special that highlighted Olivia's environmental concerns (she had been elected as the United Nations' first Goodwill Ambassador to the Environment in June 1990).  She flew to Brazil that same year to report on the devastation of the rain forest for Fox's TV show The Reporters and later attended the Rio Earth Summit in 1992.

            Olivia also got together with other entertainers in 1989 to record "Spirit of the Forest" (Virgin 0-96551) with proceeds from sales going to save the Brazilian rain forest.  The song also appeared on the Earthrise: The Rainforest Album CD (Pyramid R2 71830) in October 1994.

            By the end of 1990, Olivia's Koala Blue chain had expanded to 55 locations worldwide (including Australia, Canada, France, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore) and Olivia had been named celebrity businesswoman of the year by the National Association of Women Business Owners in 1989.  She starred in her first American TV movie, Disney's A Mom for Christmas (which included two songs that have yet to be commercially released) in December 1991, the same year she hosted Hanna-Barbera's Timeless Tales series which became available on video cassette and laser disc.

            In the UK, Olivia enjoyed renewed success thanks to the release of "The Grease Megamix" (#3 in December 1990) and "Grease: The Dream Mix" (#47 in March 1991).  Both of these singles are available on CD and the former is also included on the British Back to Basics album.  Neither one has been released in the USA.

            In 1991, a CD entitled Banks of the Ohio (Success 22533) was released in the EEC and included remastered and remixed versions of nine of Olivia's early singles.  The CD was also issued in England with a different cover on Tring JHD039.

            The end of 1991, however, began a series of events that would prove disastrous for Olivia both personally and professionally.  Her once thriving Koala Blue empire was forced into bankruptcy and began liquidation proceedings in March 1992; her close friend's daughter, Colette Chuda, died of cancer in late 1992; and Olivia's father passed away from cancer, only days before Olivia herself was diagnosed with breast cancer on July 3, 1992.

            Although Olivia's Back to Basics album, her second with Geffen, was released in the U.S., UK, and Australia, each CD contains different selections.  Two of the four new tracks on that album were issued on CD and cassette singles in the U.S.:  "I Need Love" (peaked at #96), which was produced by Giorgio Moroder, and "Deeper Than A River" (written by Diane Warren) which peaked at #20 on the Adult Contemporary charts.  Remixed versions of both songs also appeared separately in all three countries, including a distinctly upbeat 'Urban Mix' version of "Deeper Than A River" which may be found on the Geffen promotional CD single.

            Since Back to Basics, a somewhat similar compilation, The Greatest Hits Collection 1971-1994 (Mercury 518 942-2) has been released in Europe in 1993, the same year that Olivia published her environmentally conscious children's book, A Pig Tale (Simon & Schuster) which she co-wrote with Brian Seth  (Olivia's portion of the sales were donated to the Colette Chuda Environmental Fund).  In 1994, a UK double CD set issued by EMI's Country Masters called 48 Original Tracks 1971-1975 (CDP 8 27111 2) appeared and included tracks never before available on CD.  A live version of "Hopelessly Devoted To You" also appeared in 1994 on Grammy's Greatest Moments, Volume III (Atlantic 82576-2) in the USA.

            It wasn't until September 1994 that Olivia—whose battle with cancer had encouraged her to write her first album of her own songs—released her CD single "No Matter What You Do" (Festival D11769) in Australia, followed by an album of all-new material, Gaia (a native Australian word meaning 'Mother Earth') which peaked at #7 on the Aussie album chart on October 8, 1994 and has gone Gold since.  The second single, “Don’t Cut Me Down” (Festival D11941) was released in Australia  in January 1995, the same month the album was released in the UK on the D-sharp (Pinnacle) label, debuting at #37 on the UK album charts and peaking at #33.  The CD release was followed by a string of British TV spots promoting the new album, including an appearance on Is This Your Life? where she spoke candidly about matters ranging from early romances to battling breast cancer.  In spite of that potentially successful resurgence, the album has not as yet been released in the USA.  The latest word from Olivia’s management is that a deal is being negotiated with an American label and that the album will be out sometime in 1995.

            In December 1994, a Christmas compilation CD titled Spirit of Christmas 94 was released in Australia.  It featured one recently recorded track by Olivia, “Away In A Manger” in addition to contributions by  various Aussie artists.   All proceeds from the sale of that CD and cassette were donated to the Salvation Army. 

Later that year, Olivia began recording with Cliff Richard again, this time as the part of Kathy in his Wuthering Heights musical stage project.  One of the duets from that soundtrack, “Had to Be” was later released as a single.

            Olivia's TV projects in 1994 included a guest starring role in the Aussie Western series Snowy River: The McGregor Saga.  She also starred in A Christmas Romance, a CBS TV movie, shot on location in Canada, which first aired on December 18, 1994, ranking an impressive seventh according to the National A.C. Nielsen’s Ratings.

            Confident that she has beaten her illness, Olivia devotes most of her time these days to family, environmental causes, and music.  She has been touring extensively over the past few years and her concerts are proving to be great sellouts.

 

To view Olivia Newton-John’s UK/US Discography please click here