Gates, Grills and Railings/Nothin' Like a Sunny Day

His last album of the 1960's was something quite different from the work he had done before. What I like about Bobby Vee's albums is that they are all quite unique.Gates Grills and Railings from 1969 is one such case in point. A diverse selection of material that was very in keeping with the times. He covers the beautiful "I just can't help believing" with great orchestra back up, this same song was of course a huge hit for Elvis Presley one year later. Also on this album is the Harry Nilsson penned "One" and Hank Marvin's "London's not too far". The songs have great arrangements and sound very fresh even today. There are a couple of lesser tracks that have not stood the test of time so well such as the psychedelic "Lavender Kite" and "Younger Generation", but on the whole it's well worth a listen.As is the second LP on here, "Nothin like a sunny day" originally released under his real name Robert Thomas Velline. More country than pop this time, an album predominantly ballad orientated and what a great collection of tunes, and all bar one totally self penned. These two LP,s show beyond any doubt that there was a lot more to Bobby Vee than the early pop songs that he became most associated with.

Disappointing. There are a couple of decent tracks but the rest are unsuccessful attempts at moving into the 'progressive' era.