Charlie Rich Behind Closed Doors Genres:Country, Pop, R&B Within the Nashville of the early 1970s, Charlie Rich's talent was a given. His blues-drenched vocals, jazzy piano work, and moody intimacy reflected a raw integrity that no one could sell to the mainstream. That changed i... more »n 1973, when the singles "Behind Closed Doors" and "The Most Beautiful Girl" made him a household name, as did this album. But at that time, many longtime fans viewed the "new" Charlie Rich warily; their fear was that mass success came at a cost. The songs were undeniably more commercial, and his Epic producer Billy Sherrill shifted his sound to one clearly aimed at a broader audience. However, in 2001, the arguments and concerns seem moot. By and large, this music holds up, particularly compared to many of Rich's later, less substantive lightweight efforts. "I Take It On Home," for example, is as fine and funky a number as anything he recorded. Moreover, this excellent reissue highlights the contrasts in the Epic years by appending four pre-"Closed Doors" tracks, among them the magnificent "Ruby, You're Warm" and the majestic honky-tonker "Mama, Take Me Home." Decide for yourself. --Rich Kienzle« less
Within the Nashville of the early 1970s, Charlie Rich's talent was a given. His blues-drenched vocals, jazzy piano work, and moody intimacy reflected a raw integrity that no one could sell to the mainstream. That changed in 1973, when the singles "Behind Closed Doors" and "The Most Beautiful Girl" made him a household name, as did this album. But at that time, many longtime fans viewed the "new" Charlie Rich warily; their fear was that mass success came at a cost. The songs were undeniably more commercial, and his Epic producer Billy Sherrill shifted his sound to one clearly aimed at a broader audience. However, in 2001, the arguments and concerns seem moot. By and large, this music holds up, particularly compared to many of Rich's later, less substantive lightweight efforts. "I Take It On Home," for example, is as fine and funky a number as anything he recorded. Moreover, this excellent reissue highlights the contrasts in the Epic years by appending four pre-"Closed Doors" tracks, among them the magnificent "Ruby, You're Warm" and the majestic honky-tonker "Mama, Take Me Home." Decide for yourself. --Rich Kienzle
CD Reviews
Landmark countrypolitan LP that became a 70s template
hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 02/14/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Rich's 1973 countrypolitan masterpiece is a long way from his late 50s sides as a session pianist at Sun and his brief 1960 flirtation with chart success on "Lonely Weekend." By this point in his career, having released records on Phillips, Groove, Smash (where he had a minor hit with "Mohair Sam") and Hi, he'd released everything from rockabilly to straight country to jazz-inflected versions of standards. What he hadn't done was establish a truly identifiable sound or crack the upper reaches of the charts. Six years at Epic hadn't yet yielded a career-making breakthrough, either.All that changed with this Billy Sherrill production, and his emergence as The Silver Fox. Though they'd been working together for six years, they didn't find true commercial success until the release of the soulful, "I Take it on Home" and this follow-up LP. The title track hit #1 on the country chart early in '73, and crossed over to the pop Top 20. The follow-up single from the LP, "The Most Beautiful Girl," also hit #1 country and crossed over, as well. Rich cleaned up at the subsequent CMA's, sweeping top single, top LP and top male vocalist, and nabbed the Grammy for best country vocalist, as well as 4 ACM awards.Though Rich and Sherrill had been working on their sound for several years, the resulting albums were a hit-and-miss give-and-take between Rich's multi-genre leanings and Sherrill's pop sound. On "Behind Closed Doors," Rich more fully surrendered to the role of country-pop crooner, finding a level of comfort that allowed him to star amidst Sherrill's layered, complex productions. It was a balance that became the template for 70s country pop recordings. In addition to the seamlessness of their combined sounds, producer and artist found superb material, offering smooth country and politely bluesy tunes that showed off Rich's soulful side. No doubt the maturing audience for country was more receptive than ever to the softened countrypolitan sounds.Country music purists sometimes dismiss Rich's breakthrough as a sellout. But his ability and desire to sing a country song with tinges of jazz or pop had been with him from early on. And if one considers music to be a language, then like a language, the vocabulary - the songs, the sounds, the productions - evolves with the times. Rich made the most of the country pop vocabulary of the 70s, and added the sort of soulfulness employed by Ray Charles in his own country efforts and Elvis in his latter-day ballads.This reissue offers four bonus tracks dating from '71 and '72, fitting in both arrangement and sentiment with the LP at large. Only one, "I've Got Mine" was previously unreleased. Newly penned liner notes from Mavericks' vocalist Raul Malo and Billboard writer Chet Flippo round out the package."
The Silver Fox: My intro to Country Music
DJ EZ Beats | San Jose, Ca | 05/09/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I foundly remember hearing "Behind Closed Doors" and "The Most Beautiful Women in the World" and wondering out loud sometimes "Why is my mom playing this?" Well soon I realized why...the Silver Fox was a damn good singer and his songs had a profound meaning. Living in South Central Los Angeles it was rare to hear this type of music playing or played, but my mom played it and she played it often enough that I would go to school singing "The Most Beautiful Women in the World". Now 20 odd years later I play this for my kids and they appreciate the music and his voice just like I did."
The reluctant, masterful '70s superstar at his peak.
Ronald Brackney | Santa Clara, CA USA | 04/27/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album was Charlie Rich's breakthrough to
massive popularity after fifteen years of gigs
in venues of "lesser" status. Charlie Rich was really
a jazz pianist and blues, soul singer who gained
his worldwide fame through the more "sophisticated"
country sound developed by producer Billy Sherrill. "Behind Closed Doors" is the standout album of this genre.
"You Never Really Wanted Me" is the song that made
me a Charlie Rich fan. It is really a blues song in
my opinion and playing it late at night in the dark will
affect you too. The rest of the album contains material
that showcases not only Charlie's magnificent voice but
the genuine emotion that Charlie conveys to the listener.
The release of "I've Got Mine" on this "expanded" album
is welcome because "never before" released material by Charlie is rare and to have the sterling "Ruby, You're Warm" on CD is a treat. Buy this one and then explore the rest of this man's catalog - you will discover blues, soul, gospel, jazz, standards and rock and roll. I challenge you to find
any other singer who is his equal."
Classic country album
Marc Haegeman | Gent, Belgium | 03/20/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Listening to this album again, now in its remastered and expanded CD format, will probably unleash a great deal of early 70's nostalgia. Yet, pretty soon one realizes the songs haven't lost anything of their appeal and all initial arguments about the undoubtedly more commercial direction Charlie Rich was taking with "Behind Close Doors" are immediately silenced. Including the 1973 smash hits "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World", "Behind Closed Doors" and "I Take It On Home", alongside a string of great cuts ("'Til I Can't Take It Anymore", "Sunday Kind of Woman", and "If You Wouldn't Be My Lady", among others), superbly masterminded by Billy Sherrill and inimitably sung, this album deservedly earned Rich immortality."
Takes Me Back
C. McPherson | Falls Church, VA | 06/01/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I enjoyed this album so much in the '70s. I was afraid the CD wouldn't be enhanced, but the quality of the sound is terrific. I enjoy it just as much now as I did 30 years ago."
