Solitude & Sunshine--The Songs of Rod McKuen Petula Clark May 16, 2025

[jack020]

When Grammy-winning artist Petula Clark met poet-songwriter-singer Rod McKuen in France during the 1960s, they became fast friends. Petula, of course, was one of the biggest music stars in the world and in the midst of a long string of hits in both English and French. For his part, McKuen was a huge fan of Petula, naming her his favorite female vocalist; and by the mid-1970s, they had performed together on several television programs. Inspired by Petula's recorded versions of his dramatic environmental anthem "The Wind of Change" and the tender ballad "I Think of You," McKuen resolved to put together an entire album of his compositions for Petula just like he had done with Frank Sinatra on his 1969 release A Man Alone. The project was announced, but it took a few decades to come to fruition; finally, after her acclaimed runs with the musicals Blood Brothers and Sunset Boulevard on Broadway and in London, and national tours across the United States, Petula and Rod were able to synchronize their schedules in 2005. Multiple sessions at Hollywood's Private Island Trax studio and an overdub session in Geneva would yield 20 favorites from the McKuen songbook, passionately and poignantly sung by England's most successful female singer of the 20th century. A limited-edition, 14-track CD available from Rod's website and Petula's fan club quickly sold out, and now SOLITUDE & SUNSHINE - The Songs of Rod McKuen is coming to retail for the first time in a newly expanded edition including 6 bonus tracks, 5 unreleased! The CD includes extensive liner notes written by both Rod and Petula along with rare photos. A huge find for fans of either artist!

Track Listings

1	ROCK GENTLY
2	PEOPLE CHANGE
3	LOVE’S BEEN GOOD TO ME
4	THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ROSE with Rod McKuen
5	NEVER GO THERE ANYMORE
6	MOVING DAY
7	LISTEN TO THE WARM
8	IT’S RAINING
9	THE SINGLE WOMAN
10	WHERE ARE WE NOW with Rod McKuen
11	SEASONS IN THE SUN
12	AS I LOVE MY OWN
13	ABOUT THE TIME
14	SOLITUDE’S MY HOME
15	SIMPLE GIFTS
16	LOVE IS with Rod McKuen
17	THREE
18	SONG WITHOUT WORDS
19	GOLDEN APPLES OF THE SUN with Rod McKuen
20	IF YOU GO AWAY

[daviddesper]

Wonderful news as always to see CDs continue to be released. Definitely one of the more intriguing ones to come along in a while.