Born To Be With You

I think this was added to the list to show those who are unaware of Phil Spector’s criminal history that not everything he touches is gold.

Bed wettingly shit. A complete and utter disaster of a record that makes me want to strangle an infant.

You know the album just isn't good when the best song on it is a mediocre cover of a song that I like but not love. If I'm ever comatose, play this album because surely I'll wake up to turn it the hell off.

I think I'd rather listen to Morrissey than listen to this again.

Great easy listening. No special single song, but as a whole, just click play and sit back and enjoy.

Was my familiar with Dion’s earlier work, but this was a pleasant surprise

ATTENTION APPLE MUSIC USERS: Apple Music has this record paired with Dion’s 1976 follow up, “Streetheart”. You only need to listen to the first 8 tracks. You’re welcome.

Lots of love songs

Great voice, great mellow album, can definitely hear the blues influence, especially in the first track (favourite).

Pretty easy to listen to. I’d probably put it on again as chill background music

The very first note of this is a typical country-twang note... siiiiigh.... but hey wait, it's not country, and this actually sounds quite nice. The second song is nice too. In fact these are all really nice songs. He's got a nice voice, it's all quite heartfelt and there's some nice melodies and interesting ideas here. Real easy listening. It's consistently good all the way through. While it's not 100% my thing, the fact that there's 20 songs and not a single bad one is some achievement. 3.5/5 rounded up to 4

I was expecting a Wall of Sound pastiche. Thankfully this is more a Dion album than a Phil Spector Doo-wop record. It was uplifting, almost spiritual. The saxophone breaks come close to stealing the show. The album drifted a little towards the end, before rescuing itself with a rousing Good Lovin' Man as the closer. Dion deserves wider acclaim.

I was like- why does Dion sound like this? And then song three- about being sober. Lol. Good for him, bad for music?

looks like Mulligan or O'hare. nowhere near as funny.

Beautiful ballads and songs that rock and move and make you want to dance. So many genres are spanned on this album with BeeGees, the Eagles, disco, and even Simon and Garfunkle adjacent songs. I have never heard of this singer, but what an excellent song writer. Production is outstanding with supremely awesome backing instruments. This album is a banger and feels like it could be the Guardians of the Galaxy Pt 4 soundtrack.

loved!!

Slaps

Rains coming but 5. Never heard of this guy till now but this album for me is great. Not the best vocals but lyrics and music is right there.

I know some Dion from the 60s, but this was the first exposure to his later work. It was not what I would expect from a former teen-idol doo-wop star. Quite good!

Amazing! I loved the vocals.

beautiful and soothing classic rock that really makes you feel nostalgic and happy - i don't come across stuff like this often, but i really like it.

I had never heard Dion's solo recordings, only his Dion and the Belmonts material. This album was fantastic! Very smooth, great emotional construction, I really enjoyed being introduced to this,.

Amazing

nice, love it!

10/10 didn’t know Id like an album like this as much as I did, but hey, these songs are actually really good

Awesome sentimental bops

Finally! 5

Surprised. Never heard of this until now. I dig the Phil Spector sound. Solid vocals. Awesome.

Oh nice

Had to look into who Dion is to confirm he is the same "Runaround Sue" / "I'm the Wanderer" guy from the doo wop era. Like a handful of other doo wop artists such as Ricky Nelson, he kept on trucking through the 70's trying to find his own stylistic way in the changing environments. There are a few knods to his doo wop past throughout such as the first drum beat, straight out of track 1. There's a comforting 70's rock feel to this, which is surprising considering Phil Spector produced it. Where he usually sounds larger than life, in this case he allows Dion's flickering introspection to light the way. These tracks are real reflective, like a man who never expected to live long enough to count the chips he's got left. Despite all that, it never lands as completely dour, there's a hopeful acceptance that feels balanced and easy to embrace. Bonus- Spotify has this grouped with a followup "Streetheart" which is total 70's AOR yacht rock stuff, although it's different vibe, is also totally awesome.

Discovered this album quite some years ago, and in my memory it was a 5-star record - after all some songs sound like a blueprint for a band like Spiritualized - but other songs are a bit less special. score: 8/10

Little bit struggling to categorize Dion. The album cover and those glasses are a bit disconcerting for starters. A bit like the soulful parts of Bob Dylan and Tim Hardin. Real Phil Spector polishing and yet you always think something great is coming, but it never does. Still, an enjoyable album to accompany a read up of Dion's quite incredible life, and the Buddy Holly story is quite something.

I really don't get the hate for this album. Not sure it's my thing, but it's certainly competent. I absolutely love the Phil Spector sound. Everyone knows why he's a terrible human being, but man was he good at producing music.

I liked this more than I should. Won't come back to it, but he has his charm.

WELL I'M THE TYPE-A GUY

One shall not be surprised if a love-struck or love-starved individual had made their path towards this album in some capacity. Even in some of the more heartfelt, expansive and explosive albums in the decade of this album's resurgence (the 1990s) has its DNA strewn all over it. Phil Spector's destructive path in the 70s somehow made it's way to Dion's front door and the pre-British Invasion crooner needed some injection of relevancy in the changed marketplace. It's a shame that Born to Be With You did not recieve the plaudits it deserved at the time, for this is a really great album that shows reminds those of Dion's vocal prowess and the instrumentation involved here is a precursor of what Leonard Cohen's Death of a Ladies' Man would become a little later (and namely records like Spiritualized's Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space). The bonus tracks tacked on the end serves as a postscript and it does its tricks even if it feels a bit mute. Favorites: Born to Be With You, Make the Woman Love Me, Only You Know, In and Out of the Shadows, Good Lovin' Man, Baby, Let's Stick Together.

got better as it went, a little long

Soft rock at a pretty high level, approaching but never reaching fully Spectorian shlock. "Only You Know" and "NYC Song" are lovely. Don't sleep on Streetheart, either. There are a few winning cuts there, too.

Well this was a surprise. Gonna add this into the list of artists worth a deeper dive into.

Heat

Dehä va brazy bangeri

Holy shit, like *that* Dion. Damn nice record, good folksy vibe with great production. Your Own Back Yard is pretty topical...

Kinda poppy/operatic, reminiscent of Elton John

This had some really fun tracks, and some boring ones.

Very nice timeless vibes to this. I was tempted to give it 5 stars because I would like to listen again, but it is definitely “pleasant” rather than “brilliant”.

Maybe heretical but I'm not sure the Spector sound has aged all that well, though it could be some combination of the source (I have no idea really what YT Music is up to in that respect -codecs, bit rates etc.) and my lackluster playback equipment. Other than that this is all solid, well crafted lyrics riding a flawlessly professional musical foundation. Much of it delivered by Wrecking Crew icons who are departing this mortal coil at an unsurprising but sad rate over the last couple decades.

1/23/24. This record surprised me! I only knew Dion from a couple famous 50s songs, but each song here sounded big and in your face in a great way. Definitely will revisit.

I probably should hate this but I didn’t. Cheesy fun

Sweet

Good vibes only

Kind of surprising album here. Never would have picked this up before but I do like it! Title track has a great feel. Your Own Backyard… dig the vibe and vocals. Also New York City Song. At least 3.5 I feel.

Folk rock. Está bien. Un 4.

Very long album, but very good. I really enjoyed the songwriting and the production in the album.

Really reminded me of a Jim Croce vibe in the first half. Second half of the album was a bit peppier and more groovy almost. Had a few I really was bouncing too. Almost a 5 for me

Interest grew with every listen and a fairly mundane listen at first became an intriguing pop baroque record with unusual song choices and an uneasiness just below the surface.

Extremely easy listening

This is actually quite good, a lot better than I reckoned going into it. Reading about it and some of the perceived production issues have me wondering how good it could've been in that regard but in terms of composition and storytelling, I enjoyed it.

Beautiful

Pour ceux qui ne seraient pas au courant, la présence de cet album de Dion est un énorme doigt d'honneur de Robert à la communauté générateurienne qui s'attendait évidemment à tomber sur Céline et ses deux-cent-trente-millions d'albums vendus. Que nenni… encore une vilaine farce de notre Robert national.

Man, this was really great. "New York City Song" and "Your Own Back Yard" were excellent.

Bloody lovely

Very good, if you are in the mood.

Like this more than I thought I would. There are a couple of songs I knew. A lot I didn’t. I’d put this on in the background, I think. 3 seems too low. 4 too high. But I’ll round up to 4.

Enjoyed this - not an essential listen I'll revisit soon, but a mature set of songs with some fun production flourishes.

Levitational longings for the hopeless, restless romantic.

Tres bon bliesman ce dion.4.5

This was weird in a wonderful 70s fever dream way. It reminded me of John Lennon's solo work - a fair amount of meandering with different genres and covers of songs. Honestly, I liked it. The album sounds like something my hip aunts & uncles would've listened to while chilling & smoking pot. I listened twice & I'll listen again. It's quirky enough to be interesting.

I know one Dion song off this album, Only You Know, but I'm not sure why. Perhaps it was a discovery playlist but it really reminds me of moving back to Brighton in 2017. Good song! I enjoyed plenty of this album but found it too long by the end. Too many songs that sound similar.. but overall nice solid song writing I'd say

This was unexpectedly good.

Lush baroque pop produced by Phil Spector. A little schlocky but not bad.

Lovely album which surprised me

Ок. 4/8 – 50%

Прослушано! Неплохой крепкий альбом, можно слушать ещё раз.

Very chill background music

I came to understand Dion as more than "Runaround Sue" via, of all goddamned things, Mott the Hoople, and 1971's Brain Capers, an album I hold in the highest of esteem. They covered "Your Own Backyard", and I was really knocked out by the soulful humanity of the lyrics. So I was intrigued when this came up, and by the end of this Leonard Cohen-ish, collection, I can say I am a fan.

Folk rock. Está bien. Un 4.

So I read the Wiki blurb, saw the album cover with a straight up goober, and saw it was a long one. Got busy and had to skip that day, and was always unexcited at the thought of eventually listening. Finally got around to it, and I got bit by judging a book by its cover. This is a fun album full of entertaining songs.

Liked this one I chopped off the streetheart bit that spotify had combined.

You know what I liked it

A mix of pop, country, crooner, folk. Not quite on a par with the classic 60s pop / do-wop for me (Runaround Sue is a certified BANGER) but certainly does enough to show why he's regularly listed as one of the best vocalists ever. Lovely stuff.

8/10. I liked this. Maybe liked the second album that was packaged with it on Spotify a little more, but maybe I was just paying better attention by that point.

Not bad

Thought this was great. Liked everything on here

The main thing that occurs to me when I listen to this, is that I wish Phil Spector had produced an album for Harry Nilsson around the time this record came out. That thought aside, this really is a pretty remarkable achievement for the guy who started his career in '61 with "Runaround Sue," "The Wanderer," and "Dream Lover."

I knew his 50s stuff but wasn’t aware of any of this style. Very much enjoyed it

Surprisingly I really enjoyed this album. It was so full of soul and character. I thought it was going to be boring and melancholy and it ended up way more extravagant than I could imagine.

Gefällt mir!

3.5

I thoroughly enjoyed this. The type of white boy soul / pop that connects with my white boy soul / pop preferences.

So what to make of an album that the artist hates and that no one paid attention to for decades? I'm trying to figure it out - I think the angle is I need to hear this because Dion was a teeny bopping doo wopper 15 years earlier and this was a much more mature sound. And yeah I know his big hits and this is way different. So relative to himself you need to hear it. Relative to the music industry? I'm not sure. But I will say this, I really liked it. His voice was captivating and crazy ahole Phil Spector made many of the songs sound soaring. The opener Born to Be With You perfectly captures that soaring feel - it did not feel like a 7min song (nice little sax solo in the middle). Make the Woman Love Me was a great follow-up. And then Your Own Back Yard - kudos to Dion for writing some deep, personal lyrics about his rampant drug habit. Solid song. Only You Know was also very solid (his vocals just resonate) and then there's New York City Song. Absolutely beautiful (and sad) lyrics and vocals from Dion. The song caught me completely by surprise even as I was enjoying the album already. And that's when it hit me as to what this album was capturing - a John Denver kind of folk (with some Spector adds to give it an R&B musical backdrop). That's a good thing on a song like In and Out of the Shadows but a little much on a song like Good Lovin Man. I can honestly say that I will put this album on again (and again) when I need an album to play on repeat for a couple hours. I never would've listened to it if not for this list, but glad I did.

This is great. I'm a total sucker for Phil Spector (producing, not the binfire of a human). A very pleasant listen. Had never heard of Dion before this but there's loads of older stuff I didn't realise was him (The Wanderer!)

I love his music with the Belmonts, but this is such a mature album. Your Own Backyard is a great song

- Make the Woman Love Me fucks - In and Out of the Shadows fucks - Runaway Man fucks - More to you fucks - Hey My Love fucks The rest range from good to fine but filler. Overall good album I liked it.

I absolutely love Dion’s music from the 50s-60s, but I had no idea what to expect from this. It was a little up and down for me as an album, but “Make the Woman Love Me” is absolutely fantastic. I’ve been listening to it nonstop since I finished the full album. I’m not completely sure this should be on a list of greatest albums of all time, but personally I really enjoyed it.

Favourite song: Make the Woman Love Me

Good stuff

Schön

Reminded me of Spriritualized, who I am very fond of.

This was much different from everything else I've ever heard from Dion (The Wanderer and that's basically it). It was interesting to hear his voice used more for Elton john style ballads as opposed to 60s doowop music. I liked pretty much all of the songs and even listened to the extra tracks on Spotify but nothing stood out too much to list here really.

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Make the woman love me, Good loving man