Over and Over
An essential for the British
THIRD ENGLISH ALBUM
It was expected for several months by the British public when it was released in March 1969. Indeed, the previous autumn, Nana hosted a series of variety shows at the BBC and in record stores there were no recordings available. Yet it was her third English album. The previous two were recorded in the United States with Quincy Jones and Bobby Scott. Here’s an article on its content, its different covers, its journey and the six TV shows that preceded its release.
1) THE CONTENT
"Over and Over" is the first album recorded in England. Produced by André Chapelle, it follows her French repertoire. Moreover, most of the twelve songs are part of the LPs "Le jour où la colombe..." and "Je me souviens". This time, it demonstrates her ability to perform songs from different origins in English. Her ensemble, The Athenians, accompanies her in most of the recordings.
Side 1
01- Scarborough Fair / Canticle |
Side 2
01- The first time ever I saw your face |
|
The two main selling cuts are "The white rose of Athens" and "Try to remember". The first was her first big hit outside of her country. It's a signature song to which she's recognized. In her concerts, Nana sings it to please her audience and recalls that it has been for her like a passport to make career worldwide. The second, Nana discovered it through Harry Belafonte who sang it in their shows in North America. This melancholic song moved her immediately. Since then, wherever she is, it's one of the successes that the audience likes to hear again.
Also, "Scarborough Fair / Canticle", the famous Simon & Garfunkel hit, which Nana has often sung in her concerts. And fourthly, "Over and over", the title song she has recorded in four languages.
2) THE DIFFERENTS COVERS
Considering its sales successes, it's no wonder that eleven of the twelve songs have been released on 45 rpm discs and that the 33 rpm was pressed in at least 18 countries. There are four different covers.
|
THE ORIGINAL The album, conceived in England, came out as such in Ireland, Jamaica, Australia, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya. On the blue gray cover, Nana is wearing a red ensemble and is looking aside (the same photo as on the cover of "Je me souviens"). Her name, the title and the song list are printed in red. The black and white back cover shows two photos taken with her musicians in the studio and a text signed by Nick Massey. |
THE CLOSE-UP In Holland, Israel, South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines, fans got a different cover. On the front, a close-up of the same photo in symmetry. The name is written in red and the title in blue. On the back cover, a black and white photo with details of the recordings. |
  |
|
THE PINK Japan opted for a pink cover with the same photo of Nana in oval shape. Like all Japanese albums, it includes an insert with the lyrics. The order of the songs is different. |
THE GREY In the United States, Canada and New Zealand, they were inspired by the LP "Le jour où la colombe". The same photo is used for the cover. It’s a more distant plane and the colours have been retouched. The background is gray, the name and title are magenta and the song list is black. On the back, there is a text by Louis Nucera, details about the recordings and the same two photos taken in the studio. |
  |
3) ITS JOURNEY
"Over and Over", her first English collection made of her concert repertoire, was popular especially in Commonwealth countries. And, where her TV series were broadcast, it was certified gold and platinum.
GOLD AND PLATINUM RECORDS
|
Among these countries, here are a few: England (gold: 100,000 copies), Australia (gold: 25,000 copies) and New Zealand (gold: 7,500 copies and platinum: 15,000 copies). However, these statistics are not representative as this album continued to sell well for years, as much in these countries and in others. It should be noted that between 1969 and 1974, it remained on the British charts for 105 weeks. It is therefore quite realistic to believe that during this period sales doubled and even tripled. It’s surprising that in Canada, where Nana has given the most concerts in the world, there is no trace of a gold record. However, from her first visit in 1965, she was very popular, especially in Quebec for her French songs, and her records were distributed across the country. We can think it’s because her series weren't broadcast. |
CD PolyGram Canada, which signed the world rights to her English recorded material, released it in CD format in 1991. Then they exported it throughout the world. It found takers among those who use to replace their favourite vinyl records and those who wanted to hear it again. In 2005, for her English Integral "Nana Mouskouri Collection", the album was released in digipack format under the title "The white rose of Athens". It is paired with "The Exquisite". |
  |
THE SIX TV SHOWS
The existence of this album is no coincidence. Nana owes it to her six TV shows presented on BBC between September 21 and October 26, 1968. With this first experience as a host-singer, Nana proved to the British that she mastered her Art, that her English was impeccable and that she sang in several languages. At the same time, this series allowed them to get to know her better. Viewers, impressed by her talent, didn’t miss any.
|
Here, I would like to make a little aside about this series. First of all, Nana sang in seven languages, but mostly in English and Greek. The Athenians accompanied her and performed an instrumental piece for each show. Just to make envious those who haven’t seen it and who are eager to know its contents, I would like to quote "My fisherman, my laddy o" and "La paloma tonight", two real jewels that have remained unreleased. Finally, I would like to point out that ten of the twelve songs on the album were part of it, but not necessarily sung in English. |
Obviously, at that time, viewing TV shows was done live only, because digital recorders did not exist. The only way for performers to allow the audience to listen to their songs as many times as they wanted was to make recordings. So, was released "Over and Over". At the same time, these recordings have left their marks and have greatly contributed to the advancement of Nana’s career. Her songs were broadcast regularly on the radio, so she was invited to give interviews, concerts, and…to record other TV series and albums.
AN ESSENTIAL
After having devoted several articles about my favourite albums, it seemed important to me to pay tribute to one of the most famous. In addition, it’s the one that defined the musical style of Nana we know and that allowed her international career to really take off. To conclude, if "Roses & Sunshine" is the album that stood out in Canada, in England, that is definitely "Over and Over". Of course there are others that have counted, but this is the first and it remains an essential for the British.
