The Sonny Side of Chér
The Sonny Side of Chér | ||||
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folk pop | ||||
Length | 33:35 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | Sonny Bono | |||
Cher chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Sonny Side of Chér | ||||
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The Sonny Side of Chér is the second studio album by American singer-actress Cher, released on March 28, 1966, by Imperial, as her second album, Cher again collaborated with Sonny Bono and Harold Battiste. The album is by-and-large a covers album and contains two songs written by Bono. The title of the album is a pun on the name of Cher's first husband Sonny Bono. Cher's second successful album of the sixties, it was released on CD in 1992 by EMI together with Cher's first album as a 2fer.[1] In 1995 EMI re-released this 2fer with the album Chér.[1] The last version of the album was released in 2005 only in UK by BGO Records. These editions feature a different track order than the original LP.
Background and production
After the success of her previous album, Cher quickly recorded another album. The Sonny Side of Chér was in the chart with the second studio album of
Like her previous album All I Really Want to Do, Cher covered one song written and performed by Bob Dylan, "Like a Rolling Stone".[4] The album also included
Singles
Two singles were released from this album; both were written by Bono. "
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [2] |
Billboard | Favorable[8] |
Record Mirror | [9] |
The album has received mixed reviews from music critics. Tim Sendra from AllMusic website has written that even though the album uses "the folk-rock formula that had made her previous album such a delight" The Sonny Side of Cher is "nothing more than a chuckle-inducing curiosity, just the kind of silly record casual listeners might expect from the duo." He praised the cover songs "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan, "Elusive Butterfly" and "Come to Your Window" by Bob Lind but criticized the folk-rock sound in pop tunes like "It's Not Unusual," "Our Day Will Come," and "The Girl from Ipanema." He concluded that "the album is doomed by its lack of heart and inability to rise above the formulaic." A Billboard magazine review called the album "well produced", "well performed" and a "fast-moving item".
Commercial performance
The Sonny Side of Chér peaked at number 26 on the Billboard 200. The album entered into the chart while The Wondrous World of Sonny & Cher was also charting. The album also entered in the UK Albums Chart and debuted at number 28 in May, and reached its highest position at number eleven, three weeks later.[10] The album remained in the chart for eleven weeks and exited in July.[10] The Sonny Side of Chér was also Cher's last album that entered in the UK Albums chart until her 1987 comeback album Cher (released by Geffen). The Sonny Side of Chér also entered in the Norway albums chart and peaked at No. 17.[11]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | " Oscar Brown, Jr. | 3:22 | |
3. | "Where Do You Go" | Bono | 3:12 |
4. | "Our Day Will Come" | 2:12 | |
5. | "Elusive Butterfly" | Bob Lind | 2:30 |
6. | "Like a Rolling Stone" | Bob Dylan | 3:45 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Ol' Man River" | 2:50 | |
2. | "Come to Your Window" | Lind | 2:48 |
3. | "The Girl from Ipanema" | 2:09 | |
4. | "It's Not Unusual" | 2:08 | |
5. | "Time" | Michael Merchant | 3:16 |
6. | "Milord" | 2:43 |
Personnel
- Cher - lead vocals
- Sonny Bono - record producer
- musical arranger
- sound engineer
- Stan Ross - sound engineer
- Woody Woodward - art direction
No musicians were credited, only: "A very special thanks to some of the greatest musicians in Hollywood for their part in making this album possible"
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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References
- ^ a b "All I Really Want to Do albums". Homepages.ihug.com.au. Archived from the original on July 17, 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
- ^ a b c AllMusic review
- ^ a b c "Cher Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
- ^ a b c d "The Sonny Side of Chèr Review". CherScholar.com. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
- ^ "Cher Singles Discography". RPM. RPM Library Archives. Archived from the original on 2012-10-12. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
- ^ "RPM Play Sheet" (PDF). Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2022-03-14.
- The Official Charts Company. 1965–2005. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
- ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ Jones, Peter; Jopling, Norman (18 June 1966). "Cher: The Sonny Side Of Cher" (PDF). Record Mirror. No. 275. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
- ^ a b "The Sonny Side of Chér UK chart". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
- ^ "norwegiancharts.com - Norwegian charts portal". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
- ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Cher". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 46.
- ^ Norway's LPs Best Sellers Americanradiohistory.com. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- ^ "Cher Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- ^ "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1966". Archived from the original on August 26, 2012.. Cash Box magazine.