Jump to content

Why Can't I Walk Away

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Why Can't I Walk Away
Studio album by
Vic Damone
ReleasedNovember 1968
StudioRCA's Music Center of the World, Hollywood, California
Genre
Length30:36
LabelRCA Records
Producer
Vic Damone chronology
The Damone Type of Thing
(1967) 		Why Can't I Walk Away
(1968) 		Don't Let Me Go
(1969)
Singles from Why Can't I Walk Away
  1. "The Glory of Love"
    Released: December 1967
  2. "Nothing To Lose"
    Released: March 1968
  3. "Why Can't I Walk Away"
    Released: September 1968

Why Can't I Walk Away is the twenty-fourth studio album by American singer Vic Damone, released on November 1968, by RCA Records. It became his final album for the label. The album contained eleven tracks, including three singles. Why Can't I Walk Away was produced by Neely Plumb, Jack Pleis, and Ernie Altschuler. The album was made available only on stereo sound.[1]

Background and content

[edit]

The album had arrangements by J. Hill, Billy Byers, Joe Parnello, Perry Botkin Jr., and Jack Pleis, with the songs recorded at RCA's Music Center of the World, located in Hollywood, California.[2] It featured his most recent singles: the namesake "Why Can't I Walk Away", "Nothing To Lose" from the 1968 movie The Party, and the top-15 easy listening hit "The Glory of Love".[3] The LP had a mix of covers of old and recent hits that included two songs that also had chart success in 1965 via Little Anthony and the Imperials: "Goin' Out of My Head" and 1967 Otis Redding: "The Glory of Love".[4] "Stardust" was the main standard, originally written in 1927.[2] Other selections were taken from films and musicals.[2]

Chart performance

[edit]

The single, "The Glory of Love", debuted in the issue dated December 30, 1967, on Billboard magazine's Easy Listening chart, eventually reaching number 15 during a nine-week run on it.[3]

"Nothing to Lose" debuted on the Billboard Easy Listening chart in the issue dated April 27, 1968, and peaked at number 40 during a two-week stay on the chart.[3]

"Why Can't I Walk Away" debuted on the Billboard Easy Listening chart in the issue dated September 14, 1968, returning Damone to the top-25, peaking at number 21 during an eight-week stay on the chart.[3]

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStar[5]
BillboardStarStarStarStar[6]
The Encyclopedia of Popular MusicStarStarStarStar[7]

Contemporary reception

[edit]

The album received a positive critical reception upon its release. Record World noted that "Vic makes a ripple of 'Star Dust' and a ball out of 'Like Someone in Love.'"[8] The Cincinnati Enquirer enjoyed the "excellent choices for Vic's smooth phasing and warm vocal quality".[9] Journal & Courier called it "one of his best efforts in years".[10] The Memphis Press-Scimitar praised Damone for continuing in his "mini-Sinatra style, sleepily cooing the words".[11]

Retrospective reviews

[edit]

Retrospectives were also positive. Dave Nathan of Allmusic's stated that "Damone brings off steady performances of 11 tunes, some standards, but mostly contemporary material. That he can croon with the best is shown on 'Watch What Happens,' arranged by Billy Byers, and on 'Stardust.' But he is equally adroit on up-tempo tunes."[12]

Both The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, and Billboard gave the album a four-star rating as well,[6][7] while getting a lower three-star rating from AllMusic.[12]

Later rereleases

[edit]

The album was released on compact disc by Collectables Records on January 21, 2003 as tracks 13 through 23 on a pairing of two albums on one CD with tracks 1 through 12 consisting of the other album being Damone Debut's RCA album from November 1966, Stay with Me.[13] Collectables included this CD in a box set entitled Only the Best of Vic Damone, which contains six of his studio albums and one compilation and was released on November 27, 2007.[14]

Track listing

[edit]

Side one

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Why Can't I Walk Away" (From the Broadway musical Maggie Flynn)Luigi Creatore, Hugo Peretti, George David Weiss2:41
2."Watch What Happens" (From the 20th Century Fox Pictures: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg)Norman Gimbel, Michel Legrand2:31
3."If You Are But a Dream" (From the RKO Pictures: The House I Live In)Nathan J. Bonx, Jack Fulton, Moe Jaffe2:30
4."Stardust"Hoagy Carmichael, Mitchell Parish3:41
5."Like Someone in Love" (From the RKO Pictures: Belle of the Yukon)Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke2:46

Side two

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."When You've Laughed All Your Laughter"Richard Loring, Dorothy Wayne2:52
2."I Should Care" (From the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film Thrill of a Romance)Axel Stordahl, Paul Weston, Sammy Cahn3:05
3."Medley: The Glory of Love/Theme from Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"Billy Hill, Frank De Vol2:21
4."Take It from Me Girl"Dorothy Wayne, Joseph Parnello2:44
5."Nothing to Lose"Henry Mancini, Don Black2:16
6."Goin' Out of My Head"Teddy Randazzo, Bobby Weinstein3:12

Charts

[edit]
Chart peaks for singles from Why Can't I Walk Away[15][16]
Single Year Chart Peak
position
"The Glory of Love" 1967 US Easy Listening (Billboard) 15
"Nothing to Lose" 1968 40
"Why Can't I Walk Away" 21

Personnel

[edit]

All credits are adapted from the liner notes of Why Can't I Walk Away.[2]

  • Vic Damone – vocals
  • J. Hill, (tracks: B3; B4; B5) – arranger, conductor
  • Billy Byers, (tracks: A2; A3) – arranger
  • Don Costa, (tracks: A2; A3) – conductor
  • Joe Parnello, (tracks: B5; B6) – arranger, conductor
  • Perry Botkin Jr., (tracks: A4; A5; B2) – arranger, conductor
  • Jack Pleis, (tracks: A1; B1) – producer, arranger
  • Neely Plumb – producer
  • Ernie Altschuler – producer
  • Hank Cicalo – recording engineer
  • Pete Abbott – recording engineer
  • Johnny Bradford – liner notes

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Kinslow, Chris (2015). Goldmine Record Album Price Guide 2015. Penguin. p. 140. ISBN 9-781440-243721. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d Damone, Vic (November 1968). Why Can't I Walk Away (Disc Information). RCA Victor. LSP-3984 (Stereo).
  3. ^ a b c d Whitburn, Joel (2007). Joel Whitburn presents Billboard top adult songs, 1961-2006. Menomonee Falls, Wis. : Record Research Inc. pp. 70}. ISBN 978-0-89820-169-7. Retrieved May 5, 2026.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2000). Joel Whitburn, Top Pop Singles 1955-1999. Menomonee Falls, WI: Record Research. p. various.
  5. ^ ""Why Can't I Walk Away" - Album Ratings". Allmusic. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Pop Special Merit album Reviews: Four Star" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 80, no. 1. January 4, 1969. p. 56.
  7. ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 392. ISBN 9781846098567. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Album Reviews: Pick Hits" (PDF). Record World. January 11, 1969. p. 8. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  9. ^ "The Cincinnati Enquirer from Cincinnati, Ohio". Newspapers.com. December 29, 1968. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  10. ^ "Journal and Courier from Lafayette, Indiana". Newspapers.com. January 11, 1969. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  11. ^ "The Memphis Press-Scimitar from Memphis, Tennessee". Newspapers.com. January 3, 1968. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Nathan, Dave, Vic Damone - Why Can't I Walk Away Album Reviews, retrieved 2024-05-09
  13. ^ "Why Can't I Walk Away/Stay With Me". allmusic.com. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  14. ^ "Only the Best of Vic Damone". allmusic.com. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  15. ^ Vic Damone Single Releases. Retrieved May 8, 2024
  16. ^ Vic Damone Charting Singles. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Why_Can%27t_I_Walk_Away&oldid=1355756940"