In celebration of the 30th anniversary of its initial release, King of Hearts — the posthumous Roy Orbison album lovingly assembled by his friends and family after his untimely death — will be reissued this October 14th, 2022.

Available on CD, digitally and as a limited-edition LP pressed on red vinyl, the new edition of King of Hearts has been completely remastered and is offered by Roy’s Boys LLC, the Nashville-based company founded by the late icon’s sons to administer their father’s catalog and safeguard his legacy, in partnership with Sony Music’s Legacy Recordings.

Although Roy Orbison’s album Mystery Girl was issued eight weeks after his death on December 6th, 1988, it was apparently in finished form and thus only technically a posthumous release. Indeed, Orbison’s widow Barbara said she was always then asked whether Roy had recorded enough material for, perhaps, one more album.

The answer was, as we now know, a resounding yes, to which she also confirms within the liner notes here to the King of Hearts remaster.

1. YOU’RE THE ONE
2. HEARTBREAK RADIO
3. WE’LL TAKE THE NIGHT
4. CRYING (duet with k.d. lang)
5. AFTER THE LOVE HAS GONE
6. LOVE IN TIME
7. I DROVE ALL NIGHT
8. WILD HEARTS RUN OUT OF TIME
9. COMING HOME
10. CARELESS HEART (Original Demo)

This simply divine, incredibly-heartfelt, and still musically resonant, remastered King of Hearts (from 1992), opens on the soaring, T-Bone Burnett-produced YOU’RE THE ONE and the Jeff Lynne-produced, and late ELO-esque HEARTBREAK RADIO, and they are followed by the Don Was-produced, mid-tempo balladry of WE’LL TAKE THE NIGHT, Orbison’s Grammy-winning remake duet from 1987 of CRYING (duet with k.d. lang), and then we are brought forth the silky smooth, Was-produced AFTER THE LOVE HAS GONE

Up next is the veritably shimmering LOVE IN TIME (produced by Robbie Robertson) and one of the stand out gems here, the Lynne-produced, thunderously melodic mastery of the stunning cover of the Cyndi Lauper hit I DROVE ALL NIGHT, then comes the beautifully crafted ballad WILD HEARTS RUN OUT OF TIME (from the soundtrack of the film Insignificance), the album rounding out on the resoundingly euphoric COMING HOME (a selection from Class of ’55: Memphis Rock & Roll Homecoming, a collaborative effort with Orbison joining original Sun Records label mates Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins), coming to a close on the sweetly-adorned CARELESS HEART (Original Demo); a song also featured in its finished form on Mystery Girl.

Barbara also says, within the aforementioned liner notes, “At times I could hardly bring myself to listen to the songs and definitely couldn’t think of finishing the album without Roy. I guess that was one of the reasons I arrived late at one of the first sessions. Don Was had booked the studio to put the rhythm track down around Roy’s voice. When I finally arrived at the studio, the musicians had already left.”

“As I looked around the dimly lit studio - still full of empty cups and full ashtrays, I could just imagine the musicians telling one more funny story, the laughter of their camaraderie and Roy taking that last sip of Coca-Cola before saying “Okay, Let’s take it from the top.” In that moment of daydreaming, Don started rolling the tape and I heard Roy’s voice coming through the speaker singing ... Reach out and let it touch your soul, And give in to love, Love is believing, et al.”

“Hearing these words made it right for me to finish the album. When Roy was that young kid from Texas with a song in his heart and a melody of his lip I’m sure he could never have dreamed a sweeter dream than to have his songs finished with so much loving care by a community of old and new friends. Roy would be so honored to have kept another studio busy and filled with great musicians one more time. It was a real special experience to finish this for Roy.”

Orbison’s late career resurgence as a member of the Traveling Wilburys with George Harrison, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Jeff Lynne served a prelude to his smash hit Mystery Girl album that was released fewer than two months after his passing in late 1988. Some years later Barbara Orbison, his widow (and mother of Roy’s Boys principals Roy Orbison Jr and Alex Orbison), surveyed completed material that had not theretofore been included on her late husband’s albums, as well as demos on which his vocals were heard. She determined that a complete album could be constructed from those audio assets with new backing tracks commissioned where deemed necessary.

The result was King of Hearts, an album created from various sources which, when assembled, served as a coherent and evocative conceptual “last hurrah” for one of music’s most celebrated voices. Various producers of note including Jeff Lynne and T-Bone Burnett (who had both been involved in the Mystery Girl sessions) as well as Robbie Robertson, David Briggs, Chips Moman, Albert Hammond and Diane Warren are credited as producers on specific King of Hearts tracks with Barbara Orbison serving as executive producer.

Don Was had a hand in producing three of the album’s tracks including “Crying,” a reprise of Orbison’s 1961 hit performed as a duet with k.d. lang and originally recorded for the soundtrack of the film Hiding Out, directed by Bob Giraldi.

That rendering would go on to win a GRAMMY® for Best Country Collaboration and had a profound impact on k.d. lang’s life and career. She spoke with a sense of awe about what the song meant to her, “I literally think it changed my DNA. I think as a singer it literally shifted me somehow. That was an epic moment in my musical career, in my life, I mean, in my being.”

She notes, “I always carried that song with the utmost respect because it was given to me by him personally - literally handed to me on a silver platter by Roy Orbison… I will always be deeply, deeply humbled and honored that I was given that song.”

Was also produced “We’ll Take The Night” and “After The Love Is Gone” for the album and recently commented, “It was really important to us that the posthumous sessions for King of Hearts avoided grief and sadness because Roy was such a positive and upbeat gentleman. We set up a live band and put a microphone in the vocal booth and, as Roy’s previously recorded performances boomed through our headphones, it was easy to imagine that he was in the booth singing along with the band. His spirit permeated every corner of the studio, and the tape captured the wistful transcendent warmth of the sessions.”

Jeff Lynne was involved in producing two of the album’s tracks including “Heartbreak Radio” and “I Drove All Night.” The latter, written specifically for Orbison by Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg, who crafted huge hits for Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Whitney Houston, the Bangles, Heart and Chrissie Hynde, was recorded in 1987 but it was not released at that time. Later versions by Cyndi Lauper and Celine Dion found chart success but Orbison’s original was not heard until the 1992 release of King of Hearts. It was heralded by a highly regarded music video starring Jason Priestly and Jennifer Connelly.

Official Album Purchase Link

Roy Orbison - Crying (with k.d. lang) [Official Video]

Roy Orbison - I Drove All Night [Official Video]

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