King of Hearts is a posthumousalbum by American singer Roy Orbison, assembled by Jeff Lynne from various recording sessions in the years shortly before Orbison’s death. It was Orbison’s 23rd solo album, and released by Virgin Records.
According to the authorized Roy Orbison biography, the collection was originally released in October 1992 on CD, music cassette, and LP.
History
Orbison died on December 6, 1988, aged 52, from a heart attack in the middle of his career revival. In February 1989, his new studio album Mystery Girl, on which Orbison had been working until his death, was released. Several songs on King of Hearts had been recorded during the Mystery Girl sessions, and there was enough material for another album. Some songs on King of Hearts were recorded as demos. Several individuals produced the recordings, including Lynne. They were: Don Was, David Was, Pete Anderson, Robbie Robertson, Will Jennings, David Briggs, Chips Moman, Guy Roche, Albert Hammond and Diane Warren.
Several songs had been previously released.
"Wild Hearts Run Out of Time" was from the soundtrack of the 1985 film Insignificance, and under the title "Wild Hearts (...Time)" had been issued as a single in Canada, Australia and Europe that same year.
William Ruhlmann of AllMusic believed "It certainly isn't near the quality of Mystery Girl, but, employing some of the same musicians and producers, it has much the same sound. If the material isn't of the same caliber, that's to be expected. And tracks like "Crying" and "I Drove All Night," if they pad the album out, also bring up its overall quality."
↑"New Releases: Singles". Music Week. June 20, 1992. p.19.
↑"New Releases: Singles". Music Week. August 8, 1992. p.19.
↑Orbison, Roy Jr. (2017). The Authorized Roy Orbison. Orbison, Wesley,, Orbison, Alex,, Slate, Jeff (Firsted.). New York: Center Street. p.248. ISBN9781478976547. OCLC1017566749.
