Too Many Rivers (album)

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Too Many Rivers
Studio album by
Brenda Lee
ReleasedSeptember 2, 1965 (1965-09-02)
RecordedJanuary 1964–July 1965
StudioColumbia Studio
Genre
LabelDecca
ProducerOwen Bradley
Brenda Lee chronology
The Versatile Brenda Lee
(1965) 		Too Many Rivers
(1965) 		Bye Bye Blues
(1966)
Singles from Too Many Rivers
  1. "Think"
    Released: March 1964
  2. "Too Many Rivers/No One"
    Released: May 1965

Too Many Rivers is a studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. It was released on September 2, 1965, via Decca Records and was her thirteenth studio album. The disc consisted of 12 tracks that were mostly covers of songs recorded by other artists. Of its new tracks were two singles of Lee's: "Think" and "Too Many Rivers". Both tracks made record charts in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom. The title track was the highest-charting single, reaching the US top 20 in 1965. The album was met with positive reviews from critics.

Background, recording and content[edit]

Considered a "child prodigy", Brenda Lee was 11 years old when she signed a recording contract with Decca Records in 1956. She began recording Rockabilly material and eventually graduated to pop material. Between 1959 and 1963, Lee had a series of US top ten singles, some of which topped the record charts. As the sixties decade progressed, Lee continued having chart records, but many fell into the US top 20 and were more commercially successful in other countries.[3] In 1965, Lee's single "Too Many Rivers" became a hit and would be the name of her next studio album.[2]

Too Many Rivers was taken from sessions recorded between January 1964 and July 1965. The sessions were all held at the Columbia Studio in Nashville, Tennessee. The recording sessions were all produced by Owen Bradley.[4] The album was a collection of 12 tracks.[1] Some of the tracks were new songs, including the title track, "Think" and "Truer Than True". Remaining tracks were covers of songs first recorded by other artists. Among its covers was "Call Me Irresponsible", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "Hello, Dolly!" and "Whispering".[2][4]

Release, critical reception and chart performance[edit]

Too Many Rivers was released by Decca Records on September 2, 1965. It marked the thirteenth studio album released in Lee's career. It was distributed as a vinyl LP, offered in both mono and stereo versions. The record featured six tracks on each side.[4] The album was promoted through a series of nightclubs and venue engagements.[5] Too Many Rivers was met with positive reviews from critics and publications. Billboard commented, "Miss Lee displays her boundless versatility for equal feel of today's pop music as well as the evergreens in this well balanced program. This package should spiral to the top of the LP charts".[2] Hi-Fi Stereo Review found the album to be "great music for relaxation".[6] AllMusic rated the album 4.5 out of five stars.[1] Too Many Rivers reached the number 36 position on the US Billboard 200 record chart in 1965. It was Lee's first album to make the chart since 1964's By Request and her first top 40 entry since 1963's ..."Let Me Sing".[7]

Singles[edit]

Two singles were included on Too Many Rivers. The earliest single was "Think", which was first issued by Decca Records in March 1964.[8] "Think" reached number 25 on the US Hot 100[9] and number four on the US adult contemporary chart.[10] Internationally, it reached number 62 in Australia[11] and number 26 in the UK.[12] The second single was the album's title track, issued by Decca in May 1965.[13] It was the disc's highest-charting single, rising to the number 13 position on the US Hot 100[9] and number two on the US adult contemporary chart.[10] Internationally, it reached number 99 in Australia[11] and number 22 in the UK.[12] The song's B-side "No One" reached number 98 on the US Hot 100[9] and number 25 on the US adult contemporary chart.[10]

Track listing[edit]

Side one[4]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."It's Not Unusual"
2:10
2."Call Me Irresponsible"
2:56
3."Too Many Rivers"Harlan Howard2:46
4."Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)"
2:07
5."Whispering"
2:20
6."Stormy Weather (Keeps Raining All the Time)"
3:31
Side two[4]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Hello, Dolly!"Jerry Herman2:20
2."Unforgettable"Irving Gordon3:00
3."Everybody Loves Somebody"
2:40
4."No One"
2:43
5."Truer Than True"
2:32
6."Think"Peggy Whittington2:18

Personnel[edit]

All credits are adapted from the liner notes of Too Many Rivers.[4]

  • Owen Bradley – Producer
  • Bill McElhiney – Arrangements
  • Cam Mullins – Arrangements

Chart performance[edit]

Chart (1965) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[14] 36

Release history[edit]

Region Date Format Label Ref.
Australia September 2, 1965 Vinyl LP (Mono) Festival [15]
Germany Vinyl LP Decca Records [16]
Japan [17]
North America
  • Vinyl LP (Mono)
  • Vinyl LP (Stereo)
 Decca Records [4]
United Kingdom Brunswick Records [18]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Too Many Rivers: Brenda Lee: Songs, reviews, credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d "Album Reviews: Pop Spotlight" (PDF). Billboard. September 18, 1965. p. 76. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  3. ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Brenda Lee Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Lee, Brenda (September 2, 1965). "Too Many Rivers (Liner Notes)". Decca Records. DL-4684 (Mono); DL-74684 (Stereo).
  5. ^ "CURRENTLY ON A TOUR" (PDF). Billboard. August 28, 1965. p. 1. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Too Many Rivers by Brenda Lee". Hi-Fi Stereo Review. Vol. 30. 1966. p. 6.
  7. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2006). The Billboard Albums Includes Every Album that Made the Billboard 200 Chart : 50 Year History of the Rock Era. Record Research, Inc. p. 591. ISBN 978-0898201666.
  8. ^ Lee, Brenda (March 1964). ""Think"/"The Waiting Game" (7" vinyl single)". Decca Records. 31599.
  9. ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Singles 1955–2010. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-188-8.
  10. ^ a b c "Brenda Lee Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  11. ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  12. ^ a b "BRENDA LEE songs and albums". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  13. ^ Lee, Brenda (May 1965). ""Too Many Rivers"/"No One" (7" vinyl single)". Decca Records. 31792.
  14. ^ "Brenda Lee Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  15. ^ Lee, Brenda (September 2, 1965). "Too Many Rivers [Australia]". Festival Records. DL-31-786 (Mono).
  16. ^ Lee, Brenda (September 2, 1965). "Too Many Rivers [Germany]". Decca Records. SLK-86-007-P.
  17. ^ Lee, Brenda (September 2, 1965). "Walk Away [re-titled in Japan] [Japan]". Decca Records. SDL-10216.
  18. ^ Lee, Brenda (September 2, 1965). "Too Many Rivers [UK]". Brunswick Records. LAT-8622 (Mono); STA-8622 (Stereo).
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