LOS ANGELES (Polydor/UMe) - Only one artist can claim Eric Clapton, Andrew
Lloyd Webber, the Bee Gees, one of the most popular stage musicals of all-time (JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR), the most successful movie soundtrack in history (SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER) and a solo No 1 pop hit - Yvonne Elliman.
The Hawaiian-born singer worked with some of the most esteemed musical figures of the '70s, and scored five Top 40 pop hits. All of them, plus seven other recordings, each digitally remastered, are heard on THE BEST OF YVONNE ELLIMAN edition of 20TH CENTURY MASTERS/THE MILLENNIUM COLLECTION (Polydor/UMe), released July 20, 2004.
After being musically inactive for much of the '80s and '90s, Elliman recently performed on a PBS TV special and revealed she's writing and recording new material. THE BEST OF YVONNE ELLIMAN anticipates an end to "whatever happened to?" questions.
In 1969, Elliman moved to London, where Lloyd Webber cast her as Mary Magdalene in his rock opera JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR. After performing on the 1971 original cast album, she starred on Broadway and in the 1973 film. Her show-stopping ballad "I Don't Know How To Love Him" reached Top 30 pop, made her a star and provided the title of her 1972 debut solo album.
The next year, her FOOD OF LOVE featured Who guitarist Pete Townshend. She then sang backup on Clapton's "I Shot The Sheriff" and subsequently joined his band for five years, appearing on several albums.
THE BEST OF YVONNE ELLIMAN picks up with 1975's Steve Cropper-produced RISING SUN, which yielded "Somewhere In The Night" and an emotional reading of the Eagles' "Best Of My Love." Enter RSO labelmates the Bee Gees. Barry and Robin Gibb wrote the title track to 1977's LOVE ME and the single peaked at No 14 Pop/No 5 Adult Contemporary. The album, produced by Freddie Perren (Jackson 5 and several disco classics) also boasted a poignant cover of Barbara Lewis' '60s hit "Hello Stranger" (No 15 Pop/No 1 AC) and "I Can't Get You Out Of My Mind."
The Bee Gees then tapped her to sing their "If I Can't Have You" for the blockbuster 1978 SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER soundtrack (No 1 for 24 weeks). The song went gold, also hit No 1 and was reprised on her 1978 album NIGHT FLIGHT, which largely downplayed disco in favor of an introspective vibe, as on the ballad "Down The Backstairs Of My Life" and a laid-back reading of Neil Sedaka's "Baby Don't Let It Mess Your Mind."
After singing the title song for the 1979 John Travolta/Lily Tomlin film MOMENT BY MOMENT, Elliman released that year's YVONNE, which included the Top 40 pop "Love Pains" as well as "Everything Must Change." She then returned to session work before retreating from the music business in favor of motherhood.
Paraphrasing her biggest hit, if fans can't have her anew, THE BEST OF YVONNE ELLIMAN will suffice until she emerges once more.
The series 20TH CENTURY MASTERS/THE MILLENNIUM COLLECTION, featuring new "best of" albums from the most significant music artists of the past century, is the most successful single artist series in music history.
