Sanctuary/Suite For Late Summer

Performer: Dion
Distributor: E1 Distribution (USA)

Notes: 2 LPs on 1 CD: SANCTUARY (1971)/SUITE FOR LATE SUMMER (1972). Personnel includes: Dion (vocals, guitar); David Bromberg (guitar, dobro); Sneaky Pete Kleinow (pedal steel guitar). Producers: Phil Gernhard, Russ Titleman. Contains 3 bonus tracks. Dion's stint at Columbia Records between 1962 and 1966 has been justly hailed as a period in which he grew substantially as an artist, especially when he dug into more mature material and earthier, bluesier influences. It must also be pointed out, however, that he also recorded some tracks that were substantially less impressive and progressive, especially at the start of his stint with the company. Ruby Baby, his first Columbia album, was actually not all that different from the typical LP of a talented teen idol of the time in its unsatisfactory mix of approaches, apparently aimed at helping establish the singer's all-around entertainer credentials. The title track was his first, and one of his best and gutsiest, hit singles, yet oddly little else on the record was as forceful or even too similar. Instead there were unnecessary covers of a couple contemporary hits, "The End of the World" and "Go Away Little Girl," and vaguely jazzy/pop standard-ish numbers that indicated there were hopes to cross Dion over into Bobby Darin territory. "The Loneliest Man in the World" and "He'll Only Hurt You," a little weirdly, sound a bit like Roy Orbison imitations. "Ruby Baby" aside, only on the relatively tough "Gonna Make It Alone" and the softer, more doo wop-flavored "Will Love Ever Come My Way" did the kind of Dion heard on his early-'60s rock hits emerge. ~ Richie Unterberger Dion had firmly shed his former skin as a '50s and early-'60s rock teen idol for singer/songwriter clothes by the time he made these two albums in the early '70s. That was a welcome development, as demonstrated by the strength of his prior work in the late '60s and the early '70s. However, by this time he -- like many singer/songwriters -- was sliding into laid-back production and material that couldn't help but be inferior to his best efforts in the genre. He sounds like a somewhat bluesier James Taylor on the studio cuts of 1971's Sanctuary. It might not be accurate to accuse Dion of imitation here, as it's possible Taylor himself borrowed from Dion, but that doesn't mean the songs are outstanding. They're only OK, sometimes rising a bit above that, as on "Sunshine Lady," which like many of his songs of the period has the sense of a man prone to extreme self-reflection after going through the worst of his hard times. Some nice female harmony vocals boost "Harmony Sound" but, overall, the production (with lead guitar and dobro by Dave Bromberg) is too complacently tasteful. A slow folk-blues rearrangement of his old hit, "The Wanderer," can't measure up to the original, but at least provides a new take on an old warhorse. The inclusion of three acoustic songs done live at the Bitter End in New York, including versions of two other old hits ("Ruby Baby" and "Abraham, Martin and John"), contribute to the sense of a record running on lower than full inspiration. Released in 1972, Suite for Late Summer is likewise the work of a singer/songwriter with a very above-average voice but average songs, with Russ Titelman's production on the lush side. There's a sluggish introspection to most of the tracks, and the occasional injection of melodic melancholy, as on "Soft Parade of Years" or the classical string arrangement embroidering "It All Fits Together," does it quite a bit of good. "Jennifer Knew," though, has to count as one of the highlights of his post-'60s work, with memorably haunting passages and strings that just about manage to enhance the drama rather than deaden it. The CD is filled out by three unremarkable additional tracks from the mid-'70s. ~ Richie Unterberger

Mojo (Publisher) (1/02, p.104) - "...twofer set....finds Dion in muscular, bluesy form, instilling new life into old grooves..."

Not unlike his friend Bobby Darin, Dion Dimucci was a native New Yorker who started out as a rock & roller in the 1950s and went through a series of drastic stylistic changes. He began as a doo wop hitmaker with his group the Belmonts, turning out such smashes as "Runaround Sue" and "The Wanderer." Over the ensuing decades, the artistically restless Dion tried his hand at blues, folk-rock, Phil Spector-produced pop, and hard-edged rock & roll, managing to maintain his credibility and integrity all along the way, and eventually getting inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

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