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Though his appreciation has fallen and risen over the years, there's little denying that Roy Orbison had one of the great voices of the 20th century. But Orbison was never quite a Sinatra or Presley, that is to say, such a unique stylist that he could make any garbage tune palatable. Thus Roy was subject to his material, and his material (even that which he wrote himself) didn't always do him justice. Nevertheless, these three albums originally recorded for Monument Records represent the 1960-63 period that really established Orbison (his previous Sun releases, though now revered, were mostly non-starters).

It's here that Orbison's legend was built, with "Only The Lonely," "Blue Angel," (from Sings Lonely And Blue), "Crying," "Love Hurts," "Dream Baby," (Crying) "In Dreams," "Shahdaroba," "Mean Woman Blues," "Blue Bayou," "Gigolette," and "Running Scared" (In Dreams).

But the albums built around the hits suffer under monolithic production (credited to Monument owner Fred Forster, though one suspects songwriter Boudleaux Bryant, who writes the liner notes all three times, also had a hand). In what was probably an attempt to appeal to pop and country listeners as equally as possible, many of the Nashville-recorded tracks show an excessive fondness for background vocalists, and an apparent pledge to employ as many violin players as possible. Even by early '60s standards (say, Patsy Cline records) they lay it on thick. The albums' primitive stereo mixes, which isolate all of the above on one channel, allow you to hear how much better many of the tracks sound without the sugar coating. And the occasional song with alternate instrumentation, for example, Charlie McCoy's harmonica on the bluesy "Candy Man" (Crying) or Floyd Cramer's classic ivory-tinkling on "Lonely Wine" (In Dreams), refreshes you like a cool breeze.

Orbison also should have left well enough alone with Bryant's Everly Brothers hits "Bye Bye Love" and "All I Have To Do Is Dream," not to mention Johnnie Ray's "Cry" (Orbison was never a shouter). But he does justice to "I Can't Stop Loving You" as well as Don Gibson's "A Legend In My Time" (Lonely And Blue) "The Great Pretender," a midtempo twist on "Let The Good Times Roll" (Crying), and even Johnny Mercer's "Dream" and Stephen Foster's "Beautiful Dreamer" (In Dreams, naturally).

Other notable original cuts include "I'll Say It's My Fault" (Lonely And Blue), the pseudo-exotic "Sunset," (In Dreams) the Ray Charles-style twister "Dance" and gritty "Dream Baby" b-side "The Actress" (Crying).

Of the three albums, Crying, written almost entirely by Orbison and collaborator Joe Melson (certainly a rarity in those pre-Beatle days) is the most consistent experience, though In Dreams is the most rewarding—and Lonely And Blue has the coolest cover: Orbison brooding over a sundae at the drive-in. Collectors will be pleased that all three "Expanded Editions" include gap-filling single and b-side tracks (interestingly enough, In Dreams was compiled of songs recorded over three years, and none of the albums was recorded in a single session, though sound quality is crisp and clean throughout). But for those not obsessed with chronology, one of the many Orbison hits compilations would probably serve just as well.

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