Lookin' Back
Studio album by
Hank Locklin
ReleasedJuly 1969 (1969-07)
RecordedApril 1969
StudioRCA Victor Studio
Genre
LabelRCA Victor
ProducerDanny Davis
Hank Locklin chronology
Softly
(1968)		 Lookin' Back
(1969)		 Hank Locklin & Danny Davis & the Nashville Brass
(1970)

Lookin' Back is a studio album by American country singer–songwriter Hank Locklin. It was released in July 1969 via RCA Victor Records and contained 11 tracks. The project was produced by Danny Davis and contained no single releases. Lookin' Back centered around cover songs by country and pop artists of the era. It was Locklin's twentieth studio album release in his career.

Background and content

Hank Locklin had several years of major commercial success with RCA Victor Records with hits like "Geisha Girl," "Please Help Me, I'm Falling" and "Happy Birthday to Me." After one final major hit in 1968, Locklin's success began to wane on the popularity charts. In 1969, he had his final top 40 single, yet continued releasing studio albums on RCA's label.[2] Lookin' Back was an album of covers first recorded by other artists in the country and pop genres.[3] A total of 11 cover songs were included on the record.[1] It featured covers of country hits of the time, such as Jim Reeves' "He'll Have to Go," Jimmy C. Newman's "Cry, Cry, Darling" and Locklin's cover of his original 1953 hit, "Let Me Be the One." Covers of pop songs included Guy Mitchell's "My Heart Cries for You" and the pop standard "When I Grow Too Old to Dream." Lookin' Back was recorded at the RCA Victor Studio in April 1969. It was produced by Danny Davis.[3]

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic
BillboardFavorable

Lookin' Back was released in July 1969 on RCA Victor Records, making it Locklin's twentieth studio album.[3] It was originally distributed as a vinyl LP, containing six songs on "side A" and five songs on "side B."[4] It was eventually re-released to digital markets in the 2010s, such as Apple Music.[5] No singles were spawned from the album.[6] It also did not chart on the Billboard Top Country Albums list, Locklin's first album not to make the list since 1965.[7] Lookin' Back received mixed reviews from writers and critics. Billboard magazine positively commented on it in their 1969 review, calling Locklin "smooth and compelling as ever."[8] Thom Owens of Allmusic gave the album only two stars in his review: "Though Hank Locklin is in fine voice throughout Lookin' Back, the LP is burdened by too many average songs and overblown production that makes the record a frustrating listen."[1]

Track listing

Vinyl version

Side two[3]
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artist(s)Length
1."My Heart Cries for You"
Guy Mitchell3:05
2."My Melancholy Baby"
William Frawley2:51
3."Let Me Be the One"
  • Paul Blevins
  • Joe Hobson
  • W.S. Stevenson
Hank Locklin2:39
4."I Don't Know Why"
Russ Columbo2:58
5."She Thinks I Still Care"
George Jones3:15

Digital version

Lookin' Back[5]
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artist(s)Length
1."Cry, Cry, Darling"
  • J.D. Miller
  • Jimmy C. Newman
Jimmy C. Newman2:53
2."He'll Have to Go"
  • Audrey Allison
  • Joe Allison
Jim Reeves2:44
3."My Blue Heaven"
  • Walter Donaldson
  • George A. Whiting
Gene Austin2:28
4."Almost"
  • Vic McAlpin
  • Jack Toombs
George Morgan3:00
5."When I Lost You"Irving BerlinHenry Burr2:46
6."When I Grow Too Old to Dream"
  • Oscar Hammerstein II
  • Sigmund Romberg
  • Evelyn Laye
  • Ramon Novarro
3:07
7."My Heart Cries for You"
  • Percy Faith
  • Carl Sigman
Guy Mitchell3:05
8."My Melancholy Baby"
  • Ernie Burnett
  • George A. Norton
William Frawley2:52
9."Let Me Be the One"
  • Paul Blevins
  • Joe Hobson
  • W.S. Stevenson
Hank Locklin2:36
10."I Don't Know Why"
  • Fred E. Ahlert
  • Roy Turk
Russ Columbo3:00
11."She Thinks I Still Care"
  • Steve Duffy
  • Dickey Lee
George Jones3:15

Personnel

All credits are adapted from the liner notes of Lookin' Back.[3]

Musical and technical personnel

  • Danny Davis – producer
  • The Jordanaires – background vocals
  • Hank Locklin – lead vocals
  • Bill McElhiney – arrangement
  • Tom Pick – engineer
  • Roy Shockley – assistant engineer
  • Lawton Williams – liner notes

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
New Zealand July 1969 Vinyl RCA Victor [9]
United States [3][4]
2010s
  • Digital
  • Streaming
 Sony Music Entertainment [5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Owens, Thom. "Lookin' Back: Hank Locklin: Songs, Reviews, Credits". Allmusic. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  2. ↑ Erlewine, Michael. "Hank Locklin: Biography & History". Allmusic. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Locklin, Hank (July 1969). "Lookin' Back (LP Liner Notes and Album Information)". RCA Victor Records.
  4. 1 2 "Hank Locklin -- Lookin' Back (1969, LP) (US)". Discogs. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 "Lookin' Back by Hank Locklin". Apple Music. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  6. ↑ "Softly chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  7. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1997). Joel Whitburn's Top Country Albums: 1967-1997. Record Research Inc. ISBN 0898201241.
  8. ↑ "Album Reviews". Billboard. Vol. 81, no. 34. August 23, 1969. p. 91. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  9. ↑ "Hank Locklin -- Lookin' Back (1969, LP)(New Zealand)". Discogs. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
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