Ruby Baby / Donna The Prima Donna

Digitally remastered CD containing a pair of albums from the rock 'n' roll icon. By now a major star, Dion's 1962 arrival at the Columbia label heralded a significant sea change; then-A&R director/producer Mitch Miller's dislike of rock 'n' roll was no secret while Dion himself was eager to break away from the irksome "teen idol" tag at odds with his own musical inclinations. Dion's first Columbia single, a bluesy cover of Leiber & Stoller's 'Ruby Baby', peaked at #2 and spawned the first of two LPs released in 1963. With Robert Mersey producing, the album was a broad mix of American standards, covers of newly minted Pop hits and original material in a tear-jerky vein no doubt chosen to appeal both to teens and the young at heart. Released in March '63 Ruby Baby became his third Top 20 album. By contrast it's follow-up, Donna The Prima Donna (November 1963), fared less well, yet was arguably more Dion's bag. Capitalizing on a recent regional doo wop revival, alongside the self-penned title hit (#6), it included two Cleftones' songs, Goffin & King's 'This Little Girl' (#21) and a cover of 'Be Careful Of The Stones You Throw' (#31), a composition Dion had heard as a youngster by way of Hank Williams' Luke the Drifter recordings. Memorabilia-laden package includes informative liner notes and a detailed sessionography.