Stage and film actor
Anthony Newley was something of a late and unexpected entrant into the pop singer sweepstakes, backing into this second career on the basis of his portrayal of an
Elvis Presley-like character in the 1959 movie Idle on Parade. But having scored a series of British hits with lightly rocking songs like "Personality" and "Do You Mind," he turned his debut LP,
Love Is a Now & Then Thing, in a much more adult direction, just as pop singers of the late '50s and early '60s usually did. In keeping with another custom of the time, the album contained none of the hit singles. It was aimed not at teenagers with only their allowances to spend, but at their parents, who felt more comfortable with an older style of music. Specifically,
Love Is a Now & Then Thing was
Newley's attempt to come up with a collection of songs in the mold of
Frank Sinatra ballad albums like
Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely. Over an orchestra directed by
Eric Rogers,
Newley addressed a selection of lovelorn material from the pre-rock songbooks of composers like
Harold Arlen,
Hoagy Carmichael,
Arthur Schwartz, and
Kurt Weill. At the age of 28,
Newley may have been better attuned to such songs than some of his younger peers on the hit parade, since he sang with careful articulation and attention to the meaning of the lyrics. His light, conversational tenor brought out nuances of the melodies as well as the words as he sang over
Rogers' wistful arrangements without the tone ever turning too gloomy. The album demonstrated that he would, if he cared to, be able to hold his own in concert halls before audiences of grownups, not just youngsters.