Gilbert O’Sullivan Albums Ranked

Raymond Edward “Gilbert” O’Sullivan (born 1 December 1946) is an Irish singer-songwriter who achieved his most significant success during the early 1970s with hits including “Alone Again (Naturally)”, “Clair”, and “Get Down”. O’Sullivan’s songs are often marked by his distinctive, percussive piano playing style and observational lyrics using word play. Born in Waterford, Ireland, O’Sullivan settled in Swindon, England, as a child. In 1967, O’Sullivan began pursuing a career in music. Worldwide, he has charted 16 top 40 records including six No. 1 songs, the first of which was 1970’s “Nothing Rhymed”. Across his career, he has recorded 20 studio albums. The music magazine Record Mirror voted him the top UK male singer of 1972. He has received three Ivor Novello Awards, including “Songwriter of the Year” in 1973. Here are all of Gilbert O’Sullivan albums ranked.

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9. A Stranger In My Own Backyard 

“Every song in this album is not just original but a beautifully crafted masterpiece. The songs were recorded in Los Angeles with John Haeny, and in New York with a sound engineer Phil Ramone who later became a famous producer of many Grammy Award winners including ‘Still Crazy After All These Years’ and ‘Just the Way You Are’. The arrangements of all 15 songs are highly sophisticated and multi-faceted.”

8. Gilbert O’Sullivan 

“I just love this album! It feels fresh and yet familiar, and I find myself playing it every day. In a Just world, Gilbert would have several top ten hits, including Love how you leave me and Where did you go to. If you’re a fan of good classic pop music, please give this album a listen.”

7. Off Centre 

“When, in 1980, Off Centre became Gilbert’s first US album release after several years of litigation, I gave it a listen. I recall every song being memorable in some way or another. Didn’t hurt that Elton John’s producer Gus Dudgeon worked his talents on it either. It was on the turntable quite often that year.”

6. In The Key Of G 

“It seems Gilbert O’Sullivan’s comeback is complete with this great album which inludes some of the most memorable and moving songs he wrote. The touching elegiac song ‘Lost a Friend’ pays tribute to John Lennon and Elvis Presley, and sets the tone of the whole album. His music has deepened its wistful lyricism as the painfully beautiful songs like ‘At the Very Mention of Your Name’ and ‘To the Extreme’, with the evocative use of the synthesizer, show. Hauntingly atmospheric songs ‘If I Start with the Chorus’ and ‘Gordon Bennett’ display his maturity as a songwriter.”

5. A Scruff At Heart 

“It’s a good collection of lush and wonderful songs. Is it a Gilbert O’ Sullivan classic or is it going to be? NO, not by any means. Now, with that said, I do take it for what it is and not make comparisons to his classic songs of the 70’s, yet his today’s upfront piano playing and joyous melodies still makes me smile every time I listen to it.”

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4. I’m A Writer, Not A Fighter 

“Gilbert plays it more or less straight on the follow up to _Back to Front_ and, though this album doesn’t quite have the warmth of its predecessor, the more ‘grown-up’ aspects of the songs have their own appeal. Gordon Mills production is again conservative yet still admirable, showing off the songs to good effect.”

3. Southpaw 

“After the disappointing _Stranger In My Own Back Yard_, Gilbert produces this album himself and goes back to his more whimsical style to great effect. The songs are good, the sound is fuller than on previous releases, and the result is a warm, enjoyable album.”

2. Himself 

“The Irish singer-songwriter with the funny accent and the funny hat was a pip and a half. His songs have subtle harmonies and melodic lines. The arrangements are jazzy with a romantic touch. Permissive Twit is a song with a harpsichord about an unwanted pregnancy. Matrimony is a comical song about a planned low-budget marriage. Nothing Rhymed is his most emotional song, about the right to be wrong, about not wanting to conform to the moral standards. The way he builds a spun out melody starting from a simple motif is comparable to the way classical composers did it.”

1. Back To Front 

“Gilbert O´Sullivan, cloth capped & wearing an unfashionable pudding-basin haircut hit the U.K. pop scene, accustomed to Glam & pearls, with a bang. His unusually simple but brilliant Nothing Rhymed was a massive hit and a series of similarly catchy singles and a few Nº Ones, Claire & Get Down later he looked to be set up for a long successful career. It was sadly not to be. This album was also massively successful, and in terms of very good pop music, rightfully so. Forty odd years on, the quality has not diminished much, and that is what we should appreciate. The album´s only real relevance to the history of music can be the memories it rings of a magical moment in a fast moving period of time.”