DESCRIPTION:
From '' Stone Free (Dedicated To Dr. Martin Luther King) ''
Label: Remaco Records ‎– RL - 064
Format: Vinyl, MLP
Country: Indonesia

Tracklist
A1 Unchained Melody
A2 Stone Free
A3 Wasted Word (Martin Luther King)
A4 You Will Never Walk Alone
B1 I'm Coming Home
B2 L-O-V-E
B3 You Can Tell Me
B4 The Lonely One

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"Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. North used the music as a theme for the little-known prison film Unchained, hence the name.
Todd Duncan sang the vocals for the film soundtrack.
It has since become one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, by some estimates having spawned over 500 versions in hundreds of different languages.

Origin of song

In 1936, songwriter Alex North approached Bing Crosby with the still untitled song.
Crosby turned the song down and it remained unrecorded for almost twenty years.
In 1955, North and lyricist Hy Zaret were contracted to write a song as a theme for the prison film Unchained, and their song eventually became known as the "Unchained Melody".

With Todd Duncan singing the vocals, the song was nominated for an Oscar in 1955, but the Best Song award went to the hit song "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing".

Early versions

Todd Duncan sang the vocals for the film soundtrack.
He performs an abbreviated version within the film, playing one of the prisoners.
Lying on a bed, he sings it accompanied by another prisoner on guitar, while others listen sadly.

Bandleader Les Baxter (Capitol Records catalog number 3055), released a version which reached #2 on the US charts and #10 in the UK.
Al Hibbler followed close behind with a vocal version (Decca Records catalog number 29441) that reached #3 on the Billboard charts and #2 in the UK chart listings.
He was followed soon after by Jimmy Young, whose version hit #1 on the British charts.
Two weeks after Young's version entered the British charts in June 1955 Liberace would score a #20 hit (Philips PB 430).
Roy Hamilton's version (Epic Records catalog number 9102) reached number one on the R&B Best Sellers list and #6 on the pop chart.
June Valli recorded the song on March 15, 1955 and it was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-6078, with the flip side "Tomorrow", and took it to #29.
Gene Vincent and his Blue Caps recorded it for their second album in 1956 — Vincent's version is played at mid-tempo and features a tremolo picking guitar part.
Harry Belafonte sang it at the 1956 Academy Awards, where it was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song of 1955. (Belafonte had also made a recording of the song for RCA Victor Records, which was released as catalog number 20-6784 in 1955, with the flip side "A-Roving".)
In 1963, an uptempo, doo-wop version hit the regional charts (eastern U.S.) by Vito & the Salutations, eventually becoming part of the soundtrack for Goodfellas in 1990.
Perry Como recorded the song in 1955 as did his RCA Victor labelmate #1 country crooner Eddy Arnold, and English jazz musician Cliff Townshend of The Squadronaires also released a popular version in 1956.

The Righteous Brothers version

The best-known version of "Unchained Melody" was recorded by The Righteous Brothers and produced by Phil Spector in 1965 as the 'B' side of the single featuring the song, "Hung On You".
Although the version was credited to The Righteous Brothers, it was actually performed as a solo by Righteous Brother Bobby Hatfield, who later recorded other versions credited solely to him. This recording climbed to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1965 and reached #14 in the UK in 1965.
"Unchained Melody" reappeared on the Billboard charts in 1990 after The Righteous Brothers' recording was used in the box office blockbuster film Ghost.

Other notable versions

The Goons
Line Renaud
Mantovani & His Orchestra
Cliff Richard & The Shadows
John Gary
Jimmy Young
Roy Orbison
Donny Osmond
Elvis Presley
Joe Stampley
Ronnie McDowell
Willie Nelson
LeAnn Rimes
Heart
David Allan Coe
Leo Sayer
U2
Robson Green and Jerome Flynn
Sarah McLachlan
Gareth Gates
Cyndi Lauper
Barry Manilow