Original Brunswick recordings
"3 Complete Albums - Non Album Singles - 6 Duets with Barbara Acklin"
"The Girl Don't Care"/"There Was A Time"/The Two Sides Of Gene Chandler" ... Plus
CD 1, Tracks 1-12 released in The US as Vinyl LP "The Girl Don't Care" in 1968 on Brunswick BL-54124/BL-754124
CD 1, Tracks 13-23 released in The US as Vinyl LP "There Was A Time" in 1968 on Brunswick BL-54131/BL-754131
CD 2, Tracks 1-10 released in The US as Vinyl LP "The Two Sides Of Gene Chandler" in 1969 on Brunswick BL-754149
12 page booklet with notes by Bill Dahl
ReviewThe title of this double CD is a bit of a misnomer, as some of the tracks date from 1964-5 when Gene was signed to Constellation records, and really refers to the dates when they were released by Brunswick after Mr Chandler (real name Eugene Dixon) changed labels.
Basically this collection puts together Gene's three Brunswick LPs, adds his tracks from Constellation and Brunswick that only came out on 45 and as a final flourish includes his 1968/9 Brunswick duets with Barbara Acklin.
Musically the first half of CD 1 (the "The Girl Don't Care" LP) is typical mid '60s Chicago Soul, with happy-go-lucky dance tracks mixing with plaintive beat-ballads and has much involvement from Chicago-Soul stalwarts such as Carl Davis, Otis Leavill and Curtis Mayfield.
The second half of CD 1 (the "There Was A Time" LP) has Gene singing songs he co-wrote with Keni St. Lewis and his versions of some of the big Soul hits of the day, such as the title track, which in some circles has become much more popular than the James Brown original.
The first half of CD 2 (the "Two Sides Of" LP) is largely a doom laden gloomfest, with depressive pop standards such as "Eleanor Rigby" and "Honey" being amongst the cheerier tunes on show.
Those who manage to resist the urge to slit their wrists and make it through to the second half of Disc 2 are then once again treated to typical mid-'60s Chicago fare (as per the first half of Disc 1) before the duets with Barbara Acklin begin.
My favourites? ... I have a lot of them, including the depressive "Suicide", the perky duet "From The Teacher To The Preacher", and virtually all of the "Pre-Brunswick" Constellation material.