string(3) "dev" Charlie Rich - It Ain't Gonna Be That Way - The Complete Smash Sessions - Ace Records

It Ain't Gonna Be That Way - The Complete Smash Sessions Charlie Rich

£11.50

Genre:
Rock'n'Roll
Label:
Ace Records
Format:
CD
Catalogue Id:
CDCHD 1298

Thick-set and with a shock of silver hair, Charlie Rich always looked like an archetype of country music. When we included his original version of Isaac Hayes and David Porter’s ‘When Something Is Wrong With My Baby’ on the “Take Me To The River” southern soul box set, we were taken to task for it in some quarters, but one listen to that performance and you couldn’t fail to recognise a voice steeped in soul. His love of jazz and R&B and his rich voice proved a hindrance to him finding widespread popular success until he was well into the second decade of his career. Until then he lived off an occasional hit, one of which was the wonderful ‘Mohair Sam’, which kick-started his time working with producer Jerry Kennedy at Mercury Records’ Smash subsidiary. Over his 18 months there he recorded some of the best music of his entire career and in Kennedy found a producer who was willing to give him the freedom to express himself.

The 29 tracks he cut are gathered up here – repeating a long deleted US CD release of the material in the early 90s – and reveal an artist who was hugely talented, but also out of place in trying to score pop hits. ‘Mohair Sam’, written by Dallas Frazier, was a slick slice of R&B-influenced pop with a somewhat novelty lyric. It captivated radio stations and their listeners, as Charlie’s performance seems to epitomise the easy swagger of “fast grooving, slow walking, good looking Mohair Sam”, but elsewhere on his Smash material – many tracks written by him – themes seem a lot more grown up, and a lot less happy. ‘I Can’t Go On’ tells the tale of a man whose lover has left him, and it moves from a mournful beginning through to a storming denouement. Charlie wails, almost operatically at times, and it isn’t difficult to hear in this the basis for the arrangement that would be used for Elvis on ‘Suspicious Minds’ some years later. ‘No Home’, with its sparse arrangement of strings, piano, bass and vibraphone, sounds like George Martin arranging for Roy Orbison and is the perfect setting for Charlie’s mournful tale of lost love in which his velvety rich voice is only interrupted by a piano solo of such bluesy intensity that Horace Silver would have been proud of it.

Rich released two albums in his time at Smash, both gorgeous ensembles of numbers ranging from his wife’s beautiful song ‘Field Of Yellow Daisies’ to the R&B dancer ‘Party Girl’, where Kennedy’s production creates a perfect setting for the tale of the girl who wouldn’t stay home. This CD is a collection of an artist at the very top of his game.

By Dean Rudland

Share

Track listing

Show

Side 1

Delivery & Returns

Show

We offer free P&P to UK addresses. For all other territories packaging is free and postage is charged on a weight basis.

We use Royal Mail First Class for UK deliveries and standard Air Mail for all other territories, very large orders will usually be sent via parcelforce. You may cancel your order at any time prior to your order being dispatched by emailing us at orders@acerecords.com ensuring that you quote your name, address and order reference number or by telephoning +44 (0) 208 453 1311 between 9am and 5pm GMT/BST, Monday to Friday. Please note: As music downloads are dispatched immediately after purchase, there is no possibility of cancelling these orders.

In the event that any products supplied to you by us are damaged or defective, we agree to replace or repair the damaged or defective products or refund the amount you paid for such goods (including postage & packaging) providing you notify us (either via post at or e-mail: orders@acerecords.com ) and return the goods within 28 days of purchase. Physical goods should be sent back to us in the same condition you received them to: “Returns” Bus Stop Mail Order Ltd, 42-50 Steele Road, London, NW10 7AS. Music downloads should be returned to us via the e-mail address above including a copy of your notification.

You have the right to cancel your order within seven days of purchase, or seven days of receipt of the goods (whichever is the longer). If you choose to cancel your order, full payment will be returned to you. Returned items should be sent to: “Returns” c/o Bus Stop Mail Order Ltd, 42-50 Steele Road, London, NW10 7AS. Music downloads should be returned to us via the email address: orders@acerecords.com including a copy of your notice of cancellation and order number.

Press quotes

Show

★★★★

Mojo

★★★★

Record Collector

Customer reviews

Show

Related products

Customers who bought this item also bought