A 2-track 7-inch single by the man regarded by many as the greatest-ever soul singer.
2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the release on Goldwax of James Carr’s recording of ‘The Dark End Of The Street’, a record rightly hailed as a benchmark in soul, and in southern soul in particular. James’ recording of Dan Penn and Chips Moman’s genre-defining song is one of dozens but it was the first and is by unanimous consensus the best.
Here at Ace we wanted to do something to commemorate the anniversary. The first and most logical thought was to put out commemorative reissue of the single but we also wanted to do something for album and CD fans. Although we have extensively anthologised James’ catalogue in the past, we’ve never released a “Best Of” CD before. This mid-priced set is aimed primarily at those who know a few of James’ tracks and would like to get to know his discography better. For long-time fans the disc provides an ideal opportunity to get all of James’ Billboard R&B and pop chart hits in one place for the first time. And for fans of a more traditional medium of listening we also present a vinyl configuration with fewer tracks but still featuring all the hits and more.
James was truly one of soul music’s finest singers, up there with Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin and Jackie Wilson in the pantheon of the greatest soul music makers. It’s a shame he didn’t make more records but those he released on Goldwax between 1965 and 1971 have few equals. If you enjoy “The Best Of James Carr” we strongly urge you to check out the rest of his Goldwax recordings, every single one of which is available onKent.
TONY ROUNCE
