Customer Reviews

The Complete Goldwax Singles

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James Carr never had a hit on the pop charts and didn't really have too many R&B hits either, but his signature song "The Dark End Of The Street" has become legendary over the years and kept his legacy alive. There are other excellent versions of this song by Aretha Franklin and Percy Sledge, but Carr's original still takes the cake. If there was nothing else of quality on here, this song alone would be worth the price of the disc, but Carr's legacy is much deeper than that. The 28 tracks on here are an embarrassment of riches- "Stronger Than Love", "Life Turned Her That Way", "Pouring Water On A Drowning Man" and on and on, one great vocal performance after another. I'm not sure why he didn't evolve beyond cult status, but I have always felt that the music scene of the mid 60's to mid 70's were crammed with so many great artists and such classic songs that it was just impossible for all of them to be heard at once. I mean unless you had money to burn, how could you have kept up with the newest releases from James Brown, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Percy Sledge, O.V. Wright, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, Solomon Burke, Percy Sledge, Otis Redding,Johnny Adams, Sam and Dave, not to mention all the great rock and pop music of the time. So unless you were really driven like James Brown or The Beatles and Stones to be number one, you kind of got lost in the shuffle, no matter how great your vocal ability. James also seemed to get sidetracked by drug and/or personality problems, but that never stopped a lot of other miscreants from going straight to the top. In the end, James Carr's great voice will live on longer than most of today's fly by night "artists" , thanks to this great and very complete collection. Rest in peace, my talented soul brother.

Both sides of all 14 singles recorded for Goldwax Records, 1964-1970, making for 28 tracks of essential Memphis soul from one of the greats. Carr never got the recognition, but his talent was comparable to Otis Redding's even if his material and backing were sometimes less stellar. Still, there are some true classics here and even the weaker material is elevated by Carr's gritty, muscular pipes. A truly excellent booklet with pictures and notes for each track rounds out an exceptional set.

If you weren't a soul fan,you wouldn't be reading this.All I can really say, in all sincerity, is this collection of 28 tunes is a revelation.From the very first note of The Dark End Of The Street,you'll be hooked.Not much filler here.Just 28 of the best soul singles you'll ever hear.Many thanks to all the folks at Kent/Soul in London,England for this wonderful disc.Lot's of us have been waiting a long while for this collection.Get one,it will make you glad you have ears.

James Carrs version of The Bee Gees hit " To Love Somebody" was featured in the John Lithgow movie "The Wrong Man" and i just had to pursue a path to obtain it.The track is on this CD in it's glory. He puts so much feeling into this song that it nearly has you on your knees , crying for mercy!! I know it nearly brings me to tears on occasion.
During the era of Otis Redding there were other highly talented & equally capable soul singers who never got mentioned.
James Carr lived a mentally tortured existance and died only a few years back in poverty. Like Bobby Bland he was the real deal. Carr sang his heart out and lived the words of his songs.
This is the true meaning of 'soul'.

My room mate introduced me to this man and his music. I couldn't get enough of this song, and stll can't. Although the title is "The Dark End Of The Street", he has lit up the music industry with his soulfull style of music. God rest hie soul !!

I listen to a lot of Southern Soul--everything from the earliest Sam Cooke material to the latest Solomon Burke disc on Fat Possum--and I love it all, but aside from Otis Redding and a few select sides from Johnny Adams, nothing quite does it for me the way these singles from James Carr do. Due to my severe alcoholism I don't know how to express it other than to say that next time you're seriously tore up, put Otis, Johnny Adams' "Reconsider Me" and this Carr disc on "random play" and just bask in the mile-wide vibes pouring forth from your stereo. Ahhhhh...it's almost enough to make me believe in God...

It's too easy to overstate the quality of some fairly obscure singer simply because they are either forgotten, a tragic figure, quirky, or little known.

Having said that, this collection is every bit as good as the reviews on this site indicate. Carr's vocals give a nuanced treatment to a wide variety of songs that demonstrate the breadth that soul music possesses. This CD consists of both sides of 14 singles Carr recorded for Goldwax records. It's mainstream music that shoudl satisfy both "pop music" ears and those who like the music for its own sake.

This is a reminder of how much great music there is out there that doesn't seem to have a place in the popular memeory or awareness (In another genre, John Prine fans will note that it took him over 30 years to get much recognition).

So, if you want to remember how much good music was around in the late 60s, if you want to hear a distinctive soul singer, or if you're looking for a soulful voice to pattern yourself after, you *will* enjoy this CD.

p.s. Don't expect much from the liner notes. They didn't really add much to my enjoyment or appreciation of the music.

i was looking up some info on another artist whose last name is carr whom i may be related when i stumbled on an article about james carr. i read the article and was intrigued. i bought this album and after hearing the first song i couldnt stop until the very end.this album is amazing and represents what true soul and singing is all about. i was amazed that he being only in his 20s when he recorded most of his songs had the maturity and passion of a man well beyond his years. i feel blessed to have heard such greatness and will buy every song he has recorded.

I own this amazing CD, and it's great, but all of the essential tracks can be found on the other individual Ace CDs, "You Got Mind Messed Up" and "A Man Needs A Woman" and most of the tracks here are on those CDs in stereo.

James Carr was one of the great, but unfortunately also somewhat overlooked, soul singers from the 1960s. During 1964 to 1970 Carr released a good dozen of singles and two albums for the Goldwax label. This comprehensive compilation contains the best and most important from the period.

The best recordings can easily compare with contemporary soul singers like Otis Redding, Sam Cooke and Wilson Pickett, and both musicians and producers were extremely competent in their fields: many of these were also linked with several of Carr's soul colleagues.

Carr has a fantastic voice, and when he gets the right song, it doesn't get much better.

Best known are probably the two singles "Dark End of the Street" and "Pouring Water On A Drowning Man", both recorded in countless versions - and theses are of course among the major highlights here. Other very fine singles were "You've Got My Mind chanted Up" and "A Man Needs a Woman", both of which should have been classics. "I'm a Fool For You" is another charming single in Sam Cooke style.

Subsequent single tracks such as "These Is not Teardrops" and "Everybody Needs Somebody" show that Carr musical level did not wane during his time at Goldwax.

The albums were released in 1967 and 1968 respectively both contain many fine tracks. "Gonna Send You Back to Georgia" from the second album, is hardly found in better versions.

With all 28 tracks there are not many of Carr's released songs from the period that have been omitted, but must you have them all, both albums have been released with several bonus tracks.

Songwriters like Quinton Claunch. OBMcClinton Rudolph Russell and Roosevelt Jamison are the most prolific contributors to this collection.