Customer Reviews

I Know (You Don't Love Me No More)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In spring 1962 I saw Barbara George shake her booty and perform "I Know" (and it's "you don't love me NO MORE", not anymore) and her unsuccessful follow-up "Talk About Love" which had a similar beat. The Drifters (the real ones) and Dee Clark were also on the bill, along with Dion as I recall. I thoroughly enjoyed the show and was disappointed never to hear from Barbara George again. But I know she was surrounded by the world of music down in New Orleans and I thank her for the memory of Memphis 1962. Four stars, a worth-having piece of work.

Barbara George is one of those eary 1960s vocalists who, after listening to her, you have to think that the only thing separating her from a more prominent recording career was the inability to hook up with one of the major labels at the time. As it was, this R&B singer, born August 16, 1942 in New Orleans, had to be content with linking up with Harold Battiste's A.F.O. (or All For One) label, which had started in 1961 after being funded by Juggy Murray, owener of NYC's Sue Records. In fact, Sue would handle all of A.F.O.'s national distribution requirements.

Their initial release was She Put The Hurt On Me on A.F.O. 301 which hit a modest # 28 R&B that September as well as # 119 on the Pop Hot 100 Bubble Under charts by the New Orleans-born vocalist Lawrence Nelson, who billed himself as Prince La La (if you can believe that in terms of it being 1961 and not 2001). And that was quickly forgotten when Barbara George's first release I Know (You Don't Love Me No More) streaked to # 1 R&B (where it wluld stay for 4 solid weeks) and # 3 Hot 100 late that year b/w Love (Is Just A Chance You Take) on A.F.O, 302.

The excitement at A.F.O. soon abated, however when, after Prince La La's next release, Gettin' Married Soon on A.F.O. 303 failed on both charts, the best Barbara could do was a # 46 Hot 100 with You Talk About Love b/w Whip O Will on A.F.O. 304 in April 1962. Why this did so poorly, and not even dent the R&B charts, can only be attributed to a lack of proper promotion, because it deserved much much better results than that.

Battiste then issued a complete Barbara George LP containing, for the most part, tunes she also wrote and while A.F.O. LP 5001 did fairly well on a regional basis, it was largely ignored nationally. This is the album produced in this Collectables CD.

Meanwhile Murray, figuring he could better promote Barbara on his Sue label, signed her away from A.F.O. only to see her next single, If You Think b/w the appropriate (in the circumstances) If When You've Done The Best You Can on Sue 763 in 1962 fail completely, followed by Send For Me (If You Need Some Lovin') barely make the Hot 100 at # 96 Hot 100 in September b/w Bless You on Sue 766. A late 1962 release coupled Recipe (For Perfect Fools) with Try Again (matching her efforts) on Sue 773, only this too failed to go anywhere. Her final Sue release came early in 1963 combing the prophetic Something's Definitely Wrong and I Need Something Different on Sue 796 - without success.

Eventually, her contract was terminated although she would make live appearances trying to capitalize on her one big hit, but a combination of the British Invasion and inability to wrangle another recording contract resulted in her leaving the business by the end of the decade.

This neat little compilation from Collctables covering her A.F.O, material is the best you will find covering Barbara George, and it's interesting to note that new copies are still available through other sources. Yet one more that needs to be re-stocked by Amazon.

I first heard of Barbara George with a 60's compilation album i bought a few years ago. I realized that her hit song "I know (you don't love me no more) was so good i had to take the chance and hear the rest of her material. Well i'm not dissapointed at all, her voice and music style is pure and very enjoyable to be listened. I highly recommend this album!

I loved this record since I was a little girl.
My aunt, Barbara George, passed away on 8-10-06.
She will always be loved and is truly missed.