Search - Chuck Jackson :: 20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection

+1/2 -- Outstanding, if short, soul survey

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 05/06/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"One of the benefits of record industry conglomeration is that artists whose material spans multiple labels can finally see a decent compilation of their work without requiring multiple quarts of blood be spilled in inter-label negotiations. As such, this appears to be the first compilation of Jackson's smooth soul material that takes in high points from Wand, Motown, All Platinum and EMI, spanning the years 1961 through 1980.Jackson's pop-soul never cut the sort of deep grooves popularized by Motown, and when he eventually alighted there, his grittier sides, like "Are You Lonely For Me," seemed to miss the sweetness of earlier work. Jackson was strongest when he attached himself to the New York string-and-horn school from which Lieber & Stoller launched their R&B hits. The latter's "I Keep Forgetting" can be heard here, with a punchy staccato arrangement that mixes drums and xylophone with a vocal that's as much show-tune as soul. Jackson's hits, like "Any Day Now," and his slow-burn duet with Maxine Brown, "Something You Got" seem to have been unfairly forgotten amongst the endless oldies radio repetitions of Ben E. King, Otis Redding and a handful of others. Other collections dig more deeply into specific periods in Jackson's career (e.g., Varese's 1997 "The Very Best of Chuck Jackson" exposes a bigger helping of his Wand sides), but this is a better introduction to his overall artistic arc. Those who find they like a particular period in his career (or all periods, of course) can flesh things out with additional discs.4-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings."

Chuck wouldn't have it no no no no no any other way

Robert Miller | Eastern USA | 02/17/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this last year, let it languish and have been listening to it this week. It's fantastic. I bought this collection because I loved Any day now - that is, Chuck's version, not the lame, somnambulent James Taylor version that could make any human being slip into a coma, as a James Taylor concert on tv did to me and some friends in Forestburg NY in 1979! Chuck Jackson was another great soul singer/shouter of the 60's and beyond. The special treats on this cd are Hand it over, Tell him I'm not home and most especially Any other way. His performance on Any other way is beyond description - he growls, he's so emotional and great. This song is soooooo cool! There is not a bad track on this collection. What I also hear on this collection is that the Beatles apparently were listening and copying Chuck to some degree, especially John Lennon. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery isn't it? Pick this one up - it's worth it."