The Essential James Carr

Track Listings

1. You've Got My Mind Messed Up

2. I'm a Fool for You

3. You Didn't Know It But You Had Me [*]

4. Dark End of the Street

5. Lovable Girl

6. Stronger Than Love

7. I Gotta Go [*]

8. Love Attack

9. You Don't Want Me [*]

10. Man Needs a Woman

11. Come Back to Me Baby

12. Forgetting You

13. Pouring Water on a Drowning Man

14. These Ain't Raindrops

15. Freedom Train

16. What Can I Call My Own? [*]

17. I'm Going for Myself Now

18. Gonna Send You Back to Georgia

19. Let It Happen

20. To Love Somebody

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
While Memphis's Stax Records was perfecting deep Southern soul in the mid- to late 1960s, small cross-town rival Goldwax was trying desperately and failing to keep up. But if nothing else, Goldwax deserves significant credit for unleashing James Carr, a gospel-steeped, hair-raising vocalist with enormous range and incredible passion. Carr was in some ways Goldwax's answer to Stax's Otis Redding, but Carr's voice was even thicker and coarser than Redding's. The urgency and depth of feeling that Carr gives these 20 burning cuts are nothing short of astonishing, especially considering the fact that he was a quiet, confused, and troubled soul off-mic. Like Redding, Carr was a master at letting the music play him; when he lets loose with a screech, moan, or sigh, he almost sounds possessed while in its throes. If not for his personal problems, the Essential James Carr might have wound up being a four-disc box set, but this collection of unparalleled country soul will have to suffice. --Marc Greilsamer

The Essential James Carr,James Carr,Razor & Tie,Bass (Electric),Country-Soul,Deep Soul,Drums,Guitar (Electric),Horn Section,Piano,Pop,R&B,Soul,Soul/Reggae/Rhythm & Blues,Southern Soul,V/a Compilations,Vocals,Vocals (Background)

Tracks:

You've Got My Mind Messed Up
I'm A Fool For You
You Didn't Know It But You Had Me
The Dark End Of The Street
Lovable Girl
Stronger Than Love
I Gotta Go
Love Attack
You Don't Want Me
A Man Needs A Woman
Coming Back To Me Baby
Forgetting You
Pouring Water On A Drowning Man
These Ain't Raindrops
Freedom Train
What Can I Call My Own?
I'm Going For Myself Now
Gonna Send You Back To Georgia
Let It Happen
To Love Somebody

Amazon.com

While Memphis's Stax Records was perfecting deep Southern soul in the mid- to late 1960s, small cross-town rival Goldwax was trying desperately and failing to keep up. But if nothing else, Goldwax deserves significant credit for unleashing James Carr, a gospel-steeped, hair-raising vocalist with enormous range and incredible passion. Carr was in some ways Goldwax's answer to Stax's Otis Redding, but Carr's voice was even thicker and coarser than Redding's. The urgency and depth of feeling that Carr gives these 20 burning cuts are nothing short of astonishing, especially considering the fact that he was a quiet, confused, and troubled soul off-mic. Like Redding, Carr was a master at letting the music play him; when he lets loose with a screech, moan, or sigh, he almost sounds possessed while in its throes. If not for his personal problems, the Essential James Carr might have wound up being a four-disc box set, but this collection of unparalleled country soul will have to suffice. --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews:

Vintage Obscure Cool.......2005-02-23

OK let's all be honest here. This is the internet, we're all anonymous so let's all just admit a little secret: we all secretly love having that one CD no one's ever heard of that makes people sit up and say "WHO is THAT?" Well if vintage soul is also your thing, then this is your perfect CD.

James Carr's mental challenges cruelly cut short one of the great careers in soul. Carr was the absolute equal of Otis, and many aficionados will tell you he was better. All I know is that whenever I play James Carr for someone who's never heard him, the usual reaction to his voice is something along the lines of "Oh. My. God. Who IS this?"

Carr's impossibly deep, bottomless voice could sing the phone book and absolutely destroy you. When he wraps his pipes around "You Got My Mind Messed Up" you KNOW he's got his mind messed up, even if you don't know his history. When he sings "Pouring Water on a Drowning Man" you feel his pain in every note. Carr's magnificent take on the standard southern-soul ballad "The Dark End of the Street" is not only the all-time best interpretation, it's one of the highest pinnacles in Soul music history. Timeless and stunning. Carr even makes the Bee Gees cool with his yearning version of "To Love Somebody" replacing the chipmunk vocals of the original with his up-from-the-church vocals makes the song an instant classic.

So buy this CD and you can impress people with your coolness while enjoying one of the all-time great soul vocalists at the same time.

"ANOTHER UNDER-RATED R&B SINGER".......2002-11-21

JAMES CARR CAME TO US...VIA "A MAN NEED A WOMAN IN 1965." IT WASN'T UNTIL 1967'S; "DARK END OF THE STREETS", HE BECAME A HOUSEHOLD NAME IN THE URBAN GHETTO'S OF THE SOUTH. "DARK END OF THE STREETS" IS CONSIDERED AN R&B "OLDIE." RE-MADE BY SEVERAL ARTISTS...NO LESS THAN MAMA "1"...ARETHA FRANKLIN. ALSO, TRY; "YOU GOT MY MIND MESSED UP". THIS COLLECTION OF GREATEST HITS, IS A MUST HAVE FOR SOUTHERN R&B COLLECTOR'S.

The Greatest of all Time?.......2002-04-13

This is a superb collection from one of the greatest soul singers of all time. The short description of James Carr's voice is to take a little bit of Joe Simon or Percy Sledge's country twang and mix it with a dash of gruffness.

Whether yelping through an amazing number like "Love Attack" or turning the Bee Gees "To Love Somebody" into a deep soul killer, this is Southern Soul of the very highest order.

Mixed Up Confusion.......2001-11-02

This is great stuff--there are hardly any clinkers here (Timmy Shaw did "Gonna Send You Back to Georgia" better, though). Carr is up there with Charles, Redding, Green, Franklin, Tate and Brown as one of the great soul singers. I myself always liked Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman's strange take on "Dark End of the Street" but Carr's is the definitive version. R.I.P, James.

Breathtaking Stuff From Forgotten Soul Great.......2001-08-17

Worth the price of admission for the original version of 'The Dark of the Street' alone. Sang with such majestic resignation all other versions seem tepid in comparison. To quote Dann Pen, who co wrote this soul classic, there is no other version. High praise indeed when you consider even the likes of Areatha Franklin have had a stab at it. There is no flab on this record. They are all quality songs sang which such intensity you would swear Carr's life depended on it. It is no surprise he succumbed to mental illness later in his career, such are the demons that seem to drive the performances captured here. Though often compared to Ottis Redding not even the 'Big O' ever came close to capturing the yearning and despair found on some of these sides; he makes Ottis look like a mere pop singer. Unfortunately it's by no means a complete collection - 'Life Turned her that Way' and 'That's the way Love Turned out for me' are essential listening and both are missing here. But for any curious fan there is enough here to wet the appetite Listen to 'To Love Somebody.' If this doesn't stir something deep within you you're already dead. Classic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Soul Music:

Soul Music

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