Gene McDaniels – The Singles & Albums Collection 1959-62 – 2CD

Gene McDaniels was an African-American singer, who started out performing gospel, before turning to jazz, and came to the fore as vocalist with the Les McCann Trio in Los Angeles. Signed by Liberty, he teamed up with producer Snuff Garrett after a couple of releases and burst onto the chart scene in 1961 with the US No. 3 “A Hundred Pounds Of Clay”. A series of hits followed through the early ‘60s, and he also became a versatile album seller, before turning to the black consciousness form later in the decade. This great-value 58-track 2-CD collection comprises all his Liberty A & B sides from these years, plus selected tracks from his albums “In Times Like These”, “Sometimes I'm Happy Sometimes I'm Blue”, “100 Lbs. Of Clay!”, “Sings Movie Memories”, “Tower Of Strength”, and “Hit After Hit”. It features all his chart entries from this era including the Top 10 hits “A Hundred Pounds Of Clay”, “Tower Of Strength” and “Chip Chip”, plus “Point Of No Return”, “Spanish Lace” and others. On his albums, he explores a variety of musical territory, exploiting his jazz and gospel-trained voice as he performs Great American Songbook standards and his own interpretations of current hits of the day, plus classic movie songs along with new contemporary material. He was a fine singer, whose pop hits marked him out as a distinctive song stylist, and this collection is an enjoyable showcase for that talent.

Track Listing:

CD1: 1. In Times Like These -   2. Once Before -   3. The Green Door -   4. Facts Of Life -   5. A Hundred Pounds Of Clay -   6. Take A Chance On Love -   7. A Tear -   8. She's Come Back -   9. Tower Of Strength -   10. The Secret -   11. Chip Chip -   12. Another Tear Falls -   13. Funny -   14. Chapel Of Tears -   15. Point of No Return -   16. Warmer Than A Whisper -   17. Spanish Lace -   18. Somebody’s Waiting -   19. Love Is Here To Stay -   20. When I Fall In Love -   21. Like Someone In Love -   22. Look For The Silver Lining -   23. It Might As Well Be Spring -   24. Look To Your Heart -   25. The Sound Of Music -   26. Gone With The Wind -   27. How Long Has This Been Going On -   28. In A Sentimental Mood -   29. The High And Mighty -

CD2: 1. Deed I Do -   2. And The Angels Sing -   3. Love Me Tender -   4. Autumn Leaves -   5. Sometimes I'm Happy -   6. It's All In The Game -   7. Take Good Care Of Her -   8. (At) The End (Of A Rainbow) -   9. Portrait Of My Love -   10. Till There Was You -   11. Send For Me -   12. Cry -   13. You Belong To Me -   14. Around The World -   15. Three Coins In The Fountain -   16. Tammy -   17. Secret Love -   18. Love Is A Many Splendored Thing -   19. Mona Lisa -   20. All The Way -   21. From Here To Eternity -   22. Young At Heart -   23. I Almost Lost My Mind -   24. He's Got My Sympathy -   25. A Little Bit Of Soap -   26. You Can Have Her -   27. Raindrops -   28. I Don't Want To Cry -   29. (There Was A) Tall Oak Tree -