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GEORGIE FAME was one of the most successful British solo artists of the Sixties and is still performing to this day, renowned for his ability to bridge the gap between jazz and pop (now a winning formula, of course).
In recent years, GEORGIE’S music has been well treated, with a box set dedicated to his Columbia recordings 1963-66 and also a wider package devoted to his entire career. But his time with CBS Records hasn’t been revisited for several years.
THE TWO FACES OF FAME was Georgie’s debut album for CBS back in 1967, as part of the label’s high profile ‘Fame In ‘67’ campaign. Reflecting the fact that Georgie meant different things to different people, the album was split between live recordings from a show at London’s Royal Festival Hall and studio sessions. The LP sold well, reaching the UK Top 30.
Instead of marketing Georgie as an R&B artist with his backing band The Blue Flames, CBS saw Georgie solely as a solo star and promoted their new acquisition aggressively across the year, culminating in the #1 success of the single ‘The Ballad Of Bonnie & Clyde’. It followed earlier hits for the label, ‘Because I Love You’ (#15) and ‘Try My World’ (#37).
This remastered and expanded double-disc edition of THE TWO FACES OF FAME offers both mono and stereo mixes of the original album. Also included are all of Georgie’s A’s and B’s from that year plus tracks from his stand-alone eponymous EP, various Italian language variants, a Brazilian-only International Pop Song Festival entrant (‘Celebration’) and a host of previously unissued tracks representing all of his recorded output from 1967 available at this time.
The Digipak package also boasts exhaustive sleeve-notes and a host of photos and rare images, offering a long-overdue reappraisal of Georgie Fame’s first year at CBS Records, capturing a star at the pinnacle of his success. Thereafter, he would enjoy a long and illustrious career but he never again enjoyed being such a regular fixture on the pop charts.
Tracklist
DISC ONE:
THE TWO FACES OF FAME (STEREO)
1. GREEN BACK DOLLAR BILL
2. THINGS AIN'T WHAT THEY USED TO BE
3. RIVER'S INVITATION
4. BLUESOLOGY
5. DON'T TRY
6. KEEP YOUR BIG MOUTH SHUT
7. YOU'RE DRIVING ME CRAZY
8. C'EST LA VIE
9. EL PUSSYCAT
10. IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU
11. DO IT THE HARD WAY
BONUS TRACKS
12. BECAUSE I LOVE YOU
13. BIDIN' MY TIME ('COS I LOVE YOU)
14. KNOCK ON WOOD
15. ALL I'M ASKING
16. DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE TO DO IT
17. CLOSE THE DOOR
18. (I’M A) ROAD RUNNER
19. TRY MY WORLD
20. NO THANKS
21. CELEBRATION (International Pop Song Festival entry)
22. THE BALLAD OF BONNIE AND CLYDE
23. BEWARE OF THE DOG
24. NEL TUO MONDO (Try My World - Italian version)
DISC TWO:
THE TWO FACES OF FAME (MONO)
1. GREEN BACK DOLLAR BILL
2. THINGS AIN'T WHAT THEY USED TO BE
3. RIVER'S INVITATION
4. BLUESOLOGY
5. DON'T TRY
6. KEEP YOUR BIG MOUTH SHUT
7. YOU'RE DRIVING ME CRAZY
8. C'EST LA VIE
9. EL PUSSYCAT
10. IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU
11. DO IT THE HARD WAY
BONUS TRACKS
12. A WAITING TIME
13. JUMPIN’ THE GUN *
14. BLUESOLOGY
15. NICOISE (working title of Try My World, take 2) *
16. RESPOKEN (take 10) *
17. CONQUISTADOR (take 8) *
18. TELL IT LIKE IT IS (take 5) *
19. WALTZ (take 3) *
20. FOOL’S PARADISE (take 10) *
21. TIRARE LA CINGHIA (No Thanks - Italian version) *
22. A BALLATA DI BONNIE E CLYDE (The Ballad Of Bonnie And Clyde - Italian version)
* previously unissued