At Goldwax

Ace has spent a considerable amount of energy building the reputation of songwriter/singer George Jackson, issuing his complete Fame Recordings in a series of three separate volumes, and they've also dipped into Dan Greer's work via a 2013 compilation but the 2015 set George Jackson and Dan Greer at Goldwax covers a fascinating little-known chapter in the two writers' careers. For a brief time, the pair worked as a duo at Goldwax, releasing the single "You Didn't Know It But You Had Me" in 1966 — a one-shot single that didn't go anywhere, although it opened the doors for both artists. They had previously written together, so teaming as performers made sense and the single did have a kick, as did its flip (a cover of Sam Cooke's "Good Times"). A second session containing an apparently scrapped second single — "Do the March" and "To Me It's Storming" — was equally good but it stayed shelved until previous Ace/Kent reissues. Four songs isn't enough to build a full reissue around, but reels of songwriting sessions by Jackson and Greer were discovered and that accounts for the remaining tracks, 17 of which were unreleased. Lead vocals were uncredited but annotator Dean Rudland thinks George sang the majority and, ultimately, it doesn't matter much who sang because all the songs have a similar feel: they're all nicely crafted Memphis soul that's begging to be filled out by a full band. A rich arrangement might've made a few of these songs seem like lost classics but instead they're rough, uncut diamonds that prove the skill and determination of Jackson and Greer without quite being compelling. It's an archival release that's worth hearing for hardcore Memphis soul fans but likely only once.