Two Faces of Fame/Third Face of Fame [CD]

Georgie Fame,or rather Clive Powell as is what I understand to be his first name is someone whose been known to me for years. But I only heard his music for the first time right just now. Always find twofer collections such as this to be an excellent way to get in on an artists whole concept. And what a concept Georgie had! Probably without thinking about it too much,this guy (sometimes also along with his band The Blue Flames) anticipated the Brit jazz/R&B scene that was to come in the 70's and 80's. There would likely have been no such people as Everything But The Girl,Style Council or even Incognito and Sade without this mans pioneering work in that field. And certainly no Van Morrison,who owes much of his career success to Fame's mentorship. Aside from earning the great interest of Paul McCartney during the era in which these two albums were recorded Fame probably hasn't achieved the recognition he highly deserves outside the UK 60's "mod jazz" scene of which he was a part of and initiator of. And it sure is a treat especially for the first timer such as myself.

These two albums,actually sort of a two part concept anyway fit perfectly together because they showcase fame at his some of jazziest and heavily swinging-interpreting jazz,blues and soul standards in a potent brew. On "Greenback Dollar Bill","Bluesology","Don't Try" and a BAAAAD SOULFUL take on Duke Ellington's "Things Ain't What They Used To Be" all find Georgie's unique,rangey and soulful singing working it's way through swinging band style soul jazz. The purely soul cover of Percy Mayfield's "River's Invitiation" and John Hendricks bluesy "Keep Your Big Mouth Shut" conclude the "live" section of the first album. With the exception of the deep Southern soul of "El Pussycat" the studio half is all the way jazz with "You're Driving Me Crazy","C'est La Lie","It Could Happen To You" and "Do It The Hard Way" leading the pack. The other album 'The Third Face Of Same' is somewhat more studio centric but still heavy on the jazz across "Ask Me Nice","This Is Always" and the bluesy ballad "St James Infirmary". On "The Ballad Of Bonnie & Clyde",an appropriate cover of "When I'm Sixty Four","Bullets Laverne" and "Side By Side" all focus more on the music hallish side of his talents-he even talk sings "Someone To Watch Over Me" somewhat Rex Harrison style for some camp comedy effect likely.

"Mellow Yellow" is a terric closer,taking the jazz styled rhythm of Donovan's original a step further with Fame's vocals and arrangement. It's both faithfull to the original and expansive on it;two qualities hard to achieve at the same time. While probably not as commercially successful internationally as he should've been George Fame made his mark in music primarily on influence and,on the more individual end of things through relentless touring. That's why the first half of the first album presented here is live. By the mid 60's Fame,both with and without the Blue Flames had developed such a well oiled and professional approch to live recording that sometimes one could'nt tell the difference between his live and studio style of music. Generally here only the natural sounding applause is the dead giveaway. For those looking for a sampling of his work there are plenty of excellent compilation recordings I highly recommend and really give a strong and balanced impression of his music. But if your an original album listener primarily as I am it would be wise to take a chance on this set,in particular if your seeking his classic 60's music. While not everything sounds exactly alike it's full of life,style and a lot of vigor and sophistication. Georgie Fame understands the music he pays tribute to deeply enough to do it with the right flair and it'll come across instantly,with little doubt to anyone who hears it.