You'll love it or hate it!
Dr.D.Treharne | Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom | 12/13/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Clearly, this is not the first Joe Tex album to buy if you're starting a collection of his music! Only the first ten tracks were ever intended as a coherent album, and tracks 5 to 10 were originally released as the "A" side of the original Atlantic album. It's obvious that in the early 70's market, the label had no clear idea of where Joe Tex should be.The second part of the album title, "came the rapper" gives an indication of where they thought he might be headed.However the "rapping" takes Tex some way beyond that genre. There are two really extended tracks, "I'll never fall in love again" and "Oh me oh my, I'm a fool for you baby" where he develops extended monologues against a tight set of rhythm tracks, and loads of strings. My favourite track other than "Oh me oh my" is the ballad "Hate yourself in the morning". These ten tracks would have been great value, but the album is extended by a series of tracks recorded in 1971-72 (except for 1975's "Under your powerful love") and it's clear that Dial Records, now distributed by Mercury, were looking for a style to get Tex another hit 45.I like "Rain go away" ,but there's no coherence of direction in them. As I stated at the start, you'll either love this or loath it. It's Tex in transition.I think it stands the test of time, and recommend it to your attention."
Track Listings (20) - Disc #1