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This review is part of my
"SOUNDS GOOD: Exceptional CD Remasters Soul, Funk & Jazz Fusion"
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“…Skin I’m In…” - The Complete Invictus Studio Recordings: 1969-1978 by CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARD (2014 Edsel 9CD Box Set)
There’s a huge haul in this mini box set – so let’s get to
the Soulful nitty-gritty right away:
UK and USA released August 2014 - “The Complete Invictus
Studio Recordings: 1969-1978” by CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARD is a 97-track 9CD British
Box Set on Edsel COTBOXO1 (Barcode 501479789094). It offers fans their 4 studio
albums, 3 solo LPs and 2CDs worth of Bonus Tracks – non-album singles, rarities
and four previously unreleased tracks (two of which are new Tom Moulton
remixes). Each CD-album is housed a hard-card 5” repro sleeve (American
artwork) while the Bonus Tracks come in gatefold hard card 5” sleeve that uses
the Invictus Label Bag as its artwork. It breaks down as follows:
Disc 1 is their 12-track debut album “Give Me Just A Little
More Time” (38:16 minutes) – released April 1970 in the USA on Invictus ST-7300
and November 1970 in the UK as “Chairmen Of The Board” (with the same track
list) on Invictus SVT 1002
Disc 2 is their 12-track 2nd LP “Chairmen Of The
Board/In Session” (40:21 minutes) – released November 1970 in the USA on
Invictus ST-7304 and April 1971 in the UK on Invictus SVT 1003
Disc 3 is their 9-track 3rd album “Bittersweet”
(41:14 minutes) – released October 1972 in the USA on Invictus ST-9801 and SVT
1006 in the UK
Disc 4 is their 11-track 4th and final LP “Skin
I’m In” – October 1974 in the USA on Invictus KZ 32526 (37:19 minutes)
Disc 5 is a 10-track solo album by GENERAL JOHNSON called
“Generally Speaking” (41:41 minutes) – released 1972 in the USA on Invictus
ST-9803
Disc 6 is a 9-track solo album by HARRISON KENNEDY called
“Hypnotic Music” (38:02 minutes) – released 1972 in the USA on Invictus ST-9806
Disc 7 is a 10-track solo album by DANNY WOODS called
“Aries” (42:41 minutes) – released 1972 in the USA on Invictus ST-9808
Disc 8 is BONUS TRACKS: 1971-1973 (36:07 minutes) – all track
are by COTB except where noted:
Tracks 1 and 2 are Savannah Lady and I’m In Love Darling by
GENERAL JOHNSON – the A&B sides of a 1972 USA 7” single on Invictus IS-9093
Track 3 is Men Are Getting Scarce – it’s the USA 7” single A-side
edit at 3:13 minutes (the album version is 5:19 minutes) - released 1971 on
Invictus IS-9103
Track 4 is Hanging On To A Memory – the non-album B-side to Tricked
And Trapped (By A Tricky Trapper) – released 1971 on Invictus IS 9089
Tracks 5 and 6 are Elmo James (Single Edit – 3:28 minutes) and
Bittersweet (Single Edit – 3:24 minutes) – the A&B-sides of a 7” single
released 1971 in the USA on Invictus IS-9105
Track 7 is Let Me Down Easy – released 1972 as the non-album
A-side 7” single on Invictus IS-9126
Tracks 10 and 8 are Everybody’s Tippin’ and Roller Coaster
(Single Edit) by DANNY WOODS – the A&B-sides of a USA 7” single issued in
1971 on Invictus IS-9132. The A-side is non-album – the B-side a 2:53 minutes
edit of the album version at 3:41 minutes
Track 9 is Everybody’s Got A Song To Sing (Single Edit –
2:52 minutes) – the B-side of Working On A Building Of Love - a 1972 USA 7”
single on Invictus IS-9122
Track 11 is Up-The Organization (Instrumental) by GENERAL
JOHNSON – the non-album B-side to Sunday Morning People – a 1972 USA 7” single
on Invictus IS-9112
Track 12 is Finder’s Keepers (Instrumental) – the non-album
B-side to “Finder’s Keepers – a 1973 USA 7” single on Invictus ZS7 1251
Disc 9 is BONUS TRACKS: 1973-2014 (42:30 minutes) - all
track are by COTB except where noted:
Track 1 is Finder’s Keepers (Vocal) – the non-album A-side
version – a 1973 USA 7” single on Invictus ZS7 1251
Tracks 2 and 3 are Only Time Will Tell and Only Time Will
Tell (Instrumental) by GENERAL JOHNSON – the A&B sides of a 1973 USA 7”
single on Invictus ZS7 1252
Track 4 is Skin I’m In (Single Edit) – the A-side to the
1974 USA 7” single on Invictus ZS8 1276
Track 5 is Everybody Party All Night (Single Edit) – the
A-side to the 1974 USA 7” single on Invictus S INV 2523
Tracks 6 and 7 are You’ve Got Extra Added Power and Someone
Just Like You by COTB featuring PRINCE HAROLD – the non-album A&B-sides of
a 1976 USA 7” single on Invictus ZS8 1278
Track 8 is Come On In And Dance – the non-album A-side of a
1978 USA 7” single on ICA Recording Group ICA-023
Tracks 9 and 10 are What’s The Use and Where There Is Faith
There Is Hope – two PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED tracks. There are no writers credits
and were found in the vaults in 2014.
Tracks 11 and 12 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED 2014 TOM MOULTON
REMIXES of You’ve Got Me Dangling On A String and Give Me Just A Little More
Time
I love the aesthetic feel of the oversized 5” Repro Sleeves
– very nice indeed front and rear. The 36-page booklet is gorgeous – full
colour-plates of all 7 LPs - with further photos of the band and rare Euro 7”
picture sleeves. The superlatively detailed and informative liners notes are
provided by long-time Soul aficionado DEAN RUDLAND (with help from TONY ROUNCE)
– their huge knowledge and love for the label and the period lifting every
paragraph. The remasters are done by PHIL KINRADE at Alchemy in London and are
wicked – full of presence and power. Comparing them – they sound better to the 2009
versions Edsel gave us when they presented this catalogue in 2CD sets years
back.
It’s cool to hear the albums again minus the bonus tracks –
just as I remember them. The first two LPs had the Invictus hits – “You’ve Got Me
Dangling On A String”, “Everything’s Tuesday” and “Pay To The Piper”. But for
me it’s the lesser-heard “Skin I’m In” album from 1974 that has more magic and
the American “Aries” solo album by Danny Woods is a bit of a forgotten Seventies
Soul masterpiece. The only slip-up I can see is the absence of the Instrumental
of “Morning Glory” which was a B-side – other than that – this is exemplary
stuff.
Pitched at twenty of our pounds – it works out at a few
pence over two quid per CD – which is a bit of a deal frankly.
Top job done by Edsel and congrats to all involved…
