"IT TAKES TWO" - 23 Prime Cuts Of Classic 60's Soul and R&B Duets

Subtitled "23 Prime Cuts of Classic 60s Soul and R&B Duets," this couldn't be hailed as a definitive best-of for that sub-genre. Not when there's no Sam & Dave, no Peaches & Herb, and no Righteous Brothers, not to mention part-time duet teams like Otis Redding & Carla Thomas, or Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell. Still, it's a respectable if idiosyncratically selected batch of soul duets, most but not all of the male-female variety. As for the big hits, there are barely any on board, other than Don Gardner & Dee Dee Ford's gospel-charged "I Need Your Loving" and Betty Everett & Jerry Butler's "Let It Be Me." As for reasonably well-known duet teams, there are only a few others: Inez & Charlie Foxx, Chuck Jackson & Maxine Brown, Peggy Scott & Jo Jo Benson, and Lee Dorsey & Betty Harris (well, one-half of the latter was well known, anyway). This, of course, makes this disc more enticing for collectors, who may well not yet have located the cuts by Birdlegs & Pauline, June Conquest & Donny Hathaway, or Laura Greene and Johnny McKinnis, for instance. As for the quality, it's good to average period soul, taken from the vaults of Vee Jay, Sansu, Red Bird, SSS International, Fire, Musicor, Curtom, and Wand, leaning a bit (but not far) toward uptown productions. The most satisfying obscurity is the bluesy and moody "Can't Stay Away" by Tarheel Slim & Little Ann, while Kane & Abel's "He Will Break Your Heart" sounds so much like the Phil Spector-produced Righteous Brothers singles that the liner notes wonder whether it might be that duo recording under a pseudonym. by Richie Unterberger, Allmusic

trax:
1. I Need Your Loving - Don Gardner & DeeDee Ford 2. Lovers Heaven - Peggy Scott & Jo Jo Benson 3. Picking Wild Mountain Berries - Peggy Scott & Jo Jo Benson 4. Something You Got - Chuck Jackson & Maxine Brown 5. Baby Take Me - Chuck Jackson & Maxine Brown 6. Baby Drop A Dime - Inez & Charlie Foxx 7. I Stand Accused - Inez & Charlie Foxx 8. Pledging My Love - Laura Greene/Johnny McKinnis 9. Let It Be Me - Betty Everett & Jerry Butler 10. Ain't That Loving You Baby - Betty Everett & Jerry Butler 11. Spring - Birdlegs & Pauline 12. Lets Go Lets Go Lets Go - Hank Ballard & Betty Lavette 13. Lock Me In Your Heart - Tarheel Slim & Little Ann 14. Can't Stay Away Tarheel - Slim & Little Ann 15. He Will Break Your Heart - Kane & Able 16. I Got What It Takes Part 1 - Brooks & Jerry 17. I Got What It Takes Part 2 - Brooks & Jerry 18. If I'm Hurt You'll Feel The Pain - Barbara & Brenda 19. Too Young To Be Fooled - Barbara & Brenda 20. Lover And Friend - Eddie Bo & Inez Cheatham 21. Love Lots Of Lovin' - Lee Dorsey & Betty Harris 22. Take Care Of Our Love - Lee Dorsey & Betty Harris 23. Them Changes - Big John Hamilton & Doris Allen 24. Thank You - Donny Hathaway & June Conquest
...served by Gyro1966...