It Ain't Gonna Be That Way: The Complete Smash Sessions

by Charlie Rich

Overview

Charlie Rich's stretch at Smash arrived in the mid-'60s -- just after he spent a few years at RCA's Groove subsidiary and just before he signed with Epic, where he would finally find the commercial success that had eluded him. Such a description suggests Smash was merely a transitional phase for Rich, but Ace's 2011 set It Ain't Gonna Be That Way: The Complete Smash Sessions -- the latest and best retrospective of this material -- proves that this was a clear peak for Rich, possibly his richest blend of soul, country, blues, pop, and rock & roll. Rich always mined this vein but there's a stylish swing here that distinguishes the Smash sides from everything else he recorded. Here is Charlie Rich as a snappy uptown hipster, coolly riding the slinky R&B groove of "Mohair Sam," draping himself in fuzz guitars on "Let the Party Roll On," copping a bit of Bacharach's orchestral sweep on "It Ain't Gonna Be That Way," slyly ripping riffs from the Sir Douglas Quintet on "Just a Little Bit of You," shrugging with bemused self-effacement on "Everything I Do Is Wrong." Only occasionally does Rich dabble with country and when he does he ratchets up the R&B: "You Can Have Her" bounces like Ray Charles and "I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water" flips Stonewall Jackson's dirge into a gospel thump. Elvis Presley, who recorded both of the preceding songs, learned several tricks from Charlie here but this is truly his own thing: there are no boundaries between styles or sounds -- it's smooth, soulful, and supple, from a master at the top of his game. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	03/08/2011
Label:	Ace / Ace Uk
UPC:	0029667044721
Rank:	83545

Tracks

1. It Ain't Gonna Be That Way
2. Party Girl
3. That's My Way
4. Just a Little Bit of You
5. Something Just Came Over Me
6. No Home
7. I Can't Go On
8. Dance of Love
9. Mohair Sam
10. Man About Town
11. Everything I Do Is Wrong
12. Have I Stayed Away Too Long
13. Tears a Go-Go
14. The Best Years
15. A Field of Yellow Daisies
16. So Long
17. Just a Little Bit of Time
18. Blowin' Town
19. You Can Have Her
20. I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water
21. Down and Out
22. Let the Party Roll On
23. When My Baby Comes Home
24. She's a Yum Yum
25. Double Dog Dare Me
26. Moonshine Minnie
27. Hawg Jaw
28. Lonely Weekends
29. Santa Claus' Daughter

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Charlie Rich   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Charles Snoddy   Composer
Joe South   Composer
Charlie Rich   Composer
Dean Rudland   Liner Notes,Memorabilia
Richard Ahlert   Composer
Nick Robbins   Mastering
Bud Logan   Composer
Margaret Ann Rich   Composer
Bobby Scott   Composer
Colin Escott   Photo Courtesy
Joe Babcock   Composer
Dallas Frazier   Composer
William Cook   Composer
Donnie Fritts   Composer
Willie Young   Composer
Frank Loesser   Composer
Tony Rounce   Memorabilia