Search - George Jones, Gene Pitney, Jordanaires :: The Complete '60s Duets

George Jones & Gene Pitney = A Brilliant Pairing

V. A. Peek | Summerville, SC | 11/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well, I've done this all wrong. I have given sort of a review I guess in commenting on "JESS JESS"'s review. So my diatribe is gotten to by clicking on COMMENT 1 at the end of his review.

To be brief, I loved it back in the 60's and I love it now. It sounded so different from anything we'd ever heard where I come from, and it was just great to hear someone singing with one of our favorites. But, you know, that was in a totally different world and time. We Southerners/hillbilly/country lovers were laughed at and made fun of back then. But we didn't care, we still loved our hillbilly/country music. We appreciated and treasured things like that. It sounded great in those days. Even on our scratchy records. I didn't pass up listening to any of the songs. I played the whole thing over and over. I'm just glad to be able to hear it again on the CD I purchased through Amazon."

Unusual duet pairing works well

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 06/12/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Jones has probably had stranger singing partners in his lengthy career, but on its surface, this pairing with 1960s pop star Gene Pitney ("It Hurts to Be in Love" "Town Without Pity") seems to be one of the oddest. Even more surprising is how effectively Pitney lent himself to country material, and how well his tenor blended with and complimented Jones. Brought together in 1965 by Musicor, their then-shared record label, they recorded this fetching collection of ballad and up-tempo covers with many of Nashville's studio regulars, including The Jordanaires.



Highlights include a rousing version of the Faron Young hit "I've Got Five Dollars and It's Saturday Night," the hillbilly harmonies of "Y'all Come," and an Everly Brothers styled duet on Moon Mullican's late-40s ballad "Sweeter than the Flowers." Pitney didn't so much mimic Jones' style as he mediated his own pop tendencies in providing support for the country legend's phrasings and bends. Varese's disc pulls together all 17 tracks recorded by the duo, comprising a minor chapter in each star's chart lives, but a unique and surprisingly worthwhile corner of their musical careers."