CHUCK JACKSON, "(IT NEVER HAPPENS) IN REAL LIFE" C/W "THE SAME OLD STORY" (WAND 108, REL. 3/1961)

After several years of trying his hardest, Chuck Jackson achieved a major hit with his late 1960 Wand Records single “I Don’t Want to Cry.” This fine example of the New York “big city soul” sound was a harbinger of better things to come for this gifted vocalist and songwriter. His Wand catalog is stellar—the majority of his singles are excellent and feature a wide swath of notable songwriters, arrangers and producers.

After this single charted, all of Jackson’s musical skeletons-in-closet came out in a confusing sploot of reissues—from his sides as part of vocal group The Del-Vikings to lesser one-off singles he made for a variety of small NYC imprints. Perhaps that’s a reason his second Wand 45 failed to go higher in the charts. It is one of the toughest to find in his Wand catalog and I had a long search before a copy at last crossed my path. Its two songs enjoyed a longer life as tracks on Jackson’s second LP, Any Day Now. Its surreal cover is seen in today’s marquee. A pasted-over Jackson agonizes against a crude backdrop that resembles a science-fair exhibit gone awry. File Under: Thinking, What Were They.

Its dozen tracks are a stellar line-up of songs and performances, and the two sides of Wand #108 were in good company. This perhaps made up for the single’s so-so showing of #46 in the spring of ’61. I believe, had they swapped out the A-side with the B, it might have done better, but the market was saturated with confusing releases. This exploitative cash-grab petered out fast, to Jackson’s relief. No artist wants to have their earlier work complete with their latest efforts.

Despite its horrid opening, with a particularly rank Dread Chorus, “(It Never Happens) in Real Life,” penned by Luther Dixon and Ollie Jones, is a well-wrought (if cynical) lyric that shatters all romantic illusions a human being might ever have. A perky melody contrasts with the dark outlook of its message, as Chuck despairs of his bleak view of romance, although there’s an out: deep down, he still believes it might happen for him.

Chuck sings his heart out on this song, and once you’ve survived the first 12 seconds, which feel like an insulin overdose, the rest is classic New York pop r&b. It didn’t have the powerful hooks of “I Don’t Want to Cry,” but forthcoming Jackson singles would remedy this weakness. Not bad, overall—just not a hit record.

Hear it >>>>> HERE. <<<<<

Cash Box shares my opinion re "The Same Old Story."

“The Same Old Story” is just as cynical but handles its attitude much better. Luther Dixon co-wrote it with two songwriters who used aliases: ‘Bob Elgin’ (Stanley Kahan) and ‘Kay Rogers’ (Edward Abraham Snyder). Its intense sawing strings convey a tension that Jackson thrives on in his commanding vocal. His outlook remains jaded, but this compelling song makes that work in his favor.

His vocal on this side is among his best, and this is an ideal specimen of the Big Apple pop-soul sound of the early 1960s, when the influences of the ‘50s were gradually phasing out.

Hear it >>>>> HERE. <<<<<

Jackson’s winning streak would continue with his next Wand 45, “I Wake Up Crying,” and though he’d never have another hit like “I Don’t Want to Cry,” many of his Wand singles charted during his long stay with the label. He moved to Motown in 1968 and continued recording and performing into the 1990s. He passed on in 2023, aware of his legacy and his place in Black music history.

Tomorrow: the next-to-last release on Carlton Records in Beatle-crazy 1964 was an out-of-whack white vocal group item by Chip and The Quartertones. One side is a mega-appealing uptempo item. File Under: ?!?