CHAD AND JEREMY
Before And After (Sundazed)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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After releasing a string of hits on the Ember (UK) and World Artists (US) labels, Chad & Jeremy made the leap to the major label power of Columbia Records and the shores of America, settling in Los Angeles. Before And After was the duo's first Columbia effort, and while it had neither the commercial impact of their preceding releases nor the artistic range of some of their later work, it was full of both echoes of the past and intimations of the future.

There was plenty of the acoustic pop-folk that had made them international favorites, but there was also a new level of sophistication revealed in some of the arrangements, new evidence of their grown (particularly in the case of Stuart) as songwriters and a little bit of balls to the wall rock and roll. The album was never less than entertaining, and occasionally it was inspired. It's lack of commercial impact notwithstanding, it's an important chapter in the short but exceptional career of one of the great British folk rock acts.

For this Sundazed reissue, the eleven tracks from the original release are matched with an equal number of bonus tracks, which makes the collection an essential disc for collectors of the British Invasion music of the sixties. In addition to unreleased songs and alternate takes, there are a pair of rare singles, one recorded in Italian for their appearance at the 1966 San Remo Pop Festival and one featuring the short-lived duo of Chad Stuart and his wife Jill. The combination of a fine, often overlooked album and an album's worth of collectible rarities make this one a keeper.

Track List:

Before And After * Why Should I Care * For Lovin' Me * I'm In Love Again * Little Does She Know * Tell Me Baby * What Do You Want With Me * Say It Isn't True * Fare Thee Well (I Must Be Gone) * Evil-Hearted Me * Can't Get Used To Losing You * (Bonus Tracks)Pennies * Don't Get Around Much Anymore * Sometimes * Fare Thee Well * Adesso Si * Nessuno Plu Di Me * Evil-Hearted Me * Before And After * The Cruel War (Chad & Jill Stuart) * I Can't Talk To You (Chad & Jill Stuart)

© 2002 - Shaun Dale