Chairmen Of The Board — The Complete Invictus Studio Recordings: 1969-1978 (9CD Box Set) 2014 (USA, Funk/Soul)

Best known for the stuttering number three single «Give Me Just a Little More Time,» the Chairmen of the Board were one of the smoothest and most popular soul acts to emerge from Detroit in the early ’70s. Although their time at the top of the R&B charts was brief — their first Top Ten arrived in 1970, their last in 1973 — they recorded a handful of ’70s soul classics, all distinguished by the high, trembling vocals of General Norman Johnson, who also wrote the bulk of the group’s material.

Born and raised in Norfolk, VA, Johnson began singing in the church choir when he was a child, eventually forming his first vocal group, the Humdingers, when he was 12. During high school, he formed the Showmen, and in his senior year, the group recorded the rock & roll tribute «It Will Stand.» The single scraped the pop and R&B charts in 1961, and Johnson stayed with the Showmen for the next seven years, releasing a series of singles on Minit and Swan Records that became regional hits. By the end of the group’s career, they had become staples on the beach music circuit on the East Coast. Johnson decided to leave the group for a solo career in 1968, eventually working his way to Detroit, MI, where he signed with former Motown producers and songwriters Holland-Dozier-Holland’s fledgling Invictus record label. Johnson formed a group with former Showman Danny Woods; ex-Stone Soul Children Harrison Kennedy; and Eddie Curtis, who had formerly sang with Lee Andrews & the Hearts and Huey Smith & the Clowns. Originally, the group was called the Gentlemen, but they quickly changed their name to the Chairmen of the Board.

The Chairmen of the Board’s first single, «Give Me Just a Little More Time,» was an instant hit, reaching number three on the pop charts and number eight R&B in early 1970, putting Invictus on the map. Two other singles, «(You’ve Got Me) Dangling on a String» and «Everything’s Tuesday,» followed, which established them as R&B chart contenders, but they failed to climb past 38 on the pop charts. Although the subsequent «Pay to the Piper» reached number 13 on pop, it was their last Top 40 hit. Between 1971 and 1974, the Chairmen of the Board received more support from the R&B audience, with songs like «Chairman of the Board» (1971) and «Finder’s Keepers» (1973) reaching the Top Ten. Despite this constant stream of singles, the band stopped recording in 1971, which led to a temporary breakup. The following year, they re-formed and toured throughout the Southeast beach music circuit, where their singles were continually regional hits. Although the Chairmen were having trouble reaching the charts, Johnson’s songs became hits for the likes of Clarence Carter («Patches»), Freda Payne («Bring the Boys Home»), and Honey Cone, who had no less than three hits — «Want Ads,» «Stick Up,» «One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show» — with his compositions.

The Chairmen of the Board continued touring and releasing albums until 1976, when they disbanded, with each member releasing solo albums. Johnson and Woods continued performing under the Chairmen name for a short time before Johnson moved to Arista in the late ’70s. He had a handful of hits for the label, all of which demonstrated contemporary disco influences, before reuniting with Woods as the Chairmen in the early ’80s. Over the next two decades, the duo regularly toured the Southeast to much success.

Tracks:
01. Give Me Just A Little More Time — 2:43
02. Come Together — 3:51
03. Bless You — 2:59
04. Patches — 3:33
05. Since The Days Of Pigtails (And Fairy Tales) — 2:43
06. I’ll Come Crawling — 2:38
07. (You’ve Got Me) Dangling On A String — 2:59
08. Bravo, Hooray — 3:00
09. Didn’t We — 2:43
10. Feelin’ Alright? — 3:43
11. My Way — 4:00
12. Tricked & Trapped — 3:19

Personnel:
General Norman Johnson — vocals
Danny Woods — vocals
Eddie Custis — vocals
Harrison Kennedy — vocals
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Orchestra
Tony Camillo — arranger

Tracks:
01. Chairmen Of The Board — 3:36
02. Everything’s Tuesday — 2:50
03. Pay To The Piper — 3:08
04. Twelfth Of Never — 3:13
05. All We Need Is Understanding — 2:55
06. Patches — 3:32
07. It Was Almost Something — 2:40
08. Bridge Over Troubled Water — 5:17
09. Hanging On To A Memory — 4:13
10. I Can’t Find Myself — 2:33
11. When Will She Tell Me She Needs Me — 3:04
12. Children Of Today — 3:14

Personnel:
General Norman Johnson — vocals
Danny Woods — vocals
Eddie Custis — vocals
Harrison Kennedy — vocals
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Orchestra
Greg Perry, Raynard Miner, William Witherspoon — producers

Tracks:
01. Men Are Getting Scarce — 5:19
02. So Glad You’re Mine — 4:14
03. Working On A Building Of Love — 2:56
04. I’m A Sign Of Changing Times — 5:44
05. Elmo James — 4:20
06. I’m On My Way To A Better Place — 4:05
07. Bittersweet — 5:07
08. Saginaw County Line — 4:10
09. Weary Traveler — 5:16

Personnel:
General Norman Johnson — vocals, producer
Danny Woods — vocals
Harrison Kennedy — vocals
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Orchestra
H.B. Barnum, McKinley Jackson — arrangers
Greg Perry — producer

Tracks:
01. Everybody Party All Night — 4:07
02. Skin I’m In — 4:17
03. Morning Glory — 2:20
04. Life & Death (Part I) — 1:35
05. White Rose (Freedom Flower) — 1:40
06. Life & Death (Part II) — 3:50
07. Let’s Have Some Fun — 3:44
08. Love At First Sight — 3:53
09. Only Love Can Break A Heart — 5:32
10. Live With Me, Love With Me — 2:10
11. Finder’s Keepers — 4:07

Personnel:
General Norman Johnson — vocals
Danny Woods — vocals
Harrison Kennedy — vocals
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Holland-Dozier-Holland, Jeffrey Bowen — producers

Tracks:
01. Saginaw County Line — 4:11
02. God’s Gift To Man — 3:57
03. It Was Almost Something — 2:40
04. Every Couple’s Not A Pair — 4:43
05. All We Need Is Understanding — 2:55
06. Everything’s Tuesday — 2:50
07. I Never Get Tired Of You — 5:21
08. My Credit Didn’t Go Through — 3:37
09. Things Are Bound To Get Better Later On — 6:16
10. Mary Lou Thomas — 5:06

Personnel:
General Norman Johnson — vocals, producer
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Orchestra
Greg Perry, Raynard Miner, William Weatherspoon — producers

Tracks:
01. Hypnotic Music — 5:21
02. Closet Queen — 3:22
03. Night Comes Day Goes — 6:43
04. Sunday Morning People — 3:09
05. Gimme A Glass Of Water — 3:07
06. Come Together — 3:52
07. You Hurt Your Mother Again — 5:56
08. Up-The Organization — 3:14
09. Children Of Today — 3:14

Personnel:
Harrison Kennedy — vocals
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McKinley Jackson — arranger
Staff, William Weatherspoon — producers

Tracks:
01. Everybody’s Got A Song To Sing — 4:04
02. Let Me Ride — 3:03
03. Roller Coaster — 3:43
04. Try On My Love For Size — 3:31
05. It Didn’t Take Long — 3:32
06. Working On A Building Of Love — 2:56
07. Funny How Time Slips Away — 5:19
08. Two Can Be As Lonely As One — 4:02
09. I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now) — 7:16
10. Danny Boy — 5:11

Personnel:
Danny Woods — vocals
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H.B. Barnum, McKinley Jackson — arrangers
Ronald Dunbar — producer

Tracks:
01. General Johnson — Savannah Lady — 2:29
02. General Johnson — I’m In Love Darling — 2:45
03. Chairmen Of The Board — Men Are Getting Scarce — 3:14
04. Chairmen Of The Board — Hanging On To A Memory — 2:29
05. Chairmen Of The Board — Elmo James (Single Edit) — 3:30
06. Chairmen Of The Board — Bittersweet (Single Edit) — 3:26
07. Chairmen Of The Board — Let Me Down Easy — 2:43
08. Danny Woods — Roller Coaster (Single Edit) — 2:55
09. Chairmen Of The Board — Everybody’s Got A Song To Sing (Single Edit) — 2:38
10. Danny Woods — Everybody’s Tippin’ — 2:54
11. Harrison Kennedy — Up-The Organization (Instrumental) — 3:15
12. Chairmen Of The Board — Finder’s Keepers (Instrumental) — 3:43

Tracks:
01. Chairmen Of The Board — Finder’s Keepers (Vocal) — 3:24
02. General Johnson — Only Time Will Tell — 3:40
03. General Johnson — Only Time Will Tell (Instrumental) — 4:07
04. Chairmen Of The Board — Skin I’m In (Single Edit) — 3:20
05. Chairmen Of The Board — Everybody Party All Night (Single Edit) — 3:00
06. Chairmen Of The Board — You’ve Got Extra Added Power In Your Love (Featuring Prince Harold) — 3:30
07. Chairmen Of The Board — Someone Just Like You (Featuring Prince Harold) — 2:53
08. Chairmen Of The Board — Come On In And Dance — 3:32
09. Chairmen Of The Board — What’s The Use (First Released 2014) — 2:45
10. Chairmen Of The Board — Where There Is Faith, There Is Hope (First Released 2014) — 3:05
11. Chairmen Of The Board — You’ve Got Me Dangling On A String (Tom Moulton Remix) — 4:48
12. Chairmen Of The Board — Give Me Just A Little More Time (Tom Moulton Remix) — 4:21