Motown’s legendary songwriting/production team, Holland-Dozier-Holland, left the fold in 1967, to establish their own Invictus/Hot Wax group of labels.
They had worldwide hits with their flagship act, Chairmen Of The Board, debuted the first album by Parliament, as well as scoring a UK #1 with Freda Payne’s ‘Band of Gold.
Chairmen Of The Board were unusual at the time, with all the group members being featured vocalists in its line-up.
This 9 CD, 97-track anthology includes Chairmen Of The Board’s four studio albums for Invictus, as well as the Invictus solo albums released by General Johnson, Danny Woods and Harrison Kennedy.
The two bonus discs include alternate versions, non-album singles and selected mixes, including two Tom Moulton remixes of their two biggest UK hits ‘Give Me Just A Little More Time’ and ‘(You’ve Got Me) Dangling On A String’, which were first released in 2014.
CD1: 1970 - Give Me Just A Little More Time / Chairmen Of The Board (00:38:16)
CD2: 1971 - In Session / Chairmen Of The Board (00:40:22)
CD3: 1972 - Bittersweet / Chairmen Of The Board (00:41:15)
CD4: 1974 - Skin I'm In / Chairmen Of The Board (00:37:19)
CD5: 1972 - Generally Speaking / General Johnson (00:41:41)
CD6: 1972 - Hypnotic Music / Harrison Kennedy (00:38:02)
CD7: 1972 - Aries / Danny Woods (00:42:41)
CD8-9: 2014 - Bonus Tracks 1971-2014 2CD (01:18:37)
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.
CD1: 1970 - Give Me Just A Little More Time / Chairmen Of The Board (00:38:16)
01. Give Me Just A Little More Time 02:43
02. Come Together 03:51
03. Bless You 02:59
04. Patches 03:33
05. Since The Days Of Pigtails (& Fairy Tales) 02:43
06. I'll Come Crawling 02:38
07. (You've Got Me) Dangling On A String 02:59
08. Bravo, Hooray 03:00
09. Didn't We 02:43
10. Feelin' Alright? 03:43
11. My Way 04:00
12. Tricked & Trapped 03:19
CD2: 1971 - In Session / Chairmen Of The Board (00:40:22)
01. Chaimen Of The Board 03:36
02. Everything’s Tuesday 02:50
03. Pay To The Piper 03:08
04. Twelfth Of Never 03:13
05. All We Need Is Understanding 02:55
06. Patches 03:32
07. It Was Almost Something 02:40
08. Bridge Over Troubled Water 05:17
09. Hanging On To A Memory 04:13
10. I Can’t Find Myself 02:33
11. When Will She Tell Me She Needs Me 03:04
12. Children Of Today 03:14
CD3: 1972 - Bittersweet / Chairmen Of The Board (00:41:15)
01. Men Are Getting Scarce 05:19
02. So Glad You’re Mine 04:14
03. Working On A Building Of Love 02:56
04. I’m A Sign Of Changing Times 05:44
05. Elmo James 04:20
06. I’m On My Way To A Better Place 04:05
07. Bittersweet 05:07
08. Saginaw County Line 04:09
09. Weary Traveler 05:16
CD4: 1974 - Skin I'm In / Chairmen Of The Board (00:37:19)
01. Everybody Party All Night 04:07
02. Skin I'm In 04:17
03. Morning Glory 02:20
04. Life & Death (Part 1) 01:35
05. White Rose (Freedom Flower) 01:40
06. Life & Death (Part 2) 03:50
07. Let’s Have Some Fun 03:44
08. Love At First Sight 03:53
09. Only Love Can Break A Heart 05:32
10. Live With Me, Love With Me 02:10
11. Finder’s Keepers 04:07
CD5: 1972 - Generally Speaking / General Johnson (00:41:41)
01. Saginaw County Line 04:11
02. God’s Gift To Man 03:57
03. It Was Almost Something 02:40
04. Every Couples' Not A Pair 04:43
05. All We Need Is Understanding 02:55
06. Everything’s Tuesday 02:50
07. I Never Get Tired Of You 05:21
08. My Credit Didn’t Go Through 03:37
09. Things Are Bound To Get Better Later On 06:16
10. Mary Lou Thomas 05:06
CD6: 1972 - Hypnotic Music / Harrison Kennedy (00:38:02)
01. Hypnotic Music 05:21
02. Closet Queen 03:22
03. Night Comes Day Goes 06:43
04. Sunday Morning People 03:09
05. Gimme A Glass Of Water 03:07
06. Come Together 03:52
07. You Hurt Your Mother Again 05:56
08. Up-The Organisation 03:14
09. Children Of Toda 03:14
CD7: 1972 - Aries / Danny Woods (00:42:41)
01. Everybody’s Got A Song To Sing 04:04
02. Let Me Ride 03:03
03. Roller Coaster 03:43
04. Try On My Love For Size 03:31
05. It Didn't Take Long 03:32
06. Working On A Building Of Love 02:56
07. Funny How Time Slips Away 05:19
08. Two Can Be As Lonely As One 04:02
09. I've Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now) 07:16
10. Danny Boy 05:11
CD8-9: 2014 - Bonus Tracks 1971-2014 2CD (01:18:37)
Disc One - Bonus Tracks 1971-1973 (00:36:07)
01. Savannah Lady / General Johnson 02:29
02. I'm In Love Darling / General Johnson 02:45
03. Men Are Getting Scarce / Chairmen Of The Board 03:14
04. Hanging On To A Memory / Chairmen Of The Board 02:29
05. Elmo James / Chairmen Of The Board 03:30
06. Bittersweet / Chairmen Of The Board 03:26
07. Let Me Down Easy / Chairmen Of The Board 02:43
08. Roller Coaster / Danny Woods 02:55
09. Everybody's Got A Song To Sing / Chairmen Of The Board 02:38
10. Everybody’s Tippin' / Danny Woods 02:54
11. Up-The Organisation (Instrumental) / Danny Woods 03:15
12. Finder's Keepers"I (Instrumental) / Chairmen Of The Board 03:43
Disc Two - Bonus Tracks 1973-2014 (00:42:30)
01. Finder's Keepers (Vocal) / Chairmen Of The Board 03:24
02. Only Time Will Tell / General Johnson 03:40
03. Only Time Will Tell (Instrumental) / General Johnson 04:07
04. Skin I'm In / Chairmen Of The Board 03:20
05. Everybody Party All Night / Chairmen Of The Board 03:00
06. You’ve Got Extra Added Powe In Your Love (feat. Prince Harold) / Chairmen Of The Board 03:30
07. Someone Just Like You (feat. Prince Harold) / Chairmen Of The Board 02:53
08. Come On In & Dance / Chairmen Of The Board 03:32
09. What's The Use (First Release 2014) / Chairmen Of The Board 02:45
10. Where There Is Faith, There Is Hope (First Release 2014) / Chairmen Of The Board 03:05
11. You’ve Got Me Dangling On A String (Tom Moulton Remix) / Chairmen Of The Board 04:48
12. Give Me Just A Little More Time (Tom Moulton Remix) / Chairmen Of The Board 04:21
