Chi Lites

Livin' In The Footsteps Of Another Man

Half A Love - The Chi Lites (Brunswick BL 754204) 1975

Half a Love; Here I Am; I Never Had It So Good; Living In The Footseps Of Another Man; When Temptaion Comes; It's Time For Love; Take a Trip To The Islands; Go Away Dream; I'm Not A Gambler; Ain't Too Much Of Nothing

Produced by: Raymond Hailey

The song Livin' In The Footsteps Of Another Man was first released by the Chi Lites in 1972 on a Brunswick single and on an album and reappeared in 1977 on Half A Love. It also came out again in 1972 by Promises on BRC Records a Brunswick label, and again in 1976 by Maryann Farra & Satin Soul (Brunswick). All versions have the same backing track and basically all sound the same! Half A Man though is my favourite Chi Lites album. Later recordings of the song were; UK's Pasadenas on the To Whom It May Concern LP 1988 & Tony Drake also put out a version in 1994 on a his debut CD.

When Temptation Comes has a nice Rare Groove type tempo and not too over produced. Take A Trip To The Islands talks about the Caribbean and has a reggae bridge on a stepper groove, but sadly though no song content. Go Away Dream talks about a recurring dream about a lost love and didn't the photographer know that real tears run from the inner of the eye! incidentally the English cover was an improvement on the US version just showing a heart!

I remember the first Chi Lites record I brought: For God Sake (Give More Power To The People), the greatest 'all-time intro' to a record apart from the Dramatics's Get Up And Get Down. The group were clockwise Eugene Record, Marshall Thompson, Robert 'Squirrel' Lester & Creadel 'Red' Jones. Brunswick was a company revived in 1956, but had been passed around by companies since the 20's at this time it was the 'race music' outlet of Decca Records, Billboard show they only had one Pop No.1 (Chi Lites's Oh Girl) & 11 R&B No. 1's between 1957-82). Thanks to Dave Allen for the Promises scan.

Photos: Album Cover, Brunswick Records Chicago, Chi Lites & BRC label.