For the First Time! Two Great Stars George Jones and Gene Pitney

Background

After Jones left United Artists to join Musicor in 1965, it was decided that he start off with a duet recording session with teen idol Gene Pitney, and this release was motivated more by the fact that Pitney was also signed to Musicor rather than any musical compatibility. However, Pitney manages to hold his own with Jones and the album because a hit, rising to number three on the country album chart. The album was Pitney's eleventh for Musicor, and the pair would record one more duet album together called It's Country Time Again in 1966. The Bear Family record label would reissue both albums under the title George Jones & Gene Pitney, collecting 31 sides that the pair recorded together.

Reception

Chris Woodstra of AllMusic writes, " For a seemingly unlikely pairing, the two complemented each other well, with Pitney proving himself not only a fan of the genre but also a competent country singer as well."

Track listing

1. "I've Got Five Dollars and It's Saturday Night" (Ted Daffin)
2. "I Really Don't Want to Know" (Howard Barnes, Don Robertson)
3. "I'm a Fool to Care" (Daffin)
4. "My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You" (Lee Ross, Bob Wills)
5. "Sweeter Than the Flowers" (Morrey Burns, Syd Nathan, Ervin T. Rouse)
6. "Wearing My Heart Away" (Charles K. Harris)
7. "One Has My Name" (Hal Blair, Eddie Dean, Lorene Dean)
8. "Things Have Gone to Pieces" (Leon Payne)
9. "I've Got a New Heartache" (Wayne Walker)
10. "Don't Rob Another Man's Castle" (Jenny Carson)
11. "Wreck on the Highway" (Dorsey Dixon)
12. "Born to Lose" (Frankie Brown, Daffin)

Chart positions

Singles – Billboard (North America)