Tony Jackson's sixth single, the second on CBS 202069, released in May 1966.

Presumably on the basis that he had scored his only solo hit with a Motown song, Jackson found his next A-side on the flipside of Martha & The Vandellas' most recent single, 'My Baby Loves Me'. 'Never Leave Your Baby's Side' was a majestic piece of Pop-Soul with a huge production and one of Jackson's finest ever vocals, and was, so it seemed, endlessly commercial. In an entirely different style, the B-side, a close cousin of The Beatles' 'She's A Woman' entitled 'I'm The One She Really Thinks A Lot Of, was another gem. But despite a fair amount of airplay, the single - credited as a solo Tony Jackson release for the first time - didn't reach the Top 50.Worn down by constant failure, Jackson cracked: "We're 80% certain to be going to live in

America," he complained. "We're sick and tired of England - the back- stabbing, the double talk and the undercutting. It's not a Pop scene anymore, it's a rat race, and I'm sure rats would behave better than some of the people who pull strings behind the beat scene." And he continued to pick away at an old wound, while still publicly denying the truth behind his departure from The Searchers: "I think anyone who leaves a successful Pop group to go solo is mad. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, they lose money and status. Unless the reason is health - like mine was - they will do no good. I don't regret leaving The Searchers, but my wallet does."

(From the booklet: Watch Your Step)

below: This EP (CBS EP 5726) comes from France and combines the latest single with the first CBS release, including a nice piture cover - as usual in France.

above: Spanish single CBS 202069