Post by PeteGunn on Jan 23, 2005 3:45:48 GMT -5
Hip-O Select, who earlier brought you the unreleased David Ruffin album, is bringing us an expanded version of Motown Sings Motown Treasures. The earlier album had 21 songs, most of them unreleased, which were established Motown hits, not sung by the artist(s) that made them famous. Now they've added 23 additional songs, most unreleased to make this a two disc album.
Usually these compliation albums will run the gamut of Motown artists, some that you've heard and some that were with the company for a short time. They don't have a, say, Stevie Wonder or Supremes flavor to them. But this set, surprisingly, has several Temptations-connected songs, which are pretty good. For example:
Two versions of the Spinners' Truly Yours, one featuring David Ruffin and the Tempts as dynamic as ever and the other with producer Ivy Jo Hunter as lead with the Tempts as backup.
The first version of (Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need, featuring Eddie Holland(who co-wrote the song as you know) on lead.
Marvin Gaye's version of My Girl, done in NY, instead of Studio A.
The Way You Do The Things You Do with the Underdogs, courtesy of Norman Whitfield. I guess Norman was looking for a garage band to do his thing. (Pre-Rare Earth?)
Dennis Edwards and the Contours, singing What Becomes of the Brokenhearted, with the always expected "Dennis-ism", that makes you like the song even more.(Note: Also included in this album is the original version of "Brokenhearted" sung by the Isleys as "Smile". Now if they can find the Isleys version of "Grapevine" as rumored, that would be sweet.) Dennis also sings Ain't That Peculiar, predating Ollie Woodson's version by at least 25 years.
Eddie Kendricks and the Tempts singing My Smile Is Just A Frown(Turned Upside Down), done during the Smokey-Tempts explosion of spring/summer 1966. Those sessions alone could've been a followup to "Sing Smokey"
GC Cameron and the Spinners singing The Girl's Alright With Me. He should sing that live today, with the group.
Cal Gill(married to Richard Street) and the Velvelettes doing Everybody Needs Love BEFORE Gladys and the Pips did it. (Eddie and the Tempts did it on the Temptin' Temptations album).
Jimmy Ruffin, singing his SECOND version of Too Busy Thinking About My Baby(the first version was "I Know How To Love Her"). Eddie and the Tempts did this on the Gettin' Ready album. Jimmy sung a lot of songs that the Tempts sung, there's even a remark that Jimmy thought that his stuff served as demos for the Tempts. (That's the great Whitfield for ya.)
David sings the J5's I Want You Back. Another liner note was that the flip side of the J5's I Want You Back was Michael Jackson's lead of Who's Loving You, which everyone knows was modeled after David's version in the Tempts Sing Smokey.
The producer of MJ's version of "Who's Loving You" sang with David on the original version of Just Seven Numbers(Can Straighten Out My Life), made famous by the Four Tops. Bobby Taylor(yes, of the Vancouvers), sung his lead as a demo for Jimmy Ruffin, to be included in the Ruffin Brothers' album, "I Am My Brother's Keeper". But Jimmy never did the track, so this stayed unreleased, with Frank Wilson redoing it for the Tops.
Finally, the Big 5, led by Paul Williams, sing Mary Wells' What's Easy For Two Is So Hard For One. This should've made the "Sing Smokey" album, easily. It's almost if this song WAS written for Paul instead of Mary.
Smokey could always take care of his leads. Just think if he would've quit the Miracles around this time.
This is a pricey set, it runs $40 if ordering online, and more if you find it in stores. This is a limited edition.
We always knew that vault had a lot of stuff. We used to talk about that years ago(for those who still remember). As the years go by, you realize that the output of music during that time was small in comparison to what was actually done.
Usually these compliation albums will run the gamut of Motown artists, some that you've heard and some that were with the company for a short time. They don't have a, say, Stevie Wonder or Supremes flavor to them. But this set, surprisingly, has several Temptations-connected songs, which are pretty good. For example:
Two versions of the Spinners' Truly Yours, one featuring David Ruffin and the Tempts as dynamic as ever and the other with producer Ivy Jo Hunter as lead with the Tempts as backup.
The first version of (Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need, featuring Eddie Holland(who co-wrote the song as you know) on lead.
Marvin Gaye's version of My Girl, done in NY, instead of Studio A.
The Way You Do The Things You Do with the Underdogs, courtesy of Norman Whitfield. I guess Norman was looking for a garage band to do his thing. (Pre-Rare Earth?)
Dennis Edwards and the Contours, singing What Becomes of the Brokenhearted, with the always expected "Dennis-ism", that makes you like the song even more.(Note: Also included in this album is the original version of "Brokenhearted" sung by the Isleys as "Smile". Now if they can find the Isleys version of "Grapevine" as rumored, that would be sweet.) Dennis also sings Ain't That Peculiar, predating Ollie Woodson's version by at least 25 years.
Eddie Kendricks and the Tempts singing My Smile Is Just A Frown(Turned Upside Down), done during the Smokey-Tempts explosion of spring/summer 1966. Those sessions alone could've been a followup to "Sing Smokey"
GC Cameron and the Spinners singing The Girl's Alright With Me. He should sing that live today, with the group.
Cal Gill(married to Richard Street) and the Velvelettes doing Everybody Needs Love BEFORE Gladys and the Pips did it. (Eddie and the Tempts did it on the Temptin' Temptations album).
Jimmy Ruffin, singing his SECOND version of Too Busy Thinking About My Baby(the first version was "I Know How To Love Her"). Eddie and the Tempts did this on the Gettin' Ready album. Jimmy sung a lot of songs that the Tempts sung, there's even a remark that Jimmy thought that his stuff served as demos for the Tempts. (That's the great Whitfield for ya.)
David sings the J5's I Want You Back. Another liner note was that the flip side of the J5's I Want You Back was Michael Jackson's lead of Who's Loving You, which everyone knows was modeled after David's version in the Tempts Sing Smokey.
The producer of MJ's version of "Who's Loving You" sang with David on the original version of Just Seven Numbers(Can Straighten Out My Life), made famous by the Four Tops. Bobby Taylor(yes, of the Vancouvers), sung his lead as a demo for Jimmy Ruffin, to be included in the Ruffin Brothers' album, "I Am My Brother's Keeper". But Jimmy never did the track, so this stayed unreleased, with Frank Wilson redoing it for the Tops.
Finally, the Big 5, led by Paul Williams, sing Mary Wells' What's Easy For Two Is So Hard For One. This should've made the "Sing Smokey" album, easily. It's almost if this song WAS written for Paul instead of Mary.
Smokey could always take care of his leads. Just think if he would've quit the Miracles around this time.
This is a pricey set, it runs $40 if ordering online, and more if you find it in stores. This is a limited edition.
We always knew that vault had a lot of stuff. We used to talk about that years ago(for those who still remember). As the years go by, you realize that the output of music during that time was small in comparison to what was actually done.
Will this make the CD more valuable, like the upside-down airplane stamp? ;D 
. So no sending back for me, maybe the 'glitch' will allow me to retire...
kmg 
