"Depend On Me: The Early Albums" by THE MIRACLES (2009 Hip-O Select 2CD Set - Ellen Fitten Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…Everybody's Got To Pay Some Dues…" 

You can’t accuse Hip-O Select of scrimping on this one - 5 albums across 2CDs, loads of non-album single sides and even Previously Unreleased. The presentation is lovely and the remasters absolutely top notch. There’s a huge amount on here so let’s get to those three-minute Soul Serenades straight away…

Released January 2009 in the USA on Hip-O Select B0012855-02 (Barcode 602527073071) – "Depend On Me: The Early Albums" by THE MIRACLES fans out as follows:

Disc 1 (79:04 minutes):

1. Who’s Lovin’ You

2. (You Can) Depend On Me

3. A Heart Like Mine

4. Shop Around

5. Won’t You Take Me Back

6. Cause I Love You

7. Your Love

8. After All

9. Way Over There

10. Money (That’s What I Need)

11. Don’t Leave Me

Tracks 1 to 11 are their debut LP "Hi, We're The Miracles" – released June 1961 in the USA on Tamla 220 and July 1963 in the UK on Oriole PS 40044

12. That’s The Way I Feel

13. Everybody’s Got To Pay Some Dues

14. Mama

15. Ain’t It Baby

16. Determination

17. You Never Miss A Good Thing

18. Embraceable You

19. The Only One I Love

20. Broken Hearted

21. I Can’t Believe

Tracks 12 to 21 are their 2nd LP “Cookin’ With The Miracles” – released November 1961 in the USA on Tamla 223 (No UK release)

BONUS TRACKS – NON-LP SINGLES:

22. Mighty Good Lovin’ – B-side of “Broken Hearted”, a USA 7” single released June 1961 on Tamla 54044

23. The Feeling is So Fine – A-side of a USA 7” single released September 1959 on Tamla 54028 but withdrawn

24. Shop Around (Second Regional A.K.A. “Slow” Version) – Second Pressing of a USA 45 on Tamla 54034 released September 1960

25. I’ll Try Something New – A-side of a USA 7” single released April 1962 on Tamla 54059

26. What’s So Good About Good Bye – A-side of a USA 7” single released December 1961 on Tamla 54053

27. He Don’t Care About Me – Recorded Late 1961

28. A Love That Can Never Be – Recording Details Unknown

29. I’ve Been Good To You – B-side of “What’s So Good About Good Bye” – see 26 – tracks 25 to 29, see also 1 to 5 on Disc 2

Disc 2 (74:44 minutes):

1. Speak Low

2. On The Street Where You Live

3. If Your Mother Only Knew

4. I’ve Got You Under My Skin

5. This Swear, I Promise

Tracks 25 to 29 on Disc 1, Tracks 1 to 5 on Disc 2 are their 3rd album “I’ll Try Something New” – released July 1962 in the USA on Tamla 230 (No UK release)

6. You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me

7. I’ve Been Good To You

8. Such Is Love, Such Is Life

9. I Can’t Take A Hint

10. Won’t You Take Me Back

11. A Love She Can Count On

12. Whatever Makes You Happy

13. Heartbreak Road

14. Happy Landing

15. Your Love

Tracks 6 to 15 are their 4th album "The Fabulous Miracles" – released May 1963 in the USA on Tamla 238 and November 1964 in the UK on Stateside SL 10099

16. Mighty Good Lovin’ (Live)

17. A Love She Can Count On (Live)

18. Happy Landing (Live)

19. I’ve Been Good To You (Live)

20. What’s So Good About Good Bye (Live)

21. You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me (Live)

22. Way Over There (Live)

Tracks 16 to 22 is their 5th album “Recorded Live On Stage” – released May 1963 in the USA on Tamla 241 and October 1963 in the UK on Tamla Motown TML 10055 (Mono) and STML 10055 (Stereo). 16 to 18 were recorded live at the Regal Theater, Chicago and 19 to 22 at The Apollo in New York.

23. Shop Around (First Regional Version) – A-side, 1st pressing, issued as a 7” single in the USA on Tamla 54034 in September 1960

24. The Only One I Love (Single Version) – B-side of “Ain’t It Baby”, A USA 7” single released March 1961 on Tamla 54036

The card digipak folds out into four-leaves and is very tastefully done in a sort of sepia feel – a bit of a trademark in Hip-O Select presentation. The 24-page booklet is gorgeous with detailed liner notes from STU HACKEL (profiled The Miracles many times before), black and white and colour publicity photos and indepth track-by-track annotation. But the absolute bomb is a foldout concertina of the colour album sleeves – it’s kept in the first flap and on the rear of each ‘detachable’ card is the back sleeve artwork – American Album covers that most fans simply never see. You get "Hi We're The Miracles" (June 1961), "Cookin' With The Miracles" (Nov 1961), "I'll Try Something New" (July 1962), "The Fabulous Miracles" (May 1963) and "Recorded Live On Stage" (May 1963). It’s a really nice touch and the ‘colour’ is beautiful.

Better still is the ELLEN FITTON remasters from first generation tapes. She’s been involved in huge swathes of Motown reissues for both Universal and especially Hip-O Select (she did all 13 of the award-winning “Singles” book sets. These are mostly MONO recordings not exactly put down in audiophile conditions – so her work here with the tapes is superb.

Musically these are early days – most of it is more Vocal Group than Sixties Soul. That nonchalant slow-paced Vocal Group vibe permeates “Who’s Lovin’ You”, “A Heart Like Mine” and “What’s So Good About Good Bye”. There are shades of the Marvelettes in “Ain’t It Baby” and heaps of Echo on “I’ll Try Something New” giving it a feel of Summer Nights at the Drive-In. The stand alone single “Mighty Good Lovin’” is a great dancer and the pleader “You Never Miss A Good Thing” has huge sound (and strings). It doesn’t say who the female vocalist on the rather excellent “He Don’t Care About Me” is (probably Claudette – Smokey’s wife) or the male lead on “A Love That Can Never Be” – but both are nice additions as is the mid-tempo B-side “I’ve Been Good To Soul”.

Despite its lovely presentation – there’s stuff on here that’s awful like their cheesy cover of “On The Street Where You Live” or Frankie’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”. Things improve immeasurably with Smokey’s wicked “You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me” – and easy to hear why it was an R&B Number 1. A nice bopper is “I Can Take A Hint” and the bluesy “Won’t You Take Me Back” even has a Joe Turner piano R&B feel. I find most of the live album unlistenable – crude recordings – but at least “Happy Landing” has some life in it. “The Only One I Love” was transferred from a mint 45 and noise-reduction technology used to dampen the crackle – and it sounds great.

Musically – I find the earliest Motown hard work – and these are no different. But if you’re a fan – the great sound, presentation and rarity value is going to be a huge draw…

PS: this 'limited edition' set is now deleted and commands heavy price tags in some quarters. (No pun intended) shop around - it can be bought for a lot less...

This review is part of my SOUNDS GOOD Music Book Series. One of those titles is SOUL, FUNK and JAZZ FUSION - Exceptional CD Remasters - an E-Book with over 245 entries and 2100 e-Pages - purchase on Amazon and search any artist or song (click the link below). Huge amounts of info taken directly from the discs (no cut and paste crap). 

"TAMLA MOTOWN: The Stories Behind The UK Singles" by TERRY WILSON - A Review by MARK BARRY of the 2009 Cherry Red Books Publictation...

AMAZON UK Link Above - AMAZON USA Link Below

"...And The Lord God Looked Down On Motown in Detroit And Verily Thought...I Must Set Up A British Branch..."

Did you know that following the departure of his principal hit-writers Holland Dozier and Holland, Berry Gordy wanted to reinstate the Supremes as a number act after a year of dullard releases, so he locked all his remaining writers in a hotel room and told them they weren't coming out until they penned a winner for his wife. They promptly raided the hotel bar and got completely pissed in retaliation. But the following morning they threw out the number one hit "Love Child" anyway. Or that Stevie Wonder's manager sang his newly released "Higher Ground" single into his ear in 1973 as Stevie lay dying on a hospital bed having had a freak accident where a huge log crashed through his windscreen and into his skull - and it brought him back. Or did you know that the original version of Marvin Gaye's masterpiece "What's Going On" had a question mark removed from the end of the title - so that you didn't know whether he was asking a question or making a statement? Neither did I...

A book like this is a treasure trove of such juicy trivia, but it wouldn't amount to more than a long list of staid statistics if the rest of the text weren't imbibed with wit, affection and a genuine thirst for knowledge and understanding - on every single entry. Americans know that Brits are soul mad, but this book proves it like no other. There's stuff in here that even the guys who wrote the music don't know about!

First, in order to convey just how deep this work goes, let's get to the details.

Published by Cherry Red Books in 2009 (a division of Cherry Red Records) – “TAMLA MOTOWN: The Stories Behind The UK Singles” by TERRY WILSON is a tall paperback with over 710 pages. The 72 singles from 1959 to mid 1965 issued on London (4), Fontana (4), Oriole (19) and Stateside (45) are all here - each given an individual essay on their release and history. Topping the essay over each single is other relevant info - Timing, Writers, Producers, Recording Date, UK Release Date, B-side, UK Chart Position, US catalogue number, US release date and finally the US chart position attained in both Billboard's Pop and R&B charts.

The two-word 'Tamla Motown' identity was started by Gordy specifically to deal with UK issues (it was either the single word 'Motown', 'Tamla' or 'Gordy' in the USA). Its first 7" single release came in March 1965 on TMG 501 - "Stop! In The Name Of Love" by The Supremes. While it topped the charts in the States, it made Number 7 in the UK (the title was a remark made by a producer to his argumentative girlfriend). From this point on page 68, the releases stretch all the way to page 606 and the February 2006 release of Stevie Wonder's "From The Bottom Of My Heart" on TMG 1513. Every single one!

This is then followed by the ARTIST SUMMARY section - which gives you their releases at a glance - 1 for Jerry Butler and 9 for The Commodores and so forth - very handy. There's then a section on STATISTICS, FACTS and FEATS; followed by AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF TRACKS; followed by a section on MOTOWN EPs and 12" SINGLES. Then there's a section on the off-shoot labels, Rare Earth, Mo-West and Gaiee labels...and a COLLECTORS section dealing with label bags, different texts, matrix numbers etc. and finally a REFERENCES section that in itself goes on for pages.

Some entries are long - "Tears Of A Clown" by SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES (an instrumental first presented to Smokey by Stevie Wonder at a Christmas party), others are short because they deserve to be "A Little Bit For Sandy" by PAUL PETERSEN (a child actor originally on The Donna Reed Show) - it was produced by R DEAN TAYLOR and sank without a trace.  The social consciousness period of Norman Whitfield's 1970s productions (Temptations, Undisputed Truth) I found fascinating and full of amazing info. In fact I can't imagine the thousands of hours it must have taken to assemble all this information, cross check every entry and then present the whole lot in an interesting way. His assessment of Marvin's "What's Going On" as a song that "says so little, yet means so much to so many people..." is both insightful and true.

I would say - however - that a very real down point is the complete lack of visuals. There should have been 10 or 12 pages of colour pictures, label variations, rare picture sleeves, early issues - but maybe on the next run.

Also, I went into 5 West End book stores and none had it for sale let alone knew of its existence - and Cherry Red books need to address that pronto - because it's criminal to see a book of this stature go unnoticed - reviewed online by some Irish nutter in a second-hand record shop in London. I would also prep a 'download' version for the net with better front artwork and a slew of picture pages from collectors with a far cheaper price to make it more accessible. Those minor nitpicks aside, both Cherry Red and the author are to be congratulated for this wonderful tome.

I can tell you now with all confidence that even as Moses was parting the Red Sea with the sound of hooves and chariots in his shelllikes, he was secretly thinking, I can't wait for 2009 and Terry Wilson's detailed book about Tamla Motown in England...

To say I'm impressed folks is like saying the Sistine Chapel is an ok painting - a fantastic achievement...and well done to Terry Wilson and all involved...

“The Solo Albums: Volume 4 – Love Breeze & Where There’s Smoke…” by SMOKEY ROBINSON (2011 Hip-O Select/Motown CD Reissue - Ellen Fitton Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…Baby Let's Cruise…Away From Here..."

This is the 4th of 6 volumes by Hip-O Select chronicling Smokey Robinson's solo albums for Motown. It was initially available from their US website from 28 Jan 2011 and then commercially released 15 Feb 2011. Now it’s the UK’s turn - let’s get to the details…

UK released 21 February 2011 (28 January 2011 in the USA) - "The Solo Albums: Volume 4 – Love Breeze & Where There's Smoke…" by SMOKEY ROBINSON on Hip-O Select/Motown B0015163-02 (Barcode 602527586359) offers 2LPs Remastered onto 1CD plus 1 Bonus Track and breaks down as follows (78:15 minutes):

1. Why You Wanna See My Bad Side

2. Love So Fine

3. Feeling You, Feeling Me

4. Madam X

5. Shoe Soul [Side 2]

6. Trying It Again

7. Daylight & Darkness

8. I'm Loving You Softley

Tracks 1 to 8 are his 6th solo album "Love Breeze" - released February 1978 in the USA on Tamla T7-359R1 and in May 1978 in the UK on Tamla Motown STML 12081.

9. It's A Good Night

10. I Love The Nearness Of You

11. The Hurt's On You

12. Ever Had A Dream

13. Get Ready [Side 2]

14. Share It

15. Cruisin'

Tracks 9 to 15 are his 7th solo album "Where There’s Smoke…" - released May 1979 in the USA on Tamla T7-366R1 and August 1979 in the UK on Tamla Motown STML 12115. Side 1 is called 'Smoke' (tracks 9 to 12) and Side 2 is called 'Fire' (tracks 13 to 15).

BONUS TRACK:

16. Get Ready (12-Inch Instrumental) - June 1979 non-album B-side to the US 12" single of "Get Ready" on Motown M 000027D1

The gatefold card-digipak has the same generic look and feel of the Volumes 1 to 3 and 5. This edition (Vol. 4) has a 28-page colour booklet containing liner notes by PETER DOGGETT (formerly of Record Collector magazine and author of the book "There's A Riot Going On"). It also reproduces the American artwork front and rear for each album (even though in truth they're impossible to read), has photographic outtakes from the album sleeves, the lyrics to all the songs and detailed recording and release credits. It’s very tastefully done…

Remastered by ELLEN FITTON from the original Stereo tapes - the sound quality is superb (she did an equally great job on Volumes 1 and 3). I've reviewed CDs remastered by Fitton before - she's one of Universal's top engineers (others are Erick Labson, Suha Gur, Gavin Lurssen, Gary Moore and Kevin Reeves). I've created a TAG above (pictorial displays of artwork) for both her remasters and Hip-O Select releases she’s been involved in that are worth noting.

Unfortunately, like Volume 3, the really great sound quality helps you to swallow the huge amount of saccharine pap that Motown produced in those disintegrating years – and these 1978 and 1979 offerings are guilty of the same. Both have been (and will probably always remain) absolute dollar-bin fodder on both sides of the pond. But – and this is the big but – there’s rediscoveries on here absolutely worth making…

The smoochy "Feeling You, Feeling Me" would do a night in a Theopolis P. Wilderbeast shagpad proud - while "Madame X" is a sort of "Cruisin'" variant that talks about 'faces in discotheques' and is excellent. "Shoe Soul" is a terrible song about sneakers, but the lovely slink of "Daylight & Darkness" is much better. And again the sound quality is ace. The slap-bass, strings and hooky beat of "It’s A Good Night" reflect the club sound of 1979 and it’s a good opener for the "Where There’s Smoke…" album. "Share It" is an uptempo love song – the kind of infectious Summer-feeling hit that Smokey is so good at. Then of course there’s the huge and sexily wonderful "Cruisin'" (lyrics above) which is represented here in its full six-minute glory. It was issued as an edit on 7” single and is wicked - I’ve had it on CD for a few years now just to have the track – shame there wasn’t room for that unique version of it on here.

There's one bonus track, but it’s a peach and a genuinely sought-after rarity. "Get Ready" was originally done by RARE EARTH back in 1970 (Smokey wrote the song) – his new version is a funked-up one. But the reason DJs love the B-side so much is because it removes the lyrics, peppers it with a girly chorus every now and then and concentrates instead on the funky guitar…and man what a groove it is – fabulous stuff.

To sum up – like Volume 3 – it’s not all genius of course and there’s cringingly awful stuff on both albums. But there’s also the good gear - that cracking bonus track and the warm and funky sound that make it another enjoyable purchase in this ongoing series…

“The Solo Albums: Volume 3 - Deep In My Soul and Big Time” by SMOKEY ROBINSON (2011 Hip-O Select/Motown CD Reissue and Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

This Review Along With 100s Of Others Is Available in my

SOUNDS GOOD E-Book on all Amazon sites

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Just Click Below To Purchase for £3.95

Thousands of E-Pages - All Details and In-Depth Reviews From Discs 

(No Cut and Paste Crap)

"…My Mind Went Blank…No Words Came Through…"

The third volume of CD Reissues in a Series of 6 covering Smokey Robinson's Solo Albums on Motown reaches the year of Disco and Funk – 1977. Once again we get two full albums expertly Remastered onto 1 CD and even have Two Rare Bonus Tracks thrown in. Here are the Big Time details...

Released January 2011 in the UK (delayed from December 2010) – "The Solo Albums, Volume 3 - Deep In My Soul/Big Time" by SMOKEY ROBINSON on Hip-O Select/Motown B0014909-02 (Barcode 602527518923) breaks down as follows (77:36 minutes):

1. Vitamin U

2. There Will Come A Day (I'm Gonna Happen To You)

3. Let's Do The Dance Of Life Together

4. If You Want My Love

5. You Cannot Laugh Alone

6. In My Corner

8. The Humming Song (Lost For Words)

Tracks 1 to 8 are his 5th solo album "Deep In My Soul" - released January 1977 in the USA on Tamla T6-350S1 and in April 1977 in the UK on Tamla Motown STML 12055.

9. Theme From Big Time

10. J.J.'s Theme

11. Hip Trip

12. He Is The Light Of The World

13. So Nice To Be With You

14. Shana's Theme (with Dialogue)

15. If We're Gonna Act Like Lovers

16. The Agony And The Ecstasy

17. Theme From Big Time (Reprise)

Tracks 9 to 17 are his 6th solo album - the Soundtrack to the movie "Big Time" - released June 1977 in the USA on Tamla T6-355S1 and September 1977 in the UK on Tamla Motown STML 12068.

BONUS TRACKS:

18. Mother's Son

19. Pops, We Love You (12-Inch Version)

Tracks 18 and 19 are from the Various Artists tribute LP to Berry Gordy's father called "Pops, We Love You...The Album" (he died at the age of 90 in 1978). It was released December 1978 in the USA on Motown M7 921R1 and June 1979 in the UK on Tamla Motown STML 12114.

The gatefold card-digipak houses a 20-page colour booklet containing liner notes by PETER DOGGETT (formerly of Record Collector magazine and author of the book "There's A Riot Going On"). It also reproduces the American artwork front and rear for each album (even though in truth they're impossible to read), has photographic outtakes from the album sleeve and detailed recording and release credits.

Remastered by ELLEN FITTON from the original Stereo tapes - the sound quality is superb (she did an equally great job on Volume 1). I've reviewed CDs remastered by Fitton before - she's one of Universal's top engineers (others are Erick Labson, Suha Gur, Gavin Lurssen, Gary Moore and Kevin Reeves). I've created a TAG above (pictorial displays of artwork) for `both' her remasters and Hip-O Select releases worth noting.

Unfortunately, the great sound quality is where the good news ends. It's easy to hear why the album "Deep In My Soul" is dollar-bin fodder - none of the 8 tracks are written by Smokey and most are syrupy late Seventies pap done by in-house writers. Things improve a little with the obvious lead off single "There Will Come A Day (I'm Gonna Happen To You)" put out in January 1977 on Tamla 54279 (it reached 7 on the R&B charts), but it's B-side "The Humming Song" (lyrics above) sum up the whole record - uninspired for the most part - and only ever workmanlike elsewhere.

The rare and largely forgotten "Big Time" soundtrack from 1978 is a strange one. Executive Produced by Smokey, he gave it a whole year of his life and wrote all the music too (yet rarely talks of it). Although most of the shortish tracks are only ok, it opens on an absolutely lengthy blinder - "Theme From Big Time" - a nine and half minute funky workout that has long since been sought after by rare groove aficionados. It was issued as a 7" single in the USA and split across 2 sides (Tamla 54288), but the real prize is a promo-only 12" version of it edited to 8:29 on Tamla PR-29 - it commands big money among DJ's who appreciate the wallop a 12" single. As far as I'm aware, this is its CD debut and it's a welcome reissue. Another nice mid-tempo dancer is "Hip Trip" and the six-minute ballad "So Nice To Be With You" is pretty too.

There's two tribute songs tagged on as 'bonus tracks' at the end that are truly dreadful - awful cloying pap - and painful reminders of just how quickly the company had lost its way and fans in the process.

To sum up - with only a couple of tunes on the first album and a funky workout on the second - this is without doubt the most disappointing release of the Series so far. And even if some of it is rare and the sound quality is superb...it's a 3-star release - and pushing it at that...