More hard to find classics
Laurence Upton | Wilts, UK | 03/04/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Spectrum have shown some enterprise with the Motown catalogue, and this series must have hit a winning formula to have reached Volume 4. The Big Hits make the releases sufficiently commercial to allow the inclusion of the Hard To Find Classics, which obviously appeal more to the collector.
This is the first of the series to have been compiled in the UK. Paul Nixon has been generous with the rarities, mostly unavailable or long deleted on CD prior to this collection, and has added valuable liner information. The Northern Soul fraternity has shown a preference for a certain kind of Motown sound and there are several prime examples here although its scope is thankfully wider.
Well known names include Marvin Gaye, whose cover of Motown-legend Frank Wilson lay in the vaults until 1979, and the Marvelettes, with an album track from 1969, but it is the more unsung heroes that flourish here. Barbara McNair, a former Playboy model and actress, smoulders wonderfully through Steal Away Tonight. The Elgins contribute It's Been A Long Long Time, a single that sounds so Motown-esque its origins as a Sammy Cahn/Jule Styne standard from the 1940s are completely buried. Eddie Holland added a new vocal to a song assigned to Barrett Strong before he left the label, and had a Top Ten Billboard R&B hit with the Jamie label in 1961.
A B-side by the forgotten ensemble Rick Robin And Him turns out to be a male/female duet, but as the writer is Richard Witte, I wonder if he is Rick, and the track is actually by Rick, a female Robin and Him (whoever Him is). Barbara Randolph's classic I Got A Feeling gets a repeat airing (it was also on Volume 1) and the great Chris Clark closes the collection in fine style with a superb track from her first album, which makes one want the whole LP, Soul Sounds - and that's what these compilations are all about."
A MUST HAVE FOR MOTOWN COLLECTORS!
Howard Carver | Long Beach, CA United States | 07/30/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Being a Motown fan ever since my early teens, and no longer having those hundreds of 45s that I collected, it's exciting to listen to some little-known cuts that I used to have. "A Little Bit of Sandy" by Paul Petersen was one of those, as was "I Got A Feeling" by Barbara Randolph, and "It's Been A Long, Long Time" by the Elgins. Many of those I've not heard before have grown on me, like "Cheatin' is Telling on You" (The Lollipops); "Crying in the Night" (The Monitors); "I Miss You Baby" (Marv Johnson); "Now Is the Time for Love" (The Marvelettes)! In my book all of these deserved airplay in their day and had hit potential...great, tight productions! Another really catchy tune (and "mystery song"), "Cause You Know Me" by Rick Robin and Him, sounds much like R. Dean Taylor, in a similar vain to "Let's Go Somewhere." I recommend that all Motown lovers get this CD. You won't be disappointed; it's more than worth the cost!!"
Track Listings (20) - Disc #1