Most Singles Released from One LP

[marybrewster]

Was wondering what single Motown release [[not including Greatest Hits packages) had the most releases from it.

I know "Where Did Our Love Go" by the Supremes yielded 6 singles; any other group or album have more?

[blackguy69]

The Four Tops Reach Out album has 6 singles released.

[copley]

'Reach Out' - Four Tops also produced 6 hits, all of them Top 20!

[mysterysinger]

In the UK the Reach Out album produced 7 singles including "I'll Turn To Stone".

[reese]

MOODS OF MARVIN GAYE had six singles on it, although I don't know if it is technically correct to say that six singles were released from it. As with some of the albums listed above, some of the singles were released before the album itself existed.

[copley]

In the UK the Reach Out album produced 7 singles including "I'll Turn To Stone".

Yes you are right but it was not released as an 'a' side until 1972 5 years after the albums release and didn't chart. I think that the UK Motown office were clutching at straws to try to squeeze out one more hit!

[mowest]

Junior Walker & The All Star’s “Shotgun" album yielded 5 singles, 6 if you count a b-side which also charted. They are:
Cleo’s Mood, Shotgun, Do The Boomerang, Shake & Fingerpop/Cleo’s Back and [[I’m A) Road Runner.

[kenneth]

Surprisingly, Marvelettes "Sophisticated Soul" had seven: My Baby Must Be a Magician, Destination: Anywhere/What's Easy for Two is So Hard for One [[both sides charted), Here I am Baby, I'm Gonna Hold On Long as I Can, Reachin' for Something I Can't Have [[UK only single), and You're the One, which was released a couple years earlier as a follow up to Don't Mess With Bill.

[Fullfillingnessfirstfinale]

Wow! That´s very interesting! Why the album contains 7 singles and Motown don´t pushed the album as a Hit-album?

[Motown Eddie]

Wow! That´s very interesting! Why the album contains 7 singles and Motown don´t pushed the album as a Hit-album?

Two possible reasons why Motown didn't push The Marvelettes' Sophisticated Soul LP: by 1968, the group had become a low priority for Motown due to problems with Wanda Rogers [[not to mention the company's focus on Diana Ross & the Supremes). Also, Motown was focused on hit singles & album sales weren't as important to the label at that time in the late '60s as they would become in the '70s.

[soulster]

Here's what I think may be wrong here: You guys are talking about 60s albums. Remember, in the 60s, the singles were usually released first, then added to the albums that were released. This is often evidenced by the fact that the singles were mono, and the later albums were also stereo. Again, the mono mixes were always done first, and the stereo mixes were an afterthought, usually done by the night engineer in the adjacent studio next door.

I think it fits the thread topic better if you talk about singles that were pulled from the album.

Anyway, carry on...

[kenneth]

Here's what I think may be wrong here: You guys are talking about 60s albums. Remember, in the 60s, the singles were usually released first, then added to the albums that were released. This is often evidenced by the fact that the singles were mono, and the later albums were also stereo. Again, the mono mixes were always done first, and the stereo mixes were an afterthought, usually done by the night engineer in the adjacent studio next door.

I think it fits the thread topic better if you talk about singles that were pulled from the album.

Anyway, carry on...

I think that's a distinction without a difference. Singles were either used to create the "hit" foundation for a new album or were pulled from the album to keep the album selling. Either way, they were used to promote sales of the album.

I do think the original poster's limiting the albums to non-Greatest Hits packages is appropriate, however, since such albums were obviously designed to be made up entirely of singles [[in most cases) and many of the selections had already been part of previous albums which came out contemporaneously near to the singles' releases.

[soulster]

I think that's a distinction without a difference. Singles were either used to create the "hit" foundation for a new album or were pulled from the album to keep the album selling. Either way, they were used to promote sales of the album.


I do think the original poster's limiting the albums to non-Greatest Hits packages is appropriate, however, since such albums were obviously designed to be made up entirely of singles [[in most cases) and many of the selections had already been part of previous albums which came out contemporaneously near to the singles' releases.

Think about it: if an album was composed of mostly singles, that says the singles already existed and were proven hits. At least for Motown, that started to change somewhat around 1966 or 1967, but, for the most part, the singles still came first.

The practice of pulling singles from an already released album didn't become common until the 70s.

[kenneth]

Wow! That´s very interesting! Why the album contains 7 singles and Motown don´t pushed the album as a Hit-album?

If you mean why they didn't make it a Greatest Hits, Vol 2, or something like that, I imagine the only reason would be that [[1) only 'Magician' was a bonafide hit, though I don't know how well "Reachin' for Something" did in the UK, and [[2) it was only a couple years since their "Greatest Hits" album, Tamla 253. Likely a second volume might eat into the sales of the first volume.

I think there had to be about 4 years between the Miracles "Greatest Hits From the Beginning" and their "Vol. 2". Maybe a little less, perhaps 3 years, for Marvin Gaye's two volumes. Stevie Wonder had 2 volumes but I think they both came out in the late 60s. I think the same was true of the Four Tops, though both Wonder and the Tops used the same graphic layout for their first volumes as the earlier releases. I always loved those cover designs for some reasons. They were plain but I liked how they listed the songs; they kind of looked like movie marquees.

[mysterysinger]

Think about it: if an album was composed of mostly singles, that says the singles already existed and were proven hits. At least for Motown, that started to change somewhat around 1966 or 1967, but, for the most part, the singles still came first.

The practice of pulling singles from an already released album didn't become common until the 70s.

You are correct and it is indeed untrue that many of the albums quoted had all the singles released from them [[or "yielded" them - included might be a better word) since most came before the album was released. However, the responses have been entirely consistent with the theme set by the original poster since the album quoted was "Where Did Our Love Go" by the Supremes as having "yielded" 6 singles [[which it didn't as 4 had already been released and only "Baby Love" and "Come See About Me" were released after the album had been issued).

[Motown Eddie]

Here's a runner up for the most singles on one Motown LP: The Temptations' first album Meet The Temptations had 6 singles [[and their B-sides) on it. The CD reissue bumped it up to 7 [[with "Oh Mother Of Mine).

[midnightman]

"Moods of Marvin Gaye", as far as I know, is the only one where there were like six top 40 hits on the pop and R&B chart?

The other albums released multiple singles but I think some peaked below the top 40. I THINK anyway?

[copley]

All 6 original singles from 'Reach Out' made the Top 20 in UK & US making it the only Motown album to achieve this.

[copley]

Surprisingly, Marvelettes "Sophisticated Soul" had seven: My Baby Must Be a Magician, Destination: Anywhere/What's Easy for Two is So Hard for One [[both sides charted), Here I am Baby, I'm Gonna Hold On Long as I Can, Reachin' for Something I Can't Have [[UK only single), and You're the One, which was released a couple years earlier as a follow up to Don't Mess With Bill.

Hi Kenneth. This is where it gets complicated. Only 5 US single 'a' sides were on 'Sophisticated Soul' as 'What's Easy for Two is So Hard for One' was of course a 'b' side. It wasn't even released as a double 'a' side so how it managed to bubble under the BB Top 100 I'll never understand! 'Reachin' for Something I Can't Have' was a UK single release only and didn't chart. There were only 4 singles from 'SS' in the UK. Just a reminder that 'my girls' only UK hit was 'When You're Young & In Love' #13 in 1967.

[kenneth]

Hi Kenneth. This is where it gets complicated. Only 5 US single 'a' sides were on 'Sophisticated Soul' as 'What's Easy for Two is So Hard for One' was of course a 'b' side. It wasn't even released as a double 'a' side so how it managed to bubble under the BB Top 100 I'll never understand! 'Reachin' for Something I Can't Have' was a UK single release only and didn't chart. There were only 4 singles from 'SS' in the UK. Just a reminder that 'my girls' only UK hit was 'When You're Young & In Love' #13 in 1967.

I was surprised when I did the tally, actually. It's fascinating what songs hit big in the UK vs. the US. Hard to believe the Marvs only hit was a song that someone else had done originally. Still a great song, but they had so many others you'd think they would have hit too, considering how much those in the UK loved Tamla-Motown.

Thanks for the info.

[luke]

Any theories on why the Brits didn’t buy Postman or Bill?

[copley]

The quick answer is lack of promotion. The 1st Motown hit in the UK was 'My Guy' which was issued on Stateside in May '64. It peaked at #5. Nothing prior to that charted. The Marvelettes were not part of the initial UK tour which essentially bombed! They did come to the UK in '65 and promoted 'I'll Keep Holding On' by appearing on a couple of TV shows but without success! When 'Young & in Love' charted in the summer of '67 I was delighted but surprised. To this day I have no idea why that one and that one only! The girls never promoted it as by that time the group had or was about to lose Gladys.

[midnightman]

Any theories on why the Brits didn’t buy Postman or Bill?

The Marvelettes weren't promoted properly in the UK. They missed out on the Motortown Revue in the UK, they basically waited until 1966 to tour there and I think Motown sent them out on their lonesome. :/

[rovereab]

It's interesting to consider, from the opposite perspective, that Diana Ross' UK Greatest Hits vol 1 only had 7 A-sides out of the 12 tracks on it:

Remember Me
Didn't You Know [[You'd Have To Cry Sometime)
Doobedood'ndoobe, Doobedood'ndoobe, Doobedood'ndoo
Surrender
And If You See Him
Ain't No Mountain High Enough
How About You
Reach Out And Touch [[Somebody's Hand)
These Things Will Keep Me Loving You
Reach Out I'll Be There
[[They Long To Be) Close To You
I'm Still Waiting

Not exactly a Greatest Hits compilation, but no doubt aimed at cashing in on her immense popularity at the time.

Fantastic cover though!

[midnightman]

Prior to the MJ era where it was possible for artists to release more than three singles from one album, most of the songs released from albums in the Motown era where to continue the activity of that artist if they couldn't come up with a recent single at the time. So it was normal to see 6 or 7 singles released from an album within a spread of two years since it wasn't aimed at promoting the albums released from them.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

If you mean why they didn't make it a Greatest Hits, Vol 2, or something like that, I imagine the only reason would be that [[1) only 'Magician' was a bonafide hit, though I don't know how well "Reachin' for Something" did in the UK, and [[2) it was only a couple years since their "Greatest Hits" album, Tamla 253. Likely a second volume might eat into the sales of the first volume.

I think there had to be about 4 years between the Miracles "Greatest Hits From the Beginning" and their "Vol. 2". Maybe a little less, perhaps 3 years, for Marvin Gaye's two volumes. Stevie Wonder had 2 volumes but I think they both came out in the late 60s. I think the same was true of the Four Tops, though both Wonder and the Tops used the same graphic layout for their first volumes as the earlier releases. I always loved those cover designs for some reasons. They were plain but I liked how they listed the songs; they kind of looked like movie marquees.

Yeah, Kenny, I, too, loved Motown's "Greatest Hits" album series. With a couple exceptions, each artist's release had its own unique color. The only oddity was when The Marvelettes' original Mono "Greatest Hits" album in a mustardy-gold cover [[which I had) was later reissued in a darkish green cover for the Stereo version. I never understood why they did that. It always bugged me. Gotta say it was a great series, though, and I had 'em all -- my favorites being Martha & The Vandellas and The Marvelettes.

[mysterysinger]

It's interesting to consider, from the opposite perspective, that Diana Ross' UK Greatest Hits vol 1 only had 7 A-sides out of the 12 tracks on it:

Remember Me
Didn't You Know [[You'd Have To Cry Sometime)
Doobedood'ndoobe, Doobedood'ndoobe, Doobedood'ndoo
Surrender
And If You See Him
Ain't No Mountain High Enough
How About You
Reach Out And Touch [[Somebody's Hand)
These Things Will Keep Me Loving You
Reach Out I'll Be There
[[They Long To Be) Close To You
I'm Still Waiting

Not exactly a Greatest Hits compilation, but no doubt aimed at cashing in on her immense popularity at the time.

Fantastic cover though!

Only 6 of these songs were A sides in the UK back then - her first 6 UK solo singles..

[Glenpwood]

Not to split hairs but "Where Did Our Love Go" was released just after its title track single was so it really only had three releases off it, not six. Motown just threw "Breath Taking" "Lovelight," & "Run" on the set since they hadn't been placed on an album. Three top tens, better yet number ones, was nothing to sneeze at in those days as usually labels worked two singles tops to radio from an album back then.

The Four Tops "Reach Out" album came out almost a year after the title track hit the charts. In fact, by the time it was finally released, Motown issued "You Keep Running Away" which never made an album until their Greatest Hits Volume Two set in 1971. Granted, they went back to the album for "Renee" and "Carpenter" but by then the whole set was eclipsed in sales by the first "Greatest Hits" collection [[although that didn't contain either song) which came out only a month after Reach Out. I also should add it was the HDH slowdown that caused those songs to become singles anyway. One has to wonder why the label threw away three consecutive top ten singles by not having an album for fans to buy, instead they released the Roostertail Live set and the "On Broadway" covers collection. The Tops deserved better treatment back then...