US Motown Album Cover Variations

[nsoule]

I'd like to compile a list of cover variations within the US Motown album catalog. The list I have so far only covers Detroit-era Motown, but I would welcome additions from after 1972 as well. I only included Mono/Stereo variations if "Mono" is actually printed on the cover.

Here's what I have so far:

Motown
606 - The Supremes - Meet The Supremes


Stool cover
Blue/white cover with photo
Back cover with “The Boy That Got Away” listed
Back cover with “Let Me Go The Right Way” and “Time Changes Things” listed

614 - Various Artists - A Package of 16 Big Hits


Package cover
Song title grid cover

616 - Mary Wells - Mary Wells Greatest Hits


No Motown logo on front cover
Rectangular Motown logo on front cover
Square Motown logo on front cover

636 - The Supremes - The Supremes At The Copa


Back cover with drawing of the Supremes
Back cover without drawing

642 - Various Artists - In Loving Memory


Front cover without song titles
Front cover with song titles

659 - The Supremes - Sing Rodgers & Hart


Back cover with live photo of The Supremes w/ black background
Back cover with live photo of The Supremes w/ bright background

665 - Diana Ross & The Supremes - Reflections


Stereo printed cover
Mono printed cover

669 - Four Tops - Yesterday’s Dreams


Stereo printed cover
Mono printed cover

675 - Four Tops - Four Tops Now / MacArthur Park


“Four Tops Now” cover
“MacArthur Park” cover

679 - Diana Ross & The Supremes & The Temptations - Diana Ross & The Supremes Join The Temptations


Stereo printed cover
Mono printed cover

724 - Diana Ross - Everything Is Everything


Blue & Yellow album title text on front cover
Blue album title text on front cover and negative image of Diana on back cover

726 - Various Artists - The Motown Story: The First Decade


Textured box cover with embossed gold record on front
Smooth box cover with printed gold record on front

755 - Michael Jackson - Ben


Rat cover
Non-rat cover

861 - Diana Ross - Diana Ross

Album title/artist name above portrait
Album title/artist name below portrait


Rare Earth
507 - Rare Earth - Get Ready


Die-cut/tombstone cover
Standard cover



Soul
704 - Jimmy Ruffin - Sings Top Ten


Monochromatic photo on left side of cover
Color photo of Jimmy in red jacket on right side of cover

716 - The Originals - Green Grow The Lilacs


“Green Grow The Lilacs” cover
“Baby I’m For Real” cover

721 - Jr. Walker & The All Stars - Gotta Hold Onto This Feeling


“Gotta Hold On To This Feeling” cover
“What Does It Take To Win Your Love” cover

861 - Diana Ross - Diana Ross


Tamla
223 - The Miracles - Cookin’ With The Miracles


Yellow hype text for “Everybody’s Gotta Pay Some Dues”
No yellow hype text

224 - Various Artists - Tamla Special #1


Tamla Special #1
Tamla/Motown Special #1

228 - The Marvlettes - Please Mr. Postman


Back cover with “I Know How It Feels” listed twice instead of “Whisper” as S2.T5
Back cover with “Whipser” correctly listed

229 - The Marvelettes - Marvelettes Smash Hits of 62'


Big M/62’ cover
All black misspelled “Marveletts” cover with no info on spine
All black misspelled “Marveletts” cover with info on spine

240 - Little Stevie Wonder - The 12 Year Old Genius


No white hype bubble
White hype bubble

252 - Marvin Gaye - Greatest Hits


No Tamla logo on front cover
Stacked-globes Tamla logo on front cover
Square Tamla logo on front cover

253 - The Marvelettes - Greatest Hits


Orange cover
Green cover

254 - The Miracles - The Miracles' Greatest Hits from the Beginning


No white hype bubble and stacked-globes Tamla logo on bottom-right corner
White hype bubble and square Tamla logo on bottom-right corner

258 - Marvin Gaye - How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You


Back cover with full album title banner and correct tracklisting
Back cover with shortened album title [[“How Sweet It Is”) banner and HWISTBLBY listed as Track 4 instead of Track 2

276 - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Make It Happen


“Make It Happen” cover
“The Tears Of A Clown” cover

279 - Stevie Wonder - I Was Made To Love Her


Album title text goes across image of Stevie
Album title text aligned to left side of cover

285 - Marvin Gaye - In The Groove


“In The Groove” cover
“I Heard It Through The Grapevine” cover

290 - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Special Occasion


Stereo printed cover with small photo
Stereo printed cover with large photo
Mono printed cover with large photo

319 - Stevie Wonder - Talking Book


Braille cover
Non-braille cover

[reese]

Motown 861 "Diana Ross" [1976]

One version has the title above her head. The other has the title below her head.

[nsoule]

Motown 861 "Diana Ross" [1976]

One version has the title above her head. The other has the title below her head.

Awesome - thank you! I have added this to the list.

[Motown Eddie]

Here's one more; Stevie Wonder's Where I'm Coming From. The original cover was a gatefold and you could punch out the letters WONDER to create a 'Wonder Mobile'. Later editions were not gatefolds and did not have the 'mobile' feature.

[Motown Eddie]

And the other four initial album releases on Motown's Rare Earth label were initially released with die-cut 'tombstone' covers before being reissued with standard LP covers.

Love Sculpture-Blues Helping
Pretty Things-S.F. Sorrow
Rustix-Bedlam
Messengers-Messengers

[noel181]

On the Gordy Label the 1st album of group Switch G980 had a dark blue cover with a photo of the group in the middle. It was later released with a red cover with various photos of the group. I had both covers but sold most of my LPs. Can't find a picture of the 1st cover. If anyone has it can you post a picture.

[nsoule]

And the other four initial album releases on Motown's Rare Earth label were initially released with die-cut 'tombstone' covers before being reissued with standard LP covers.

Love Sculpture-Blues Helping
Pretty Things-S.F. Sorrow
Rustix-Bedlam
Messengers-Messengers

I have seen this mentioned in numerous discographies, but I suspect only the Canadian pressings were issued with standard shaped jackets for the other four initial Rare Earth label albums. I have never personally seen any of these titles with a standard jacket shape on a US pressing. I suppose that doesn't mean that they don't exist though, and I'm happy to be proven wrong if someone on here actually owns any of the above with the standard jacket on a US pressing.

[Motown Eddie]

I have seen this mentioned in numerous discographies, but I suspect only the Canadian pressings were issued with standard shaped jackets for the other four initial Rare Earth label albums. I have never personally seen any of these titles with a standard jacket shape on a US pressing. I suppose that doesn't mean that they don't exist though, and I'm happy to be proven wrong if someone on here actually owns any of the above with the standard jacket on a US pressing.

I just did a check on those releases on the Rare Earth label using the Discogs.com site and I couldn't find anything on those albums being issued in a standard LP jacket. While the Both Sides Now.com site says that these albums may have been reissued in standard albums covers, it's important to remember that none of these LPs were big sellers [except for Rare Earth's Get Ready which you already have on your list]. Anyways, My Mistake.

[mysterysinger]

No doubt you've got all these covered from BSN and many more besides
https://www.bsnpubs.com/motown/motownstory.html

[nsoule]

No doubt you've got all these covered from BSN and many more besides
https://www.bsnpubs.com/motown/motownstory.html

Several variations listed above are missing in their discographies, mostly the subtle ones with logo changes or back cover variants, but bsnpubs was definitely the starting point when I began collecting cover variations.

[Motown Eddie]

Stevie Wonder's collection as part of Motown's Anthology series was intended to come out in 1974 as Anthology. It was held up at Stevie's request until 1977 when it came out as Looking Back. Both titles showed up in record shops in 1977.

[Roger Polhill]

Also TS. 274. "The Marvelettes" and "The
Marvelettes"

[thommg]

Diana Ross and the Supremes Farewell was first issued in a box with a nice booklet included, then went to a basic gatefold without the booklet.

[nsoule]

Stevie Wonder's collection as part of Motown's Anthology series was intended to come out in 1974 as Anthology. It was held up at Stevie's request until 1977 when it came out as Looking Back. Both titles showed up in record shops in 1977.

Thanks! Will add to the list.


Also TS. 274. "The Marvelettes" and "The
Marvelettes"

I never noticed that one before - thanks! Will add to the list.


Diana Ross and the Supremes Farewell was first issued in a box with a nice booklet included, then went to a basic gatefold without the booklet.

This was only for the 80s reissue though that has a different catalog number, right?

[thommg]

This was only for the 80s reissue though that has a different catalog number, right?
Oh, it might have been - it was also retitled. Captured Live On Stage for that release.

[Roger Polhill]

Also MS. 649. "Supremes A Go-Go" Title in blue and title in green.
MS. 644. Barbara McNair "Here I Am" 8 track has different picture.
MS. 681. "Merry Christmas From Motown" re released and re titled as MS. 725. "Christmas Gift Wrap"
VIPS. 407. King Floyd "Heart Of The Matter" re titled and renamed from Pulsar AR. 10602. "A Man In Love"

[Roger Polhill]

SS. 728. The Ruffin Brothers "I Am My Brother`s Keeper" was originally scheduled as MS. 713. with a different cover.

[nsoule]

Also MS. 649. "Supremes A Go-Go" Title in blue and title in green.

I never noticed the difference in colors before. I have both variations in my collection and never knew. Thanks!


MS. 644. Barbara McNair "Here I Am" 8 track has different picture.


I think you mean the reel of this album? I have the 8-track of this actually, one of the few that 8-tracks in my collection, and the cover is the same as far as I can tell.


MS. 681. "Merry Christmas From Motown" re released and re titled as MS. 725. "Christmas Gift Wrap"


I never realized this was the same album. Thanks!

Two additional ones that I missed and haven't been mentioned yet are:

Motown
663 - Diana Ross & The Supremes - Greatest Hits

Cover with gold hype bubble
Cover without gold hype bubble

Tamla
261 - Marvin Gaye - A Tribute To The Great Nat King Cole

Back cover with image of Marvin
Back cover without image of Marvin

[reese]

I might have missed it on the list but the album "Diana and Marvin" [Motown 803] was released in two different ways.

The original cover [with a photo of Diana and Marvin posed back to back] was gatefold with a split down the middle that opened up to another photo of Diana and Marvin.

A later reissue was not gatefold and had the same cover photo but the inside photo was moved to the back cover.