Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston LP: "Side By Side" "Take Two"

[WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance]

I think I was maybe 16 when I got the Marvin & Kim album "Take Two." I recall distinctly having the feeling I was hearing a "New Motown Sound" hit [["It Takes Two") that had been tacked onto an album of "Old Motown Sound" material - and this was early on in my Motown journey. Does anyone else recall having the same feeling when they played the album?

As time went by, of course I started learning more here and there and two of the biggest helps were the sites DFMC and "Both Sides Now," where I learned that there was supposed to be an album released by Marin and Kim called "Side By Side" [TS 260], I'm guessing in '64. My guess is that Motown was hoping for a hit with "What Good Am I Without You" and the album would capitalize on it. When the record didn't become as big a hit as Motown maybe hoped for, the LP was shelved. Just by happenstance, when "It Takes Two" became a hit, Motown dusted off the shelved album and with a couple of substitutions of older album tracks, branded the new album "Take Two."

It's too bad that other, more-spirited tracks like "Baby [[Don't You Leave Me)", "That'll Be The Day", "Just Too Much To Hope For" and "Give A Little Love" weren't used on the album. Those tracks would have given the LP a more contemporary and exciting sound. Or maybe Motown was looking ahead to a second Marvin/Kim album, not knowing Kim would soon be leaving.

WELL, WELL, WELL

This is VERY interesting. I just found an old thread here on the board that discussed this album. Apparently there was talk about "Side By Side" being an album containing material by Marvin & Kim AND Marvin & Mary Wells AND Marvin and Oma Heard. Seems odd, but, well, read the thread and draw your own conclusions.

https://soulfuldetroit.com/showthread.php?6493-Marvin-Gaye-quot-Side-By-Side-quot-Tamla-T-260

[Graham Jarvis]

Quite interesting, "Side by Side" Tamla TM/TS 260 was pulled in 1964 and therefore unissued as you are probably aware. I would love any Oma Heard songs.
Therefore dead right with the 2nd Album but later in 1966 "Take2" T/TS 270, think there was a total of 11 tracks.

In 2007 they issued " Take Two" on CD with 19 tracks. Are they all Kim ?
Tamla album Discography https://www.bsnpubs.com/motown/tamla/tamla.html

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[rovereab]

All 19 tracks are Marvin and Kim. A really good CD!

[BayouMotownMan]

The Marvin and Kim duet lp ranks up there in my book with the Marvin and Tammi albums. The Funk Bros are all over it, especially on the mono mixes. The Funks carry Baby I Need Your Loving.

[woodward]

Back in 1990, Motown issued a unique 4-CD collection entitled The Marvin Gaye Collection. What was so special about this is they included an 11" x 11" 30 page booklet with the 4-CDs. This to the best of my knowledge is the only one ever that had a booklet almost the size of a standard record album [12-1/4" x 12-1-1/4"]. The last 3 pages of the booklet showed photos and songs in each of every Marvin Gaye album from The Soulful Moods of MG through and including A Musical Testament in 1988. I really like the booklet included and I wish they had done a comparable job for other artists.

But I wanted to mention since it was brought up earlier about the Oma Heard songs.

As I said there were four CDs in the set. Volume 1 was 20 Top 20's; Volume 2 was The Duets; Volume 3 was Rare, Live, and Unreleased; and Volume 4 was The Balladeer. The collection was also issued on cassette.

Volume 2 included 5 songs with Mary Wells, 4 with Oma Page, 5 with Kim Weston, 6 with Tammi Terrell, 4 with Diana Ross, and 1 the Pops We Love You recording. The booklet states the major bonus is the discovery by George Solomon of four unknown selections of Marvin duetting with Oma Page. The booklet has some very unique and previously unavailable pictures.

I would highly recommend you to purchase this if and when you ever see it offered.

[Graham Jarvis]

Your a star!
I forgot about Marvin's collection from 1990 and from Los Angeles. I will have most of any of Oma Heard's tracks anyway including Acetates etc.
The Marvin Gaye Collection has a 32 Page Booklet & 34 previously Unreleased Songs.

Thanks for the reminder. The bookcase was behind me and low & behold Marv's Collection was right there!

Thanks

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[mysterysinger]

The 2007 "Take Two +" CD was based on an earlier 1998 release as part of the Master Series but which had one track fewer. The additional track was number 19, "You've Got To Be Real".

https://www.flickr.com/photos/cookephotography/albums/72157685102740864

[woodward]

The 2007 "Take Two +" CD was based on an earlier 1998 release as part of the Master Series but which had one track fewer. The additional track was number 19, "You've Got To Be Real".

https://www.flickr.com/photos/cookephotography/albums/72157685102740864

Holy cow. Thanks a million for these Flickr photos. It appears they were all produced in the UK and I have never ever ever seen one of these mentioned anywhere nor have I ever seen one for sale. This is mindboggling. It is very ironic to see NO Marvelettes Master Series. I did notice by looking at the photos in the Flickr file that the Edwin Starr is designated for Mercury a Polygram Company whereas all others were strictly Motown - a Polygram Company.

I truly appreciate your bring these to our attention. Am I the only US resident who has never heard or seen any of these? Unbelievable. I am generally familiar with numerous UK versions.

You are truly an asset to the Motown Forum. We do appreciate you.

[mysterysinger]

Turns out that the Edwin Starr Master Series CD has the same tracks as Classic Edwin Starr of 1999 https://www.discogs.com/release/1426037-Edwin-Starr-Classic-Edwin-Starr

1 Contact [[UK 7" Version)
2 War
3 H.A.P.P.Y. Radio
4 Headline News
5 I'm So Into You
6 25 Miles
7 Bigger And Better
8 He Who Picks A Rose
9 Don't Waste Your Time
10 Stop Her On Sight [[S.O.S.)
11 Boop Boop Song
12 Cloud Nine
13 Sweet
14 If My Heart Could Tell The Story
15 Patiently
16 You've Got My Soul On Fire
17 Never Turn My Back On You
18 I Have Faith In You

But now - back to Marvin, Kim et al . . . . . .

[Roger Polhill]

Just when we thought that we had all that there was from Marvin and Kim we got:
"Just Too Much To Hope For", "That`ll Be The Day" and "Give A Little Love" from "Motown Unreleased 1966".

[mysterysinger]

For me the best of the pile is "Heaven Sent You I Know" followed by "It's Got To Be A Miracle [[This Thing Called Love)". And to be honest I think these two the best of all Marvin's duets.

[rovereab]

Just when we thought that we had all that there was from Marvin and Kim we got:
"Just Too Much To Hope For", "That`ll Be The Day" and "Give A Little Love" from "Motown Unreleased 1966".

I'd add When We're Together to that list which for me come very close to the excellence of the Marvin and Tammi duets.

[Roger Polhill]

Rovereab "When We`re Together " was on "It Takes Two"!

[pj1]

I think that Roverab was replying to mysterysinger's comment:

For me the best of the pile is "Heaven Sent You I Know" followed by "It's Got To Be A Miracle [[This Thing Called Love)". And to be honest I think these two the best of all Marvin's duets.

I'd add When We're Together to that list which for me come very close to the excellence of the Marvin and Tammi duets.

[Roger Polhill]

My sincere apologies if that is the case.

[rovereab]

My sincere apologies if that is the case.

Yes, I was replying to mysterysinger but stupidly replied to your post - sorry for the confusion.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

The Marvin and Kim duet lp ranks up there in my book with the Marvin and Tammi albums. The Funk Bros are all over it, especially on the mono mixes. The Funks carry Baby I Need Your Loving.

I agree, Bayou. Marvin & Kim's "Take Two" LP is among my overall favorite '60s Motown albums -- even with its cheap, chintzy empty director's chairs LP cover which, looking back, is actually kinda cool!! [[Not to be confused with the U.K. album cover which had Marvin & Kim sitting in director's chairs.) At the time, I remember looking forward to Marvin & Kim's next album which, of course, never happened. Kim upped and left Motown instead, and that was that. [[Any and all previously-unreleased Marvin & Kim duets were from earlier sessions prior to the 'Take Two" recordings - all having been scheduled for the earlier "Side By Side" album which went unreleased until later years on CD.) Can't complain, though. Marvin & Tammi were equally exciting, or probably even moreso. Once Ashford & Simpson came along, I can't imagine Marvin and ANY female artist topping the beauty and intensity of his & Tammi's "You're All I Need To Get By". It does make you wonder, though, how Kim Weston might have sounded duetting with Marvin on it.

[rovereab]

Once Ashford & Simpson came along, I can't imagine Marvin and ANY female artist topping the beauty and intensity of his & Tammi's "You're All I Need To Get By". It does make you wonder, though, how Kim Weston might have sounded duetting with Marvin on it.

I think the comparison of Marvin and Kim's Give A Little Love and Marvin and Tammi's version gives a clue to how it might have sounded. I really like many of the Marvin and Kim recordings but, for me, Tammi's vocals are simply divine when singing with Marvin.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

You're right, Rovereab. Both versions [[Kim' vs. Tammi's) are easy to compare, as they both share the same backing track from the Funk Brothers right down to The Andantes. If I had heard Marvin & Kim's version first, I would have loved it just as much as I love Marvin & Tammi's later version. It's a beautiful performance. Hard to believe it wasn't included on Marvin & Kim's "Take Two" album. Now I'm really dying to hear what Kim would have sounded like had she recorded "You're All I Need To Get By".

[rovereab]

I think a Marvin and Kim YAINTGB wouldn't have been as special as Marvin and Tammi's recording as Kim's vocal range is different to Tammi's. This is evident on GALL. I think Kim would have made the song more "gritty" which, for me, is not what is right for YAINTGB. Kim excels in other ways though on other songs.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

I think a Marvin and Kim YAINTGB wouldn't have been as special as Marvin and Tammi's recording as Kim's vocal range is different to Tammi's. This is evident on GALL. I think Kim would have made the song more "gritty" which, for me, is not what is right for YAINTGB. Kim excels in other ways though on other songs.

Yeah, you're probably right. It's just that Kim sounds so good on "Give A Little Love", it will always make me wonder what Ashford & Simpson might have accomplished with her -- especially YAINTGB.