The Marvelettes "In Full Bloom" revisited
So many Marvelettes fans over the years have professed undying love for this lp. Admittedly I didn't get the album until years after the group disbanded in one of those $1 out record bins. Upon first listen I didn't like the album, and over the years my opinion never changed.
Earlier this week I had a day off and had pulled out the Marvelettes box set. I decided to put on my headphones and listen to this entire lp from start to finish to see if my opinions have changed, because often in time, they do.
I wish I could say my opinion did change, but again the lp just seems sub-standard with no real direction. The only cuts worthy of listening to more than once is Seeing Is Believing and the glorious Clay McMurray-produced That's How Heartaches Are Made. Motown really dropped the ball on that one.
From the liner notes I see that the cuts on this lp were mostly meant for other artists. Some for Ross, some for Jimmy Ruffin, etc, and on Side B there are tracks dating back to the mid 60s where Benny Benjamin is audible. From the rather cheap packaging of the album [[especially the backside) it is obvious to me that this was a contract breaker for Motown. Wanda was in the throes of deep mental illness and the group just couldn't be counted on, and on some cuts she seems a bit shrill. I think by the time this lp was issued, in the fall of 1969, any bookings the group had were around Detroit. In fact, I didn't even know this lp was issued in 1969 as Motown gave it no promotion or distribution. Same was true of Martha's Sugar n Spice lp. They were released around the same time and just sort of thrown out there.
The main takeaway I get from In Full Bloom was the Marvelettes were finished.
I know I'll get attacked by die-hard fans, and I love the Marvelettes. The two lps prior to In Full Bloom I never tire of and I think the Return of the Marvelettes is another lost gem. But this lp just wreaks of filler tracks rejected by other artists. It was an unworthy release and didn't serve the group or Motown well.