The Marvelettes "Pink Album" a milestone for both The Marvelettes and Motown

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Originally Posted by Motown Eddie

I agree that The Marvelettes [[aka The Pink Album) is a great LP. A couple of questions I have are;

How come the stereo version of the LP featured the edited version of "The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game" [[and why is there no stereo mix of "This Night Was Made For Love"). Also [[as another poster said) I feel that the cover was "slapped together" with Katherine's picture larger than the other Marvelettes [[IMHO both Sophisticated Soul & In Full Bloom had better front covers).

As the first Marvelettes album to focus on their new mature sound [[not to mention their first LP of new songs since 1963), it's certainly a landmark in their career [[and since it's the last one to feature Gladys Horton makes it a bittersweet one for me).

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Motown, and for that matter, a lot of other record companies would give you alternate mixes or completely different versions between stereo and mono mixed albums. Was it to ensure double sales? If fans compared notes and you found out there was a difference in mixes between a stereo and mono album, would you be tempted to go out and buy both? It's been working on me for years. I've become nearly fanatical about finding both mono and stereo mixes of Motown albums. Sometimes you got some really jaw-dropping differences.

"The Pink Album" is super enjoyable because there are lots of different mixes between the mono and stereo versions. Some are subtle, like an added, very high background singer that you'll hear only at the tail end of "When I Need You." "Keep Off, No Trespassing" features horns on the mono mix and strings on the stereo mix and you'll also find a very subtle difference in Gladys's vocal at the very beginning of the song between the two mixes.

The cover of "The Pink Album" sorta grows on you, but I love that some of the commenters here had a different view of it, loving it from the start. There is something pretty cool about the stark, warm pink color of the LP and that we got pictures of the group dressed as individuals instead of the usual formal wear.

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Originally Posted by arr&bee

Maybe the coolest song ending in motown history is the too cool-oh yeah,that ends thgcbtg,ohhhhhhhhhh marvelettes forever!!!

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when you think about it, that really is a very unique ending for a Motown song!
brilliance!

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Originally Posted by WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance

Motown, and for that matter, a lot of other record companies would give you alternate mixes or completely different versions between stereo and mono mixed albums. Was it to ensure double sales? If fans compared notes and you found out there was a difference in mixes between a stereo and mono album, would you be tempted to go out and buy both? It's been working on me for years. I've become nearly fanatical about finding both mono and stereo mixes of Motown albums. Sometimes you got some really jaw-dropping differences.

"The Pink Album" is super enjoyable because there are lots of different mixes between the mono and stereo versions. Some are subtle, like an added, very high background singer that you'll hear only at the tail end of "When I Need You." "Keep Off, No Trespassing" features horns on the mono mix and strings on the stereo mix and you'll also find a very subtle difference in Gladys's vocal at the very beginning of the song between the two mixes.

The cover of "The Pink Album" sorta grows on you, but I love that some of the commenters here had a different view of it, loving it from the start. There is something pretty cool about the stark, warm pink color of the LP and that we got pictures of the group dressed as individuals instead of the usual formal wear.

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You're right about the differences between the mono and stereo mixes of The Marvelettes. It was common practice during the '60s to have huge differences between the two mixes of an LP and one big reason for this is that most of the stereo mixes from that time were done quickly [[it was also not unusual to have differences between the single versions and the album versions of a song). Stereo was the new & more expensive format during Motown's heyday so most listeners bought the albums in monaural sound [[until stereo became the standard for albums by 1968/1969).

One more thing, fans of The Marvelettes were sure lucky to get The Marvelettes & Sophisticated Soul in both their stereo & mono mixes as part of the Forever More set.

....even though, unless I missed it, we did have to wait 35 years between 'A Collection Of 16 Big Hits Vol 5' from 1965, until release of 'The Best Of The Marvelettes - Millennium Collection' in 2000, for the true stereo version of 'I'll Keep Holding On'...?

That stereo version does not feature on the subsequent 'The Marvelettes: Forever' box set.

Is it me, or is the mono version on that set not quite the same as the original 45 version?

My copy is long gone but, from memory, it had a pronounced echo on the alternate beat with the tambourine?

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Originally Posted by westgrandboulevard

....even though, unless I missed it, we did have to wait 35 years between 'A Collection Of 16 Big Hits Vol 5' from 1965, until release of 'The Best Of The Marvelettes - Millennium Collection' in 2000, for the true stereo version of 'I'll Keep Holding On'...?

That stereo version does not feature on the subsequent 'The Marvelettes: Forever' box set.

Is it me, or is the mono version on that set not quite the same as the original 45 version?

My copy is long gone but, from memory, it had a pronounced echo on the alternate beat with the tambourine?

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Wow! Now you've got me thinking... I have the 45 as well as The Complete Motown Singles and Forever set. I'll have to listen to all 3 and check that out.

Also, the stereo mix of "I'll Keep Holding On" is really interesting. With all that pristine separation of instruments going on, it really loses the kick of the mono mix. I do like that we get to hear everything very distinctly in stereo, but the mono has a much darker,almost eerie vibe. The way the guitars and horns are mixed further back, I always felt like the record has a sort of depth, arual 3-D feeling.

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Originally Posted by Motown Eddie

You're right about the differences between the mono and stereo mixes of The Marvelettes. It was common practice during the '60s to have huge differences between the two mixes of an LP and one big reason for this is that most of the stereo mixes from that time were done quickly [[it was also not unusual to have differences between the single versions and the album versions of a song). Stereo was the new & more expensive format during Motown's heyday so most listeners bought the albums in monaural sound [[until stereo became the standard for albums by 1968/1969).

One more thing, fans of The Marvelettes were sure lucky to get The Marvelettes & Sophisticated Soul in both their stereo & mono mixes as part of the Forever More set.

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Thanks for that background on why record companies were releasing stereo and mono mixes on LPs and the buying habits of fans.

I agree too about our getting both mixes on the Forever More set. Especially considering that The Marvelettes were more or less a third priority among the girl groups at Motown, I thought it amazing that we've been gifted with their entire album output; something not even groups like The Four Tops or Miracles have received.

the first LP I noticed different mixes on was The Very Best of Connie Francis! my brother had the mono LP....I was 7 and had the stereo issue....3 songs were entirely different vocal takes...WTF? its the same record...I thought he just had a wimpy record player. At the time I was using the big Zenith TV/Radio/Phono credenza in our living room which really had great stereo separation and sound.
Back to Marvelettes...I first heard them and practically everything else but DRATS and Heat Wave, & I Can't Help Myself on the 5 LP Motown Story...they used all fat mixes on that set....when I started inheriting and buying used 45s I found many sounded different...My guess is [[and I am uneducated here) the yellow Anthology '75 [[?) LP used Stereo mixes and my 1st group CD Compact Command Performances used some Mono mixes? on Anthology So Long Baby and Strange I Know and a few more sound like they are standing in the room singing to me...on the 45's and CD not so....school me up, folks!

As WaitingWatchingLookingforChance [[the original of this wonderful thread), said, "The Marvelettes really could sing jazzier, more adult tunes." That is one of the reasons I love the Marvelettes outputs. IMO, the producers really knew what do it in the selection of the songs and the execution of the recordings, in order to put a Marvelettes stamp on their songs.

Wanda Rogers and that thick, syrupy voice of hers....oh, my goodness! One thing that I've noticed about her vocal style is that on the last word of most of the phrases she sings, her voice delves off into almost 'off pitch' tones which definitely works for that jazzy, sultry sound of hers. A good example of this is her singing of the word 'love' at the end of the phrases, "When you're young and in love." She was such a great vocal stylist.

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Originally Posted by jobucats

Wanda Rogers ... One thing that I've noticed about her vocal style is that on the last word of most of the phrases she sings, her voice delves off into almost 'off pitch' tones which definitely works for that jazzy, sultry sound of hers. A good example of this is her singing of the word 'love' at the end of the phrases, "When you're young and in love." She was such a great vocal stylist.

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I'm so glad you're enjoying this thread and added your view!

YES! Wanda had that thing where she would trail off at the end of a note. There was an excellent review of "The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game" by a renowned music writer [[I WISH I could remember where I read it) and he focused on this very thing. He remarked how Wanda had a signature style where she would drag the last note down by half a tone. He seemed to be impressed by it, that not many pop vocalist can do this sort of thing.

I loved the fact that he was giving this group and Wanda in particular, a much more insightful consideration than I had ever read before.

Another time, I was watching a television music show and they were interviewing a female jazz singer [[I want to say it was Cassandra Wilson but I'm not certain) and she mentioned one of her favorite records was The Marvelettes' "The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game." I had to pick my jaw up from the floor when I hear that!

So nice to see that sort of attention and appreciation coming from such unexpected sources!

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Originally Posted by gman

the first LP I noticed different mixes on was The Very Best of Connie Francis! my brother had the mono LP....I was 7 and had the stereo issue....3 songs were entirely different vocal takes...WTF? its the same record...I thought he just had a wimpy record player. At the time I was using the big Zenith TV/Radio/Phono credenza in our living room which really had great stereo separation and sound.

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So indeed, it wasn't just Motown doing this sort of thing!

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Back to Marvelettes...I first heard them and practically everything else but DRATS and Heat Wave, & I Can't Help Myself on the 5 LP Motown Story...they used all fat mixes on that set....when I started inheriting and buying used 45s I found many sounded different...My guess is [[and I am uneducated here) the yellow Anthology '75 [[?) LP used Stereo mixes

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For the most part, yes. The yellow Anthology album featured stereo mixes, except oddly, "I'll Keep Holding On" was mono. I had never thought much about that until I started writhing this. My feeling is that Motown may have gone with the mono mix of that one song because the stereo mix really loses all of the punch and dynamic of the mono mix.

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... my 1st group CD Compact Command Performances used some Mono mixes? on Anthology So Long Baby and Strange I Know and a few more sound like they are standing in the room singing to me...on the 45's and CD not so....school me up, folks![/QUOTE]

I haven't played that Compact Command Performances CD in some years, so I'd have to go back to it- but if you think you're hearing a few songs in mono, you probably are. Again, maybe the feeling was to go with the strongest mix of certain songs. Still, I'll see if I can find it and I'll give it a listen...

The other thing to consider, those first generation CDs sometimes gave you excellent, crystal clear sound while other times you got some muddy, sort of flat mixes. That fact became clear when I started getting newer CDs after they had been remastered. As far as 45's there was so much going on with trying to get the biggest, most dynamic sound, you could end up with something light years away from the raw, unprocessed tapes.

Stereo mixes, as I've read over and over, were an afterthought, so I think a lot of times you got something closest to the rawer, direct-to-tape studio sound. Maybe you were hearing the stereo mixes of "So Long Baby" and "Strange I Know" [[?) The CD version of the "Playboy" album actually has that sound to me- like you're right in the studio with the musicians and group; but it's also a stereo mix without a lot of added reverb and such.