Motown CD Series: 2 Albums on One CD from the 1980's.

Curiosity question. A while back on eBay, I purchased one of the 2 Albums on One CD: Four Tops b/w Four Tops Second Album.

I believe that there were NUMEROUS double album releases like this, but they seem to be never for sale on eBay. That was the one and only one I have ever seen on eBay. Being as I was unfamiliar with these when they were released, I am wondering why they are so SCARCE and never offered for sale these days.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I never knew about these during the period they were issued.

Thank you.

Three possible reasons why the Motown '2 albums on 1 CD' series is hard to find on eBay:

Age-since they were first released over 30 years ago, perhaps all of them have been sold off on eBay by now.
Sound Quality-the Motown '2fers' were produced very quickly without checking the original LPs for accuracy. Also, it was the very beginning of the digital era and transfers from analog to digital hadn't been perfected yet.
Packaging-there were no additional liner notes or pictures offered with any of these releases. All you had was the front covers of the two albums being offered along with songwriter & producer credits.

Don't know why they seems scarce on Ebay, as the series was quite popular in the late 1980s. Most of my early Motown CDs were 2-fers. Some of the combinations made sense, others not at all [[most notably, the combination of the Supremes A Bit of Liverpool with the TCB soundtrack). In addition to the "Compact Command Performances" series [[greatest hits collections made especially for CD-release), I believe this was one of the first series of CDs that Motown released.

I had several of the Supremes' two-fer CD's, which I sold on Ebay a year or so back. Some of them went for right much money; others not much.

I think we Motown collectors are hoarders!!!

In those early days I only bought the CDs of albums that were favorites. Some of the album pairings weren't appealing to me so not considered mandatory purchases, initially. I passed on a lot of 2-fers. Sometimes I would see a CD languishing in a bin for months [[or years) and during lean-release periods I would go to buy it only to find it gone!

At all the record shows and oldies record stores I've been to through the years I have rarely seen Motown CDs except for random Greatest Hits collections. But every now and then there is a surprise.

I once read that some of the early CDs can deteriorate over time. Maybe they aren't saleable. I haven't listened to mine in years, due to the release of Box Sets, Expanded Editions and remastered hits collections so I can't confirm or deny that possibility.

I think Liverpool was paired with TCB because it was a short album while TCB was longer. I would have preferred they paired the musical selections from GIT with TCB. Liverpool should have been paired with Sam Cooke.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by johnjeb

I think we Motown collectors are hoarders!!!

In those early days I only bought the CDs of albums that were favorites. Some of the album pairings weren't appealing to me so not considered mandatory purchases, initially. I passed on a lot of 2-fers. Sometimes I would see a CD languishing in a bin for months [[or years) and during lean-release periods I would go to buy it only to find it gone!

At all the record shows and oldies record stores I've been to through the years I have rarely seen Motown CDs except for random Greatest Hits collections. But every now and then there is a surprise.

I once read that some of the early CDs can deteriorate over time. Maybe they aren't saleable. I haven't listened to mine in years, due to the release of Box Sets, Expanded Editions and remastered hits collections so I can't confirm or deny that possibility.

I think Liverpool was paired with TCB because it was a short album while TCB was longer. I would have preferred they paired the musical selections from GIT with TCB. Liverpool should have been paired with Sam Cooke.

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I bought a lot of the original 2 on 1 releases. Then Motown started releasing them as single albums and I bought many of those as well. Sometimes they were sloppy though. I think there was a Tempts live cd that was supposed to be LIVE AT THE COPA and it turned out to be TEMPTATIONS LIVE. Or vice versa. There were also some pairings that were too long to fit on one cd and Motown edited the songs down or in the case of the DIANA ROSS/SURRENDER cd, left out some songs altogether.

Re TCB paired with LIVERPOOL and similar weird pairings, I think George Solomon said that he was just trying to get things out while he had the access to do so.

There have been several types of 2on1 CD series. Those 80s ones aren't hard to come by in the UK and it's possible to get the US, EU and Japan versions without too much trouble. The more common ones can be bought very reasonably but some command higher prices [[Supremes Liverpool/TCB being one example). Whilst most have Motown map labels, some have Tamla or Gordy versions and in the EU Tamla Motown labels. You can see all the covers here ... https://www.flickr.com/photos/cookep...57637231731375

And here's some label examples.. Attachment 16289

And if you want a list...

MCD-08000 - Got to Be There/Ben - Michael Jackson
TCD-08001 - Being With You/Where There's Smoke - Smokey Robinson
MCD-08002 - Diana/The Boss - Diana Ross
GCD-08003 - Irons in the Fire/It Must Be Magic - Teena Marie
TCD-08004 - Going to a Go-Go/The Tears of a Clown - Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
MCD-08005 - Where Did Our Love Go?/I Hear a Symphony - Diana Ross and the Supremes
TCD-08006 - Signed, Sealed, Delivered/My Cherie Amour - Stevie Wonder
MCD-08007 - Reach Out/Still Waters Run Deep - Four Tops
MCD-08008 - Neither One of Us/All I Need Is Time - Gladys Knight and the Pips
MCD-08009 - Mr. Magic/Feels So Good - Grover Washington Jr.
TCD-08010 - I Heard It Through the Grapevine/I Want You - Marvin Gaye
MCD-08011 - Third Album/Maybe Tomorrow - Jackson 5
GCD-08012 - Street Songs/Throwin' Down - Rick James
TCD-08013 - What's Going On/Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye
MCD-08014 - Natural High/Midnight Magic - Commodores
TCD-08015 - Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's Greatest Hits/Diana and Marvin - Marvin Gaye
GCD-08016 - Cloud Nine/Puzzle People - Temptations
GCD-08017 - The Temptations Christmas Card/Give Love at Christmas - Temptations
MCD-08018 - Let's Stay Together/I'm Still In Love With You - Al Green
MCD-08019 - Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5/ABC - Jackson 5
GCD-08020 - 25 Miles/War and Peace - Edwin Starr
MCD-08021 - Love Child/Supremes A Go Go - Supremes
GCD-08022 - Psychedelic Shack/All Directions - Temptations
MCD-08023 - Shotgun/Road Runner - Jr. Walker and the All Stars
MCD-08024 - Two Lovers/My Guy - Mary Wells
MCD-08025 - For Once in My Life/Up Tight - Stevie Wonder
MCD-08026 - Touch Me in the Morning/Baby It's Me - Diana Ross
MCD-08027 - Four Tops/Four Tops Second Album - Four Tops
TCD-08028 - Smokey/Quiet Storm - Smokey Robinson
MCD-08029 - Diana Ross and the Supremes Greatest Hits, Volumes I and II - Diana Ross and the Supremes
MCD-08030 - Secret Place/All the King's Horses - Grover Washington, Jr.
MCD-08031 - Everybody Needs Love/If I Were Your Woman - Gladys Knight and the Pips
MCD-08032 - Let the Sunshine In/Cream of the Crop - Diana Ross and the Supremes
MCD-08033 - Get Ready/Ecology - Rare Earth
MCD-08034 - Every Great Motown Song: The First 25 Years Volumes I and II - Various Artists
GCD-08035 - A Song For You/Masterpiece - Temptations
TCD-08036 - Trouble Man/M.P.G. - Marvin Gaye
GCD-08037 - Live at the Copa/With a Lot O'Soul - Temptations
MCD-08038 - Diana Ross and the Supreme Join the Temptations/Together - Diana Ross and the Supremes and the Temptations
MCD-08039 - Heroes/Commodores - Commodores
MCD-08040 - Call Me/Livin' For You - Al Green
MCD-08041 - Merry Christmas/Someday at Christmas - Diana Ross and the Supremes and Stevie Wonder
MCD-08042 - Ain't No Mountain High Enough/Surrender - Diana Ross
TCD-08043 - Time Out/Special Occasion - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
MCD-08044 - Hot On The Tracks/In The Pocket - Commodores
GCD-08045 - All This Love/In A Special Way - DeBarge
MCD-08046 - Keeper Of The Castle/Nature Planned It - Four Tops
TCD-08047 - United//You're All I Need - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
MCD-08048 - Is Love/Full Of Fire - Al Green
GCD-08049 - Heat Wave/Dance Party - Martha and the Vandellas
TCD-08050 - Doin' Mickey's Monkey/Away We A Go Go - The Miracles
MCD-08051- More Hits/Holland Dozier Holland - Supremes
MCD-08052- A Bit Of Liverpool/TCB - Diana Ross/Supremes/Temptations
TCD-08053 - I Was Made To Love Her / Down To Earth - Stevie Wonder
GCD-08054 - I Wish It Would Rain/In A Mellow Mood - Temptations
TCD-08055 - Sophisticated Soul/Marvelettes - Marvelettes
TCD-08056 - This Old Heart Of Mine/Soul On The Rocks - Isley Bros
TCD-08057 - How Sweet It Is/Stubborn Kind Of Fellow - Marvin Gaye
MCD-08058 - Have “Twangy” Guitar Will Travel/$1,000,000 Worth of Twang - Duane Eddy
MCD-08159-We Remember Sam Cooke/At The Copa - Supremes [NOT RELEASED]
MCD-08160 - Meet The Temptations/Sing Smokey - Temptations
MCD-08161 Thats The Way Love Is/Moods Of - Marvin Gaye
MCD-08162 Bye Bye Baby/The One Who Really Loves You

woodward, I just found a copy of Heat Wave/Dance Party a few months back, but it's in terrible shape. I think johnjeb may be onto something about the deterioration of older CD releases.

I used to love those pairings because of the money saved. Berry didn't like it IIRC; he thought that the price was too low!

At one point, I sold one on Ebay a good while back. It was a Temptations CD and it sold for over $100 US. I remember it had the Gordy logo as opposed to the Motown map design.

Later, those were offered again with different cover artwork. I sill have some of those. Don't know if the sound quality improved.

I also remember some of those edits mentioned by Reese. One was on the Diana Ross presents the Jackson 5 cd that was paired with ABC. "Nobody" was missing the entire 3rd verse. And The Temptations Cloud Nine coupled with Puzzle People used the 45 edit of "Runaway Child Running Wild".

The Temptations Compact Command Performances used Paul's cover of "Hey Girl" instead of the intended "Hey Girl [[I Like Your Style)".

I'm not sure if they are all listed but in the UK in the 2000's there were several 2fers released with good sound and some had bonus tracks.

Martha
Gladys
Supremes
Temptations
Four Tops
Marvin
Marvin & Tammi
Jr Walker
Edwin
Miracles

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=motown+...43&ref=sr_pg_1

The 2001 + series of 2fers can be seen here [[slipcase covers).https://www.flickr.com/photos/cookep...57626901923108

Quote:

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Originally Posted by johnjeb

I think Liverpool was paired with TCB because it was a short album while TCB was longer. I would have preferred they paired the musical selections from GIT with TCB. Liverpool should have been paired with Sam Cooke.

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You are right about the reason that "Liverpool" was paired with "TCB." George Solomon confirmed that in an earlier thread on a similar subject. Until then, I couldn't make sense of why those two were paired together, either. But I'm glad they were based on Solomon's decision.

I think the sound quality on most of these was decent. Certainly, considering it was the early days of digital sound from analog sources, I think they still sound good. I find them much better than the Compact Command Performance series which presents songs in quite varying degrees of quality. On the Marvelettes' CCP disk, some of the songs such as "Strange I Know" are almost unlistenable because they have so much hiss and background presence and what sounds like third or worse generation transfers.

I really treasure all my early '2 All Time Great Classic Albums Now Digitally Mastered on 1 Compact Disc' and they form a big part of my collection. Everybody hears things differently, but I like them sound-wise because the recordings haven't been tampered with, unlike all those later 'remasters' with their exaggerated highs and lows and the downloadable versions. The audiophiles who post on www.stevehoffman.tv concur that the sound is close to the original master recordings, which is always my preference too. These CDs are pure Motown gold!

The bonus tracks on the 2001+ series are listed here [[but there were also bonus tracks on the later Gladys Knight series). https://www.flickr.com/photos/cookep...-X6xwof-VKmdBW

@TomBairdFan, nice collection, except you are missing The Marvelettes/Sophisticated Soul!

Also, I kind of wonder how Duane Eddy got in there!

Actually, some of these have gotten rare because the material isn't available elsewhere. I don't think most of Rick James' individual albums are still on CD, nor are some of the Temptations. It's only in the last few years that Mary Wells' early albums also came out as well [[though I think in varying degrees of quality, the Ace/Kent reissue of 2 of her early LPs is beautifully done but there also seem to be several unauthorized sets out there as well).

Thanks for posting the photo! Nice to see all the different covers.