My Thoughts On the Mary Wilson Expanded Edition

As I said in the thread about the album's re-release, my introduction to Mary's debut album was via a vinyl rip that someone made for me. As many of you are probably aware, there are some vinyl rips that sound almost as good as a remastered cd, while others are painful reminders that it's not a remastered cd. The rip I had wasn't exactly painful, but it was very apparent this was a copy from a well worn album. Upon listening to the EE, it's even more glaringly apparent how the sound is affected from one source to another. I feel like I'm hearing Mary's debut album for the first time. Overall my feelings on the album hasn't changed. This was not the direction for Mary. Much of the album did not fit her or play to her strengths. However, the album isn't nearly as bad as I thought it was as recently as a few weeks ago. Thoughts:

-"Red Hot", a song I've previously thought of as absolutely horrible, and I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but I kind of like it now. That track is real nice. The "Red hot, this feeling is red hot, just for you" fits Mary very well. The problem is a lot of the song doesn't show Mary off in a good light. There's portions of the song where her voice is almost like nails on a chalkboard. She's screeching through some of it. But then there are other portions of the song where she's in the groove and I dig it. I wonder if the song were slowed down to a sexier groove and there's never a point where Mary has to really raise her voice, if it would've worked for her? It's like the song is tailormade for Mary in theory but is disappointing when executed.

-"You Make Me Feel So Good" is pedestrian disco. Nothing special about it. However, Mary handles it very well. Yes, her strength is ballads and smoother cuts, but she has proven before that she could handle songs with a faster tempo and I think this is a good example. She sounds pretty damn good here.

-"I Love A Warm Summer's Night" would've been interesting to see how well it may have done as a single. It reminds me of some of the stuff Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band was doing at the time. Mary sounds great and comfortable. The track is really nice. Easily one of the standouts from the album.

-"Pick Up the Pieces" I've commented on a million times as it's been the one song from the album that I previously rated well enough to keep in constant rotation. IMO if Mary were going to have a hit from this album, this cut was it. It's slow and sexy. The groove is great. Mary sounds great. As great as I thought the song was before, having it now in an excellent condition, it's even better than I originally thought.

-"You're the Light That Guides My Way" has it's moments, but I think it would've been better with a different track. The lyrics are almost religious. I think had the lyrics been paired with a Natalie Cole type track instead of this generic disco it wouldn't be much better. As is, it's listenable and that's about as good a compliment as I can give it.

-"Midnight Dancer" probably should've been the first single if Motown was hellbent on trying to sale Mary to the discos. I find the song to be pretty enjoyable even if it's still not anything that knocks my socks off. Mary sings it pretty well. The track is cool.

-"I've Got What You Need" is the one track on the album I still find unlistenable. Is it a bad song? I guess not, but there's something about it that I just can't stand. I sat through it once during my initial listen to the expanded edition. I won't do it again.

So yeah, I stick with my same opinion that the album wasn't going to do Mary any favors. Any producer who understood her voice would've never handled it this way. That being said, the album isn't anywhere as bad as I once labeled it. I can't remember all of the adjectives I've previously used to describe the album but it all basically boiled down to me calling the album "shit". It's actually better than shit. Huge thumbs up to Andy and George for working their magic.

I've had Mary's Gus tracks on a bootleg for nearly 20 years and of course they sound like bootlegs. Finally having them in pristine sound condition is great. I've thought highly of the session over the years and now I'm even more convinced that had Motown gotten behind this project and Mary, her story post Supremes would have been different.


My thoughts on the tracks really haven't changed much. "Dance My Heart" still sounds pretty good to me. "Save Me" and "Love Talk" are the only other tracks besides "Pick Up the Pieces" that I play of Mary's on the regular, and now that they're cleaned up, they're getting even more play. The one song I never really cared for was "Green River". With the new release I kind of dig it. I personally wouldn't have wanted to see Mary dip too far into this rock sound. I feel the other three songs were much better fits. But there's a funkiness to "Green River" that also works. I think all four tracks could've made some noise as singles.


"Why Can't We All Get Along" doesn't do anything for me. And if it's true that the song was recorded after the RTL debacle and as a response to it, it's an even bigger turn off.


Again, my hat's off to Andy, George, and everyone who is responsible for getting Mary's debut album and the Gus Dungeon tracks released in the digital age. It's allowed me to cope with Mary's passing a little bit easier and allowing me the chance to stretch my mind on some of the songs far more than I had before. Mary would be proud of the job you all have done.

“Better than shit?” Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but I guess an improvement over what you thought of the album before!

Still, a very thoughtful review of the album’s tracks and I agree with most of your views overall.

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Originally Posted by RanRan79

As I said in the thread about the album's re-release, my introduction to Mary's debut album was via a vinyl rip that someone made for me. As many of you are probably aware, there are some vinyl rips that sound almost as good as a remastered cd, while others are painful reminders that it's not a remastered cd. The rip I had wasn't exactly painful, but it was very apparent this was a copy from a well worn album. Upon listening to the EE, it's even more glaringly apparent how the sound is affected from one source to another. I feel like I'm hearing Mary's debut album for the first time. Overall my feelings on the album hasn't changed. This was not the direction for Mary. Much of the album did not fit her or play to her strengths. However, the album isn't nearly as bad as I thought it was as recently as a few weeks ago. Thoughts:

-"Red Hot", a song I've previously thought of as absolutely horrible, and I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but I kind of like it now. That track is real nice. The "Red hot, this feeling is red hot, just for you" fits Mary very well. The problem is a lot of the song doesn't show Mary off in a good light. There's portions of the song where her voice is almost like nails on a chalkboard. She's screeching through some of it. But then there are other portions of the song where she's in the groove and I dig it. I wonder if the song were slowed down to a sexier groove and there's never a point where Mary has to really raise her voice, if it would've worked for her? It's like the song is tailormade for Mary in theory but is disappointing when executed.

-"You Make Me Feel So Good" is pedestrian disco. Nothing special about it. However, Mary handles it very well. Yes, her strength is ballads and smoother cuts, but she has proven before that she could handle songs with a faster tempo and I think this is a good example. She sounds pretty damn good here.

-"I Love A Warm Summer's Night" would've been interesting to see how well it may have done as a single. It reminds me of some of the stuff Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band was doing at the time. Mary sounds great and comfortable. The track is really nice. Easily one of the standouts from the album.

-"Pick Up the Pieces" I've commented on a million times as it's been the one song from the album that I previously rated well enough to keep in constant rotation. IMO if Mary were going to have a hit from this album, this cut was it. It's slow and sexy. The groove is great. Mary sounds great. As great as I thought the song was before, having it now in an excellent condition, it's even better than I originally thought.

-"You're the Light That Guides My Way" has it's moments, but I think it would've been better with a different track. The lyrics are almost religious. I think had the lyrics been paired with a Natalie Cole type track instead of this generic disco it wouldn't be much better. As is, it's listenable and that's about as good a compliment as I can give it.

-"Midnight Dancer" probably should've been the first single if Motown was hellbent on trying to sale Mary to the discos. I find the song to be pretty enjoyable even if it's still not anything that knocks my socks off. Mary sings it pretty well. The track is cool.

-"I've Got What You Need" is the one track on the album I still find unlistenable. Is it a bad song? I guess not, but there's something about it that I just can't stand. I sat through it once during my initial listen to the expanded edition. I won't do it again.

So yeah, I stick with my same opinion that the album wasn't going to do Mary any favors. Any producer who understood her voice would've never handled it this way. That being said, the album isn't anywhere as bad as I once labeled it. I can't remember all of the adjectives I've previously used to describe the album but it all basically boiled down to me calling the album "shit". It's actually better than shit. Huge thumbs up to Andy and George for working their magic.

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I enjoyed reading your review of the album Ran. I’m tending to think “I Love A Warm Summers Night” had the best chance of success. I certainly find it the most memorable song on the album. Had Mary recorded many more albums, this would be her Silk Electric lol.

i actually agree with your accessment of the album. my money was on Pick Up The Pieces and Warm Summer Night
but i do like Green River.
i was hoping Turn Around and U might make the cut but alas no

so was Pick Up The Pieces ever actually released as a 45? i thought Red Hot was the only single. That PUTP was considered or maybe a promo single released. but not an actual standard 45

I have a shorter version of PUTP that was on a 1980 compilation of motown songs. i'm assuming it's a single edit but previously unreleased

Love Talk would have been found a place on the R&B charts in the early 1980s. I have been playing this constantly. I also like Green River. Pick Up The Pieces should have been the single from the album. Midnight Dancer, [[I Love A) Warm Summer Night and You Make Me Feel So Good were have been better releases for the clubs than Red Hot. I was in grad school when the album came out and the club I went played Midnight Dancer.

my top complaint with the album is the screeches Mary does again and again and again and again and again and again. when I imagine a cat getting it's temperature taken rectally at the vet, this is the sound i hear lol

but Ran, i have to agree with you. there are portions of the album and even Red Hot that i've come to appreciate more. The disco mixes are actually better IMO than the album version.

I think Red Hot could have been reworked into more of a seductress number. there are segments where Mary does sound hot and sexy, minus the above mentioned offenses. Donna Summer was a soprano and a temptress/sexy singer. Mary could have done something somewhat similar but with her alto range. could have been interesting i think

You Make Me Feel is actually one i sort of enjoy. the melody and backing track are solid and even the La La La sounds really quite nice. but the lyrics are sooooooooo simple. like, literally, 5 mins of thought were put into them. and that's a common problem with almost all of the tunes. nursery rhymes for 5 year olds have more complex narratives. And then compare them to the Gus tracks. not saying those are poetry but they're so much better.

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Originally Posted by blkfrost

Love Talk would have been found a place on the R&B charts in the early 1980s. I have been playing this constantly. I also like Green River. Pick Up The Pieces should have been the single from the album. Midnight Dancer, [[I Love A) Warm Summer Night and You Make Me Feel So Good were have been better releases for the clubs than Red Hot. I was in grad school when the album came out and the club I went played Midnight Dancer.

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Love Talk and Save Me are the most commercial IMO. Dance My Heart is excellent and maybe could have been a follow up single to either of the previous.

I do have to say though that hearing these in studio condition makes some of the intonation problems a bit more obvious. there are just notes here and there that are just not quite right.

I personally love it. I admit in 1979, I was slightly disappointed that the release was so disco oriented. I always loved I Love A Warm Summer Night and Midnight Dancer. I didn't care for Red Hot as much at the time. Now, I see that Mary was channeling James Brown and I have grown to really like it so much more. I felt You Make Me Feel so Good and I'Ve Got What You Need sounded very close in sound, still it was mid tempo dance much better suited for Mary's lush contralto. The 4 unreleased tunes stand out as easily a huge progression in excellence. It was far better than what Motown had assigned Mary. I also love her new song. Why Can't We All Get Along. What a great message and beautiful, heartfelt vocal. Why can't we all get along?

Did Mary tour much during the time this album was released and if she did was she singing songs from the album? I'm pretty sure she made her US solo debut in New York around the time the album was released right? The problem was it wasn't the same Motown of the 60s that would have backed her up.

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Originally Posted by floyjoy678

Did Mary tour much during the time this album was released and if she did was she singing songs from the album? I'm pretty sure she made her US solo debut in New York around the time the album was released right? The problem was it wasn't the same Motown of the 60s that would have backed her up.

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she performed several of the tracks from the album at her debut NYC show and on the uk tour

i'm not aware of much else in the US besides the NYNY club. there are no tv appearances that i've heard of or have seen. she doesn't mention any other US club dates or shows. I believe that after the NY debut she was back to Europe

there are a couple of tv clips of her doing Midnight and RH but i believe they're european tv shows

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Originally Posted by sup_fan

i'm not aware of much else in the US besides the NYNY club. there are no tv appearances that i've heard of or have seen. she doesn't mention any other US club dates or shows. I believe that after the NY debut she was back to Europe

there are a couple of tv clips of her doing Midnight and RH but i believe they're european tv shows

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She performed RED HOT and PICK UP THE PIECES on Mike Douglas. She also did a short bit when she sang her backup parts to BABY LOVE and WHERE DID OUR LOVE GO.

A few years later, I remember her coming to Boston to perform at a disco, NARCISSUS. She was able to get the local arts reporter Joyce Kulhawik to cover the appearance and she did an interview for the afternoon news. But the telecast went off right as she started singing and I didn't recognize the song.

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Originally Posted by reese

She performed RED HOT and PICK UP THE PIECES on Mike Douglas. She also did a short bit when she sang her backup parts to BABY LOVE and WHERE DID OUR LOVE GO.

A few years later, I remember her coming to Boston to perform at a disco, NARCISSUS. She was able to get the local arts reporter Joyce Kulhawik to cover the appearance and she did an interview for the afternoon news. But the telecast went off right as she started singing and I didn't recognize the song.

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that makes sense that she did Mike Douglas. he always was a big supporter of the Sups during the 60s and 70s on tv. and Scherrie and Susaye appeared on his show for their album too. I'm a bit surprised Merv didn't have Mary on too

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Originally Posted by sup_fan

that makes sense that she did Mike Douglas. he always was a big supporter of the Sups during the 60s and 70s on tv. and Scherrie and Susaye appeared on his show for their album too. I'm a bit surprised Merv didn't have Mary on too

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Maybe Merv did. In her second book, Mary did write that she auditioned for his new label but with no luck.

I have seen a clip of Mary singing "Red Hot" on a US show where Paul Williams was the host. I thought it was Dinah! but it very well could have been Mike Douglas. She wears a red jumpsuit where the arms attach to the pants.

"Midnight Dancer" was performed several times on tv, mostly UK. Which leads me to believe there was a strong enough response to it. I find it much more enjoyable and disco friendly than "Red Hot". All the screeching and cat noises and "woo-wee's" are annoying, LOL.

I was not really surprised that "Why Can't We All Get Along" had its roots in RTL. I am a HUGE Mary fan; I love Mary. But the "Time To Move On" and other Diana suggestive song titles always make me cringe.

I don’t think time to move on is Diana related unless I could be wrong

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Originally Posted by kenneth

“Better than shit?” Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but I guess an improvement over what you thought of the album before!

Still, a very thoughtful review of the album’s tracks and I agree with most of your views overall.

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Lol I didn't realize how that conclusion might come off. Thanks for pointing it out. Yes, it is better than shit. I'd liken the album to eating a box of raisins. I'm not going to enjoy eating the whole box, but a few raisins here and there might satisfy me...in the moment.

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Originally Posted by Ollie9

I enjoyed reading your review of the album Ran. I’m tending to think “I Love A Warm Summers Night” had the best chance of success. I certainly find it the most memorable song on the album. Had Mary recorded many more albums, this would be her Silk Electric lol.

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That's the frustrating thing when talking Mary, Flo and even Jean. With Diana there is a ton of music to discuss within her solo career. We get to weed through the good and the bad. The worst that Diana's career has offered us does not define her career because the good often outweigh the bad. Mary and Flo in particular get shitted on as singers when most of what we have was nowhere near the quality of what Diana was given, even if we just compare debut albums. While I find both Mary and Flo's solo debut work to have legit pros and cons, legit winners and losers, there isn't much follow up work. So sure, in regards to Mary, the debut might very well be comparable to Silk Electric or the RCA debut or EA, had she recorded a ton more albums. Unfortunately this is all we get and it's used as evidence that Mary was best as a supporting actress, which is completely opposite my opinion. [[Of course Mary did go on to release another two or three albums decades apart, right?)

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Originally Posted by Ollie9

I enjoyed reading your review of the album Ran. I’m tending to think “I Love A Warm Summers Night” had the best chance of success. I certainly find it the most memorable song on the album. Had Mary recorded many more albums, this would be her Silk Electric lol.

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And yeah Ollie, I think you're right that "Warm Summer" might have had the best chance across the board. "Pick Up the Pieces" could have been a huge R&B hit but I don't think pop radio would've gotten behind it. "Warm" I think could've garnered attention from different markets. It's fastly becoming as much a favorite of mine as "Pick Up".

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Originally Posted by daviddh

i actually agree with your accessment of the album. my money was on Pick Up The Pieces and Warm Summer Night
but i do like Green River.
i was hoping Turn Around and U might make the cut but alas no

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David I was hoping the EE might have outtakes from the debut session. I guess this is really all Mary recorded for her solo debut. I wonder if one of the things coming up is a Best Of Mary Wilson set, which might include the rest of her discography, including Supremes songs released with her on lead, maybe even cleaned up versions of the Atlantic demos. Fingers crossed.

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Originally Posted by sup_fan

my top complaint with the album is the screeches Mary does again and again and again and again and again and again. when I imagine a cat getting it's temperature taken rectally at the vet, this is the sound i hear lol

but Ran, i have to agree with you. there are portions of the album and even Red Hot that i've come to appreciate more. The disco mixes are actually better IMO than the album version.

I think Red Hot could have been reworked into more of a seductress number. there are segments where Mary does sound hot and sexy, minus the above mentioned offenses. Donna Summer was a soprano and a temptress/sexy singer. Mary could have done something somewhat similar but with her alto range. could have been interesting i think

You Make Me Feel is actually one i sort of enjoy. the melody and backing track are solid and even the La La La sounds really quite nice. but the lyrics are sooooooooo simple. like, literally, 5 mins of thought were put into them. and that's a common problem with almost all of the tunes. nursery rhymes for 5 year olds have more complex narratives. And then compare them to the Gus tracks. not saying those are poetry but they're so much better.

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Yeah, "Red Hot" needed a reworking. "Seductress" is exactly what I was thinking. Slow the tempo down, change some of the lyrics, I think Mary might have had a winner. At least it would've charted better than it did.

All in all, Mary's album isn't top grade when taken as a whole. The good thing is that some of the songs on their own are much better than the whole album, as a listening experience, would otherwise lead some to believe, if that makes any sense.

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Originally Posted by RanRan79

That's the frustrating thing when talking Mary, Flo and even Jean. With Diana there is a ton of music to discuss within her solo career. We get to weed through the good and the bad. The worst that Diana's career has offered us does not define her career because the good often outweigh the bad. Mary and Flo in particular get shitted on as singers when most of what we have was nowhere near the quality of what Diana was given, even if we just compare debut albums. While I find both Mary and Flo's solo debut work to have legit pros and cons, legit winners and losers, there isn't much follow up work. So sure, in regards to Mary, the debut might very well be comparable to Silk Electric or the RCA debut or EA, had she recorded a ton more albums. Unfortunately this is all we get and it's used as evidence that Mary was best as a supporting actress, which is completely opposite my opinion. [[Of course Mary did go on to release another two or three albums decades apart, right?)

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very valid point. especially with Flo. there's such a limited amount of material and much of it was when she was quite young. while gifted at the age of 18, she [[like pretty much anyone) still needed coach and learning and experiences. she didn't get those

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Originally Posted by RanRan79

Yeah, "Red Hot" needed a reworking. "Seductress" is exactly what I was thinking. Slow the tempo down, change some of the lyrics, I think Mary might have had a winner. At least it would've charted better than it did.

All in all, Mary's album isn't top grade when taken as a whole. The good thing is that some of the songs on their own are much better than the whole album, as a listening experience, would otherwise lead some to believe, if that makes any sense.

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here's a summary of my changes:

1. spend a bit more time on some meaningful lyrics. not requesting Shakespearian prose here but these are so simplistic they just come across as lazy and last minute
2. after one or two of those cat screeches the producer should have stopped the tape and got on the studio mic and said "Mary if you do that again, i'm cancelling this recording session. that sounds dreadful. find some other ad lib or expression to use"
3. take the disco mix of RH and play with it some more. slow it down into more of steamy number. sort of a la I Want You from Marvin gaye and some of the tunes on that album.
4. replace one of the faster disco numbers with a tune more like Can We Love Again or You're What's Missing. a few mid tempo numbers

I wonder what happened with Mary and Marvin's joint "The Lady and the Gent" tour?

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Originally Posted by marybrewster

I wonder what happened with Mary and Marvin's joint "The Lady and the Gent" tour?

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i heard that the whole Marvin and Mary thing was a bust because Mary began to promote the idea that he would be producing her solo lp when none of that had been finalized or agreed upon. some have said she did that in hopes that the publicity would sort of force him into it and instead he was pissed and completely dropped the idea

so i can't imagine he would be interested in touring with her

frankly i'm not even sure motown had any plans to do ANY solo work with her. According to Mary's book, she announced she was going solo during the Caesar's Palace debacle. that was Dec 76. but she doesn't really give any specifics or details about an actual planned solo career with motown. she talks about the final tours and all with the Sups but never anything concrete about a solo career. then she's suddenly off to S America with Cindy and Debbie as the Supremes and then the legal case.

the only time we really hear about a solo deal is in her settlement. but there's no specific info that this deal in 79 was simply picking up where they'd left things in spring 77

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Originally Posted by sup_fan

here's a summary of my changes:

1. spend a bit more time on some meaningful lyrics. not requesting Shakespearian prose here but these are so simplistic they just come across as lazy and last minute
2. after one or two of those cat screeches the producer should have stopped the tape and got on the studio mic and said "Mary if you do that again, i'm cancelling this recording session. that sounds dreadful. find some other ad lib or expression to use"
3. take the disco mix of RH and play with it some more. slow it down into more of steamy number. sort of a la I Want You from Marvin gaye and some of the tunes on that album.
4. replace one of the faster disco numbers with a tune more like Can We Love Again or You're What's Missing. a few mid tempo numbers

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I'm definitely on board with #2!!;) That gave me a good laugh.

The album definitely needed more ballads. I think if the album were mostly ballads, almost half the album mid tempo, with a couple of disco tunes thrown in, Mary's first album would be better regarded.

I'm still stuck on the fact that apparently this is all she recorded for the first album. I would've thought there would be at least a tune or two that didn't make the cut. I guess no alternates either, hence why we got a bunch of "Red Hot" mixes and "Why Can't We Get Along" to fill the EE out. I'm disappointed about that.

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Originally Posted by sup_fan

i heard that the whole Marvin and Mary thing was a bust because Mary began to promote the idea that he would be producing her solo lp when none of that had been finalized or agreed upon. some have said she did that in hopes that the publicity would sort of force him into it and instead he was pissed and completely dropped the idea

so i can't imagine he would be interested in touring with her

frankly i'm not even sure motown had any plans to do ANY solo work with her. According to Mary's book, she announced she was going solo during the Caesar's Palace debacle. that was Dec 76. but she doesn't really give any specifics or details about an actual planned solo career with motown. she talks about the final tours and all with the Sups but never anything concrete about a solo career. then she's suddenly off to S America with Cindy and Debbie as the Supremes and then the legal case.

the only time we really hear about a solo deal is in her settlement. but there's no specific info that this deal in 79 was simply picking up where they'd left things in spring 77

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I suspect the settlement is the only reason she got the solo deal. In hindsight, it might have just been better for her to leave in 1977 and took her chances with a different label. She was 33 and still in a position where ageism might not have been a big problem, as it might have been in the 80s. Disco was becoming more mainstream but the industry hadn't yet become this place where it was "Everything Disco", so her sultry style might have gotten some takers, especially if she looked to hook up with people who would know what to do with an alto of her range. But of course I do have the benefit of hindsight. I'm sure Mary's dream was to be a solo singer on Motown for the rest of her career, so it would make sense she'd go for that over going somewhere else.

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Originally Posted by RanRan79

I'm definitely on board with #2!!;) That gave me a good laugh.

The album definitely needed more ballads. I think if the album were mostly ballads, almost half the album mid tempo, with a couple of disco tunes thrown in, Mary's first album would be better regarded.

I'm still stuck on the fact that apparently this is all she recorded for the first album. I would've thought there would be at least a tune or two that didn't make the cut. I guess no alternates either, hence why we got a bunch of "Red Hot" mixes and "Why Can't We Get Along" to fill the EE out. I'm disappointed about that.

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i don't know the behind-the-scenes stories or have any specific insider info. but given her comments about how she felt Motown only gave her the deal to get her to drop the suit, it also seems like Motown spent 0 time, energy or resources into preparing the album. as if Hal was instructed to:

*grab whatever tunes are immediately available
*any partially finished songs should be finished in the next 5 mins - don't invest any time
*record her quickly and just use whatever you get. don't spend a lot of time re-recording or doing additional takes
*come up with some sort of product that would be at least 30 mins. once you have 30 mins of music, call it a day
*remember it's easier and faster to simply expand existing productions with repeated instrumental breaks or chorus repeats to drag tunes out versus crafting another song
*

Pick up the Pieces only song on the 1979 Motown album which gives Mary an opportunity to sing lyrics with any sort of depth. Red Hot is over the top camp. Entertaining enough, but wears thin fast. Warm Summer Night and Midnight Dancer have some nice hooks and Mary sounds good, but lyrics are shallow. The other 3 songs all sound more or less alike and not much going in the lyrics. Her debut album needed a better variety of songs and sharper songwriting. The Gus Dudgeon tracks are much better. If she had been able to complete that album and the remaining songs were on the same level as the 4 that were recorded, her solo career might have had a fighting chance. Might have. But at least it would have been a quality endeaovor with solid material. No "I love old movie shows/I love going to Discos" type lyrics.

Spreading--I agree with everything you said. Motown's rejection of the Dudgeon tracks is all the proof I need to know that they had no intention of doing anything with Mary Wilson. Even the weakest song, Green River, was far superior IMO to anything on the Mary Wilson LP. Mary is in phenomenal voice. Dudgeon believed in her and obviously knew how to bring out the best in her voice. It shows. The Motown stuff sounded to me rushed, generic, and not playing to her strengths. What a shame. I have always felt that Mary's self-confidence levels had everything to do with her singing ability from one situation to the other. Listen to her live performances in the late 8o's and 90's--very strong. She developed confidence.

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Originally Posted by Spreadinglove21

No "I love old movie shows/I love going to Discos" type lyrics.

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Once heard, never forgotten lol. :eek:

Listening to it now.

The album suffered from having a bunch of songs that would've been rejected by most artists. That screeching sure is annoying too.

Though 'You Danced My Heart Around The Stars' is no hit-single, it does show Mary's ability to carry a power-ballad.

'Love Talk' is quite nice.

'Save Me' is pleasant enough, but probably not quite good enough for a single release. It's also spoiled a little by a strange instrumental bridge.

I know Mary thought 'Green River' was a 80s Tina Turner prototype and I can see what she means, but it's not my favourite of the Dudgeon sessions. I could see it going down fairly well in a live show though.

With a couple of hit singles [[covers would have been fine) added, something a bit more up-tempo/pop, the Gus Dudgeon sessions could have resulted in a good album for Mary. I can see why she wanted these songs released.

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Originally Posted by Levi Stubbs Tears

Listening to it now.

The album suffered from having a bunch of songs that would've been rejected by most artists. That screeching sure is annoying too.

Though 'You Danced My Heart Around The Stars' is no hit-single, it does show Mary's ability to carry a power-ballad.

'Love Talk' is quite nice.

'Save Me' is pleasant enough, but probably not quite good enough for a single release. It's also spoiled a little by a strange instrumental bridge.

I know Mary thought 'Green River' was a 80s Tina Turner prototype and I can see what she means, but it's not my favourite of the Dudgeon sessions. I could see it going down fairly well in a live show though.

With a couple of hit singles [[covers would have been fine) added, something a bit more up-tempo/pop, the Gus Dudgeon sessions could have resulted in a good album for Mary. I can see why she wanted these songs released.

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on her uk tour with Bill Whyman a few years ago she performed Green River