For those who were around "Back In The Day": The Marvelettes- "I'll Keep Holding On"

On the Soulful Detroit Forum I had asked for opinions from members who were record buyers/radio listeners when Major Lance's "Too Hot To Hold" was first released. Another couple of songs I've always wanted to know more about are The Marvelettes' "I'll Keep Holding On" and "Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead". As with Major Lance's record, I'm not looking for general opinions from everyone, but specifically member who were there when the songs were originally released.

When the songs first came out, did listeners feel the songs were too radically different from the group's earlier records or were the songs viewed with excitement? I listen to a lot of old radio broadcasts from the 60's and it genuinely seems "Don't Mess With Bill" was THE Marvelettes record that everyone jumped all over. I have yet to hear anything pop up from 1964 up to "Bill" by the group.

I guess "I'll Keep Holding On" and "Danger" did well enough to get midway up the charts at least. Many girl groups weren't getting anything much in the way of chart action during the British Invasion. In that regard, I really stand in awe of Motown's ability to keep their girl groups consistently on the charts during the initial wave of British groups. Still, I'd love to hear what folks reactions were to these songs when they were new in '65

I wouldn't hear The Marvelettes' "I'll Keep Holding On" until I picked up their Marvelettes Anthology LP but I do remember hearing "Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead" when it first came out in '65 and thought it was great. Indeed, it was a smart move on the company's part to move the group fully into the Classic Motown sound with those songs [[and later on into their "sophisticated soul era" with "Don't Mess With Bill" & "The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game").

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Originally Posted by WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance

I guess "I'll Keep Holding On" and "Danger" did well enough to get midway up the charts at least.

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Yes: both "I'll Keep Holding On" & "Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead" were mid-charting hits [[with "Holding" at R&B#11/Pop#34 & "Danger" at R&B#11/Pop#61 according to Billboard).

Both received considerable airplay in NYC. I'll Keep Holding On apparently received airplay in LA since my college roommate was just as hot on the song as I was seven years after release. I never warmed to the Marvelettes' Danger, Heartbreak until years later when someone else recorded it for a film's soundtrack. This track is musically outstanding with so much going on in the mix.

One thing to keep in mind is that "second tier" acts weren't receiving promotion from the company due to its limited resources which were successfully banked on the Supremes and to a lesser extent the Four Tops & Temptations.

I first heard Danger when I bought the Greatest Hits album [[1966 or 1967). I didn't hear Holding On until years later [[on Anthology). I didn't hear either on LA Top 40 radio. [[I was in junior high and my parents didn't listen to R&B stations.) I loved Danger from the start. One of my favorite Motown tracks from that era. Holding On didn't impress me and I was surprised it had better chart numbers than Danger. I understand why Greatest Hits included Danger and not Holding On.

Anything by the marvelettes was big in d.c.back in the day including the two classics mentioned here..great hand dancing songs-and we did alot of hand dancing back in the day..marvelettes forever!!!

By the time these songs came out in the Detroit area, it was like people automatically assumed that the new Marvelettes [[or any Motown artist) record is going to decent to good. Most people in those days would hear these records on WCHB, WKNR, CKLW or WKLR [[Toledo). Some would hear them for the first time at their local mom and pop record store. Still, it was the radio that made or broke a record in those days. I don't remember people talking about or focus on the change in sound or style from their earlier records.

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Originally Posted by Motown Eddie

I wouldn't hear The Marvelettes' "I'll Keep Holding On" until I picked up their Marvelettes Anthology LP but I do remember hearing "Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead" when it first came out in '65 and thought it was great. Indeed, it was a smart move on the company's part to move the group fully into the Classic Motown sound with those songs [[and later on into their "sophisticated soul era" with "Don't Mess With Bill" & "The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game").

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Thanks Motown Eddie. This is exactly what I'm looking for. You were there on the scene, so to speak, and hearing from people who were there when these songs first came out gives a certain kind of added depth to my enjoyment of these songs. I'm always forever asking people I know if they recall these songs.

Actually, "Danger" is one of the tunes that brought me and my dad closer. He plays guitar and I remember asking him if he could figure out what the rhythm guitar was doing on this song. I always loved those chords, especially when the song modulated up a key. He didn't recall hearing it before, probably because in '65 he was still young, but had moved off the farm, into a new state and was starting a family. He mainly played blues but this song really got his attention! It took a bit to figure there were actually at least two guitars playing rhythm but he flipped over whatever chords they were playing. We'd play this record literally for hours trying to decipher those chords!

This has always been pretty close to my favorite Motown tunes and it was nice that my dad, and later, my mom got into it.

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Originally Posted by nabob

Both received considerable airplay in NYC. I'll Keep Holding On apparently received airplay in LA since my college roommate was just as hot on the song as I was seven years after release. I never warmed to the Marvelettes' Danger, Heartbreak until years later when someone else recorded it for a film's soundtrack. This track is musically outstanding with so much going on in the mix.

One thing to keep in mind is that "second tier" acts weren't receiving promotion from the company due to its limited resources which were successfully banked on the Supremes and to a lesser extent the Four Tops & Temptations.

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Hi Nabob. I love reading your memories about "I'll Keep Holding On." I think this song is why I have some hearing loss in one ear- and I'm not joking! I heard this on the Anthology album and I remember I'd lay on the floor with my ear pressed against the speaker on this one and "Danger" because there was so much going on in the mix that I just HAD to hear everything! [[The things we do when we are young and think we are invincible!)

So nice to hear that "I'll Keep Holding On" and "Danger" got radio play. I remember thinking these songs were such radical departures from everything the Marvelettes had done before this one. I also remember thinking THIS was what I wanted: to hear the group fully backed by the full Motown Sound and these songs delivered. "I'll Keep Holding On" in particular was about the blackest, moodiest, spookiest thing I'd ever heard and it still grips me. Nice to hear that others were feeling these songs too.

PS. Your comments about the second-tier groups not getting as large a share of the promotional dollars are appreciated. The more I've come to understand about how Motown worked, and that it was still a relatively small company, I see why things rolled as they did. In fact, I appreciated the Marvelettes all the more because apparently their fan base was strong enough that the group hung in pretty darn tough all those years despite not being as big a priority as in the earlier years.

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Originally Posted by lucky2012

I first heard Danger when I bought the Greatest Hits album [[1966 or 1967). I didn't hear Holding On until years later [[on Anthology). I didn't hear either on LA Top 40 radio. [[I was in junior high and my parents didn't listen to R&B stations.) I loved Danger from the start. One of my favorite Motown tracks from that era. Holding On didn't impress me and I was surprised it had better chart numbers than Danger. I understand why Greatest Hits included Danger and not Holding On.

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Your recollections are really interesting to me because you mentioned buying the Greatest Hits LP in 1966. So even though the group may not have had some of their latest tunes on Top 40 where you were, still they were popular enough that you bought their Greatest Hits album. I had always wondered why "Holding" wasn't on that Greatest Hits LP. Maybe your feelings about both songs were the general consensus at the time- even though "Holding" had better numbers, maybe "Danger" was one of those tunes that stayed with fans much longer than its chart run. I know that "Danger" ripped the top off my head when I heard it and I couldn't stop playing it. I love both songs, but "Holding" is definitely a dark, dark, dark song.

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Originally Posted by arr&bee

Anything by the marvelettes was big in d.c.back in the day including the two classics mentioned here..great hand dancing songs-and we did alot of hand dancing back in the day..marvelettes forever!!!

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That's so great to hear! I remember reading one on of the older threads here that there were areas where the Marvelettes were really strong- maybe D.C. was one of those spots I read about.

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Originally Posted by marv2

By the time these songs came out in the Detroit area, it was like people automatically assumed that the new Marvelettes [[or any Motown artist) record is going to decent to good. Most people in those days would hear these records on WCHB, WKNR, CKLW or WKLR [[Toledo). Some would hear them for the first time at their local mom and pop record store. Still, it was the radio that made or broke a record in those days. I don't remember people talking about or focus on the change in sound or style from their earlier records.

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Thanks Marv for that insight on peoples' feelings about these Motown records at the time. I've heard some old WKNR radio broadcasts and it's nice to know they supported Motown so much. Did you personally like these two Marvelettes tunes?

Both songs climbed do #11 on the R&B charts. In total they had 11 top 10 R&B hits. I wonder how those songs did on the Cashbox and Record World charts.

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Originally Posted by WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance

Thanks Marv for that insight on peoples' feelings about these Motown records at the time. I've heard some old WKNR radio broadcasts and it's nice to know they supported Motown so much. Did you personally like these two Marvelettes tunes?

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Yes, it seemed that all of Detroit and the surrounding area were always pulling for Motown and it's acts. After all, they were the "Home Team"! Yes, I loved those records, but for me, us as kids and young people growing up during that time, they were like background music to whatever we were doing or whatever that was going on at that time. Every Friday evening, my mother would bring home a handful of the latest 45 releases [[remember what a 45 was?). She would stack them on the stereo spindle and we'd hear each one of them, Marvelettes included. So, I guess what I am getting at is the music was special, but we also came to expect it to be.

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Originally Posted by SatansBlues

Both songs climbed do #11 on the R&B charts. In total they had 11 top 10 R&B hits. I wonder how those songs did on the Cashbox and Record World charts.

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On the Cash Box pop singles chart, “I’ll Keep Holding On” peaked at #36, “Danger...” peaked at #57.
I remember “Holding” got a lot of air play in Binghamton, NY where I was in college and I loved it immediately. Later in the summer of ’65 I was home in NYC and don’t recall “Danger” being played much except on the soul stations. That song is one that really should have gone top ten!

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Originally Posted by mowest

On the Cash Box pop singles chart, “I’ll Keep Holding On” peaked at #36, “Danger...” peaked at #57.
I remember “Holding” got a lot of air play in Binghamton, NY where I was in college and I loved it immediately. Later in the summer of ’65 I was home in NYC and don’t recall “Danger” being played much except on the soul stations. That song is one that really should have gone top ten!

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Did WWRL play it Mowest?

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Originally Posted by marv2

Did WWRL play it Mowest?

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Yes marv2, WWRL did play it!

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Originally Posted by mowest

Yes marv2, WWRL did play it!

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I loved that station.

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Originally Posted by lucky2012

Holding On didn't impress me and I was surprised it had better chart numbers than Danger. I understand why Greatest Hits included Danger and not Holding On.

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The reason Holding On had better chart numbers than Danger was that it immediately followed Too Many Fish. Momentum!

The most soulful performance ever by the Marvelettes was the flip side of Holding On, No Time for Tears [[Eddie Holland, Norman Whitfield). To this day I'm saddened that a stereo mix never appeared on an album or on the two CD retrospectives on which it has appeared.

Whenever, the Marvelettes ride with me on a road trip or to work, every song on my personal anthology from You're My Remedy through My Baby Must Be a Magician, including Pink Album favorites gets two to three plays. The Marvelettes delivered quality singles between 1964 and 1967.

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Originally Posted by marv2

Yes, it seemed that all of Detroit and the surrounding area were always pulling for Motown and it's acts. After all, they were the "Home Team"! Yes, I loved those records, but for me, us as kids and young people growing up during that time, they were like background music to whatever we were doing or whatever that was going on at that time. Every Friday evening, my mother would bring home a handful of the latest 45 releases [[remember what a 45 was?). She would stack them on the stereo spindle and we'd hear each one of them, Marvelettes included. So, I guess what I am getting at is the music was special, but we also came to expect it to be.

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I can DEFINITELY relate. I was born in '66 so for the most part, I think you and I had pretty much the same experiences. I have VERY distinct memories of lots of Motown being played at our house. I don't know if my folks had bought some of those "16 BIG HITS" albums or if they were buying many albums by the individual artists, but I recall Stevie Wonder's "I Was Made To Love Her", The Supremes' "Love Child" is another one that I seem to remember was being played a lot. My first record was The Temptations' "Get Ready"/"Fading Away" that I guess I snatched from my folks as my own.

I couldn't have been more than 2 when Stevie's and The Supremes' songs were out and yet it's like you said- I remember them being played in the background to whatever was going on at home. I remember "My Cherie Amour" being played on the radio one day when we were in Arkansas visiting my grandparents. For some reason, it seems the Motown songs are the ones that made the most impression on me as a toddler. I have no recollection of any other 60s hits [[except for one gospel rock tune, "Tell It Like It Is.") When it comes to any other kinds of music outside of Motown, those memories start in the 70s. That to me says a lot about whatever it was Motown was doing.

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Originally Posted by mowest

On the Cash Box pop singles chart, “I’ll Keep Holding On” peaked at #36, “Danger...” peaked at #57.
I remember “Holding” got a lot of air play in Binghamton, NY where I was in college and I loved it immediately. Later in the summer of ’65 I was home in NYC and don’t recall “Danger” being played much except on the soul stations. That song is one that really should have gone top ten!

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I love these recollections of these two songs by all of you! Nice to hear that you even recall the stations that were playing these songs.

I always contend that the Marvelettes career at Motown and in general was very impressive given the competition they had within Motown itself. When they hit a slump in '63/'64, Motown could have decided to wash their hands of the group or they could have become like all those other acts that never got an album release and very few singles. I think the group was just too good and had a very dedicated following of fans that kept them going even during those lean times. Motown had to value them to some extent because they kept getting singles released on a pretty consistent basis.

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Originally Posted by WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance

I can DEFINITELY relate. I was born in '66 so for the most part, I think you and I had pretty much the same experiences. I have VERY distinct memories of lots of Motown being played at our house. I don't know if my folks had bought some of those "16 BIG HITS" albums or if they were buying many albums by the individual artists, but I recall Stevie Wonder's "I Was Made To Love Her", The Supremes' "Love Child" is another one that I seem to remember was being played a lot. My first record was The Temptations' "Get Ready"/"Fading Away" that I guess I snatched from my folks as my own.

I couldn't have been more than 2 when Stevie's and The Supremes' songs were out and yet it's like you said- I remember them being played in the background to whatever was going on at home. I remember "My Cherie Amour" being played on the radio one day when we were in Arkansas visiting my grandparents. For some reason, it seems the Motown songs are the ones that made the most impression on me as a toddler. I have no recollection of any other 60s hits [[except for one gospel rock tune, "Tell It Like It Is.") When it comes to any other kinds of music outside of Motown, those memories start in the 70s. That to me says a lot about whatever it was Motown was doing.

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YES! I can totally relate to everything you said here. I have tons of memories that relate to Motown music. One of my favorite and very clear memories is of sitting on the porch while my mother did her housework. She'd turn on the radio and put it in the window where I could hear it. The song I remember liking a lot that would become my favorite perhaps of all records was The Four Tops "Baby I Need Your Loving". I was 4 years old and it was the new record! LOL!

My father was a huge Temptations fan. He bought the blue Greatest Hits album. He would tell my brother and I not to mess with it when he was not home. He loved the Temptations, but also loved watching those "Pretty Supremes" on television, man he got a kick out of that! I know we loved all the Motown acts and then one night, in the Fall of 1969.....The Jackson 5 took over! LOL! We had to have every record, album that they put out from that point on.

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Originally Posted by WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance

I love these recollections of these two songs by all of you! Nice to hear that you even recall the stations that were playing these songs.

I always contend that the Marvelettes career at Motown and in general was very impressive given the competition they had within Motown itself. When they hit a slump in '63/'64, Motown could have decided to wash their hands of the group or they could have become like all those other acts that never got an album release and very few singles. I think the group was just too good and had a very dedicated following of fans that kept them going even during those lean times. Motown had to value them to some extent because they kept getting singles released on a pretty consistent basis.

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I saw the Marvelettes at an outdoor concert in 1966. Their latest record was "Don't Mess With Bill". My Uncle Bill pretended that they were referring to him! LOL!

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Originally Posted by marv2

I saw the Marvelettes at an outdoor concert in 1966. Their latest record was "Don't Mess With Bill". My Uncle Bill pretended that they were referring to him! LOL!

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Oh, that's priceless! I love that about your Uncle Bill! See, this is where I get jealous. You got to see the group live! I'll bet they put on an amazing show. That clip of them performing "Bill" on Hullabaloo really cause a stir in my house when I bought the DVD of the show and dragged everyone I knew to watch that clip. This was in the 80's and I remember not just my folks, but even my friends who weren't into Motown were blown away by those steps the Marvelettes were doing.

It is pretty incredible how much a part music plays in our lives. Seems we were on parallel lines as far as our music experiences because I do recall the Jackson 5 more or less radically changing things in our house. I think when they hit, my older brother may have just gotten to that point where he was starting to buy music he liked. I don't think we had the first album, but for sure, the ABC album was for a time THE can't-do-without album of our house. Oh man.

A couple of those songs I can't play today because they bring back such strong, happy memories of a time I know I can't go back to. "I'll Bet You" and "True Love Can Be Beautiful" for whatever reason resonate the strongest as far as memories. We would be in the basement just playing, running around, playing nerf basketball or whatever and that album would be playing non-stop. "I'll Bet You" was just so kinda strange in a good way that we'd run around all day saying "baby i'll bet ya" in as deep a voice as our kid selves could muster!

Marv everyone had the Marvelettes 45s in the standard carrying case. So how did the Marvelettes sound?

I saw the Marvelettes LIVE in Oct. 1966 as co-stars to Otis Redding & they were fabulous. Kat, Wanda & Gladys...there were no Andantes behind the curtain.

I got transistor radios [[yes plural) for Christmas 1965 and wore them both out listening to the radio and formulating my musical tastes. That led me to discover what I still consider to be the absolute PEAK year for Motown.....1966.

For the Marvelettes, that meant hearing Don't Mess With Bill as my first introduction and to this day it remains my favorite song by them and one of my all-time Motown favorites. I bought the blue/orange version of the Greatest Hits album and discovered a few prior hits that I had missed. I was then in heaven when the Pink Album came out.

However I have always felt that there was a night and day difference between their earlier stuff and the material that came along after Bill. It was of course mainly a case of vocal maturity and working with different producers. I am sad to say that some of their VERY early songs were almost painful to listen to compared to what would come later.

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Originally Posted by detmotownguy

Marv everyone had the Marvelettes 45s in the standard carrying case. So how did the Marvelettes sound?

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DET I remember those carrying cases. My older cousins had them. How did the Marvelettes sound? Great I guess, it has been more than 50 years since that show. I did get to see Wanda Rogers reprise "Don't Mess With Bill" in 1990 in Detroit during the Motor City Revue concerts at the Ponchitrain. I remember everyone in the audience being stunned when she opened her mouth and sounded just like she did way back in 1966! Legendary Detroit DJ "Frantic" Ernie Durham had me escort her down the elevator to the dressing rooms after her set. She was backed by the Monitors. They all sounded good.

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Originally Posted by daviddesper

I got transistor radios [[yes plural) for Christmas 1965 and wore them both out listening to the radio and formulating my musical tastes. That led me to discover what I still consider to be the absolute PEAK year for Motown.....1966.

For the Marvelettes, that meant hearing Don't Mess With Bill as my first introduction and to this day it remains my favorite song by them and one of my all-time Motown favorites. I bought the blue/orange version of the Greatest Hits album and discovered a few prior hits that I had missed. I was then in heaven when the Pink Album came out.

However I have always felt that there was a night and day difference between their earlier stuff and the material that came along after Bill. It was of course mainly a case of vocal maturity and working with different producers. I am sad to say that some of their VERY early songs were almost painful to listen to compared to what would come later.

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I remember we would break open transistor radios back then to try to figure out how they worked LOL!

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Originally Posted by daviddesper

However I have always felt that there was a night and day difference between their earlier stuff and the material that came along after Bill. It was of course mainly a case of vocal maturity and working with different producers. I am sad to say that some of their VERY early songs were almost painful to listen to compared to what would come later.

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What may help you appreciate that very critical "night and day" difference in sound is to keep in mind the Marvelettes were very, VERY much an amateur group at the beginning. There was absolutely no artifice, or posturing with them. You probably already know the story, but it bears repeating if only to highlight just how much sheer charm this group had.

They came to Motown only, and it really was ONLY because of one of their school teachers who thought enough of them to get them included in an audition with Motown. They came in fourth in a high school talent show, not high enough to win the audition, yet, they and they alone were signed by Motown. Even the girls themselves were realistic about their talents but they had fun doing what they did. I think Motown heard that and I think the teenagers of the times heard that and it created a bond. These girls sounded like they could have been your sisters or cousins or friends from the 'hood, and yet here they were; making records, appearing on television and having hits. Yes, the sound was rough at times, which, to me, makes their success all the more incredible. There had to be something there that was connecting with their young audience.

I heard those rough spots and I was maybe 15 when I "discovered" them. I heard "Locking Up My Heart" on the radio one day, and had to keep wondering if I wasn't hearing some out of tune harmony on the "ahhhhhhs". I actually liked that you could hear this group wasn't perfect. You can get perfection in a million and one groups, so sometimes there was something refreshing in hearing a group that sounded human, warts and all. And, these were teenagers like I was.

Probably more than any other group at Motown, you can literally hear a group that was maturing, growing better and better right before your ears with every new record. The biggest reason though you heard that stark contrast in styles after "Bill" is because Smokey was one of the few who tried very hard to get Motown to view the group as an adult act. The Marvelettes built an audience on a young teen sound and Motown had a way of keeping everyone in a certain mold. Motown didn't want the group to mature, but Smokey heard something different. To an extent, I also believe the other producers knew the group could do other things. Mickey Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter broke them out with "I'll Keep Holding On" and "Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead" but Smokey just blew the hinges off the roof with "Don't Mess With Bill" but only after "beating his brains out" trying to get it released.

So when you hear those early records, keep in mind your hearing something rare in the record industry, especially at Motown; a group as it really sounded and being allowed to mature in their own way.

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Yes, Both "I'll Keep Holding On" and "Danger, Heartbreak Dead Ahead" were hits in Chicago, and L.A. -they got lots of play and charted high on WVON and WLS, and KGFJ. "Don't Mess with Bill" was bigger than both. As far as their style changing, I liked both their old sound and their new sound. The fans were excited about their new sound.

I saw them at the howard with the dells,and the marvelettes were sweet and sexy..they were very important to us teens back in the day,every party that was thrown in the sixties had their music on the turntable.

Hey Waiting! I was 14 in 1965 when The Marvelettes' 'I'll Keep Holding On" was released, and was 15 when "Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead" was released. Our local AM radio station -- WGVA in Geneva, NY -- played a LOT of Motown as the records were released, and not just The Supremes, Tempts, and The Tops.
All of the major Motown groups got consistent airplay including Martha & The Vandellas, The Marvelettes, Stevie, Smokey & The Miracles, Marvin, Mary Wells, Jr. Walker, Jimmy Ruffin; Gladys & The Pips, and even certain releases by Brenda Holloway and Kim Weston. All inclusive as it was, I don't recall GVA ever playing The Marvelettes' 'I'll Keep Holding On" in 1965 nor "Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead" in 1966. They played everything that came before by The Marvelettes, and nearly everything that came after, but airplay for those two records was elusive. I wasn't even aware of "I'll Keep Holding On" until its inclusion on "A Collection Of 16 Original Big Hits [[of 1965) in 1966, and "Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead" until it appeared on The Marvelettes "Greatest Hits", also in 1966. [[I had the original mustard-gold LP cover as opposed to the later green-cover reissue, of which I never understood the color change nor why.)

Did I like both tracks upon discovering them belatedly? Heck, yeah! I loved them both upon the first hearing! And would I have bought the 45s had I been aware of them? You bet! 54 years later, I'm still baffled as to why those two records weren't hits. They surely deserved to be. Wanda was fantastic on both performances, as were The Marvelettes/Andantes.

On my transistor radio that I mentioned earlier, one of my local stations played He's a Good Guy [[Yes He Is) frequently, which I believe was a lesser hit than either of these, but yet I never heard them. Later the same station was the only one where I ever heard Martha's In and Out of My Life, which I think just barely cracked the Hot 100 if at all.

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Originally Posted by Philles/Motown Gary

Hey Waiting! I was 14 in 1965 when The Marvelettes' 'I'll Keep Holding On" was released, and was 15 when "Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead" was released. Our local AM radio station -- WGVA in Geneva, NY -- played a LOT of Motown as the records were released, and not just The Supremes, Tempts, and The Tops.
All of the major Motown groups got consistent airplay including Martha & The Vandellas, The Marvelettes, Stevie, Smokey & The Miracles, Marvin, Mary Wells, Jr. Walker, Jimmy Ruffin; Gladys & The Pips, and even certain releases by Brenda Holloway and Kim Weston. All inclusive as it was, I don't recall GVA ever playing The Marvelettes' 'I'll Keep Holding On" in 1965 nor "Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead" in 1966. They played everything that came before by The Marvelettes, and nearly everything that came after, but airplay for those two records was elusive. I wasn't even aware of "I'll Keep Holding On" until its inclusion on "A Collection Of 16 Original Big Hits [[of 1965) in 1966, and "Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead" until it appeared on The Marvelettes "Greatest Hits", also in 1966. [[I had the original mustard-gold LP cover as opposed to the later green-cover reissue, of which I never understood the color change nor why.)

Did I like both tracks upon discovering them belatedly? Heck, yeah! I loved them both upon the first hearing! And would I have bought the 45s had I been aware of them? You bet! 54 years later, I'm still baffled as to why those two records weren't hits. They surely deserved to be. Wanda was fantastic on both performances, as were The Marvelettes/Andantes.

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Hi Gary. Now that is super interesting that the station played pretty much all the hits except of "Keep" and "Danger". Yet others here have commented that there were stations in NY that did play these two songs. Maybe it was a regional thing. I recall in '81, we had moved to Texas from Illinois. My brother went to visit friends in the summer and he told me about some songs that were hits back in Chicago that we weren't hearing on the radio in Houston. Interesting how you can get those regional hits.

I got that green Greatest Hits cover but when I discovered there was one with an orange background, I HAD TO GET IT!

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Originally Posted by WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance

Hi Gary. Now that is super interesting that the station played pretty much all the hits except of "Keep" and "Danger". Yet others here have commented that there were stations in NY that did play these two songs. Maybe it was a regional thing. I recall in '81, we had moved to Texas from Illinois. My brother went to visit friends in the summer and he told me about some songs that were hits back in Chicago that we weren't hearing on the radio in Houston. Interesting how you can get those regional hits.

I got that green Greatest Hits cover but when I discovered there was one with an orange background, I HAD TO GET IT!

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Waiting, compared to the radio playlists in NYC, I wouldn't exactly call where I lived "regional". WGVA radio [[20 minutes from where I lived) was 600 miles from NYC -- practically at opposite ends of the state of NY! I do know that AM playlists could vary based on regional popularity, but Motown was super-hot in 1965 and 1966. You would think that every station across the nation would be clamoring for every Motown release they could get their hands on, so as to not be outdone by a neighboring station -- especially for an established group like The Marvelettes who had just come off a hit with "Too Many Fish In The Sea" which WGVA did indeed play. In fact, after hearing it, I raced to Cass Record Store right down the street from GVA to buy it. I guess the failure of "I'll Keep Holding On" and "Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead" is one of the Motown mysteries we'll never be privy to.

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Originally Posted by marv2

DET I remember those carrying cases. My older cousins had them. How did the Marvelettes sound? Great I guess, it has been more than 50 years since that show. I did get to see Wanda Rogers reprise "Don't Mess With Bill" in 1990 in Detroit during the Motor City Revue concerts at the Ponchitrain. I remember everyone in the audience being stunned when she opened her mouth and sounded just like she did way back in 1966! Legendary Detroit DJ "Frantic" Ernie Durham had me escort her down the elevator to the dressing rooms after her set. She was backed by the Monitors. They all sounded good.

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I was at the same show at the Pontch! She did sound the same.

Such a pity that there are no performance clips of either 'Holding On' or 'Danger'! :[[

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Originally Posted by marv2

yes! I can totally relate to everything you said here. I have tons of memories that relate to motown music. One of my favorite and very clear memories is of sitting on the porch while my mother did her housework. She'd turn on the radio and put it in the window where i could hear it. The song i remember liking a lot that would become my favorite perhaps of all records was the four tops "baby i need your loving". I was 4 years old and it was the new record! Lol!

My father was a huge temptations fan. He bought the blue greatest hits album. He would tell my brother and i not to mess with it when he was not home. He loved the temptations, but also loved watching those "pretty supremes" on television, man he got a kick out of that! I know we loved all the motown acts and then one night, in the fall of 1969.....the jackson 5 took over! Lol! We had to have every record, album that they put out from that point on.

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haaaaaaa,marv,your dad sounds just like me-love those temps,even my church going bible toting sweet grandmother liked the temps,hehehehe!!!