Which Greatest Hits CD is the best for Martha & The Vandellas

[mr_june]

Hi, in two weeks my wife and I will be taking my great grand daughter and her great niece up to Bangor, Michigan for a week of camp. They already like the Marvelettes so, while driving there from Chicago, I want to introduce them to Martha & The Vandellas. Which of their CDs has all of their hits plus bonuses and also good sound?

[reese]

Martha and the Vandellas Gold is a great 2-cd collection that has all of their hits, plus some solo tracks from Martha.

[Bluebrock]

Martha and the Vandellas Gold is a great 2-cd collection that has all of their hits, plus some solo tracks from Martha.

Yes, that is the one i would go for too reese. It is also quite cheap on Amazon. The best value compilation for sure. Happy listening!

[johnny_raven]

I would go for the 50th Anniversary set, although Gold would be a close second.

[woodward]

I would go for the 50th Anniversary set, although Gold would be a close second.

What is so great about the 50th Anniversary set is that it includes EVERY A & B side from every 45rpm record that the group released. That is the only reason I did not buy the Gold.

[thommg]

You can't go wrong with Gold. The 50th Anniversary set is a big money commitment if you don't already have it. Gold is much cheaper. Also, if you have the cd, I would play the stand alone album Black Magic. That is my favorite MR&V album.

[Bluebrock]

What is so great about the 50th Anniversary set is that it includes EVERY A & B side from every 45rpm record that the group released. That is the only reason I did not buy the Gold.

I also bought the 50th anniversary set and it is indeed wonderful but is considerably more expensive than the gold set. I guess much depends upon how much you are prepared to spend.

[johnny_raven]

I also bought the 50th anniversary set and it is indeed wonderful but is considerably more expensive than the gold set. I guess much depends upon how much you are prepared to spend.

I have both sets. I'm addicted! Thank God there isn't a 12-step program for this!!

[Motown Eddie]

Martha & the Vandellas' "50th Anniversary" set is the best choice in you want a collection with a lot of extras [[every A & B side the group recorded for Motown, a third disc of previously unreleased cuts & 4 alternate takes, and the Spanish versions of "I'm Ready For Love" & "Jimmy Mack"). Also, you get the mini-essays on each of the songs by Keith Hughes & Bill Dahl. It may be expensive but it's worth the money. The 2 CD "Gold" set is good if you want a more concise collection of hits [[and there's also the single disc 'Definitive Collection' for just the hits).

[soulster]

I prefer the 2-CD Anthology from the early 90s.

[johnny_raven]

I prefer the 2-CD Anthology from the early 90s.

Yeah, but I like the mastering of the 50th Anniversary better. Besides, the version of "Never Leave Your Baby's Side" isn't the true singles version on that Anthology, is it?

[theboyfromxtown]

Yeah, but I like the mastering of the 50th Anniversary better. Besides, the version of "Never Leave Your Baby's Side" isn't the true singles version on that Anthology, is it?

That's right Johnny. Although I have to say, I really do like it.

[Sharpmoves]

GOLD ! Every time for me...[[although I love the 50th Anniversary album too, of course, it's really for "complete-ists" like me!). The big plus of Gold is that you get great solo numbers like Wild Night, and the stunning Love Blind, which aren't on the 50th album. Plus, younger ears will probably respond better to the [[mostly) stereo mixes on Gold.

[mr_june]

Thanks to everyone who replied. I'm off to Amazon to take a look at Gold and 50th Anniversary. Thom, you are right about the Black Magic album. That is the only album that I have. I like the song "Benjamin" very much and thought it should have done well. I also like "Any One Who Had A Heart," "Tear It On Down" and "Bless You." That album is super underrated. The Black Magic album is where I first really learned how good Martha could sing. On "Benjamin" and "Take A Look" from the previous album Natural Resources it was like hearing her for the first time. Always very sad to think of Sandra passing as such a young age also.

[Ngroove]

My opinion; get the Fiftieth Anniversary three-diskers, not just Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, which was my first that I bought and enjoyed, but all of them - Diana Ross & the Supremes, Temptations, and Four Tops. It is simply a most awesomely enjoyable experience, the choice of listening to both As and Bs sides, don't even need to scavenge through X record stores and antique markets for 45s of them either.

Really would have been nice had there been more of them - such as 2013 could have had the Fiftieth Anniversaries of Junior Walker & the All-Stars and Brenda Holloway on Motown, this year could have been Gladys Knight & the Pips...

[Bluebrock]

My opinion; get the Fiftieth Anniversary three-diskers, not just Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, which was my first that I bought and enjoyed, but all of them - Diana Ross & the Supremes, Temptations, and Four Tops. It is simply a most awesomely enjoyable experience, the choice of listening to both As and Bs sides, don't even need to scavenge through X record stores and antique markets for 45s of them either.

Really would have been nice had there been more of them - such as 2013 could have had the Fiftieth Anniversaries of Junior Walker & the All-Stars and Brenda Holloway on Motown, this year could have been Gladys Knight & the Pips...

I own all of these collections too Ngroove and they are indeed excellent. I also wish the series could have continued with collections on Jr Walker, Gladys and the Pips and maybe Marvin and Stevie [[up to early 70's)., but for a cheap, definitive overview of Martha's singles i would still go for the 2 cd "gold" set.