Essential Motown - Northern Soul Box Set - release date 21/09/2018

[snakepit]

I agree , but for fans who haven't got them all, these sets are great additions to any collection.
And if we show our interest in rare 60s Motown, then some more unreleased might follow.
However, the well must be drying up .

[144man]

I'm going to get it just for the heck of it..

Surprised neither Marvin nor the Tops' "Lonely Lover" is there.

[mysterysinger]

My set has arrived today and now we see the artists involved.

[snakepit]

Only surprise is Supremes YGTPTP....expected Denis Coffey RicTic .
One or two were either/or.
Great selection though...waiting for my copy to drop through the letter box.

[lakedistrictlad1]

This collection costs less than a pint in the pub! What's not to like?
It doesn't matter that we've had all the tracks before. It's a great compilation and a definite buy for me.

[westgrandboulevard]

Exactly.

And while my mind says it's illogical, my heart still feels a buzz from a new release like this, just as it did back in the '60s....

[mysterysinger]

For me a couple of surprising David Ruffin outings, also the JJ Barnes track "Show Me The Way" as I was expecting Martha and I'm always pleased to have anything from The Spinners.

[snakepit]

I believe that Richard Searling had a hand in this release. Therefore some, if not all, will reflect tracks he has played on his show.
The "David" unreleased CD was featured a lot on his show and those tracks here reflect that.
Likewise, tracks such as "I know better" were numbers he raved about for a time, such as the scene encourages.
Therefore , a number on here could hardly claim to be NS biggies, but they are great Motown tracks.

[rovereab]

Just had to buy this - all this wonderful music for £4.99.

I'm hoping that there are mono versions of some of the songs that have already been released in stereo

[mysterysinger]

There's a mixture of stereo and mono tracks - any in particular you want to hear in mono?

[rovereab]

There's a mixture of stereo and mono tracks - any in particular you want to hear in mono?

Do I Love You
If You Ever Get Your Hands On Love
I Want My Baby Back

[mysterysinger]

All these three are . . . . . . stereo!

"Do I Love You" is available in mono on The Complete Motown Singles Volume 5 and the second version is available in mono on "Northern Soul Connoisseurs" [[31455-6827-2). Both by Frank Wilson.

[rovereab]

My copy of this album arrived today. Yes, I have several of the tracks already but some that I have sound clearer on this release, the selection of songs is excellent and for the price it is outstanding value. Even the cover artwork is attractive.

Whoever is responsible for this album deserves a big thanks.

[144man]

A word of warning, CD 3 was out separately a couple of years ago; don't know about the other two.

I'll still buy a couple of copies when I see it in the shops.

[lakedistrictlad1]

A word of warning, CD 3 was out separately a couple of years ago; don't know about the other two.

I'll still buy a couple of copies when I see it in the shops.

Do you know what the title of the separate release of CD3 is? I normally collect all new releases but this one must have escaped me.

[snakepit]

I was about to ask the same question.
Received my copy yesterday. Nice cover presentation....I imagine it will look good in the racks.

[soulwally]

Still waiting for mine... wonder which vocal version of Suspicion they've used?

[snakepit]

Not played it yet, but good question.
There is a marked difference to the vocal....I find one version hard to listen to compared to the first copy I had on an old bootleg tape. I always thought it was Eddie Holland!
I THINK my favourite is used on the essential CD, but would need to check.

[soulwally]

I never heard it on bootleg. My first hearing of it was on the first This Is Northern Soul CD, and that's the vocal I much prefer, possibly because I heard it first. Other CDs have the other version, as does the 45rpm vinyl copy I have [[obviously a 'reissue')

[snakepit]

Well...just got off my are on your behalf.
The version on this 66 track CD is the version used on the USA CD "best of"...not the UK Essential as stated previously.
Therefore, it is NOT the version on "This is Northern Soul"....which is your favourite John.
However , this version is MY favourite...as, you say, it was the first I heard.
On "your" version, I always think C.P. is reaching for the vocal and not getting there on certain lines.
Anyway, that is the situation regards the track.

[danman869]

Can anyone comment on the sound quality on this set of The Tempts’ “A Tear From A Woman’s Eyes”? When it was first released on the “Emperors Of Soul” set years ago [[as a previously unreleased track), it sounded terrible. Very processed and filtered and weird. I’m wondering if the track has ever been pulled back out and properly remastered? Might that have happened for this set?

[soulwally]

Thank you Larry. I'm looking forward to it. Haven't bought a CD for ages - I'm buying singles all over again instead!

[snakepit]

No problem John
That sounds like a "Desperate Situation" …..
Played disc 1..nice to hear some old favourites again , especially Tommy Good. Love that track, I remember I had it on a bootleg tape..only version I had, and it was at the beginning of the tape.
Like a fool I recorded over half of it by mistake. I was gutted.... I thought I'd never hear it again ...this was years before CDs of unreleased Motown .

[mysterysinger]

Well I much prefer the version of "Suspicion" that was on the "This Is Northern Soul" sets - I think the vocals have a nicer melody on that - but that was the first version I heard.

I really like the Tommy Good track also, first heard on Cellarful, then on the Tommy Good CD. We've had some cracking stuff released in the past few years haven't we?

Generally the sound quality of the 3 CDs is great. As regards The Tempts "A Tear From A Woman's Eyes", this is mixed much louder than on either the Emperors Of Soul or 25th Anniversary sets but I'd say other than that, the quality is about the same.

[snakepit]

Enjoyed playing 2 discs so far...ideal driving music, and great to hear tunes that would take some digging out from other sets.
I had a lot of the early "unreleased" stuff on bootleg tapes.
Some good contacts many years ago. These tapes led to CFOM .
Sadly, not much left, nearly all of the unissued of that quality have been released.
All the parties concerned have done a wonderful job.
We may see more rehash but if they are of a similar quality to this set then I would be happy to buy.

[144man]

Do you know what the title of the separate release of CD3 is? I normally collect all new releases but this one must have escaped me.

It was just called "Motown Northern Soul". I saw it in HMV,Oxford Street. The cover looked the same as the one on Amazon UK under that title at the moment. The one I saw in HMV ended with "After the Rain", so I'm assuming the other tracks were the same.

[mysterysinger]

That's intriguing. I know Kim's "After The Rain" features on the latest set and on "A Cellarful Of Motown" volume 2 [[plus the bootleg Marginal "Story Of Kim Weston"). So does it appear on another set as well?

Although there are some tracks in common, these sets are different from the latest 3 disc offering and none of them have "After The Rain" in their track lists. So it has to be another set somewhere?

[lakedistrictlad1]

It was just called "Motown Northern Soul". I saw it in HMV,Oxford Street. The cover looked the same as the one on Amazon UK under that title at the moment. The one I saw in HMV ended with "After the Rain", so I'm assuming the other tracks were the same.

'Don't forget the Motorcity' website lists 'After the rain' as only issued on Cellarfull 2, and the track listing of 'Motown Northern Soul' Spectrum CD doesn't match the new CD 3. With due respect 144man, I think you must be mistaken.

[rovereab]

I was pleased to find Show Me The Way by JJ Barnes on this release. Compares well with his [[Tell Me) Ain't It The Truth on COM with the alternate lyrics.

[snakepit]

Recently bought Motown Northern Soul..
It is NOT the same as disc 3 on this comp.

[144man]

My short-term memory isn't as good as I'd like it to be. I'll check if the CD is still there next time I'm in HMV.

[alanh]

This new set is new entry at number five on this week's UK Official Charts compilation chart.

[snakepit]

Great news bring on vol 2

[lakedistrictlad1]

I discovered through cross referencing 'DFTM' website that the J.J Barnes track 'Show Me The Way' has only ever been previously issued as part of the vinyl singles box 'The Motown 7's Box'.

So this track is worth the price of the set alone in my books!

[mysterysinger]

Agreed - the set is excellent value. Saw it in ASDA yesterday at £6 which is really good as there's no postage to add.

[snakepit]

I was told it's in Morrison's as well.
A friend who dabbles in Motown..he's into all genres...bought it for £5 and he said he only knew about 10% of the tracks. But he was loving the new stuff. This set is ideal for the likes of my friend....showcasing the Motown that the main stream avoid and ignore.

[alanh]

£4.99 in HMV [[where I got mine) and £5 in Sainsbury's [[but sold out!)

[snakepit]

Selling Motown CDs in Supermarkets..
like the old Motown anecdote "Would you buy this 45 or a sandwich"?
A take away curry and 66 Motown classics......must catch on.

[144man]

My short-term memory isn't as good as I'd like it to be. I'll check if the CD is still there next time I'm in HMV.

The CD was still there, and I had completely misremembered the tracks on it by the time I'd got home. I don't know how I got it so wrong.

[144man]

I bought a couple of copies in HMV for £4.99 each.

I didn't remember the Contours' "Sometimes I Have to Cry" when I played it, so I'm going to have to refamiliarize myself with the "Just A Little Misunderstanding" CD.

[snakepit]

Just out of curiosity, how many forum members from the USA have bought this CD?

[danman869]

I live in the USA, purchased it from an Amazon seller here in the US, and it arrived today. I compared all tracks to those already in my collection. From the three discs, I've added 6 tracks to my collection. The most interesting of them is that "Can't Hold The Feeling Back" by Brenda Holloway is a mono mix [[as opposed to the stereo mix that was released on the recent "Spellbound" CD set). There are a couple of alternate mixes, too, and the rest are just filling gaps for me. It cost US$6.73 + shipping, but I've paid a lot more for less than 6 tracks when it comes to my music collection!

[Bluebrock]

Agreed - the set is excellent value. Saw it in ASDA yesterday at £6 which is really good as there's no postage to add.

I saw it in Sainsbury's for £5 yesterday!

[144man]

Still available for £5 at Tesco.

[lakedistrictlad1]

This set really is a superb collection. Great to hear those rarities that have been tucked away on various releases over the years, such as Marvin Gaye's 'Sweet Thing'. I've been playing these cds more than any other Motown release in a long time.

[mysterysinger]

A lot of happiness for not a lot of money, but I'm sure it took a lot of effort to bring it to the market - so thanks to all concerned.

[grapevine]

Great news bring on vol 2

What tracks would we like to see in a Volume 2?

In case you're following this thread Mr Searling ...I'd start with the grossly-over-looked-and-never-released-on-CD-yet ...The World Can't Stop Me From Loving You ...by The Originals...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wensO0w61jM

Grape

[rovereab]

A Volume 2 would be great. My plea is for mono mixes of "golden era" songs given how much better they sound over the stereo mixes.

[snakepit]

"Where would i be without you"...Barbara McNair
"Change what you can"..Marvin Gaye
"Determination"...Contours
Amongst many others...

[rovereab]

Some initial suggestions:

It's Too Late For You And Me - Gladys Knight & The Pips
Try My True Love - Marvin Gaye
Why Did You Leave Me Darling - Temptations

All in mono