Four Tops' Soul Spin album

[rovereab]

I wonder if this album is the only Motown album which didn't include any singles.

I am not keen on side 2 of the album but I feel side 1 has a couple of strong performances.

[reese]

Off the top of my head, I can only think of a few Motown albums with no single releases.

DYNAMITE by the Supremes and the Tops.

FOUR IN BLUE by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.

A LITTLE KNIGHT MUSIC by Gladys Knight and the Pips. But since it was released two years after the group left the company, it probably isn't surprising.

[Boogiedown]

wow
This is something I'd never have expected of Motown....LPs without singles.

[Motown Eddie]

Off the top of my head, I can only think of a few Motown albums with no single releases.

DYNAMITE by the Supremes and the Tops.

FOUR IN BLUE by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.

A LITTLE KNIGHT MUSIC by Gladys Knight and the Pips. But since it was released two years after the group left the company, it probably isn't surprising.

Here are three more Motown albums with no single releases: Smokey Robinson & The Miracles'
What Love Has Joined Together from 1970, The Temptations In A Mellow Mood and The Supremes Sing Rodgers & Hart both from 1967.

[Roger Polhill]

There are quite a few actually:
"Jazz/Soul" Little Stevie Wonder.
"With A Song In My Heart" Stevie Wonder
"Tribute To Late Nat King Cole" Marvin Gaye
"The Season For Miracles" Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
"Return Of The Blues Boss" Amos Milburn
"A Bit Of Liverpool" Supremes
"There`s A Place For Us" Supremes
"We Remember Sam Cooke" Supremes
"Sing Disney Classics" Supremes
"Sing And Play Funny Girl" Suprermes
"Along Came Jonah" Jonah Jones
"A Little Dis, A Little Dat" Jonah Jones [[single scheduled but not released)
"Gimme Dat Ding" Ding Dongs
"Jesus Christ`s Greatest Hits" Leon Caston & the God Squad
"Blue" Diana Ross
"Modern Innovations On C & W Themes" Ralph Sharon
"Off To Dublin In The Green" Abbey Tavern Singers
"C.C. Rides Again" Chris Clark

[jack020]

Barbara’s Boy/Look Out Your Window released in Holland as a 45 and reached no. 18 in the Top 40 in 1970.

https://www.top40.nl/the-four-tops/barbara-s-boy-1545

[Motown Eddie]

"Return Of The Blues Boss" Amos Milburn

Amos Milburn's Return Of The Blues Boss LP did have a single release; "My Baby Gave Me Another Chance"/"I'll Make It Up To You Somehow" in 1963.

[copley]

On Broadway - Four Tops
Natural Resources - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas

[reese]

On Broadway - Four Tops
Natural Resources - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas

I SHOULD BE PROUD was released as a single from the Vandellas' album.

[DWSheffer]

There was an EP release for the Supremes' "Sing Rodgers and Hart"........
Darin

[Roger Polhill]

Shit I missed that one, thanks Motown Eddy.

[Roger Polhill]

"For Once In My Life" from "On Broadway" was released as the B. side of "Yesterday`s Dreams" does that not count?

[blkfrost]

There are quite a few actually:
"Jazz/Soul" Little Stevie Wonder.
"With A Song In My Heart" Stevie Wonder
"Tribute To Late Nat King Cole" Marvin Gaye
"The Season For Miracles" Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
"Return Of The Blues Boss" Amos Milburn
"A Bit Of Liverpool" Supremes
"There`s A Place For Us" Supremes
"We Remember Sam Cooke" Supremes
"Sing Disney Classics" Supremes
"Sing And Play Funny Girl" Suprermes
"Along Came Jonah" Jonah Jones
"A Little Dis, A Little Dat" Jonah Jones [[single scheduled but not released)
"Gimme Dat Ding" Ding Dongs
"Jesus Christ`s Greatest Hits" Leon Caston & the God Squad
"Blue" Diana Ross
"Modern Innovations On C & W Themes" Ralph Sharon
"Off To Dublin In The Green" Abbey Tavern Singers
"C.C. Rides Again" Chris Clark

I thought For Better or Worse/Don't Mess With Bill was the single from A Little Dis, A Little Dat by Jonah Jones

Sing Disney Classics was not an official release by the Supremes

There's A Place For Us [[Supremes) and Blue [[Diana Ross) were shelved and released decades after the recordings. I would not count these.

[Motown Eddie]

I thought For Better or Worse/Don't Mess With Bill was the single from A Little Dis, A Little Dat by Jonah Jones

Sing Disney Classics was not an official release by the Supremes

There's A Place For Us [[Supremes) and Blue [[Diana Ross) were shelved and released decades after the recordings. I would not count these.

Jonah Jones' "For Better Or Worse"/"Don't Mess With Bill" single was scheduled for release but was canceled as noted in Roger's post [both songs were included on The Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 9-1969]. However you've got a point about the other albums you mentioned.

[theboyfromxtown]

I wonder if this album is the only Motown album which didn't include any singles.

I am not keen on side 2 of the album but I feel side 1 has a couple of strong performances.

Barbara's Boy was a 45 in Holland [[I have it) and Germany and also on an EP.....

[rovereab]

Barbara's Boy was a 45 in Holland [[I have it) and Germany and also on an EP.....

Strange that Motown UK passed up on that being a single release. One of the strong tracks I mentioned in my original post.

[144man]

Strange that Motown UK passed up on that being a single release. One of the strong tracks I mentioned in my original post.

Tony Blackburn tried to get this released and failed.

[Sotosound]

Tony Blackburn tried to get this released and failed.

In that track, The Tops seamlessly negotiate two key changes that arrive almost on top of each other. It's all pitch-perfect and highly impressive, and the second key change is a neat and unexpected little knockout blow for the listener.

The track might have made the UK Top 30 but no higher IMO. Having said that, it would, however, have gotten enough airplay for we Brits to have remembered it in the long term.

[BayouMotownMan]

The entire lp is a mystery as to why it was issued. Motown didn't bother to promote it or issue a single. Light My Fire was put into their act for a while and it is a funky cover.

The Tops suffered the most from the defection of HDH. It wouldn't be until Frank Wilson took over in full that they made a bit of a brief comeback. Clearly the company was putting everything behind the Temptations.

[theboyfromxtown]

Strange that Motown UK passed up on that being a single release. One of the strong tracks I mentioned in my original post.

I read that Motown wasn't ready to allow itself to be identified with children born out of wedlock

[sup_fan]

i actually enjoy the album but it is an oddity. more than half are covers. was produced by frank wilson so seems like maybe they were doing soulful reinterpretations of various hits and popular songs.

in the Lost and Found set, there are 6+ songs from these sessions. not sure how much it's really a "Session" for an album versus just being recorded around the same time. they were clearly experimenting at the time, seeing if other producers could come up with a hit

Magic Mary - produced by Scott Regan and Wade Marcus
Don't you think you owe me something - Ashford and Simpson
Starving for your love - Hank Cosby
Rocks in my bed - Hank Cosby
Which way is the sky - Raynard Miner
These are the questions - Harry Balk
Deep in the pit of your love - Johnny Bristol

[rovereab]

I read that Motown wasn't ready to allow itself to be identified with children born out of wedlock

Motown did a good with Love Child and I'm Living In Shame for such children.

[BayouMotownMan]

I read that Motown wasn't ready to allow itself to be identified with children born out of wedlock

Clearly that wasn't true, a year earlier Diana was a Love Child

[theboyfromxtown]

Clearly that wasn't true, a year earlier Diana was a Love Child

Very true and even Runaway Child Running Wild wasn't one of those "wholesome" songs about "love" that we were used to.

Interestingly, the article also mentioned a song about a fatherless son - something that was in the vault and unknown to us fans at that time. Apparently, the record company also didn't consider that right to release on the group at that time. I guess it must have been a Four Tops interview with that kind of detail because who else would have known about that song which eventually was issued on their Lost And Found compilation. At the time, I can remember wondering why they would record a song that had no chance of being released. But your very valid point about Love Child didn't resonate with me at the time.

[theboyfromxtown]

I think I may have read all that in a Four Tops Fan Club newsletter. Those newsletters were full of little nuggets of info...thanks to President Sharon Davis

[snakepit]

I think Motown made a mistake aftet HDH They seemed to think that Levi needed to be shouting at the top of his voice, but none of the producers had the HDH feel.
Ivy Hunter got nearest to that type of track post 1967.
The slower, mid tempo tunes, allowing Levi to sing in a mellow voice worked best..."Yesterdays Dre ams", " Do what you gotta do" etc.
The Lost and Found features a number of these "shouting" tracks..Levi can barely get the lyrics out.

[sup_fan]

Berry talks about the development of Love Child for DRATS and how they'd taken a very sensitive topic and made it work for the girls. in the story line it's DR that is the love child and she's pleading with her boyfriend that they not make the same mistake and risk a pregnancy. so there isn't a scandal so much because the singer/love child isn't making a mistake but it the unfortunate offspring of the error. and she's trying to make it right. that puts the listen in a sympathetic position with the lead singer and story line.

Barbara's Boy is a strong song IMO and you're right - those key changes are incredible. the tops are really outdoing themselves. but there are a few reasons this song might not create that same sympathetic feeling with the listener. 1) the lead singer and Barbara have already had sex and therefore broken the public taboo about pre-marital sex being "bad" 2) they weren't careful, supposedly 3) the male POV probably is going to always be less sympathetic as people might view him as having pressured barbara, who was probably a good girl [[obviously i don't know and i don't necessarily believe this, just stating what might have been public opinion at the time).

So while it's true that the lead singer is actually trying to be honorable and do what's right - he doesn't want to abandon his potential child, i think there are too many other things that might have been too "sensitive"

now is this song really all that scandalous? no. but motown wanted to avoid controversy at nearly all cost. Berry probably saw that Tops as too mainstream, that the Copa crowds wouldn't have wanted a Barbara's Boy song on the set list. so let's just avoid it altogether

[sup_fan]

i know this isn't a Soul Spin song but I always thought the Tops sounded great on Don't Let Him Take Your Love Away From Me. that song IMO sounds like something the Isley's would have done and by 69 they were gone from Motown. so there wasn't another male group competing with this sound there. quite different from the Temps psychedelic soul sound too. could have been a new thing for the guys