Motown Sleeves

[ajk93]

I need some help on this topic...

I'm a little confused over the protective sleeves Motown issued with their albums.
I'm talking about those ads that showed all the "latest" releases and listed a
few songs on each album. They were divided by label [[Motown, Tamla, Gordy etc).
Anyway, my main question is: Did Motown always issue those on American albums?
For example, I have a Where Did Our Love Go Album with a Black and White sleeve
ad with a few albums pictured. I also have More Hits with a sleeve in color [[I have albums with this design through at least 1971). However, my Sam Cooke, my Sing HDH, have just a blank sleeve. Is this a sign of later pressings, lack of promotion, different pressing location, or what???

Sorry I couldn't get any pictures to back me up on this one...this may get a little confusing.

[ajk93]

A-Ha!!! There's an example of a "colored" sleeve in the back!!! This seems to be the most common...

[reese]

I think they issued those inner sleeves up until 1972. After that, they just used regular white sleeves or later, sleeves unique to the album itself with credits, lyrics, etc. . Maybe some of your copies that are missing these are later pressings or used?

[ajk93]

Hmmm... Well I know they aren't used!!! The pressing idea is possible, but it would have
to still be fairly early because neither of my examples are reiusses of any kind.

Thanks for you response Reese!!!

[reese]

When I bought a Motown album, I looked forward to seeing what sleeve would be contained almost as much as listening to the album itself.

[ajk93]

When I bought a Motown album, I looked forward to seeing what sleeve would be contained almost as much as listening to the album itself.

Hahaha... Me Too!!!!! It's so interesting to see some of the lesser known albums along side the hit albums. It's
also how I discovered artists like Barbara McNair.

[kenneth]

When I bought a Motown album, I looked forward to seeing what sleeve would be contained almost as much as listening to the album itself.

That's so funny to hear that. I used to always check off the ones I had and circle the ones I wanted.

I think the very earliest ones are those which included the Workshop label...including the sleeve which pictured the never released Four Tops "Breaking Through" album. I was always frustrated why I couldn't find that one in the cut-out bins or the thrift stores! I built almost my whole collection in the 88 cent bins at Arlan's, a Detroit area discount store similar to K-Mart. Marv2 will remember Arlan's, I am sure.

[reese]

I bought most of my classic Motown albums in the $1.99 bin at Bradlees or Woolworth's. So I usually ended up with the later color inner sleeves. But my next door neighbor had a ton of Motown albums, and she had the early black and white sleeves. I remember actually trading with her so that I could get them. That was when I first found out about very early Motown albums like THE MOTORTOWN REVUE LIVE AT THE APOLLO or very early Marvelettes albums that didn't make it to the later sleeves.

[ajk93]

I bought most of my classic Motown album in the $1.99 bin at Bradlees or Woolworth's. So I usually ended up with the later color inner sleeves. But my next door neighbor had a ton of Motown albums, and she had the early black and white sleeves. I remember actually trading with her so that I could get them.

Oh the little things in life we enjoy!!!

[paladin]

I still look back at some of those sleeves and remember how great it was back in the day. I also used to get mad because I always got the same ones........

[motony]

I s
aved my lunch money[[elementary & Jr. High)& got a 45RPM every week.Got LPS for B'day & Christmas & sometimes for good grades so the only LPs I had were Motown & a few Phil Spector, but loved lookin at those inner sleeves with all the LPs I couldn't afford.....but found some in those $1.00 bins at Zayres & JM Fields... couldn't beleive I got that "Nothin But a Man" soundtrack for $1.00 in about 1971.

[nabob]

16 scans of the sleeves have been uploaded to http://www.flickr.com/photos/24608030@N06/. Once you click on a photo, click on the "Plus Sign" between "Older" and "Newer" above the upper right hand corner of the picture. On the next screen click on "View All Sizes" in the upper right hand corner. The scans are large enough for reading.

[marv2]

That's so funny to hear that. I used to always check off the ones I had and circle the ones I wanted.

I think the very earliest ones are those which included the Workshop label...including the sleeve which pictured the never released Four Tops "Breaking Through" album. I was always frustrated why I couldn't find that one in the cut-out bins or the thrift stores! I built almost my whole collection in the 88 cent bins at Arlan's, a Detroit area discount store similar to K-Mart. Marv2 will remember Arlan's, I am sure.

Do I remember Arlans? HECK YEAH! LOL! It seems like just about every Saturday from the mid 60's on we were at Arlans or Tietke's or Hudsons! My mom shopped at Arlans for everything. I liked their popcorn and the mechanical pony they had outside hehehehehehe! Great memories. Thanks Kenneth.

[marv2]

I remember the inner sleeves from Motown. From the early sixties to the early seventies. We here in America were short changed when it came to picture sleeves for 45 singles.

ajk93, we pretty much got the inner sleeves with the small pictures of the other Motown releases in most of the albums. However, there were some that just had the blank white sleeve. This may have been a cost saving measure. I do know that some of the pressings I have from Phonodisc [[sp?) out of Canada, had only the blank white sleeve but with a protective plastic attached to it.

[daddyacey]

ajk93, just curious to your location , only because here in the U.S. we had the sleeves with the pictures on them on the first pressings and early cut outs up until about 72/73. I still keep and repair any damaged ones I find in used vintage L.P.'s I run across.

[ajk93]

Thanks nabob for the link!!! Thant was very interesting. It seems that in the 70's, they added
albums by the more obscure labels [[Black Forum, VIP) instead of the usual big 4. Question:
On the bottom right of 1970 C, what label is that with the "hook" logo?

Thank you marv and daddyacey for your answers. I'm in America, but when
sorting through my albums [[and I only have American releases), it struck me
as odd to run across some that didn't have an ad sleeve.

Does anyone know where Motown pressed their albums. Big companies like
Columbia and RCA had plants around the country, but what about Motown?

[kenneth]

Thanks nabob for the link!!! Thant was very interesting. It seems that in the 70's, they added
albums by the more obscure labels [[Black Forum, VIP) instead of the usual big 4. Question:
On the bottom right of 1970 C, what label is that with the "hook" logo?

I think you are referring to Chisa, a label which Motown didn't own but which it distributed, I believe. In the sleeve you're referring to the albums are by Letta Mbulu and the Jazz Crusaders.

Here you go, from

http://www.bsnpubs.com/motown/motownmisc.html

CHISA ALBUM DISCOGRAPHY:

The Chisa label was owned by Hugh Masekela and distributed by Motown. The Chisa label is red and pink with black print. "CHISA" above the center hole in white.

[ajk93]

I think you are referring to Chisa, a label which Motown didn't own but which it distributed, I believe. In the sleeve you're referring to the albums are by Letta Mbulu and the Jazz Crusaders.

A-Ha! Spot on Kenneth! I just looked at another sleeve farther down, 1971 C, and they used the same logo but with "Chisa" underneath. Thanks

[kenneth]

A-Ha! Spot on Kenneth! I just looked at another sleeve farther down, 1971 C, and they used the same logo but with "Chisa" underneath. Thanks

I guess I stared at those sleeves a lot, though unfortunately I don't think I have any of the Chisa LPs, with the possible exception of those 2 pictured.

[phil]

Here is an old inner sleeve, from my Mary Wells Live LP



Sorry for the bad quality of the picture, I'm not a pro !

[ajk93]

Nice photo Phil, Thanks for sharing.

[tomato tom]

Phil, I have that sleeve from my Marvelettes Playboy album. I think EMI in the UK advertised Tamla Motown Albums on their inner sleeves until 1972 or so. Might be wrong, date wise, but I have quite a few, and that seems to be the cut of time wise. Paulo xxx

[uptight]

Thank you marv and daddyacey for your answers. I'm in America, but when
sorting through my albums [[and I only have American releases), it struck me
as odd to run across some that didn't have an ad sleeve.

Does anyone know where Motown pressed their albums. Big companies like
Columbia and RCA had plants around the country, but what about Motown?

Sometimes in a second pressing of an album, they might include a plain white inner-sleeve, especially in the later 70s.

I believe every major record company used the Columbia and RCA pressing plants across the country. You can look at two different pressings of the same LP title and tell the difference. The flatness in the label was one giveaway. In the 60s, wasn't the pressing with the deep notch around the label [[resembling a gutter) the "RCA" version?

[ajk93]

Sometimes in a second pressing of an album, they might include a plain white inner-sleeve, especially in the later 70s.

I believe every major record company used the Columbia and RCA pressing plants across the country. You can look at two different pressings of the same LP title and tell the difference. The flatness in the label was one giveaway. In the 60s, wasn't the pressing with the deep notch around the label [[resembling a gutter) the "RCA" version?

Hmm...Interesting. I don't know why, but I always assumed RCA would print theirs, and Columbia would print
theirs, and that everyone had their own.

By "deep notch" do you mean that [[for example) on the MOTOWN map label, there's a ring. Versus other records
where the label would appear flat?

[nabob]

I have no answer for who printed the 60s and 70s LPs. By the 80s, RCA was stamping the LPs with their flexible, thin vinyl. Does anyone remember the Columbia Record Club? I bought most of my early stereo [1964-1966] albums through them. They were pressed on heavy vinyl of good quality that has held up for almost 50 years, with little surface noise. The labels lacked the small deep groove ring of the Motown LPs from the stores.

[uptight]

The flimsy vinyl discs were RCA's "Dynaflex" invention. I suppose it saved them money, designing such a light-weight record. Many of my early 70s Motown LPs [[including The Jackson 5 Third Album and Diana's first few albums) were this flexible version. But there were thicker pressings made at the same time.

ajk93: I preferred the "Columbia" pressings. They seemed to sound better. RCA's had the ugly deep groove near the perimeter of the label.

nabob, several years ago, I found a Columbia Record Club [[CRC) pressing of More Hits By The Supremes that seems to sound better than those made for retail stores.

[motony]

in the run off grooves of most of my Motown/Tamla/Gordy 45's of the 60's is in cursive Nashville Metra which I assumed was the pressing plant in Nashville.Tone Distributors in Miami was the major distributor for Motown in Florida.