Mary Wells twofer coming out on Ace/Kent

**mr_postman** · 10-24-2012, 03:09 PM

To all of us who were thrilled about SOMETHING NEW: MOTOWN LOST & FOUND when it was announced, but wondered where the rumoured box set that were supposed to collect all her albums went? I believe I'm bringing you the answer. According to their own website Ace/Kent are coupling Mary's two first albums into one release. Perhaps the rest of her albums will follow in due time.

Here's the link: http://acerecords.co.uk/the-one-who-...you-two-lovers

**roger** · 10-24-2012, 03:37 PM

Originally Posted by mr_postman

To all of us who were thrilled about SOMETHING NEW: MOTOWN LOST & FOUND when it was announced, but wondered where the rumoured box set that were supposed to collect all her albums went? I believe I'm bringing you the answer. According to their own website Ace/Kent are coupling Mary's two first albums into one release. Perhaps the rest of her albums will follow in due time.

Here's the link: http://acerecords.co.uk/the-one-who-...you-two-lovers

Actually, mr_postman, these are her 2nd and 3rd L.Ps .. the first one was "Bye Bye Baby" in 1961, which was also the first ever L.P. on the Motown label ..

Track listings etc .. are to be found in this discography ..

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

Roger

**lakedistrictlad1** · 10-24-2012, 03:54 PM

I know this is going to sound unbelievably ungrateful - especially as ACE do such a great job - but I'm slightly disappointed Mary's complete albums were not collected together as a box set by Hip-O in the same vein as the Marvelettes sets.
I think I just got it into my head that's how they would be presented. I'm just not keen on 2fer cd's. Especially with no bonus tracks.
I hope that this new cd has newly mastered tracks. At least it means I can ditch my original 1980's cd's at last.

**mr_postman** · 10-24-2012, 04:24 PM

Roger, I can't believe I forgot about "Bye Bye Baby"! You're right of course. I wonder why they're skipping "BBB"?

**reese** · 10-24-2012, 05:00 PM

Originally Posted by mr_postman

Roger, I can't believe I forgot about "Bye Bye Baby"! You're right of course. I wonder why they're skipping "BBB"?

Maybe it has something to do with the 50-year public domain rule? Of course, THE ONE WHO REALLY LOVES YOU would fall under that as well, or will soon.

**Kamasu_Jr** · 10-24-2012, 06:37 PM

Originally Posted by mr_postman

Roger, I can't believe I forgot about "Bye Bye Baby"! You're right of course. I wonder why they're skipping "BBB"?

Mary Wells' first album, Bye Bye Baby/I Don't Want To Take A Chance is readily available on digital disc. Some company has recently reissued it and it was reissued in the UK earlier this year. Good we will have The One who Really Loves You available again. Discs of it are selling for $35.00 and Up. These two albums did make the Billboard charts. I think they were both Top 10 albums, according to Peter Benjaminson's book.

**johnny_raven** · 10-24-2012, 06:53 PM

Originally Posted by lakedistrictlad1

I know this is going to sound unbelievably ungrateful - especially as ACE do such a great job - but I'm slightly disappointed Mary's complete albums were not collected together as a box set by Hip-O in the same vein as the Marvelettes sets.
I think I just got it into my head that's how they would be presented. I'm just not keen on 2fer cd's. Especially with no bonus tracks.
I hope that this new cd has newly mastered tracks. At least it means I can ditch my original 1980's cd's at last.

You might want to hold onto your 80's CDs as they are in stereo. This new release is in mono.

**reese** · 10-24-2012, 07:13 PM

Originally Posted by Kamasu_Jr

Mary Wells' first album, Bye Bye Baby/I Don't Want To Take A Chance is readily available on digital disc. Some company has recently reissued it and it was reissued in the UK earlier this year. Good we will have The One who Really Loves You available again. Discs of it are selling for $35.00 and Up. These two albums did make the Billboard charts. I think they were both Top 10 albums, according to Peter Benjaminson's book.

Benjamin's discography had Mary's first album to chart as TWO LOVERS, which hit #49.

**Kamasu_Jr** · 10-24-2012, 07:15 PM

I think he said they both charted and one or both were Top 10 or Top 20 LPs. I gotta look at the book again.

**jboy88** · 10-24-2012, 08:43 PM

WOW! This is turning out to be a good year for Mary Wells fans. Her complete 20th Century Fox output, unreleased Motown,etc.

**johnjeb** · 10-24-2012, 08:47 PM

Originally Posted by lakedistrictlad1

- but I'm slightly disappointed Mary's complete albums were not collected together as a box set by Hip-O in the same vein as the Marvelettes sets.

That would have been my wish, as well.

I have Mary Wells' original 1980s CDs that suit me fine. I doubt I will be buying the Ace/Kent CD but I would have definitely considered purchasing a Hip-O set similar to The Marvelettes two sets.

**kenneth** · 10-24-2012, 11:07 PM

Originally Posted by johnjeb

That would have been my wish, as well.

I have Mary Wells' original 1980s CDs that suit me fine. I doubt I will be buying the Ace/Kent CD but I would have definitely considered purchasing a Hip-O set similar to The Marvelettes two sets.

I have the old Motown 2-fers as well [[I think Wells had two of them), but you can't beat Ace/Kent for remastering. Their Motown issues have a really dynamic, bright sound. To my ears, Hip-O's mastering on the early Motown material isn't nearly as immediate or vibrant sounding though of course I love their catalog. Some of their reissues sound a little flat to me. So I'll be buying this one and replacing the old [[has it really been 20 years?) 2-fers if they continue to reissue the Wells catalog.

**calvin** · 10-24-2012, 11:27 PM

Originally Posted by reese

Maybe it has something to do with the 50-year public domain rule? Of course, THE ONE WHO REALLY LOVES YOU would fall under that as well, or will soon.

In 2011, the EU changed the copyright law so that going forward - starting with 1962 - it will be 70 years instead of 50. So The One Who Really Loves You and other 1962 Motown titles not go into the public domain in the EU next year.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011...fs-law-beatles

I think you might be right about why Ace is skipping Bye Bye Baby, it just got released by Hallmark [[and also as part of some multi-set with other 1961 Motown LPs) and Ace might be afraid there's not enough appetite for another version. Still, if it had been paired with TOWRLY, that's a different product...

That's a shame if these public domain vinyl rips prevented a legitimate, high quality release from the master tapes [[which I would have bought). On the other hand, would The Great Gospel Stars and Twistin' Kings LPs ever have seen the light of day on cd if they hadn't gone into the public domain?

I have the 80s two-fers, BBB/TOWRLY, Two Lovers/My Guy. I think that BBB is the only one of these 4 LPs that is mono on these cds. I'll be happy to get remastered mono versions of TOWRLY and Two Lovers. And the Ace releases have excellent sound quality.

It is also possible to put together a good quality mono version of BBB from more recent releases. Most of the songs on BBB are in The Complete Singles set [[I'm assuming that the single and LP versions are the same, though I haven't checked this). Those that are not can be found elsewhere - Shop Around and Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide on the "Early Classics" cd [[in mono), and I Love The Way You Love and Bad Boy on "Looking Back" [[also in mono).

**calvin** · 10-25-2012, 12:18 AM

In a seperate thread Keith Hughes announces the new release and says that these are the first mono releases of these LPs on cd. So maybe this is why BBB was skipped - the old two-fer version is mono, there are all of these public domain vinyl rips of the LP, and as I wrote above, all the songs from BBB are available in mono on more recent releases [[though I guess you have to pay up for Looking Back, or buy it used).

**roger** · 10-25-2012, 06:17 AM

Originally Posted by Kamasu_Jr

I think he said they both charted and one or both were Top 10 or Top 20 LPs. I gotta look at the book again.

Joel Whitburn has the "Two Lovers" L.P. peaking at #49 on the Billboard Top "Pop" albums. Debuting on March 16th 1963 and spending 8 weeks on the chart. No chart entry for "The One Who Really Loves You". That bsn discography I posted the link to actually includes the Billboard chart positions.

Roger

**marybrewster** · 10-25-2012, 08:35 AM

This is turning out to be a great year for Mary Wells! Thanks for posting this information!

**Kamasu_Jr** · 10-25-2012, 05:01 PM

Originally Posted by roger

Joel Whitburn has the "Two Lovers" L.P. peaking at #49 on the Billboard Top "Pop" albums. Debuting on March 16th 1963 and spending 8 weeks on the chart. No chart entry for "The One Who Really Loves You". That bsn discography I posted the link to actually includes the Billboard chart positions.

Roger

You're correct.