Motown blunders

**captainjames** · 10-10-2010, 08:05 AM

I thought this might be fun to see if we can come up with all the Motown blunders or mistakes that were made on 45 or album covers.

I can think of two right off the top of my head

Meet the Supremes listed "The Boy That Got Away" on the album song list but it never appeared on the album nor was it corrected.

The Marvelettes album misspelled album “Marvellets" [[I can't believe I still have this album).

**sup_fan** · 10-10-2010, 08:34 AM

i don't know if this is a blunder but it's certainly inconsistent. the whole "diane" vs "diana" thing on the liner notes of their early lps. sometimes she's one while sometimes the other

when they re-released Meet the Supremes with the new cover art, Flo and Mary are reversed, in terms of positions. on the original mary is on the left stool. in the re-issue, flo is pictured on the left. but motown only redid the front cover, not the back and liner notes. so on the re-issue you have mary and flo mis-identified

i've read that A Go Go was originally either planned or maybe some first runs with green type. then changed to blue.

**johnjeb** · 10-10-2010, 11:13 AM

My all-time favorite is of The Marvelettes' single "Too Many Fish In The Sea". Some copies had the misspelling of TWO in the song title. My copy is a Tamla 54105 globe label.

Another oversight would be of the original never-issued Reflections album cover, containing three pictures of Flo, which was pictured on 45 sleeves that advertised the current Motown albums.

useyourchucklemuscle · 10-10-2010, 01:41 PM

My favourite Motown blunders are all the records released as 'The Supremes' when they are really Diana Ross solo records with backpart vocals sung by any combination of Louvain Demps, Jackie Hicks , Marlene Barrow, Pat Lewis, Patrice Holloway, Telma Hopkins, Joyce Vincent, Pam Vincent, Diane Lewis, Julia Waters and Maxine Waters or Jean Terrell solo records with backpart vocals from Clydie King, Venetta Fields and Sherlie Matthews!!!
What a kerfufle!

topdiva1 · 10-10-2010, 01:44 PM

Originally Posted by johnjeb

My all-time favorite is of The Marvelettes' single "Too Many Fish In The Sea". Some copies had the misspelling of TWO in the song title. My copy is a Tamla 54105 globe label.

Another oversight would be of the original never-issued Reflections album cover, containing three pictures of Flo, which was pictured on 45 sleeves that advertised the current Motown albums.

Do you think that The Reflections real cover was and oversight? Most likely not - it shows that they had not planned the firing of Flo Ballard at that time - when things came to a head and Flo was out - I think that scrambled to redo the REFLECTIONS album cover on the cheap - by the old ""cut and paste" trick -

**MotownSteve** · 10-10-2010, 01:51 PM

I'm not sure about this one but in the song 'Cindy' by the Temptations David sings 'Mix takes are made to sometimes make'.

**sup_fan** · 10-10-2010, 01:58 PM

i haven't seen one of the "flo" reflections covers except on those 45 promo sleeves. and apparently there are some first pressings with the new cover just pasted over the old one. but it was the single that was released right at the time of flo's departure. the lp didn't come out until early 68, long after Flo was gone. never understood why they approached the lp cover graphics this way. seems odd - clearly by early 68 flo was GONE!!

**luke** · 10-10-2010, 02:12 PM

Can anyone post the original cover?

**bradsupremes** · 10-10-2010, 03:56 PM

Originally Posted by useyourchucklemuscle

My favourite Motown blunders are all the records released as 'The Supremes' when they are really Diana Ross solo records with backpart vocals sung by any combination of Louvain Demps, Jackie Hicks , Marlene Barrow, Pat Lewis, Patrice Holloway, Telma Hopkins, Joyce Vincent, Pam Vincent, Diane Lewis, Julia Waters and Maxine Waters or Jean Terrell solo records with backpart vocals from Clydie King, Venetta Fields and Sherlie Matthews!!!
What a kerfufle!

This applies more to those records released as "The Marvelettes," "The Vandellas," and "The Velvelettes."

**copley** · 10-10-2010, 03:59 PM

Do you mean this one? This is on the cover of the album & CD that I have.

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useyourchucklemuscle · 10-10-2010, 05:39 PM

Originally Posted by bradsupremes

This applies more to those records released as "The Marvelettes," "The Vandellas," and "The Velvelettes."

I think this should read 'this applies as much to.........'!

**copley** · 10-10-2010, 05:40 PM

Originally Posted by captainjames

I thought this might be fun to see if we can come up with all the Motown blunders or mistakes that were made on 45 or album covers.

I can think of two right off the top of my head

Meet the Supremes listed "The Boy That Got Away" on the album song list but it never appeared on the album nor was it corrected.

The Marvelettes album misspelled album “Marvellets" [[I can't believe I still have this album).

I think that you are actually referring to 'The Marveletts Sing'.

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**johnjeb** · 10-10-2010, 07:34 PM

My comment regarding the Reflections LP cover is that the oversight was in using the original LP graphic on the 45 sleeves rather than the graphic of the actual release. Either someone didn't notice or someone didn't care or it was too late to make changes. They didn't realize that an obsessed fan with a magnifying glass and nothing better to do would notice. [[I probably was avoiding getting something of importance accomplished.)

But then on further reflection [[pun intended) maybe someone was giving fans a little treat by using that graphic hoping it would get noticed!

**Glenpwood** · 10-10-2010, 09:11 PM

Can someone scan in the Flo Reflections cover from the 45 sleeve so we can see the difference?

**reese** · 10-10-2010, 09:22 PM

On the back of the LOVE CHILD album, the songs YOU AIN'T LIVIN' TILL YOU'RE LOVIN' and CHAINS OF LOVE are listed out of order.

On the record label of TOGETHER [[Supremes/Tempts), sides 1 and 2 are reversed from what appears on the album cover.

**marybrewster** · 10-10-2010, 09:59 PM

One blunder I can think of: isn't the correct "I'll Be There" lyric: "Just look over your shoulder, honey", but Michael says 'shoulders'?

And I don't know if this is so much a "blunder" but: My "Love Child" LP has two "Side 1" labels. It's always a challenge to get the correct side when playing it, LOL.

**nomis** · 10-10-2010, 10:13 PM

My 25th anniversary cd vol 2 has incorrect listings of the coca cola commercials...

**Glenpwood** · 10-10-2010, 10:22 PM

The copy of the "Diana" LP I bought as a kid has one side labeled as that album and the other labeled as a Grover Washington Jr. Disc....

**captainjames** · 10-10-2010, 11:00 PM

Reese and Glenpwood I think you have rare copies I have never heard of those before.

**nomis** · 10-10-2010, 11:31 PM

Theres PLENTY of foreign picture cover singles using Flo photos after she had left....

**road runner** · 10-11-2010, 01:42 AM

The liner notes on "Moods of Marvin Gaye" mention "Pretty Little Baby" but that song is not on the album. "The Marvelettes" EP lists "Keep Off, No Tresspassing" on the cover and label but "When I Need You" is on the record.

**captainjames** · 10-11-2010, 09:34 AM

There are two back covers for "At The Copa" by the Supremes [[one has a drawing of the girls and one doesn't). Does anyone know why that was done and which one came first ?

**jsmith** · 10-11-2010, 10:52 AM

Back to Flo & the Supremes ........
.. here's a 1968 picture cover to a 45 released to tie in with some
Swedish concerts undertaken in Feb 68 ....
Attachment 1487

**marybrewster** · 10-11-2010, 10:55 AM

Originally Posted by captainjames

There are two back covers for "At The Copa" by the Supremes [[one has a drawing of the girls and one doesn't). Does anyone know why that was done and which one came first ?

Good question; I happen to have both copies.

**captainjames** · 10-11-2010, 01:49 PM

Marybrewster you lucky person, I would hold on to those two copies you may be sitting on a goldmine.

**marv2** · 10-11-2010, 02:24 PM

On the label for the 12" version of Mary Wilson's "Red Hot" it states that it is from the Motown album "Mary Martin". LOL!!!!

**tomato tom** · 10-11-2010, 04:50 PM

I have quite a few U.K. TMG 45s that have the B side label pressed on both sides of the single. Also have Edwin Starr Hell Up In Harlem Soundrack LP on MOTOWN u.s. that has has the b side label pressed on both sides of the vinyl. Got Jr Walker & The All Stars Shotgun 45 on SOUL that has distributed by Bell Record etc blacked out on the bottom and has the group name and song title reversed. I have others too, I cant recall right now.Paulo XXX

topdiva1 · 10-11-2010, 05:34 PM

Originally Posted by captainjames

Marybrewster you lucky person, I would hold on to those two copies you may be sitting on a goldmine.

These are not that rare - I have seen both of them many times in thrift stores, etc.

**nabob** · 10-11-2010, 06:29 PM

Florence had been long gone and never sang with the 70s Supremes when this budget CD appeared in 1995.

**nomis** · 10-11-2010, 06:33 PM

Didnt the Evening With Diana Ross cd list a song in the Motown medley that she didnt sing?

**reese** · 10-11-2010, 06:38 PM

Originally Posted by captainjames

There are two back covers for "At The Copa" by the Supremes [[one has a drawing of the girls and one doesn't). Does anyone know why that was done and which one came first ?

I don't know for sure. I assume the back cover with just the liner notes came out first. Then after the album became such a big hit, they decided to reissue it with the rear drawing of the girls.

Another mistake / blunder: on the back of the REFLECTIONS album, Diana writes that she is 22, when she was actually 24.

Big blunder: on initial pressings of the FOREVER DIANA boxed set, the song SURRENDER is listed. But on the disc itself, the song I CAN'T GIVE BACK THE LOVE I FEEL FOR YOU is its place.

**reese** · 10-11-2010, 06:41 PM

Originally Posted by nomis

Didnt the Evening With Diana Ross cd list a song in the Motown medley that she didnt sing?

Not on the pressing that I have. But one of the songs from A CHORUS LINE was called IMPROVISATIONS on the album, but was re-titled I HOPE I GET IT on the cd.

**Glenpwood** · 10-11-2010, 09:35 PM

Originally Posted by nabob

Florence had been long gone and never sang with the 70s Supremes when this budget CD appeared in 1995.

The same executive that told George Solomon that no one would know the difference when he pointed out they were going to put a picture of DRATS and the Temps on the cover of the Supremes / Four Tops GHARC must have approved that cover....

**johnjeb** · 10-11-2010, 10:11 PM

The original Copa release had the graphic of the girls with the spotlight on the back. I received this album [[actually two of them!) for Christmas 1965, a month after its' release. I've always loved this graphic.

The back cover without the graphic of the girls came later. Probably done to enlarge the notes from Sammy Davis Jr. to a more readable font. This gave the back cover a rather plain and boring appearance.

Of course I prefer the original. I would love it on a t-shirt. I wonder if it was done by someone in the Motown art department. There does not appear to be an artist signature.

Copa, More Hits and Merry Christmas, all from 1965, had the best back covers, in my opinion.

**captainjames** · 10-11-2010, 10:30 PM

All The Great Hits by Diana Ross was released [[and I don't believe that many went out in the inital pressing) had the short version of "Ani't No Mountain High Enough" and was re-released with the full version.

**longtimefan** · 10-12-2010, 10:51 AM

I am interested in the picture of the LP posted above. The colors are SO vibrant. I have the album, too, and the colors are dull like the CD. Was this album reprinted with "brighter" colors at some point?

**sup_fan** · 10-12-2010, 11:49 AM

i thought the 2 back covers for Copa and the 2 back covers for Sing Rodgers & Hart was stereo vs mono.

**bradsupremes** · 10-12-2010, 05:30 PM

Wasn't the song 'This Night Was Made For Love' listed as 'Tonight Was Made For Love' on the Marvelettes pink album?

**nomis** · 10-12-2010, 09:31 PM

That goddamn awful Supremes medley on All The Great Hits vinyl and original cd pressing was a blunder if ever there was one...

**144man** · 10-13-2010, 06:54 AM

Not to do with 45s or album covers, but the biggest blunder Motown ever made was moving out of Detroit

**captainjames** · 10-13-2010, 07:57 AM

One or several of the biggest blunders that I think Motown made was releasing all those recordings under The Marvelettes, Diana Ross and The Supremes, etc. names when they could have used it as vehicle for solo recordings and kept the star within the group. I think the public would have embraced it more if they used it as "we" are not leaving the group "yet" but just testing the waters. Motown could have still kept their two for one artists and the public may have accepted it better.

**marybrewster** · 10-13-2010, 10:24 AM

Originally Posted by nomis

That goddamn awful Supremes medley on All The Great Hits vinyl and original cd pressing was a blunder if ever there was one...

Along those lines, I also think including the 4.5 hour "Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In" medley on the DRATS "Farewell" album was a big a** blunder. And Diana asking Steve Allen to sing along? Oye.

**sup_fan** · 10-13-2010, 10:43 AM

I think on an older thread [[perhaps on the old forum) Deke talked about the recordings for Farewell. it really was a compilation of the last shows, with bits and pieces combined or deleted as necessary. I believe the story goes that Aquarius ran even LONGER than what we got on the lp. all sorts of people asked to sing along, people jumping up out of their chairs and just singing for the hell of it. like a gospel tent revival

clearly that probably plays better in person than on lp. one could actually argue that most of the live lps are inferior to what you'd experience if you happened to what that exact same show live. look at Diana's hiccups during TCB - horrid on lp but live you have so many more dimensions than just audio

Randy brought up an interesting point in his latest Diana book. The Aquarius segment wasn't important because of the celebs singing or the fact that it droned on forever or for the fact that they were covering a major pop song of the era. the importance of it was that it really was the birth of Diana Ross the solo star. it was during the Farewell tour that they first did this component of the act where she left the confines of the stage and interacted directly with her audience - her "children" and "loves" so to speak. Now anyone can certainly take a hand mic and walk off a stage and sing. Jean probably could have done that. But Jean couldn't have had that magic of star and adoring public. I doubt neither could Mary. nor cindy. that's one of diana's unique appeals. this dazzling mega star yet she's just as in love with her audience as they are with her. All of the thrill of Reach Out And Touch and those segments of her solo career started with this segment in the Farewell tour

**tomato tom** · 10-13-2010, 01:01 PM

On the U.K. LP Motown disco classics Volume 5, The Velvelettes track He Was Really Sayin Something is actually The Marvelettes version,,,,Paulo XXX

**marybrewster** · 10-13-2010, 01:11 PM

Originally Posted by sup_fan

I think on an older thread [[perhaps on the old forum) Deke talked about the recordings for Farewell. it really was a compilation of the last shows, with bits and pieces combined or deleted as necessary. I believe the story goes that Aquarius ran even LONGER than what we got on the lp. all sorts of people asked to sing along, people jumping up out of their chairs and just singing for the hell of it. like a gospel tent revival

clearly that probably plays better in person than on lp. one could actually argue that most of the live lps are inferior to what you'd experience if you happened to what that exact same show live. look at Diana's hiccups during TCB - horrid on lp but live you have so many more dimensions than just audio

Randy brought up an interesting point in his latest Diana book. The Aquarius segment wasn't important because of the celebs singing or the fact that it droned on forever or for the fact that they were covering a major pop song of the era. the importance of it was that it really was the birth of Diana Ross the solo star. it was during the Farewell tour that they first did this component of the act where she left the confines of the stage and interacted directly with her audience - her "children" and "loves" so to speak. Now anyone can certainly take a hand mic and walk off a stage and sing. Jean probably could have done that. But Jean couldn't have had that magic of star and adoring public. I doubt neither could Mary. nor cindy. that's one of diana's unique appeals. this dazzling mega star yet she's just as in love with her audience as they are with her. All of the thrill of Reach Out And Touch and those segments of her solo career started with this segment in the Farewell tour

Mary couldn't 'cause her mic cord wasn't long enough.

To read your post, it actually makes perfect sense.

Now I don't recall, was "Farewell" released before "Diana Ross" or "Right On"?

**reese** · 10-13-2010, 01:52 PM

I think FAREWELL was issued in April of 1970, followed by RIGHT ON in May. Not sure when Diana's first solo album was released, but I think it was after both of them.

**danman869** · 10-13-2010, 03:47 PM

Originally Posted by jsmith

Back to Flo & the Supremes ........
.. here's a 1968 picture cover to a 45 released to tie in with some
Swedish concerts undertaken in Feb 68 ....
Attachment 1487

Not sure what your intention was with sharing this one... it's a picture sleeve dating to [[February) 1968 and shows [[l. to r.) Mary, Diana, and Cindy. This wasn't a blunder of accidentally using a picture of Flo after her departure.

**johnjeb** · 10-15-2010, 06:14 PM

I tried to post a pic of the small Reflections LP cover as it appeared on the 45 sleeve advertisements. However it blew up to the size of a 45 sleeve. It was blurry but you could still recognize the three pics of Flo. Maybe I'll try again next week. Off to Cape Cod tonight.

I saw the Farewell tour concerts 4 times over a two month period in the fall of 1969, in college concert halls and a theater in-the-round. Audiences loved Mary and Cindy. They would go into the audience and flirt while singing Big Spender! Mary's solo was also well received. Most of my teenage friends preferred Mary over Diana. Diana, indeed, was the brighter star and groomed to be such, but Mary shined in her role and was highly regarded by teenage Supremes fans.

As I've mentioned before, the comparison of the two is similar to the one over Ginger and Marianne from Gilligan's Island. Do you prefer the movie-star or the girl-next-door?

topdiva1 · 10-19-2010, 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by johnjeb

I tried to post a pic of the small Reflections LP cover as it appeared on the 45 sleeve advertisements. However it blew up to the size of a 45 sleeve. It was blurry but you could still recognize the three pics of Flo. Maybe I'll try again next week. Off to Cape Cod tonight.

I saw the Farewell tour concerts 4 times over a two month period in the fall of 1969, in college concert halls and a theater in-the-round. Audiences loved Mary and Cindy. They would go into the audience and flirt while singing Big Spender! Mary's solo was also well received. Most of my teenage friends preferred Mary over Diana. Diana, indeed, was the brighter star and groomed to be such, but Mary shined in her role and was highly regarded by teenage Supremes fans.

As I've mentioned before, the comparison of the two is similar to the one over Ginger and Marianne from Gilligan's Island. Do you prefer the movie-star or the girl-next-door?

Great post - and I like both the movie star and the girl next door - both great, both different, sensational together - and that is the real shame. of present day Diana Ross and Mary Wilson - they just do not get it yet.

**jillfoster** · 10-19-2010, 11:50 AM

Originally Posted by johnjeb

I saw the Farewell tour concerts 4 times over a two month period in the fall of 1969, in college concert halls and a theater in-the-round. Audiences loved Mary and Cindy. They would go into the audience and flirt while singing Big Spender! Mary's solo was also well received. Most of my teenage friends preferred Mary over Diana. Diana, indeed, was the brighter star and groomed to be such, but Mary shined in her role and was highly regarded by teenage Supremes fans.

It basically breaks down to gay guys and drag queen liking diana better, and the striaght men liking Mary better because she was the prettiest one. Mary was also sensual, where Diana was not.