MARTHA REEVES & THE VANDELLAS - Original Motown Classics [[Pair records - 1990)

[jbpintus]

I've come across an odd cd, that of MARTHA REEVES & THE VANDELLAS - Original Motown Classics, released on Pair records in 1990.

The Motown logo is there, the back cover says it is manufactured by Motown records and distributed by Pair records.

Although there's a 'double play - 2lps on 1 cd' stupid logo as it only lasts 41 minutes, this cd is quite interesting in that it features 5 tracks that did not appear on cd elsewhere in 1990.

"Leave it in the hands of Love", "I'm in love [[and I know it)" and "Show me the way" from the 1967 RIDIN HIGH lp make their first cd appearance here, taken from a master tape in the same mix as what would later be found on the UK 2fer of the lp in 2002 .

"Show Me the Way" seems to have a better seperation of the channels but I suspect this is because it is not remastered here and some sounds are lost, thus leaving the impression there's nothing at all during the introduction in the right channel.

"Tears on my pillow" and "Jealous lover" from 1963 COME AND GET THESE MEMORIES make their first cd appearance here. And they are in stereo, which makes their first stereo release anywhere.

Does anybody know the history of that cd ?

JB

[Kamasu_Jr]

Used to have the vinyl LP somewhere.

[George Solomon]

We did a bunch of Motown special products cassettes back in the early 90's. They had 8 songs a piece with just a few hits and the rest LP tracks. On the sets that I compiled I tried to use songs that hadn't been available for a while. I'm not 100 percent sure but I think Pair records took two of Martha's special products cassettes and put them on 1 CD.

[Kamasu_Jr]

But the original post said the Pair disc predates those 1990s Motown cassettes, which had great picture covers. I think the Pair disc/album had a photo of MARTHA, ROZ & LOIS in green or an artist illustration. I Forget exactly.

[booty]

There was a series of 5 albums issued through Pair Records during the late Seventies.

KK1007 - The Best Of The Spinners
KK1008 - Diana Ross - Touch Me In The Morning
KK1009 - The Temptations - Masterpiece
KK1010 - The Best Of The Four Tops
KK1011 - Marvin Gaye - Greatest Hits Volume 2

[reese]

The not yet on cd cuts were the main reason I bought the Vandellas Pair collection. As I recall, the cassette was released before the cd. At least, I know I saw the cassette first.

At the same time, there was a Mary Wells collection released on Pair. Again, I remember seeing the cassette first, and the cd later. Mary's collection used one of her Epic-era photos on the cover. I never saw either on vinyl.

[Kamasu_Jr]

I tried to locate the vinyl LP. I couldn't find it. But I am thinking this was a vinyl LP and then a CD. The cassettes George is talking about came out in the 1990s. Can someone post a photo of the album in question? BOOTY, I have seen those Kory albums. We have three, but not the ones by Marvin Gaye or the Four Tops. I'm certain they were bought for the covers.

[jbpintus]

I'm trying to post scans of the cd but it just doen't seem to work :-[[

Thanks for the replies anyway!

JB

[reese]

I tried to locate the vinyl LP. I couldn't find it. But I am thinking this was a vinyl LP and then a CD. The cassettes George is talking about came out in the 1990s. Can someone post a photo of the album in question? BOOTY, I have seen those Kory albums. We have three, but not the ones by Marvin Gaye or the Four Tops. I'm certain they were bought for the covers.

I actually bought the Pair cassette first because Tower did not have the release on cd or vinyl. It was a little bit later that I bought the cd.

Later, I bought the special product cassettes that George mentioned, but to my memory, the lineups weren't the same as the Pair release. I remember the song GIVE HIM UP being on one of the Motown cassettes, but it is not on the Pair release.

I bought the Kory version of the TOUCH ME IN THE MORNING album, as it was a budget reissue, and I only had a small allowance. I remember seeing all of them in the $1.99 bin at Woolworth's. I gather Motown leased some of their albums to Kory and Pickwick as well.

[Kamasu_Jr]

Reese, you are just like my dad. You guys saw and collected practically everything. You two should have been pals, going on record hunts together. My dad says besides him, you remember all those old publications Hit PARADER, TAN, SOUL, BLACK STARS and most often you know about something he remembers, but no one else does. WE have boxes and trunks of memorabilia [[or junk as my mom calls it.) Fortunately, IT's being donated to the soul museum here.

[reese]

Reese, you are just like my dad. You guys saw and collected practically everything. You two should have been pals, going on record hunts together. My dad says besides him, you remember all those old publications Hit PARADER, TAN, SOUL, BLACK STARS and most often you know about something he remembers, but no one else does. WE have boxes and trunks of memorabilia [[or junk as my mom calls it.) Fortunately, IT's being donated to the soul museum here.

Your dad sounds like a nice guy. It is good that his memorabilia is being donated, giving others the chance to enjoy it.

[supremester]

I had a cassette that I bought in a gas station in 1992 that had 8 cuts on it by Martha - one was I Should Be Proud with the alternate ending. I have never seen or heard that other ending before and now it is unplayable. Did/do you choose those on purpose to add spice to collectors, or was it an error? While I prefer the released version, I LOVE hearing the alternate ending as it's a track I really love.

We did a bunch of Motown special products cassettes back in the early 90's. They had 8 songs a piece with just a few hits and the rest LP tracks. On the sets that I compiled I tried to use songs that hadn't been available for a while. I'm not 100 percent sure but I think Pair records took two of Martha's special products cassettes and put them on 1 CD.

[George Solomon]

These posts have helped jog my memory a little. That pear CD is not from the special product cassettes. I didn't do most of those. I got involved later and would throw some odd tracks in when I could. I remember doing "Love Is Here" by the Supremes "Reach Out & Touch" by Diana and some others. I recall that I did one on Martha that didn't come out called "Come And Get These Memories" with a few of those stereo tracks that ended up on the pear CD [[that's the connection I was thinking of). Also not released was "Stoned Love" by the Supremes. They later put it out on one of those Motown Legends budget CD's, tacked on a few more songs and used a photo of Diana, Mary and Flo instead of the 70's group.
I only know of two endings for "I Should Be Proud". The mono version and the stereo version are different. Additional back up voices on the stereo. I'm pretty sure that was the version on the cassette.

[Kamasu_Jr]

Interesting. My question is why did the labels tinker with the masters or remixes of certain songs? I have never paid I Should Be Proud that much attention. Now I'm going to listen to it again [[the mono and stereo versions) to see if I notice anything different. But I'm finding out most of the labels tinkered or changed mixes and that there are subtle differences between the mono singles and stereo versions of many songs.

[reese]

Interesting. My question is why did the labels tinker with the masters or remixes of certain songs? I have never paid I Should Be Proud that much attention. Now I'm going to listen to it again [[the mono and stereo versions) to see if I notice anything different. But I'm finding out most of the labels tinkered or changed mixes and that there are subtle differences between the mono singles and stereo versions of many songs.

Unless there is a different version out there, I didn't hear anything that startling between the mono version and stereo version of I SHOULD BE PROUD.

At the end of the stereo version, after the last chorus, right near the end, Martha sings "He's a victim of the evils of society. Oh, ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." On the mono version, they cut out the "Oh," but leave the "ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

Also, at the end of the stereo , the background vocals keep repeating "Should be proud. Evils of society." But on the mono, at the end, "Evils of society" is edited out.

There are probably some differences in the instrumentation, but what I wrote above is what I remember most.

[Kamasu_Jr]

Unless there is a different version out there, I didn't hear anything that startling between the mono version and stereo version of I SHOULD BE PROUD.

At the end of the stereo version, after the last chorus, right near the end, Martha sings "He's a victim of the evils of society. Oh, ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." On the mono version, they cut out the "Oh," but leave the "ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

Also, at the end of the stereo , the background vocals keep repeating "Should be proud. Evils of society." But on the mono, at the end, "Evils of society" is edited out.

There are probably some differences in the instrumentation, but what I wrote above is what I remember most.

I listened to both and noticed the differences. They are subtle.

[nabob]

It took a little work to find the CD since it was put away after getting the British two-fers that became available for Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, but tadaaah!

Full size scans easy to read can be seen at: http://sdrv.ms/117EcPM

[jbpintus]

Each Pear / Motown cd has 2 catalogue numbers.

I have three of those CDs, all titled ORIGINAL MOTOWN CLASSICS

PCD-2-1270 / MSD-95001 is the one on Mary Wells
PCD-2-1272 / MSD-95000 is the one on the Jackson 5
PCD-2-1275 / MSD-95005 is the one on Martha Reeves and the Vandellas

Although the sequencing of the catalogue numbers for Pair or Motown is not the same, something tells me at least three more CDs might exist - those numbered Motown MSD-95002, MSD-95003 and MSD-95004 / Pair PCD-2-1271, PCD-2-1273 and PCD-2-1274.

Anybody got a clue?

[mysterysinger]

Well....there's more. Priority Records / Motown [[MSD-95017)

[mysterysinger]

95002 is The Four Tops [[at least on cassette anyway)

[aarondillon2011@gmail.com]

I remember a couple of Supremes cassettes from very late 80's to about 1992 that had about 8 songs per cassette containing songs like Oowee Baby, Those Dj Shows, He's My Sunny Boy and a couple of Hits thrown in.

[RanRan79]

It took a little work to find the CD since it was put away after getting the British two-fers that became available for Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, but tadaaah!

Full size scans easy to read can be seen at: http://sdrv.ms/117EcPM

This is incredible! Last week I started to pose a question regarding this release but I couldn't remember much about it except some of the tracks and the cover photo. I purchased the cassette in the 90s. I believe it was my first Martha and the Vandellas purchase. Sometime around 2002, my niece, who was about two yrs old, picked my tape up and no trace of it has ever been found. For some reason I'm thinking the mix of "There He Is" was different than any other mix I have, but I'm going off memory and that may not be accurate.

[RanRan79]

I remember a couple of Supremes cassettes from very late 80's to about 1992 that had about 8 songs per cassette containing songs like Oowee Baby, Those Dj Shows, He's My Sunny Boy and a couple of Hits thrown in.

I still have a couple of them. One was called You Keep Me Hanging On and had a photo of FDM from one of those last photo sessions in the gold spiral gowns, and I recall that it had the title track, "A Breath Taking Guy" and "Over and Over". The other one I had was called...now I can't remember what it was called. Perhaps "My World Is Empty"? It had a photo of DRATS from probably their first photo session together in those pink choir robe looking dresses. I remember "I'll Set You Free", "In the Land of Make Believe" and "Fancy Passes" were on it.

[Bluebrock]

There was a series of 5 albums issued through Pair Records during the late Seventies.

KK1007 - The Best Of The Spinners
KK1008 - Diana Ross - Touch Me In The Morning
KK1009 - The Temptations - Masterpiece
KK1010 - The Best Of The Four Tops
KK1011 - Marvin Gaye - Greatest Hits Volume 2

That cover of "touch me in the morning" is the same cover as the vinyl copy i aquired back in the 70's. Not seen it for years.

[mysterysinger]

The Motown Legends series of cassettes featured slightly less familiar tracks in the main along with a couple of better known hits. When released on CD, bonus tracks were added - presumably due to the added length of time available on this media. One of my favourites was the Junior Walker CD that included some different tracks.

Track Listing

01 What Does It Take [[To Win Your Love) 2:27
02 Sexpot 4:02
03 Rise and Shine 3:39
04 Proud Mary 3:16
05 Ball Baby 7:31 bonus
06 Until You Come Back to Me [[That's What I'm Gonna Do) 4:11
07 Blow the House Down 4:02
08 In and Out 3:47
09 Shotgun 3:04
10 Never Can Say Goodbye 3:16 bonus
11 Urgent 4:42 bonus

[TomatoTom123]

I bought and downloaded that Junior Walker collection a while back. I did it to get the tracks I didn't have in CD quality... all of those from 1983's Blow The House Down, "Proud Mary", "Until You Come Back To Me" and "Never Can Say Goodbye". I'm not sure if it was my download but all the tracks had their intros cut... I mean, the track started a second of seconds into the song!!!

Did anyone else have this? Does anyone have the CD, and did you have the same problem?