Brenda Holloway - Greatest Hits & Rare Classics [Karussell] [Import]

Brenda Holloway | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 21, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Polygram UK
• ASIN: B00000DB4M
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #123,597 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #27 in Music > Indie Music > R&B > Classic R&B

Track Listings

1. Every Little Bit Hurt

2. Who's Lovin' You

3. When I'm Gone

4. Just Look What You've Done

5. You've Made Me So Very Happy

6. Hurt A Little Everyday

7. Starting The Hurt All Over Again

8. How Many Times Did You Mean It

9. Operator

10. I'll Always Love You

11. Unchained Melody

12. I'll Be Available

13. I've Been Good To You

14. Where Were You

15. You Can Cry On My Shoulder

16. Favor For A Girl (With A Love Sick Heart)

17. I've Got To Find It

18. Together Till The End Of Time

Editorial Reviews

Here's that powerhouse voice in all its Motown glory: 18 tracks including every hit plus her best B-sides! Her original You've Made Me So Very Happy and breakthrough hit Every Little Bit Hurts join I'll Always Love You; Operator; When I'm Gone; Just Look What You've Done; Where Were You , and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BRENDA MAKES MY HEART MELT, July 4, 2004

By 

semaj emorej - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Brenda Holloway - Greatest Hits & Rare Classics [Karussell] (Audio CD)

the beautiful brenda holloway(born in atascadero,california) is more than just a beautiful singer.she is also a very talented musician.at the age of seven she studied violin and also played flute,cello,piano and also a very talented exceptional songwriter.she was also the first motown artist 2 record in los angeles,california.when she was at motown,she was also very outspoken towards motown's record company politics.i also have her 1964 album "every little bit hurts"/however,motown needs 2 do the right thing and re-release her classic 1967 album that featured her 1967 classic 'you've made me so very happy'that she had co-written with berry gordy,frank wilson,and her younger sister patrice holloway.it is a crime that motown has not released this classic 1967 album on cd.may the powers that be release it on cd.however,motown did release some more previously unreleased brenda holloway material on the double cd entitled "a cellarful of motown!"(2002).the 5 previously unreleased songs are:'all your love'/'how can i'/'my world is crumbling'/'who you gonna run to'/'trapped in a love affair'....'trapped in a love affair'with it's fast hypnotic groove is without a doubt an instant smash along with the very beautiful 'my world is crumbling'/and also inside of motown's vaults is her unreleased version of stevie wonder's 1966 classic 'all i do'(which was originally recorded on the beautiful tammi terrell then was recorded by wonder 14 years later on his classic 1980 album "hotter than july")...also included on "a cellarful of motown"is the appearance of brenda's younger sister patrice holloway,with the beautifully upbeat 'the touch of venus'/she sounds very similar 2 her older sister but the only difference is that brenda's voice is slightly deeper.brenda holloway is without question a legend that is underrated.this sweet, beautiful seductive singer has style,charisma,sophistication,grace,and elegance.they just don't have singers like this anymore.the very beautiful song 'you've made me so very happy'along with the very pretty ethereal 1965 classic'how many times did you mean it'alongside with her other motown classics makes my heart melt.her warm beautiful sincerity in her voice takes my heart in her arms.on 'you've made me so very happy'i hate 2 hear the song end because it is so beautiful....

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of Motown's greatest singers, January 30, 2005

By 

Laurence Upton (Wilts, UK) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Brenda Holloway - Greatest Hits & Rare Classics [Karussell] (Audio CD)

One of Motown's very greatest singers (although as she was based in Los Angeles and refused to play the record company game, somewhat undervalued), and a classically-trained violinist, Brenda Holloway made some of the most memorable singles on a label famous for its memorable singles.

All of the 9 singles released during her Motown lifetime turn up here (with 6 of their B-sides), including her two best known songs, Every Little Bit Hurts, on which she also plays cello, and You've Made Me So Very Happy, which she co-wrote along with her younger sister singer Patrice, Berry Gordy and Frank Wilson. Both of these are of course sublime and essential to any Motown collection.

The other 3 tracks are made up from Brenda Holloway's album Every Little Bit Hurts, from 1964, and include her soulful version of Unchained Melody. Who knows, perhaps it was hearing this that inspired Phil Spector to revive the song the following year?

Although this collections omit some excellent material, it does score over the earlier The Very Best Of Brenda Holloway by using stereo mixes for 6 of the tracks, though sadly this does not include Every Little Bit Hurts for which an excellent stereo master exists. Some of the mastering is slightly muddy on other tracks. Hurt A Little Every Day is by far the most disgraceful, sounding as if it was mastered from a well-worn stereo acetate, and without any explanation or disclaimer in the notes. 

Some of the tracks were produced in Detroit by Smokey Robinson and include versions of the Miracles' Who's Lovin' You and I've Been Good To You. There was an attempt to mould her as the new Mary Wells so versions of her 1962 B-side Operator and When I'm Gone (which Mary Wells had recorded but which Motown did not release until 1966) were made at this time. She does a great job on them but was unhappy with the direction she was being obliged to take and returned to Los Angeles before the sessions were complete.

An expanded retrospective using new mixes from best quality stereo masters and including unreleased material is badly needed, and a 2CD set seems to be in the pipeline, but until then this needs to be on your Motown shelf

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A note about sound quality: " If you thought this was bad ....", November 23, 2005

By 

James E. Anderson (Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Brenda Holloway - Greatest Hits & Rare Classics [Karussell] (Audio CD)

The previous review by Laurence Upton refers to a then forthcoming 2cd set and hoped for better sound quality. Unfortunately the 2005 double cd Brenda Holloway: The Motown Anthology on the Universal Music label doesn't deliver.
This Karussell CD sounds like cutting edge hifi in comparison and the emotion conveyed in her voice gives me goosebumps.

Just a few examples: Every Little Bit Hurts on the Universal double is in stereo but with so much sonic information lost the emotion is lost.

James Jamerson's (?) infectious bass guitar on Starting the Hurt All Over Again is almost inaudible on Universal's, the whole thing again sounds flat whereas with the mastering on this Karussell CD I can't help but dance.

Hurt A Little Everyday though poor in sound still gives me tingles - the version on the Universal doesn't, due to the much worse sound.
(Because the Universal set has a really nice collection of 48 songs I bought it despite the rotten sound - I play it while driving).

So, if you want to be thrilled by Brenda's vocals and the wonderful musicians backing her, I think this will deliver.