Customer Reviews

Heaven Must Have Sent You (Dig)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The careers of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland, Jr. are the stuff of legend, resulting in well over 100 hits ranging over the four-decade span from 1962 to well into the 1990s. HDH helped shaped and molded the sound that put Detroit's Motown label on the map, and a multi-label salute to their work is long overdue. "Heaven Must Have Sent You: The Holland/Dozier/Holland Story" is a brand-new set from Universal's Hip-O reissue division, and it's a deluxe package in a fold-out cardboard "Eco-Pack" (which will undoubtedly frustrate standard jewel-box collectors).

Just trying to choose "only" four hours of material to represent HDH's career, spread out over three jam-packed CDs, must have been a daunting task for compilation producer Dana Smart (advised by Holland-Dozier-Holland themselves). You'll find both major #1 smashes as well as more-obscure singles, B-sides, and album tracks, along with a few bona fide rarities, like Dusty Springfield's non-charting "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes" and HDH's own "Where Did We Go Wrong." (How a Warner Bros. track like the Doobies' hit wound up on here must be a miracle of contractural negotation.) HDH are represented here not only as producers & songwriters, but also as performers, showcasing half-a-dozen of their own hits (few of which did as well as the songs they wrote and produced for others). This compilation also has several tracks not found on any other CDs (to my knowledge, anyway), including Lamont Dozier's excellent 1973 anti-war song "Fish Ain't Bitin'," as well as the rarely-heard long album version of "Trying to Hold On to My Woman." (The single version is preferable to me, and is arguably the best of their own solo hits.)

But how does the compilation sound? Well, first up, the good news: engineer Gavin Lurssen at LA's Mastering Lab (with Suha Gur and Kevin Reeves on the analog tape transfers) did an exceptional job, with every track sounding as good (or better) than it ever has. I thought in particular the bass sounded a little bit less "bloated" than it often does on a lot of Motown-era hits, save for The Supremes' "My World Is Empty without You," which pretty much has that characteristic sound imbedded in the original track. Kim Weston's "Helpless" sounded particularly clean, as did "(I'm a) Road Runner" and "You Can't Hurry Love," both of which have sounded very murky in the past. I noted both tracks present the full-length single versions, unlike the slightly-shorter versions that wound up on most earlier CDs.

But the bad news is: if you're a stereo fan, stay far, far away. More than 2/3 of this set is all mono, albeit the correct hit single versions originally issued on 45RPM records. Some of the mono versions are fairly rare, like "Give Me Just a Little More Time" and "Band of Gold," which I can't recall ever hearing in mono on a CD, so completists might want this set for that reason alone. Still, it's a bit of a disappointment.

The liner notes are a little lacking as well, providing an overall biographical profile, rather than an in-depth song-by-song story of how each was written and produced. The notes refer only obliquely to the acrimonious split between H-D-H and the Motown label over profits around 1967, but provides virtually no details. (Those lawsuits were still pending as of the late 1990s, and as far as I know, they have yet to be settled). The notes also refer to a split between Dozier and the Holland brothers in the early-1970s, which explains why the Invictus/Hot Wax label hits fizzled out so quickly, right around 1973. Regardless, the songs on this collection are a formidable powerhouse of some of the most memorable soul classics of that era, and are a reminder as to the importance of Holland-Dozier-Holland in pop music history.

I found this to be an unusual group of both over-exposed hits as well as bona fide obscurities, some of which deserved much better chart success. In particular, I thought The Originals' "Good Lovin' Is Just A Dime Away" (written and produced by Lamont Dozier for Motown in 1975), should have at least made the top 100, if not the Top 10 on the R&B charts; maybe radio programming execs were put off by the brief retro "vo-do-o-do's" in the intro.

Since this 3-disc set is budget-priced at under $35, I'd recommend it with some reservations, for those looking for the handful of rarities plus the particularly clean-sounding mono tracks. But stereo fans should look elsewhere.

Fisrt of all--the packaging is excellent and it includes a booklet that tells of the history of HDH. Eddie Holland was also a singer in his own right and I wish I could find his record LAST NIGHT I HAD A VISION, and I love Brian's rendition of DON'T LEAVE ME STARVING plus Lamont's WHY CAN'T WE BE LOVERS. This was worth the wait and I recommend it highly especially if you liked I GOTTA DANCE TO KEEP FROM CRYING and QUICKSAND etc.

If you're not familiar with the names Holland/Dozier/Holland as in Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland, it's certain you're familiar with the hit songs they wrote. As the liner notes put it best, "This is the story of American popular song." This songwriting team is as famous as George and Ira Gershwin, Lerner and Lowe, and can be considered in the ranks of Brits Lennon and McCartney. Perhaps I should just cut to the chase and name some of the songs they've written and the artists that have performed them. The Supremes' "Where Did Our Love Go" and every other one of their dozen #1 hits, including "You Can't Hurry Love," "Baby Love," "Stop! In The Name Of Love," and "You Keep Me Hanging On." Other groups that struck gold with their magic, and that are included on this set, are The Four Tops, Martha & The Vandellas, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Marvin Gaye, Mary Wells and Michael Jackson. And those are just the Motown artists! Remember favorites such as Freda Payne's "Band Of Gold," The Chairmen of the Board's "Give Me Just A Little More Time" and hits by Dusty Springfield, The Doobie Brothers and Simply Red? Those artists and recordings are also represented on this amazing collection. This is one of the finest box sets from one of the most prolific songwriting teams in American history. All in all, there are three CD's and 65 songs accompanied by a gorgeous 27 page booklet that will be cherished by any collector of this music and anyone who appreciates some of the best pop songs ever written and recorded. If you have special memories of these songs and still groove to the beat of these treasured recordings, this collection is a must. Whenever I listen to this set, "I Hear A Symphony."

Motown's composing team Holland/Dozier/Holland,AKA H/D/H, is being saluted in two boxed sets. For the avid H/D/H fan, there's the three CD set "The Holland/Dozier/Holland Story," the first set to include their work as early Motown recording artists,as Motown staff writers/producers and their work as record moguls at Invictus Records. For that, this is a must buy for the collector.This compilaton does not include all their Motown hits and are in mono, except "Reflections," and the Invictus hits. For the audiophile, twenty two of the same songs, and seven excluded from the HDH story, can be found on the Motown Box set, in stereo. Buy both!

I give the music 5 stars, but I find this set to be woefully incomplete, giving short shrift to H-D-H's OWN Hot Wax & Invictus labels!

WHERE IS THE HONEY CONE? Hello..."Want Ads" was one of the biggest Pop & Soul #1's that H-D-H ever wrote and produced! Not to mention all of this fine girl group's other sassy, sexy, soulful Hot 100 hits!

There is just sooooo much missing. What about 80s hit covers of 60s H-D-H? Not that they topped the original artists' versions, but they introduced H-D-H to a whole new generation, most notably, "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by Kim Wylde.

Another missing gem is Phil Collin's 1988 #1 smash "Two Hearts", co-written by Phil with LAMONT DOZIER!

All in all, this is a disappointing track selection. I understand the limits of contracts with several labels, but more of an effort needed to be made at a cross-label retrospective that focused MUCH MORE on H-D-H's own Hot Wax/Invictus catalogue, and covers from the 80s and 90s ought to have been sought out for inclusion to bridge the time gap and show their continued relevance.

And lastly...why was EVERY #1 hit by (Diana Ross &) The Supremes included? Good grief, leave consumers a reason to purchase "The No. 1's" by DRS!

On a compilation that's supposedly devoted to the songs of Holland, Dozier and Holland, why include songs not written by them? Why include an overview of H-D-H's Invictus/Hot Wax labels and try to do it with just four singles? When you have access to the legendary Motown catalog and the finest versions of H-D-H's classic hits for The Supremes, The Four Tops, et al, why bother with cover versions? How in the world could they skip over important songs like Martha Reeves and The Vandellas' "Come Get These Memories" and "A Love Like Yours Don't Come Knockin' Every Day?" And how could they make the boneheaded mistake of presenting H-D-H's fabulous Motown productions in MONO? What a sin! There may be '60s records that sound as good in stereo as Motown's H-D-H productions, but none that sound better. This compilation is simply not focused. It wasn't well thought-out. That said, it's still the best collection available of the work of three of America's finest songwriting icons. Yes, I'm disappointed with this collection, but when I hear golden tracks like Kim Weston's "Take Me In Your Arms" and "Helpless," there's no way in Heaven that I could ever feel sorry I bought it.

The finest pop songwriters get a piece of their due with this three disc set. There were no finer writers than HDH during the second half of the twentieth century and this set is testimony to that. Sadly, most of these songs are available elsewhere and avid Motown fans will find this redundant. Great mono versions of a good chunk of their biggest hits but a second volume is called for with more of the post Motown output and a deeper look into the vaults for demos of some of the literally hundreds of top shelf songs these guys wrote. How did they do it? Don't have a clue but I sure do love these songs...

Long-time fan of Motown, this collection encapsulates the best of the best and besides, Holland is my last name, so I may be partial; you're halfway through and you realize, they wrote that one too? WOW. A great batch of singers and the songs which made them famous.

Motown's Famous trio Songwriters! Wrote Major Hits, for the Supremes, Four Top's,Temptations,Marvin Gaye,Stevie Wonder and More!
This is there best Collection EVER! I can't hardly wait for there 2009 Broadway Play Music of up coming "FIRST WIVES CLUB"!

I was a little disappointed to receive this as a gift, then again I basically have every song issued on this 3 box set either from other Motown comps, or individual reissues on Artists on CD. I thought it would have been greater if They had expanded this beyond a 3 box set because haven't we all seen the 10 ten hits 25 times over in the last 40+ years, and then the second round on 2nd tier Hot 100 and certain Non-charters are also well documented. It would have been better to see Album tracks and great B-Sides up there too, I know Holland Dozier Holland wrote some of the greatest hit songs of the 60's and early 70's but it would have been nice to expan beyond the obvious singles that most of us already know, and pull some intriguing items from old albums, reissues and unreleased Material. To me it's uncomplete when "Any Girl In Love" (The Supremes & Kim Weston) "I Hope You Had Better Luck Than I Did" (Marvelettes and Martha & The Vandellas) "Call on Me" (The Four Tops) or "Wheels of The City" (Barbara McNair & The Supremes) aren't among songs include....this is yet another Motown cash cow....