Ultimate Collection [Original recording remastered]

Marvelettes | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 10, 1998)
• Original Release Date: February 10, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Motown
• ASIN: B000001AOF
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #150,111 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Motown's first successful girl group, July 13, 2002

By 

Peter Durward Harris "Pete the music fan" (Leicester England) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ultimate Collection (Audio CD)

Before the Supremes or Martha and the Vandellas had any success, the Marvelettes were having big hits on a regular basis. The Supremes, who at that time had Florence Ballard as lead singer, didn't chart, while the Vandellas hadn't started then.

With two brilliant lead singers, Gladys Horton (particularly good at the powerhouse songs) and Wanda Young (softer, more seductive), they could do any R+B song with class and style.

After the Vandellas appeared on the scene, and the Supremes made Diana Ross their lead singer, the Marvelettes were markedly less successful despite continuing to make great records, although they did stage a mini-revival on the charts in 1967.

The standout tracks are Please Mr Postman (Motown's first number one hit by anybody, later covered by the Beatles and the Carpenters, who had their biggest British hit with the song), Beechwood 4-5789 (also covered by the Carpenters) and When you're young and in love (one of those 1967 hits, and their only British hit). Britain was slow to catch Motown fever, missing out on their early hits, despite that Beatles cover.

I believe the Marvelettes are the most under-appreciated of all Motown's stars, but their music is as good as any of the others (who I also enjoy). If you like Motown's other stars, you will surely enjoy this collection.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Collection In Print, July 3, 2003

By 

James E. Bagley "Jim Bagley" (Sanatoga, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ultimate Collection (Audio CD)

The Marvelettes were Motown's first successful girl group as well as their most under-rated. While the Supremes and the Vandellas have long ago booked entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Marvelettes don't even make it onto the ballot!

With 1961's "Please Mr. Postman," the Marvelettes - featuring Gladys Horton's gravelly, perky vocals - secured Motown's first number one pop hit (The Miracles' "Shop Around" from 1960 stopped short at number two). The follow-up hits in 1962 copied "Please Mr. Postman" thematically ("Twistin' Postman") and sonically ("Playboy") and then they branched out with the girl group ditties "Beechwood 4-5789" (1962) and "Too Many Fish In The Sea" (1964).

A change of direction was hinted at with their successful b-side ballad "Forever" which featured the seductive country vocals of Wanda Young. After hitting with a Supremes-like stomper "I'll Keep Holding On" (1965), Smokey Robinson took over as producer and installed Young as permanent lead singer. "Don't Mess With Bill" (1966), "The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game" (1967), and "My Baby Must Be A Magician" (1967) were instrumentally sparse mid-tempo gems that placed the emphasis on Young's sly delivery. They were followed by the lushly orchestrated "When You're Young And In Love" (1967) and "That's How Heartaches Are Made" (1969) which conclude this set.

At twenty-five tracks and containing all of their chart hits, this is the strongest set available of the marvelous Marvelettes. I give the slight edge to the out of print double-disc set DELIVER: THE SINGLES though as it contains their final singles "A Breathtaking Guy" and "Marionette" which, although they didn't chart, contain great Wanda Young performances (the original Marvelettes having disbanded, they are both basically solo Wanda recordings).

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fine single CD retrospective, March 15, 2008

By 

Matthew G. Sherwin (last seen screaming at Amazon customer service) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ultimate Collection (Audio CD)

The Ultimate Collection by The Marvelettes is a very strong single CD compilation of what fine artistry these young woman produced when they were a girl group! The sound is excellent and I like the artwork.

"Please Mr. Postman" starts the track set with one of their best huts ever; they sing and harmonize to perfection; the percussion and guitar work add a lot to this tune. "Please Mr. Postman" has the group singing of a young woman who wants an important letter from the man she loves. The melody is great, too--perfect for dancing! "So Long Baby" has them singing in a higher vocal range but it still holds its own very well; and I like the piano arrangement very much. Moreover, there's also "Beechwood 4-5789;" they sing this to perfection and this peppy little tune gets the royal treatment from these gals as they sing this one out strong! Awesome!

"Twistin' Postman" is a cute twisting dance number that really rocks well even all these years later; and The Marvelettes do a fine job on "Forever." "Forever" is a slow dance romantic tune that sounds so fresh even today; The Marvelettes perform this with panache and this impresses me greatly. "Too Many Fish In The Sea" was another of their biggest hits ever; you may well recognize this tune the moment you hear it. The percussion and hand clapping sound great and The Marvelettes sing this better than any other girl group ever could! I love it.

"Don't Mess With Bill" also scored big for this group; and the great sound quality makes you think that they're actually right there in your living room as you listen! The Marvelettes handle the tempo changes like the pros they always were and I predict that you'll enjoy "Don't Mess With Bill" very much.

"My Baby Must Be A Magician" has that classic Marvelettes sound and the young gals do a fine job on this; they sing and harmonize so well. The musical special effects work well, too. Listen also for "Here I Am Baby;" this tune benefits from their fine singing and the percussion is awesome!

Of course, another huge hit for this group was "When You're Young And In Love." This ballad features The Marvelettes front and center as they sing this so sweetly it sails straight out of the ballpark! It's a touching ballad that always moves me when I hear it; I really like "When You're Young And In Love."

Overall, this CD by The Marvelettes truly does deliver most of their greatest hits. There's not way for a single CD to capture everything they did to contribute to the arts but this comes pretty close in my book. I highly recommend this for fans of The Marvelettes; and people who like oldies music will appreciate this album as well.