Customer Reviews

Ultimate Collection

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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.

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).

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.

The Marvelettes story, among other things, is one of two very good, but entirely different lead singers - Gladys Horton & Wanda Young Rogers. As stated in the liner notes of a wonderful earlier set ("Deliver: The Singles"), and unlike the dissention in the Supremes, "There wasn't any competition between them to fight for lead vocals, Gladys points out, and she was happy to have Wanda share lead vocal duties."

The results here validate that claim. While there is some overlap in 1964, the beginning years from "Please Mr. Postman" up to "Too Many Fish In The Sea" served to immortalize Horton's voice in baby-boomers' memories. Gladys has a strong and authoritative delivery, especially on girl-to-girl advice songs such as warning one to stay away from that good for nothing "Playboy," or not to waste tears because there's too many fish in the sea.

In 1964, Mary Wells very abruptly decided (after some courtroom wrangling) to depart Motown, leaving producer Smokey Robinson short of the star who had been the most effective female mouthpiece for his songs ("My Guy," "Two Lovers" etc.). Aside from some brief and interesting works with Kim Weston and Brenda Holloway, Smokey set his interest on Wanda of the Marvelettes. The collective results - "Don't Mess With Bill," "The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game," "My Baby Must Be A Magician" and a few others - became the second half of the Marvelettes story and the era that immortalized Wanda's voice. Wanda stood shortest among the members of the group, and had a figure Mae West would approve. As you listen to her songs here, imagine her spotlighted in one of the skin-tight dresses Motown favored and...Ooo, baby! Smokey has said he liked to look within Motown groups for 'sleeping giants,' and he hit a jackpot in this case.

The oddest entry here is an instance where Berry Gordy took over the group for a single in 1963, "My Daddy Knows Best." Just like his hits "Money" & "Got A Job," "Daddy" is a showcase for Motown's conservative, work-ethic mind-set: 'While you're in poolrooms, you should be in schoolrooms,' (Daddy said)'Romance without finance can be a nuisance,' 'Don't care what you say, we've got to do it his way,' 'Don't say that he's mean, I have to tell him everything.' What's clear here is, that while it's been well documented how Berry Gordy mentored Smokey Robinson, in this instance, some of Smokey's cleverness with lyrics instructed Berry. 'Daddy' is a virtually perfect blend of the funky and the adorable.

I have read some criticism of the Marvelettes `adolescent sound,' particularly in the earlier material. Fair enough, but one should remember this group essentially went from senior classes in high school right into the recording studio. The Marvelettes were simply growing up along with their initial audience. If you missed the early 90s 2-disc set "Deliver: The Singles," that makes this 'Ultimate Collection' all the more a MUST have. But we should wish as well for the earlier, and more extensive set, to be reactivated.

Before DIANA ROSS AND THE SUPREMES became the biggest female act on Motown in 1964, there were The Marvelettes who put Motown on the map by securing the labels first NO.1 hit with the classic, PLEASE MR.POSTMAN which has been re-recorded by several artists and groups most notably being THE BEATLES and THE CARPENTERS. GLADYS HORTON was lead vocals on most of their recordings including on the sprinkling of hits they enjoyed eratically through the 60's such as PLAYBOY, BEACHWOOD - 45789 and THE HUNTER GETS CAPTURED BY THE GAME which can all be found on this definitive compilation which represents all of their greatest hits, a few album cuts and other obscurities. Not all of the tracks are brilliant but the vast majority of the album is very good and well worth a listen!

Wanda Rogers told me she never felt she and Gladys Horton sounded alike, but when I did an article on the Marvelettes for Goldmine the editors agreed we needed to indicate who did lead on what and it was Wanda who actually did the list for us. Both Gladys and Wanda were marvelous lead singers, saucy, warm, adaptable to the trickiest lyric or medley. The backgrounds in the early days, when Katherine, Georgianna and Juanita actually did them, were raucous and never anonymous. Later, the Andantes did all the backgrounds for all the girl group recordings at Motown and the sound was much sweeter for better or worse. Both Gladys and Wanda got some of the best songs from some of Motown's best creators over the years. If you can find the later Marvelettes albums, grab 'em. You'll find songs, symphonic-sized arrangements and vocals which will absolutely knock you out. Meanwhile, this is a great collection not to be missed.

The Marvelettes , Motown's first hitmaking girl group, have a fair representation on this collection but , a fan like me who is seventeen years olds has a hard time finding the groups albums or singles. The only hit in omission here I think is the Ann Bogan lead "I'm Gonna Hold on as Long as I can"(Pop#76 , 1969)this collection made wish for something more.I am satisfied with whats here , however , The Marvelettes raw and youthful sound is the paramount of traditional girl group sound (and modern girl groups like TLC and Motown's own 702 should take a listen). The sheer beauty of the later recordings , primarily "When You're Young and In Love" contrast perfectly , and show how longer careers at Motown showed a maturity in the particular act's talent.I think The Marvelettes never got the respect they deserved , and its best to give them the respect they deserve , and that might be done with a more complete collection , of course with all their hits, more B-sides , Please!!!! and some album tracks thrown in.

The Marvelettes were largely ignored by Berry Gordy (Motown head, who favoured the Supremes because of his relationship with Diana Ross) and were poorly promoted. And STILL they managed to turn some Holland-Lamont-Dozier castoffs into absolute ear candy. The tracks on this CD perfectly recap a somewhat neglected Motor City talent. The best are:
01. Please Mr. Postman; Motown's first no. 1 hit. A classic in all senses of the word. Intricate production and acrobatic vocals.
02. Playboy; Early Motown, similar to track 01 in feel; excellent, soulful vocals.
04. Beechwood 4-5789; The most famous phone number in Motown history; a superb song.
10. Forever; A slow Motown ballad; very interesting for this reason, an oddity almost, but a wonderful one.
15. Too Many Fish in The Sea; This sounds like an Atlantic recording (it evokes Aretha), and this makes it superb. If this doesn't make you dance, nothing will.
17. Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead; The closest Motown ever got to The Shangri-Las, with the possible exception of "Love Child".
18. Don't Mess With Bill; Jazzy, slinky production, supremely sexy vocals; possibly the Marvelettes second best song.
21. The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game; A classic, and yet tremendously underrated Motown production, and probably one of their most interesting, because of its organic feel. Later covered well by Blondie, who reworked the song using a heavy bass beat.
And did I mention? Sound quality is IMMACULATE.

The Marvelettes have never gotten the proper respect due to them. Of course Motown needs to re release all of thier orginal albums. This CD is good but I don't understand why put the flip side of "Strange I Know"? The flip "Too Strong To Be Strung Along" is off the album "Marvelous". I do recommend this CD to you if you are into the "Girls Groups" of the 60's.

The Marvelettes deserve a great amount of credit for the pioneering work they did for Motown, as is indicated in the other reviews. They really helped put Motown on the map with it's very first #1 pop hit, "Please Mr. Postman." Thus, they were the first Motown act to have a pop #1, their only one, as a matter of fact.

In the beginning, the Marvelettes were more of a rock and roll group. Their sound was closer to another Motown girl-group, the Velvelettes, primarily because lead singer Glady Horton's voice was similar to Cal Gill's of the Velvelettes. In fact, on one of the Marvelettes few early albums, and a great one at that [simply titled THE MARVELETTES], they cover "He Was Really Saying Something," a big cult classic for the Velvelettes, where one can more closely see the similarities. I believe Robert Bateman was one of the primary producers of Marvelettes tunes in those early years. It really is quite interesting, in fact and through this collection, to see the progession of musical styles. In the mid '60s, the focus was shifted more and more to Wanda Young Roger's more kittenish or sultry lead vocals, and a more soulful sound. Some people attribute this shift to the fact that Wanda married Bobby Rogers of the Miracles. Since more and more of their records were being produced by Smokey Robinson, he simply preferred her voice. In fact, Wanda's voice WAS more distinctive that Gladys', though certainly not stronger or better. Gladys, in fact, left the group in '67 or '68, very likely a result of this shift of focus. One might say that Wanda was the Billie Holiday of Motown, in more ways than vocally. [You can read all about it in Marc Taylor's 2004 book, THE ORIGINAL MARVELETTES: MOTOWN'S MYSTERY GIRL GROUP, which includes extensive input from original and long-time group member Katherine Schaffner. Compelling reading!]

The Marvelettes, however, as the '60s progressed, and as the Vandellas and the Supremes ascended, really became a Motown "B"-list group. That's not to say that there weren't some marvelous records. Were it not for Smokey's continuing interest, the group might have faded earlier and more quickly. Perhaps this is also attributable to these factors: Motown had such an over-abundance of talent and product in the mid '60s, the public's interest in the group ebbed-and-flowed over the years, and their chart success was a bit sporadic.

Still, the MUSIC is definitely worth having for any Motown fan, as it exemplifies the developing and ever-maturing sound and playing by all concerned: writers, musicians and singers. To the casual Motown fan, however, there will be several tunes on this collection which will be unfamiliar. That doesn't mean that the tunes are unworthy. Also, it is a more than adequate representation, on one disc, of the Marvelettes output.

For the record, this "ultimate collection" series aims to include all of the charting singles, in their original mono format, where available. The idea was to capture, as closely as possible, the sound that came out of your car radio, if you were around in the '60s. That doesn't mean that the collection sounds bad when played on current equipment. It just needs to be noted.

As a side note, and to correct another reviewer, the wonderful Gladys Horton does not sing lead on "The Hunter Gets Captured.." It absolutely is lead-sung by Wanda Young Rogers!

In this collection, all of the Smokey Robinson penned/produced tunes are especially tasty, "The Hunter Gets Captured..." and "Don't Mess With Bill," being the big standouts. These definitely rank with Motown's finest.