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Brenda Holloway was a beautiful young singer with a gorgeous voice, who started her recording career at Motown in 1964. She was always (in some ways) linked to other superstar female acts at the label, but she never was able to make the hurdle to super-stardom for herself. This collection has all of her career highlights. It's sad that there weren't more of them. "Every Little Bit Hurts" was a poignant ballad with crystal-clear imagery, written by Ed Cobb. It did very well on the Pop chart (#13), at a time when there was no Billboard Soul chart. It might have been a soul chart-topper. Brenda needed a follow-up hit, and she benefitted from Mary Wells' departure from Motown. Just as The Supremes were given the hits that Holland-Dozier-Holland had lined up for Wells, Brenda was given the Smokey Robinson-penned material. "When I'm Gone" and "Operator" were both already in the can on Mary Wells, but never saw the light of day as recorded by her. Brenda's version of "When I'm Gone" was another major hit (#12 R&B, #25 Pop). Smokey took over the reins of Brenda's career at that point. (Ed Cobb went on to write for another Motown newcomer, Gladys Knight, who even recorded a cover of "Every Little Bit Hurts.") But another hit was not in the offing, despite good material, and a planned second album was not released (the "Every Little Bit Hurts" album did well). Part of Brenda's problem at Motown was that every female at the label who wasn't Diana Ross, was considered to be second-tier (or even third-tier). Another, was being from Los Angeles, while the Motown machine was still in Detroit. Flying in from the coast to record vocals, is different from total involvement in a production. This was shown on her last big hit, the L.A.-recorded and Frank Wilson-produced, "Just Look What You've Done." This record was a sensation upon release, making it to #21 R&B, while inexplicably stalling at #69 Pop. Wilson did a good job of fashioning a Supremes-like sound for Holloway; so good, in fact, that when H-D-H left Motown, Wilson was chosen to be the next producer on The Supremes. (They hit big with his "Stoned Love" and "Up The Ladder To The Roof.") But that left Brenda Hollway, once again, without a producer. Brenda's next single on the Tamla label was her last. It was produced by Berry Gordy, himself, in a relaxed style-- kind of halfway between a pop standard and a soulful torch song. Brenda wrote the song, and would have preferred a more upbeat approach. Her single just reached the top 40 of both the Pop and R&B charts. But a blue-eyed soul group picked up the song and turned up the tempo, making it into a #1 Pop smash. The group was Blood, Sweat & Tears, and the song was "You've Made Me So Very Happy." Many, many covers of the song followed, so while Brenda Holloway saw her recording career come to an end just four years after it started, she also started to see some very healthy royalty checks in her mailbox twice a year!

With so many repetitive CD's of Motowns big acts in the market, it's a welcome event when one of their lesser known but better talents sees the light of day on CD. Brenda Holloway was perhaps a bit too sophisticated for the Motown formula approach. They just couldn't find the right place for her in their organization and consequently she did not enjoy the success of many of the other acts that Motown would build into hit machines. Her work with Smokey Robinson showed her potential but there was just a lack of follow-through or development. "When I'm Gone" shows how her singing coupled with Robinson's extraordinary lyrics and music could have led to much greater things. "I'll Be Available", another Robinson tune that was relegated to the B-side of the "Operator" follow-up again shows how the Robinson-Holloway pairing was rife with potential.

This collection gathers up the best of her work for Motown and includes all six of her pop-charted singles. All tracks are the mono versions and the sound quality is reasonably good given the tendency for muddiness in the early Motown recordings. The six-page flopover booklet includes a brief musical history as told by Holloway along with track details.

Here we are offered a well-constructed overview of one of Motown's most distinguished yet least recognized talents worthy of close consideration by die-hard and casual fans alike.

Upon her signing in early 1964, Brenda Holloway became Motown's first West Coast artist. With Hal Davis producing, she had her biggest hit right off the bat: the dramatic ballad "Every Little Bit Hurts." Its follow-up "I'll Always Love You" is more of the same: a broken hearted Brenda sensually belting it out to the stark accompaniment of acclaimed pianist Lincoln Mayorga. Motown then brought Holloway to Detroit to record with Smokey Robinson, who paired her with musical tracks originally intended for the recently departed Mary Wells. The uptempo "When I'm Gone," "Operator," and "I'll Be Available" are certainly departures from Holloway's initial hits. And while all three records are delightful, it is obvious that she was
encouraged to emulate Wells' less seductive sound and narrow range. Fortunately, she was able to cut loose vocally with producer Frank Wilson on her final hits, "Just Look What You Have Done" and the self-penned "You've Made Me So Very Happy."

The aforementioned hits are all found here, along with such noncharting (but fantastic) singles "Hurt A Little Everyday," "You Can Cry On My Shoulder," and "Together Till The End Of Time." What makes this collection better than her previous retrospective, Motown's 1991 Holloway CD Greatest Hits And Rare Classics, is the inclusion of "Every Little Bit Hurts" haunting B-side "Land Of A Thousand Boys" and the debut on CD of "Til Johnny Comes." As evidenced by a great Holloway retrospective released in Belgium a couple of years ago, there is still about a dozen more great Holloway tracks (including the Public Service Announcement song "Be Cool, Stay In School!") which have never been released domestically. Write Motown and demand their release!

Brenda Holloway was the only female voalist at Motown that really picked up the torch left by Mary Wells ; as The Supremes followed the assembly line approach to their hits , as ,if I'm Correct they never had a hand in writing any of their songs."Every Little Bit Hurts" is a Top Twenty hitout of the sixties rarley heard on oldies and retro R&B stations , and it is a shame. Her productions stood up to all of the R&B female hits of her era , her "When I'm Gone" and "You Can Cry On My Shoulder" stack right up to any Brill Building Building production from Dionne Warwick or Maxine Brown , while "Operator" "You've Changed Me"(Unfortunately Unreleased)and "I'll Be Available" were smooth and slick as any Motown production or Fontella Bass' "Rescue Me." Not to be Overlooked are "Land Of A Thousand Boys" a marvelous surfer sound record that should have been an a-side ; "I'll Always Love You" the best song of any song with any similar title(I'm Suprised it became a hit in 1964 , as its sounds more appropriate with releases from 1960 or so) and "Sad Song" another should have been an a-side.The only reason I can think why "Til Johnny Comes" wasn't released was because it sounded too much like current Marvelettes hits , so Motown could keep The Marvelettes new sound exclusive to them."together To The End Of Time", "Hurt A Liitle Every Day" "Just Look What You Have Done" and her superior version of "You've Made Me So Very Happy" are sure to delight and pull any listener deeper into the record as if Brenda was singing to them.Her strength as an artist (Songwriter , Vocalist , classically trained violinist) makes me wonder why Motown didn't spend promotoinal dollars here. Think of the wonderful publicity they spoiled by not boasting she toured with The Beatles in 1965.She is one wonderful artist and the cream of the Motown crop of any period , even if she was from Atascadero California and not Detroit.

A lot has been said of Brenda Holloway's being pushed into becoming Motown's succesor to the departed Mary Wells.....but, Brenda herself positioned herself at a record company convention in Los Angeles in hopes of meeting Motown founder Berry Gordy.

Yes, Brenda , complete with tight fitting gold lame pant suit, was lip syncing to a Mary Wells' record to Berry Gordy at that convention. She didn't know he WAS Berry Gordy at the time. She thought he was too young to be him. But Gordy was impressed and he signed her!
Her very first release, "Every Little Bit Hurts" was a smash!
It was written and recorded in Los Angeles.....a first for Motown.
The follow up "I'll Always Love You" didn't fair as well on the charts, but it was a great record.
Her next release was a song Smokey Robinson had already cut on Mary Wells just before she left Motown for a huge cash advance from 2oth Century Fox Records. That song, "When I'm Gone", was a
big hit, peaking at #25 pop.
The follow up, "Operator" had been the flip side of Mary Wells' hit,"Two Lovers". Brenda slowed it down; turning the light hearted ditty into a sultry soulful romp.
After a few more low charting releases, Brenda left Motown.
I disagree that Brenda's original "You've Made Me So Very Happy" was so much better than Blood,Sweat & Tears version. The latter version had a powerful punch added to the mix by their solid horn section. Brenda's was a lilting lullaby in parts.
Here we have all of Brenda's Tamla singles collected together in one CD.
She was an original. She definitely had a voice!
And Brenda's "When I'm Gone" was far superior to Mary Wells' effort. (check out Wells' version in "Mary Wells: The Ultimate Collection")

one of motown's "forgotten divas", brenda holloway was the first motown act based in l.a., which is important for two reasons. first, it represents berry gordy's shift of priorities from music to the burgeoning acting career of miss diana ross, as motown uprooted itself to move west, leaving several acts behind. additionally, holloway's west-coast solitude--at least prior to the company's move--expresses itself in her music. while listeners can practically hear the familiar commeraderie of motown's detroit-based acts, such as the supremes, the vandellas and mary wells, holloway is set apart, both musically and emotionally. that singularity is as present on songs like like "every little bits hurts" and "hurt a little everyday" as the influence of the california sound is on songs such as "land of a thousand boys" and "just look what you've done". a classically-trained violinist--proficient also on several other instruments--holloway's voice, poise, looks and intellect could easily have made her gordy's supreme diva, had she only been discovered earlier. certainly, her voice possesses an earthiness that renders it far more substantial than diana ross'. containing holloway's most well-known song, "you've made me so very happy", _the very best of brenda holloway_ is a superb collection and a welcome addition to the collection of anybody who loves the music of motown.

I've just seen Ms. Holloway at a Jerry Blavat Show and she still has that sexy soulful voice. This cd is a good cd with my favorite songs she sings "What are you going to do when I' m gone" but my real reason was "You Changed Me" that is my song and only she can sing that song. I enjoy "Every Little Bit Hurts" too. I just enjoy listening to this good cd.

Here we have an excellent collection of tunes recorded by one of the unsung heroines of Hitsville. Although Brenda never obtained the longstanding hit filled career of others such as Diana Ross or Gladys Knight, these recordings prove that she indeed had the chops to go up against her fellow sisters! Smooth, silky, and sexy describe her voice on these 15 tracks like the hit "Every Little Bit Hurts," the fun Smokey-penned "When I'm Gone," and the original (and far better) "You've Made Me So Very Happy." All in all, a great compilation and must have for any Motown fan!

like rich warm choclate. thats what Brenda`s voice reminds me of. on this cd none of the music seems dated because of her soulful interpertation.every little bit hurts still steals the show. too bad brenda didn`t get the backing some of the other motown artist got. her music really is timeless.

Brenda Holloway was a real Motown find--a beautiful lady who sang gloriously, composed songs brilliantly and constructed a strictly glamorous persona which always bespoke class. She would have had many more hits but Motown had only so many writers and producers to go around and many other lady singers ahead in line and did smile kindly on artists writing their own material. "Every Little Bit Hurts" is unlike any other Motown song (except its later followup, "Every Day A Little Hurt,") and much of what Holloway recorded has its own sound. But one record, "Just Look What You've Done" (later recorded by, but never released by, Diana Ross and the Supremes and then the Jean Terrell-led Supremes) ranks with the best of what is considered the Motown sound. Should have been a #1 record and was a big favorite in Europe but most people have never heard of it. This is a splendid collection and there is oh, so much more in the vaults. Let's hope more will come; meanwhile grab it, you'll love it.