Your Favourite Obscure MOTOWN A and B-sides!

I'm lucky to have all of the "Complete Motown Singles" box sets released until now, but with so much material to sift through sometimes I get the feeling that there still is a lot to discover yet.

What unknown gems are there on these box sets? Help me out and let me know...


Here's mine from the 1967 set (Vol. 7) I listened to recently:

Smokey Robinson & the Miracles - Come Spy With Me (B-Side)
Stevie Wonder - Hey Love (B-Side)
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles - Swept for You Baby (B-Side)
The Ones - You Haven't Seen My Love

and two I'm not really sure are that obscure, but worth mentioning:
Four Tops - 7 Rooms of Gloom
Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell - Two Can Have a Party

 

1959-1963:


Ron and Bill (Ronald White and Smokey Robinson) - "It" (1959)
Mary Wells - "I'm Gonna Stay", b-side of "The One Who Really Loves You" (1962)
The Temptations - "(You're My) Dream Come True" (1962)
The Marvelettes "Someday, Someway", b-side of "Beechwood 4-5789" (1962)
Eddie Holland - "If It's Love (It's Alright)" (1962)
The Supremes - "Let Me Go The Right Way" (1962)
The Marvelettes "Locking Up My Heart" (1962)
Martha and the Vandellas "A Love Like Yours (Don't Come Knocking Everyday", b-side to "Heatwave" (1963)

 

The Temptations - Fading Away (1966)
Tammi Terrell - Hold Me Oh My Darling (1965)

And there are plenty other great tracks on those sets, but those songs blew me away the first time I heard it.

 

1964:

Once Upon A Time - Marvin Gaye and Mary Wells
What's The Matter With You Baby - Marvin Gaye and Mary Wells
The Girl's Alright With Me - The Temptations
Ask Any Girl - The Supremes (b-side to Baby Love)
I Want You 'Round - Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston
You're Gone (But Always In My Heart) - The Supremes (b-side to Come See About Me)

1965:

Motoring - Martha & The Vandellas (b-side to Nowhere to Run)
I’m In Love Again - The Supremes (b-side to Stop in the Name of Love)
Lonely Lonely Girl Am I - The Velvelettes
I’m The Exception To The Rule - The Velvelettes
My Girl Has Gone - The Miracles
Who Could Ever Doubt My Love - The Supremes
I Can’t Believe You Love Me - Tammi Terrell
Choosey Beggar - The Miracles (b-side to Going to a Go-Go)
Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) - Frank Wilson


More to come...

 

A brilliant instrumental with vibes and organ (doesn't sound like Motown at all):

Dave Hamilton - Late Freight (1963)

 

It's indeed great. This song was re-released in 1967 in a new mix with Marvin Gaye's voice overdubbed.

Here's info from the Vol. 7 booklet:

track recorded July 10, 1963, assigned to Ann Bogan
Tammi Terrell vocal recorded October 25, 1965
Marvin Gaye overdubbed February 1, 1967

Apparently it was conceived as a duet for Ann Bogan and Harvey Fuqua.

 

My favourite b side is The Elgins - Put Yourself In My Place. A brilliant song and she sings it wonderfully. It's also one of my favourite Motown tracks ever. It eventually was a hit in the UK six years later when released as an a side (many old Motown tracks charted in this period, we were still in love with classic Motown).

 

1966:

My Baby Loves Me - Martha & The Vandellas
Never Leave Your Baby’s Side - Martha & The Vandellas
Fading Away - The Temptations
I Miss You Baby (How I Miss You) - Marv Johnson
Nothing’s Too Good For My Baby - Stevie Wonder
Come On And See Me - Tammi Terrell
It’s My Time - The Mynah Birds
Go On And Cry - The Mynah Birds
Who Could Ever Doubt My Love - The Isley Brothers
You’ll Lose A Precious Love - The Temptations
Oh Be My Love - The Miracles
Love’s Gone Bad - Chris Clark
These Things Will Keep Me Loving You - The Velvelettes
Remove This Doubt - The Supremes
(Come ‘Round Here) I’m The One You Need - The Miracles
It’s Got To Be A Miracle (This Thing Called Love) - Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston

1967:

There’s No Stopping Us Now - The Supremes (b-side to Love is Here and Now You're Gone)
Hey Love - Stevie Wonder
I Want To Go Back There Again - Chris Clark
Just Look What You’ve Done - Brenda Holloway
Here I Am Baby - Barbara McNair
Sorry Is A Sorry Word - The Temptations (b-side All I Need)
I’ve Been Good To You - The Temptations (b-side You're My Everything)
Going Down For The Third Time - Diana Ross & The Supremes (b-side Reflections)
You’ve Made Me So Very Happy - Brenda Holloway
What A Good Man He Is - Tammi Terrell
I Guess I’ll Always Love You - Diana Ross & The Supremes

 

Great picks, Mike. I am checking all of these out.

 

1968

I Can't Give Back The Love I Feel For You - Rita Wright
The End Of Our Road - Gladys Knight & The Pips
Does Your Mama Know About Me - Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers
Little Ole Boy, Little Ole Girl - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
Bring Back The Love - The Monitors
I Promise To Wait My Love - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You) - The Temptations
Here I Am Baby - The Marvelettes
You Don't Love Me No More - Gladys Knight & The Pips
Lonely Lonely Man Am I - Jimmy Ruffin
I Can't Dance To That Music You're Playin' - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
It's Summer - Gladys Knight & The Pips
More Than A Dream - Eivets Rednow (b-side of Alfie)
Destination: Anywhere - The Marvelettes
His Eye Is On The Sparrow - Marvin Gaye
Keep On Lovin' Me Honey - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
I Wouldn't Change The Man He Is - Blinky
I'm Gonna Hold On Long As I Can - The Marvelettes

 

Somebody knows their Motown! Wow.

 

1969

Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell - Good Lovin Aint Easy To Come By
Blinky & Edwin Starr - Oh How Happy
The Originals - Baby, I’m For Real
Wes Henderson - In Bed
Wes Henderson – Reality
The Fantastic Four - Just Another Lonely Night
The Marvelettes - That’s How Heartaches Are Made
The Marvelettes - Rainy Mourning
Stu Gardner - Home On the Range (Everybody Needs A Home)
Stu Gardner - It’s A Family Thang’
Stu Gardner - Mend This Generation
Arthur Adams - It’s Private Tonight
Arthur Adams - Let’s Make Some Love
Jimmy Ruffin - If You Will Let Me, I Know I Can
Jimmy Ruffin - Farewell Is A Lonely Sound
Dorothy, Oma & Zelpha - Gonna Put It On Your Mind
Dorothy, Oma & Zelpha - Henry Blake
Chuck Jackson - The Day My World Stood Still
Rare Earth - Generation (Light Up The Sky)
The Miracles - Point It Out
The Rustix - Can’t You Hear The Music Play
The Rustix - I Guess This Is Goodbye

Gotta pause here. 1970 and 1971 to follow tomorrow.

 

"Leaving Here" by Eddie Holland. (Pearl Jam also did a terrific cover of this, but nothing tops the original.) Also, I don't know if it quite meets the definition of "obscure," but the Supremes' "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes" is one of my favorites.

 

Gladys Knight - Didn't You Know You'd Have To Cry Sometime. Minor hit in '69, I think.

The note she holds on the fade (only on the mono version) is awesome.

 

When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes doesn't get the recognition that most of the Supremes' bigger hits do. But it's my favourite Motown track of all.

Operator Operator by Brenda Holloway got tons of airplay up here in the summer of '65, and I thought it was a big hit, but it seems to have disappeared down the memory hole.

 

From Vol. 6 1966, I really like The LaSalles B-side "This is True." It sounds punk-ish to me.

 

I think this one is also a classic:
Messengers - That's The Way A Woman Is (1971)

2 Minutes of pure garage fun (it was released on the Rare Earth label).

 

Thanks for all your suggestions guys.

 

Might I add...

Bobby Darin - I'll Be Your Baby Tonight (1971)

A great recording, but it has nothing to do with the Motown sound!

 

"Darling Dear" and "Give Her Up" by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles

Great playing by Marvin Tarplin on these, by the way.

 

A favorite Smokey Robinson & The Miracles obscurity is "Flower Girl", a cool piece of Psychedelic Soul.

It was the 1971 b-side of "When Sundown Comes" (which is a pretty nice obscurity as well)

 

Thanks for all your selections MikeP. The Girl's Alright with Me ain't obscure to me...it's one of my all time favorites!

 

More from the series "Motown recordings that don't sound like Motown records":

The Morrocco Muzik Makers - Pig Knuckles (1963 B-side)
Earl Washington All Stars - Opus No. 3 (1962)
Dorsey Burnette - Cold As Usual (1964 B-side)
Bruce Channel - You Make Me Happy (1964)

And how could I forget this fantastic record:

Hugh Masekela - You Keep Me Hangin' On (1970)

 

"Come On People" by Rustix. An A-side lyrically very much in the "ecology/love your brother/stop the war" vibe of the early 70's with a heavy, psychedelic-soul sound.

 

Not exactly obscure, but certainly unheralded....


The 1966 double-sided Temptations classic: My Baby b/w Don't Look Back