Motown aficionados have a lot of fun stuff to dig through on a number of formats, with the recent release of a box set collecting 14 rare cuts on vinyl and a new, copyright law-busting compilation of 52 previously unavailable outtakes from some of the label's biggest names.
Recently issued in the U.K., The Motown 7s Box: Rare and Unreleased Vinyl seems to take more of a tack about "tracks unreleased to vinyl" than "never-before-released tracks on vinyl." Everything here has been made available in some way, shape or form, including rare studio cuts from Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, The Four Tops and even David Ruffin, The Spinners and Kim Weston. But perhaps only one of them, Frank Wilson's "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)," ever made it to vinyl before CD. (That original single is, in fact, one of the rarest in the world.) Producer Richard Searling offers track-by-track liner notes on the box, though no official mastering information is supplied.
Meanwhile, digital retailers have started carrying Motown Unreleased 1963 another copyright-savvy compilation of Motown outtakes from five decades past. (Outside the U.S., copyright law governs that recordings not issued within 50 years lapse into public domain, prompting rights holders to quickly issue collections from Bob Dylan to, this week, The Beatles and The Beach Boys. A similar volume from Motown cropped up last year, too.)
While it's open to interpretation as to what, if any, true finds exist on the set, many of Motown's best are featured herein on recordings you've never heard before, from The Miracles, The Supremes (a cover of "Funny How Time Slips Away"!), Stevie Wonder (alternate and early takes of "Fingertips" and "Blowin' in the Wind"), The Temptations and even lesser-known acts on the roster, including Labrenda Ben and The Contours.
After the jump, you'll find order links and full specs on each of these unique sets.
The Motown 7s Box: Rare and Unreleased Vinyl (Motown/UMC 534 542-5 (U.K.), 2013)
Disc 1
- This Love Starved Heart of Mine (It's Killing Me) - Marvin Gaye (2:42) (from Love Starved Heart: Rare and Unreleased - Motown 314 530 319-2, 1994)
- What More Could a Boy Ask For - The Spinners (3:13) (from From the Vaults - Motown M5-190V1, 1979)
Disc 2
- Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) - Frank Wilson (2:24) (single A-side - Soul S 35019, 1965)
- Suspicion - The Originals (3:07) (from This is Northern Soul! The Motown Sound Volume 2 - Motown/Debutante 530 814-2 (U.K.), 1998)
Disc 3
- Stormy - Diana Ross & The Supremes (3:06) (from The Never-Before Released Masters - Motown MCD09075MD, 1987)
- Just Enough to Ease the Pain - Stevie Wonder (3:05) (from The Complete Motown Anthology - Motown, 1997)
Disc 4
- Clip My Wings - Four Tops (2:38) (from Lost Without You: Motown Lost & Found 1963-1970 - Hip-O Select/Motown B0003626-02, 2005)
- All I Do is Think About You - Tammi Terrell (3:00) (from A Cellarful of Motown - Motown 544 619-2 (U.K.), 2002)
Disc 5
- It Happens Every Time - Barbara McNair (2:24) (from The Real Barbara McNair - Motown MS 680, 1969)
- I Can't Be Hurt Anymore - David Ruffin (3:18) (from David - Motown MS 733 (cancelled), 1971 - released as Hip-O Select/Motown B0002509-02, 2004)
Disc 6
- Forever in My Heart - The Temptations (2:52)
- You Hit Me Where It Hurt Me - Kim Weston (2:57)
Both tracks from This is Northern Soul! The Motown Sound Volume 1 - Motown/Debutante 530 818-2 (U.K.) , 1997
Disc 7
- Something's Wrong - Chris Clark (2:46) (from Chris Clark: The Motown Collection - Motown 981 956-4 (U.K.), 2005)
- My Love is Your Love (Forever) - The Isley Brothers (3:10) (from Greatest Motown Hits - Motown WL 72516 (U.K.), 1986)
Motown Unreleased: 1963 (Motown/UMe, 2013)
Disc 1
- Talking 'Bout the Limbo - Marvin Gaye
- Mojo Hannah (Alternate) - Marvin Gaye
- In Case You Need Love (Alternate) - The Miracles
- I'm Checking Out - Stevie Wonder
- Nobody Fine As Dinah (Alternate) - The Contours
- I Couldn't Dance - Freddie Gorman
- You Didn't Care (Alternate) - The Supremes
- Nursery Rhyme Time - The Temptations
- Fingertips (Alternate Studio Version) - Stevie Wonder
- (You Can't Let the Boy Overpower) The Man in You (Alternate) - The Miracles
- Lazybones (Alternate) - The Supremes
- Funny (How Time Slips Away) (Alternate) - The Supremes
- It's Party Time (Alternate) - Marvin Gaye
- You're Gonna Come to Me (Alternate) - The Supremes
- Forever - Stevie Wonder
- That Won't Do - Sammy Ward
- Just My Speed - Stevie Wonder
- Keep It Up (Alternate) - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
- Do You Wanna Go with Me - Marvin Gaye
- The Lying Kind of Girl - Mike & The Modifiers
- It Doesn't Have to Be So - The Contours
- The Night We Called It a Day - The Four Tops
- I Don't Want Your Promise - Labrenda Ben
- Bright Lights, Big City - Marvin Gaye
- I Ain't Got Nobody - Stevie Wonder
- Shoo Doo - The Contours
Disc 2
- You'd Make a Fine Son-in-Law - The Contours
- When Two People Really Love - The Miracles
- I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby (Alternate) - Marvin Gaye
- Don't Hesitate to Cry - Stevie Wonder
- I'm Gonna Make It to the Top - Freddie Gorman
- Congratulations - Labrenda Ben
- Even If You Don't Mean It - Labrenda Ben
- Make a Woman for Me - Freddie Gorman
- Mockingbird (Alternate) -Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
- Take This Hammer - Stevie Wonder
- Better Un-Said - Labrenda Ben
- I Won't Have to Be the Fool - The Temptations
- Do The See Saw - The Contours
- No Longer a Rebel - R. Dean Taylor
- Respectable Distance Away - R. Dean Taylor
- My Oh My What a Groove - The Miracles
- In Twenty Words or Less - Labrenda Ben
- Each Little Teardrop - Brenda Holloway
- Let Them - Labrenda Ben
- He Who Picks a Rose (Early Version) - The Temptations
- They Didn't Believe Me - Marvin Gaye
- Stevie's Tune - Stevie Wonder
- Blowin' in the Wind (Early Version) - Stevie Wonder
- I'm Confessin' (That I Love You) - Marvin Gaye
- Deep Freeze - Brenda Holloway
- You're Wonderful (Alternate) - Marvin Gaye
All tracks previously unreleased.
Lulu Grandiron says
The Supremes cover of "Funny How Time Slips Away" is not an entirely new "find". The song was first issued on their album "The Supremes Sing Country, Western & Pop" in 1965 and on the CD rerelease in 1995 and is the opening track on the album. The song also appeared on at least three versions of their "Anthology" compilation. This seems to be an alternate take though and it should be interesting to see how it compares with what the fans have heard on previous releases of the song.
Peter Shillito says
Dear Mike,
We have a truckload of new reissues we want to send to you. Raven Records has beeb reissuing great music since 1979. We are still going strong 34 years later.
HOW DO WE GET IN CONTACT? HOW, WHERE CAN WE SEND OUR NEW RELEASES?
Best regards,
Peter Shillito, Raven Records, Australia.
Joe Marchese says
Hi Peter, we've just dropped you an email. Please let us know whether you've received it! You can reach us at theseconddisc-at-gmail-dot-com.
Thanks!
Dishy says
HELP! What ever happened to the Hip-O-Select releases for Diana Ross's ROSS and BABY IT'S ME??