There’s Motown magic in the air! Though the year is drawing to a close, the fine folks at Hip-o Select are making sure that there are plenty of sounds from the Motor City to fill the stockings of even the most discerning music collectors. The label has just announced the continuation of two series of comprehensive archival releases. The 4-CD set Forever More: The Complete Motown Albums Vol. 2 collects the remaining output of the marvelous Marvelettes, the first girl group to make a splash at the House that Gordy Built.  It will be joined by Smokey Robinson’s The Solo Albums, Volume 6, collecting Warm Thoughts (1980) and Being with You (1981); the former title is making its first-ever appearance on CD!  Both releases arrive at retail on December 13, but Forever More is available at Hip-o Select itself. (We’re still looking for an entry from Select for the Smokey set, but Amazon links will be found below.)

When The Marvelettes implored a certain Mr. Postman to wait, oh, yes, wait a minute, America fell in love with Gladys Horton, Wanda Young, Georgeanna Tillman, Wyanetta Cowart and Katherine Anderson.    The song became Motown’s first No. 1, and the Marvelettes seemed destined for greatness.  But the group that started it all soon found themselves taking a back seat to other groups like Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, and of course, The Supremes.   The Marvelettes’ early years were chronicled in Forever: The Complete Motown Albums Vol. 1, the 3-CD anthology which collected the group’s first six albums plus singles, B-sides and rarities.  The 108-track Forever More: The Complete Motown Albums Vol. 2 brings the Marvelettes’ story to a close, including the group’s final four albums: The Marvelettes, or The Pink Album (1967), Sophisticated Soul (1968), In Full Bloom (1969) and The Return of the Marvelettes (1970).

Following the format of the first set, all of the non-LP single and B-sides will be appended, as well as rarities originally issued on various compilations.  The fourth CD may be the most fascinating, however.  This Lost & Found disc premieres Marvelettes tracks from the Motown vaults, including never-before-heard songs written and produced by Smokey Robinson, Norman Whitfield, Mickey Stevenson, Johnny Bristol and more.  These tracks span the group’s entire Motown career.  The cherry on top on the sundae just may be the rare mono versions of the albums The Marvelettes and Sophisticated Soul; the latter was never even issued commercially. Forever More is packaged in a digipak in the same style as Volume 1, and contains a 40-page booklet with photos, original LP artwork reproductions, track annotations and an essay by Stu Hackel.

What songs can you expect to hear?  Hit the jump for more on The Marvelettes, plus the scoop on Smokey Robinson’s The Solo Albums Volume 6, and full track listings with discographical annotation for both titles!

Forever More boasts the chart hits “The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game,” “When You’re Young And In Love,” “My Baby Must Be A Magician,” “Here I Am Baby” and “That’s How Heartaches Are Made.”  Among the plentiful rarities are an unreleased, extended mix of “When You’re Young And In Love,” with a spoken intro; the long Anthology LP version of “The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game;” a U.K.-only version of the LP track “I’m Gonna Hold On Long As I Can,” with an extended intro; and various vault tracks, like “Love Is Good” and “Poor Little Rich Girl,” found on U.K.-only releases in recent years.

Smokey Robinson provided the Marvelettes with a number of enduring songs (“Don’t Mess with Bill,” “You’re the One for Me, Bobby,” “My Baby Must Be a Magician”) but it’s his solo career being celebrated by Hip-o Select with its ongoing series of two-on-one CDs.  Robinson’s first release of the 1980s, Warm Thoughts, was a moderate success for Robinson, spinning off the No. 4 hit “Let Me Be The Clock.” Other cuts include “Heavy On Pride (Light On Love),” as well a collaboration with Stevie Wonder, “Melody Man” and a duet with his then-wife and former Miracle, Claudette Robinson, on “Wine, Women And Song.”  Smokey’s next LP, though, would be one of his greatest triumphs.  Being with You from 1981 is Robinson’s biggest solo album of all time.  Its title track remains a staple on radio today, and found success on multiple charts.  It reached pole position on the R&B survey, and hit the Top 5 for both Pop and AC.  “You Are Forever” was the second single drawn from the LP.  Warm Thoughts/Being with You includes a reproduction of the original art from both albums as well as unseen photographs, lyrics and new liner notes from Peter Doggett.

Again, both The Marvelettes’ Forever More and Smokey Robinson’s The Solo Albums Volume 6 are available December 13 at your favorite record stores. Pre-order links from Amazon can be found below!

Smokey Robinson, The Solo Albums Volume 6: Warm Thoughts / Being with You (Hip-o Select/Motown B0016198-02, 2011)

1. Let Me Be the Clock
2. Heavy on Pride
3. Into Each Rain Some Life Must Fall
4. Wine, Women and Song
5. Melody Man
6. What’s in Your Life for Me
7. I Want to Be Your Love
8. Travellin’ Thru’
9. Being with You
10. Food for Thought
11. If You Wanna Make Love (Come ‘Round Here)
12. Who’s Sad
13. Can’t Fight Love
14. You Are Forever
15. As You Do
16. I Hear the Children Singing
17. Aqui Con Tigo
18. Aqui Con Tigo/Being with You

Tracks 1-8 released as Warm Thoughts – Tamla LP T8-367M1, 1980
Tracks 9-16 released as Being with You – Tamla LP T8-375M1, 1981
Tracks 17-18 released as Tamla single T-52435F, 1981

The Marvelettes, Forever More: The Complete Motown Albums Volume 2 (Hip-o Select/Motown B0016193-02, 2011)

Disc 1: The Marvelettes / Sophisticated Soul and bonus tracks

1. Barefootin’
2. Message to Michael
3. The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game
4. When You’re Young and in Love
5. I Know Better
6. I Can’t Turn Around
7. He Was Really Sayin’ Somethin’
8. The Day You Take One (You Have to Take the Other)” (William Robinson)
9. When I Need You
10. Keep Off, No Trespassing
11. This Night Was Made for Love
12. I Need Someone
13. My Baby Must Be a Magician
14. Destination: Anywhere
15. I’m Gonna Hold On As Long As I Can
16. Here I Am Baby
17. You’re the One for Me Bobby
18. Reachin’ for Something I Can’t Have
19. Your Love Can Save Me
20. You’re the One
21. Don’t Make Hurting Me a Habit
22. What’s Easy for Two is So Hard for One
23. The Stranger
24. Someway, Somehow
25. The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game (Extended Anthology Version)
26. When You’re Young and in Love (Alternate Mix with Spoken Intro)
27. I’m Gonna Hold on As Long As I Can (Alternate Intro Version)

Disc 2: In Full Bloom / The Return of The Marvelettes and bonus tracks

1. Seeing is Believing
2. Sunshine Days
3. That’s How Heartaches Are Made
4. The Truth’s Outside My Door
5. I Have Someone (Who Loves Me Too)
6. Uptown
7. At Last I See Love As It Really Is
8. Now is the Time for Love
9. Too Many Tears, Too Many Times
10. Rainy Mourning
11. Everybody Knows (But You)
12. Love Silent, Love Deep
13. So I Can Love You
14. Marionette
15. That’s How Heartaches Are Made
16. A Breath Taking Guy
17. No More Tearstained Make Up
18. Uptown
19. Someday We’ll Be Together
20. After All
21. Our Lips Just Seem to Rhyme Every Time
22. Fading Away
23. Take Me Where You Go
24. I’ll Be in Trouble
25. Love is Good
26. Caught You Putting the Game on Love

Disc 3: The Marvelettes / Sophisticated Soul in mono and bonus tracks

1. Barefootin’
2. Message to Michael
3. The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game
4. When You’re Young and in Love
5. I Know Better
6. I Can’t Turn Around
7. He Was Really Sayin’ Somethin’
8. The Day You Take One (You Have to Take the Other)” (William Robinson)
9. When I Need You
10. Keep Off, No Trespassing
11. This Night Was Made for Love
12. I Need Someone
13. My Baby Must Be a Magician
14. Destination: Anywhere
15. I’m Gonna Hold On As Long As I Can
16. Here I Am Baby
17. You’re the One for Me Bobby
18. Reachin’ for Something I Can’t Have
19. Your Love Can Save Me
20. You’re the One
21. Don’t Make Hurting Me a Habit
22. What’s Easy for Two is So Hard for One
23. The Stranger
24. Someway, Somehow
25. Paper Boy
26. Poor Little Rich Girl
27. I Hope You Have Better Luck Than I Did
28. Sugar’s Never Been As Sweet As You
29. You Ain’t Livin’ ‘Til You’re Lovin’

Disc 4: Motown Lost & Found: Vault Gems 1961-1970

1. Three Months
2. My Baby Won’t Come Back
3. I Can’t Help It
4. From Now On
5. Don’t Fence Me In
6. One Kiss Led to Another
7. You Better Behave
8. Queen of the Fools
9. Johnny Do Right
10. Dance a While, Cry a While
11. You Better Cool It
12. You Can Bet Your Bottom Dollar
13. The Train That’s Bringing My Baby
14. Learning to Forget You
15. You Lost the Sweetest Boy
16. Just One More Kiss (Before You Leave Me)
17. So Glad It’s Summertime
18. There is No Tomorrow (Only Tears and Sorrow)
19. Don’t Make Hurting Me a Habit (Version 1)
20. I Can’t Wait Till Summer Comes
21. Breakthru (I’ve Got My Freedom)
22. When My Love Was Born
23. Why’d You Do It
24. Change of Heart
25. That’s the Way I See Him
26. The Boy from Crosstown (Version 1)
27. The Boy from Crosstown (Version 2)

Disc 1, Tracks 1-12 released as Tamla LP TS-274, 1967
Disc 1, Tracks 13-24 released as Tamla LP TS-286, 1968
Disc 1, Track 25 from Anthology – Motown M7-827R2, 1975
Disc 1, Track 27 exact origin undetermined
Disc 2, Tracks 1-12 released as Tamla LP TS-288, 1969
Disc 2, Tracks 13-24 released as Tamla LP TS-305, 1970
Disc 2, Track 25 and Disc 4, Track 27 from A Cellarful of Motown Volume 3 (Motown 530 322-8 (U.K.), 2007)
Disc 2, Track 26 and Disc 3, Track 28 from The Essential Collection (Spectrum 554 859-2 (U.K.), 1999)
Disc 3, Tracks 1-12 released as Tamla LP T-274, 1967
Disc 3, Tracks 13-24 released as Tamla LP T-286, 1968
Disc 3, Track 25 released as Tamla single A-side T-54131, 1966
Disc 3, Track 26 from A Cellarful of Motown (Motown 544 619-2 (U.K.), 2002)
Disc 3, Track 27 from A Cellarful of Motown Volume 2 (Motown 982 929-7 (U.K.), 2005)
Disc 3, Track 29 from Motown Sings Motown Treasures Volumes 1 + 2 (Hip-o Select/Motown B0003619-02, 2005)
Disc 4, Track 25 from A Cellarful of Motown Volume 4 (Motown 882 400-9 (U.K.), 2010)
Disc 4, Track 26 from Motown Year by Year: The Sound of Young America – 1966 (Motown 314 530 522-2, 1995)
All other tracks previously unreleased.