The Complete Motown Singles Collection Vol. 2: 1962
This compilation is not jam-packed full of typically Motown material, as the subsequent volume are, but it is crammed with early sixties diner/fairground/milk bar atmosphere - part soul, part r 'n' b, part gospel, part rock 'n' roll, part doo-wop. As soon as I started listening to disc one and found it was just a real pleasure - each track was vibrant and so evocative. The Beatles will have loved listening to this material in the early sixties and the influence on their first two albums in particular is clear to hear. There is some jazz on here too, as Berry Gordy liked his jazz and was keen to release it on his label and blues too, from the excellent Singin' Sammy Ward (surely Van Morrison must have been listening to him - check out Part Time Love).
The big hitters, however, are very much Mary Wells, The Marvelettes, The Contours and a young (Little) Stevie Wonder, appearing here with his first single and two more. We got a second cheesy single from would-be crooner Marvin Gaye in Mr. Sandman, but this was followed by two killers in Stubborn Kind Of Fellow and Hitch Hike - later covered by The Rolling Stones - and a favourite of mine is Henry (Mojo Hannah) Lumpkin, with his most underrated muscular soul. How good was Hattie Littles too? It is worthy of mention that this was the point when Marvin Gaye's output started to shift from "supper club" crooning to a rootsier r 'n' b sound.
There are also singles from songwriters Eddie Holland and Lamont Dozier, The pre-hit Supremes, The Temptations and The Miracles (although neither of these latter two released particularly impressive stuff here, surprisingly - a bit too doo-wop and less soul for my liking. That said, Paradise from The Temptations is seriously good quality doo-wop and You've Really Got A Hold On Me from The Miracles is here too - The Beatles covered it on 1963's With The Beatles album, course. If Your Mother Only Knew is a good one from them too. I have to say, though, that these two soon-to-be great Motown groups hadn't quite got "it" as yet, not in the way that Mary Wells and The Marvelettes had at this point. The Miracles were getting there rapidly, however.
A veritable rarity is Camel Walk by Saundra Mallett & The Vandellas (pre-Martha Reeves). Motown secretary Martha joined the group soon after and their first single appears here in I'll Have To Let Him Go. Sure, it's a gutsy song, but it gives no clue to the phenomenal success the group would have in 1963. Incidentally, Camel Walk also appears later in the collection, performed by LaBrenda Ben & the Beljeans.
The overriding sound on the collection is that of a joyous r 'n' b type of soul - not the Motown sound as we would come to know it, but a seriously solid soulful vibe that laid the essential foundations for Motown's future success. This was very much the best black music had to offer in 1962 and so many burgeoning white r 'n' b groups lapped it up like kittens at a saucer of milk. It really was hugely influential but still very much "cult", known and appreciated by the cognoscenti. You have to realise that when these records came out, nobody knew what "The Motown Sound" would become or how it would develop. These were taken at face value and they blew the likes of Lennon and McCartney away. I can hear why.
The notable 45s, for me, are -
