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Clearly the focus of Please Mr. Postman (1961) -- the Marvelettes' debut long-player -- is the title track. However, fans of the early Motown sound will be interested not only in the vocalists' soulful and swinging leads, but contributions from burgeoning songwriters Berry Gordy, William "Smokey" Robinson, and Brian Holland as well. Although the Marvelettes personnel changed several times during their early-'60s prime, the lineup featured here includes co-leads Gladys Horton (vocals) and Wanda Young (vocals), along with Georgeanna Tillman (vocals), Katherine Anderson (vocals), and Juanita Cowart (vocals). By the time this album became available in late 1961, three months had passed since "Please Mr. Postman" concluded its seven-week run atop the R&B singles chart. In the interim, the record label mined the ladies' talent for a suitable follow-up. The closest to hail from the bunch would be the midtempo Wall of Sound-alike "I Want a Guy" which was relegated to the B-side of their next single, "Twistin' Postman." That certainly isn't to intimate the remainder of the effort is subpar, but rather that lightening had yet to strike twice as Motown was continually refining the label's sound. The uptempo "Angel" is clearly rooted in then-recent R&B styles with more than a passing resemblance to another successful all-girl group. Specifically, the Chantels' and their Top 20 crossover ballad "Maybe." To much the same end is the languid and bluesy doo wop-influenced "So Long Baby," as well as the ballads "Whisper" and "Oh I Apologize." The melodic "I Know How It Feels" joins Smokey Robinson and Berry Gordy's danceable "Way Over There" and the slightly Latin-tinged rave-up "You Don't Want Me No More." Although Please Mr. Postman has been difficult to locate on compact disc, it is among the contents of Forever: The Complete Motown Albums, Vol. 1 (2009) box set from the Hip-O Select online audio boutique.
© Lindsay Planer /TiVo
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Berry Gordy Jr., ComposerLyricist - William Sanders, ComposerLyricist - Berry Gordy, Producer - Robert Bateman, ComposerLyricist - The Marvelettes, MainArtist - Chico Leverett, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1961 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Berry Gordy Jr., ComposerLyricist - Freddie Gorman, ComposerLyricist - Brian Holland, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Robert Bateman, Producer - The Marvelettes, MainArtist
℗ 1961 UMG Recordings, Inc.
William Garrett, ComposerLyricist - Georgia Dobbins, ComposerLyricist - Freddie Gorman, ComposerLyricist - Brian Holland, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Robert Bateman, Producer, ComposerLyricist - The Marvelettes, MainArtist - Gladys Horton, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Wanda Young, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Katherine Anderson, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Georgeanna Tillman, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Juanita Cowart, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1961 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Brian Holland, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Robert Bateman, Producer, ComposerLyricist - The Marvelettes, MainArtist - James Young Jr., ComposerLyricist
℗ 1961 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Janie Bradford, ComposerLyricist - Richard Wylie, ComposerLyricist - Brian Holland, ComposerLyricist - Berry Gordy, Producer - Robert Bateman, ComposerLyricist - The Marvelettes, MainArtist
℗ 1961 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
William Robinson, Jr., ComposerLyricist - Berry Gordy Jr., ComposerLyricist - SMOKEY ROBINSON, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Berry Gordy, Producer - The Marvelettes, MainArtist
℗ 1961 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Berry Gordy, Producer, ComposerLyricist - The Marvelettes, MainArtist - Alma McKnight, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1961 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Berry Gordy, Producer, ComposerLyricist - The Marvelettes, MainArtist
℗ 1961 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Brian Holland, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Berry Gordy, ComposerLyricist - Robert Bateman, Producer - The Marvelettes, MainArtist - James Bradford, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1962 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Berry Gordy Jr., ComposerLyricist - Berry Gordy, Producer - Marv Johnson, ComposerLyricist - The Marvelettes, MainArtist
℗ 1961 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
William Robinson, Jr., ComposerLyricist - Berry Gordy Jr., ComposerLyricist - Berry Gordy, Producer - The Marvelettes, MainArtist
℗ 1961 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Album review
Clearly the focus of Please Mr. Postman (1961) -- the Marvelettes' debut long-player -- is the title track. However, fans of the early Motown sound will be interested not only in the vocalists' soulful and swinging leads, but contributions from burgeoning songwriters Berry Gordy, William "Smokey" Robinson, and Brian Holland as well. Although the Marvelettes personnel changed several times during their early-'60s prime, the lineup featured here includes co-leads Gladys Horton (vocals) and Wanda Young (vocals), along with Georgeanna Tillman (vocals), Katherine Anderson (vocals), and Juanita Cowart (vocals). By the time this album became available in late 1961, three months had passed since "Please Mr. Postman" concluded its seven-week run atop the R&B singles chart. In the interim, the record label mined the ladies' talent for a suitable follow-up. The closest to hail from the bunch would be the midtempo Wall of Sound-alike "I Want a Guy" which was relegated to the B-side of their next single, "Twistin' Postman." That certainly isn't to intimate the remainder of the effort is subpar, but rather that lightening had yet to strike twice as Motown was continually refining the label's sound. The uptempo "Angel" is clearly rooted in then-recent R&B styles with more than a passing resemblance to another successful all-girl group. Specifically, the Chantels' and their Top 20 crossover ballad "Maybe." To much the same end is the languid and bluesy doo wop-influenced "So Long Baby," as well as the ballads "Whisper" and "Oh I Apologize." The melodic "I Know How It Feels" joins Smokey Robinson and Berry Gordy's danceable "Way Over There" and the slightly Latin-tinged rave-up "You Don't Want Me No More." Although Please Mr. Postman has been difficult to locate on compact disc, it is among the contents of Forever: The Complete Motown Albums, Vol. 1 (2009) box set from the Hip-O Select online audio boutique.
© Lindsay Planer /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 11 track(s)
- Total length: 00:28:11
- Main artists: The Marvelettes
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: UNI - MOTOWN
- Genre: Soul/Funk/R&B Soul
© 1991 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc. ℗ 1991 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
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