Release – Elemental Music’s ongoing LP reissue series, the Motown Sound Collection, reissues another trio of titles from the Detroit label’s archives: The Supremes’ A Bit Of Liverpool (in its original mono format), The Jackson 5’s Third Album (on red vinyl), and The Temptations’ Sky’s The Limit on October 18, 2024.
Released 60 years ago in October 1964, A Bit Of Liverpool finds the Supremes celebrating the worldwide phenomenon of Beatlemania with Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, and Florence Ballard impressively reinterpreting a handful of John Lennon-Paul McCartney originals: “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” “You Can’t Do That,” “A Hard Day’s Night,” and “A World Without Love,” which was a hit for Peter & Gordon.
The 11-track record also features Merseybeat-related tunes like “Because,” “House of the Rising Sun,” and “Bits and Pieces.” The British Invasion bands were heavily influenced by American soul music so it’s fitting that this salute contains two tunes from the Motown world: The Berry Gordy Jr.-penned “Do You Love Me” (a hit for Brian Poole and the Tremeloes and the Dave Clark Five) and Smokey Robinson’s “You Really Got A Hold On Me” (covered on The Beatles’ Second Album). A top-10 success on Billboard’s R&B Chart, A Bit of Liverpool, which is being reissued in its original mono mix, was the sublime vocal group’s third studio album – and second one in 1964.
The Jackson 5’s Third Album captures the Jackson Five at the pinnacle of their supersonic rise to stardom. Initially released in September 1970, it was the Jackson brothers’ third studio effort in less than a year. The reissue will be released on special red vinyl. In 1970, the album delivered the group’s fourth straight number No. 1 single with “I’ll Be There” while the record’s other single, “Mama’s Pearl” also cracked the Top 5. The Third Album reached No. 4 on Billboard’s LP chart while topping the R&B Album Chart on Billboard and Cashbox.
Among its 11 tracks are Smokey Robinson’s “The Love I Saw In You Was Just A Mirage,” a cover of the Delfonics’ hit “Ready Or Not, Here I Come,” a rendition of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” and the semi-autobiographical “Goin’ Back To Indiana,” which was later the title of the Jackson 5’s 1971 ABC TV special.
The Temptations’ 1971 album Sky’s The Limit was a high point for the Hall of Fame group and a significant turning point. The album features one of their signature songs, “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me),” the Temptations’ third No. 1 hit. It also represents the final album featuring founding members Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams.
While Kendricks handled lead vocals on most of the songs, the other Temptations (Dennis Edwards, Melvin Franklin, Otis Williams, and Paul Williams) all have their time to shine. Sky’s The Limit, the band’s 14th studio effort, also showcases the marvelous talents of producer-songwriter Norman Whitfield, who expertly crafted a sound that incorporated psychedelic soul and sweet R&B balladry.
Notable tracks include the ambitious anthem “Ungena Za Ulimwengu (Unite the World)” and the mind-blowing,12+ minute production of “Smiling Face Sometimes,” which the Undisputed Truth subsequently had a hit within a more condensed version.
Check out The Supremes cover of ‘You Can’t Do That’ here:
For more information on Elemental Music go here.