By john dixon (152.163.188.68) on Sunday, March 16, 2003 - 08:19 am:

I really ought to do this more often; last night I pulled out some old vinyl for spins and spent some time with the well-worn grooves of my 3-LP Marvin Gaye Anthology (the big red one). It reminded me of some key tracks by MG that have been left off the CDs I own like the 2 disc"The Very Best Of..." and "Seek And You Shall Find: More Of The Best..". The cuts I'm referring to were not chart-TOPPERS but most did crack the top 40, so why have they been forgotten?

Specifically, there's HDH's "Baby Don't You Do It", "Little Darling(I Need You)", and "Your Unchanging Love". Berry Gordy's "Try It Baby". Clarence Paul and Marvin's "Pretty Little Baby". Smokey/etc.'s "One More Heartache" and "Take This Heart Of Mine". Frank Wilson's "Chained". Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong's "The End Of Our Road" and "How Can I Forget". Where are these songs on CD and why have they been omitted from all the Marvin collections with a "Best Of.." or "Greatest Hits" in the title? To me this is a glaring omission since, as I mentioned, they DID crack the Top 40 and were excellent songs. Why have they fallen out of favor somehow? And why was there not a 25 cut "Ultimate Collection" for MG as there was for every other artist/group with the exception of Stevie? All of the cuts I've mentioned above would certainly have been included on an "Ultimate Collection" if the track listing on the other ones is anything to go by.

I really miss not having these songs at the ready on CD; surely someone here knows why they've been omitted and if they've been collected someone else that I'm unaware of...

By HW (68.37.217.125) on Sunday, March 16, 2003 - 11:49 pm:

Point taken. But check his box set, 'The Master.' They're on there. Otherwise, he's got so many hits, they can't all fit on a disc. If you're talking about someday someone making a '60s-only Ultimate Collection, then it might work.

By john dixon (63.101.17.207) on Monday, March 17, 2003 - 05:52 am:

Thanks Harry!

By john dixon (205.188.209.38) on Monday, March 17, 2003 - 09:22 am:

Harry, I found a still sealed box set of "The Master" at half.com for $22.50, shipping included! That's a fantastic deal. There are so many repackaged Marvin CDs that are called "The Best Of.." or "The Very Best Of.." or "Greatest Hits" and none contain all of MG's charting singles except "The Master" box set. Thanks again for pointing me in the right direction.

By Scratcher (65.132.76.114) on Monday, March 17, 2003 - 09:35 am:

The Master Box set has most of Marvin's A-sides but not all. You will not find "Hey Diddle, Diddle," the A-side of "Little Darling I Need You," on it. Gaye's first two Tamla singles didn't make the Master Box either.

By Livonia Ken (136.2.1.153) on Monday, March 17, 2003 - 10:05 am:

"The Master" is easily one of my favorite box sets. It strikes a nice balance between the essential and the rare/obscure. It is right up there with Hitsville USA, James Brown - Star Time, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles 35th Anniversary, and The Temptations Emperors of Soul sets. Come to think of it, Harry's been involved in all of those in one capacity or another. Thanks, HW.

Regards,
Ken