The Marvelettes – Please Mr. Postman (Clear vinyl)
ORDER LIMITED TO ONE ITEM PER CUSTOMER
The Marvelettes:
- Gladys Horton – lead and background vocals
- Wanda Young – lead and background vocals
- Georgeanna Tillman – background vocals
- Katherine Anderson – background vocals
- Juanita Cowart – background vocals
Raynoma Liles Gordy – Musitron and Ondioline (A2)
The Funk Brothers :
- Richard "Popcorn" Wylie – piano (A3), organ (A2)
- James Jamerson – bass (A2-3)
- Marvin Gaye – drums (A3), piano (A2)
- Benny Benjamin – drums (A2)
- Eddie Willis – guitar (A2-3)
- Hank Cosby – tenor saxophone (A2)
- Andrew "Mike" Terry – baritone saxophone (A2)
Written by Sonny Sanders (A1), Robert Bateman (A1, A3-5), Brian Holland (A2-4), Freddie Gorman (A2-3), Berry Gordy (A2, B1-6), Georgia Dobbins (A3), William Garrett (A3), Janie Bradford (A5, B4), Richard Wylie (A5), Berry Gordy (B1), William Robinson (B1, B6)
1 LP, standard sleeve
Limited to 500 numbered copies
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : crystal clear
Speed : 33 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : unspecified
Label : Destination Moon Records
Original Label : Tamla (Motown)
Recorded at Hitsville USA in April–July 1961
Produced by Berry Gordy, Smokey Robinson, Brian Holland, Robert Bateman
Liner Notes by Al Abrams
Originally released in November 1961
Reissued in March 2023
Tracks :
Side A:
- Angel
- I Want a Guy
- Please Mr. Postman
- So Long Baby
- I Know How It Feels
Side B:
- Way Over There
- Happy Days
- You Don't Want Me No More
- All the Love I Got
- Whisper
- I Apologize
Reviews :
“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."” Review by Lindsay Planer
Ratings :
AllMusic : 2 / 5 , Discogs :