[.ca] Ultimate Collection

From Amazon.com:
This Motown release covers only this seminal R & B act's recordings for the company's Soul subsidiary well; don't look here for, say, the Buddah-label "Midnight Train to Georgia." But all is not lost on this supposed "ultimate collection." Especially when you get Gladys--easily one of the most underrated soul singers--and her Pips tearing through their church-drenched 1967 version of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" or ripping into the peace and love anthem "Friendship Train" or the rousing, finger-wagging "It Should Have Been Me" (one of the greatest you're-gonna-miss-somebody songs of the soul era). With the Pips' seamless harmonies and Gladys's wide-open, no-nonsense vocals, these 22 songs are a great introduction to one of the most beloved R & B/pop groups of the '60s and '70s and well worth owning--even if it only tells half of the story. --Amy Linden

finally!:
finally,a compilation that remembered the great b side hit of i heard it through the grapevine,the timeless it's time to go now,originally on soul motown. this rare record is one of their best records they ever will make. i mean honey chile their sweet soulful harmonies together is enough to melt butter baby!anyone that does not agree doesn't know true r n b when they hear it!i thought for sure they would put that song on the motown anthology,but to my surprise it wasn't,instead they put too many filler busters on it that weren't ever heard of, somebody fell asleep at the wheel.anyway thanks to the ultimate collection that fabulous song lives!!alright gladys & the pips!!j.h.52757

The first successful recordings:
Gladys Knight and the Pips made some records before they signed to Motown, but those records were not successful, so these are the earliest important recordings. I heard it through the grapevine was their first major hit, going to number two in the American pop chart (and topping the R+B chart) and also giving them a minor British hit. Gladys recorded the song at around the same time as Marvin Gaye, but Motown originally selected the version by Gladys and the Pips for single release. Marvin's version was released as a single a year later and topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. The two versions are very different despite both being produced by Norman Whitfield. He obviously loved the song as he also produced versions by the Isley brothers and the Miracles. There are many other classic songs here, including Take me in your arms and love me, It should have been me (revived by Yvonne Fair in the seventies), Every little bit hurts, If I were your woman, Help me make it through the night and Neither one of us. Gladys Knight is best remembered for the recordings she made after she left Motown for Buddah, including Midnight train to Georgia, but her Motown music is well worth a listen.

Original masters used???:
On the packaging of this CD, it says that the original masters were used in making it. However, I have a hard time believing this. From the first moment I heard this CD, I knew that the CD either wasn't made from the tapes or the mastering was done poorly. This CD was produced the same year (1997) that The Supremes and Jr. Walker had their Ultimate Collections come out and they sounded much better because they were louder and fuller in sound. Where the consistancy?

Great Collection!:
This is the best single disc "hits" collection during their Motown/Soul years. Like many "greatest hits" albums, you can't argue what's here but maybe what's not here. However, I do recommend this album along with "The Soul Survivors: (1973-1988)" if you want just the hits. Very Essential.

"The Ultimate Collection" Series Deliver The Goods:
One of the very best series of compilations on the market today are those identified on the cover as "The Ultimate Collection" \oothers include The Four Tops, The Marvelettes, The Supremes - just to name a few\c. In this one you get all 18 Top 100 charters racked up by the great Gladys Knight & The Pips \onamed after their manager and cousin James "Pip" Woods\c for Motown's subsidiary label Soul, plus the hard-to-find B-side to their biggest pop hit \o# 2\c I Heard It Through The Grapevine \oIt's Time To Go Now - track 22\c, and album cuts Every Little Bit Hurts, Just Walk In My Shoes, and Here I Am Again. Of those 18 hits, thirteen made the Top 40 Pop and fifteen the Top 40 R & B, including the No. 1s I Heard It Through The Grapevine, If I Were Your Woman, and Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye). The sound quality is excellent and you get several pages of informative liner notes, including a complete discography of the contents and some nice shots of the group. Most definitely a compilation worth having.

• I Heard It Through the Grapevine
• End of Our Road
• Everybody Needs Love
• Take Me in Your Arms and Love Me
• It Should Have Been Me
• I Wish It Would Rain
• Every Little Bit Hurts
• Didn't You Know (You'd Have to Cry Sometime)
• Just Walk in My Shoes
• Nitty Gritty
• Friendship Train
• You Need Love Like I Do (Don't You?)
• If I Were Your Woman
• I Don't Want to Do Wrong
• Here I Am Again
• Make Me the Woman That You Go Home To
• Help Me Make It Through the Night
• Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)
• Daddy Could Swear, I Declare
• All I Need Is Time
• Between Her Goodbye and My Hello
• It's Time to Go Now