Motown years in full
Laurence Upton | Wilts, UK | 07/02/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Mable John's recording career began at Motown. But although she was there for six years, when she moved to Stax in 1966, the label with which she is most associated, she had released only four singles on Tamla. Three of these were released before 1962 and the most recent in 1963, itself a remake of her first single, Who Wouldn't Love A Man Like That. When she left she had been silent to the record-buying public for three years, while cash registers were ringing with the record sales of Mary Wells and the Miracles, Marvin and Martha.
Behind the scenes, though, from the start, she had been busily recording with her mentor Berry Gordy, Andre Williams, Mickey Stevenson, Holland and Dozier, Clarence Paul and even a teenage Stevie Wonder, and as well as Berry Gordy's piano playing augmenting the Funk Brothers, she had the Supremes or the Temptations helping out on backing vocals for some tracks.
This album is subtitled 'The Complete Collection' and rounds up all released and unreleased completed masters to so far show up in the vaults (with Motown you never know what may be uncovered), 19 tracks in all including both variants of the single No Love.
Of the unreleased tracks only a couple are dated, and these are from late 1962. However in the booklet notes, Mable John says, "Most of the material was recorded at United Sound. When we moved to the now-famous house at 2648 West Grand Boulevard, a few songs were cut there." As we can deduce that five of the tracks must have been made at the Hitsville Studios, in the basement at 2648, it seems likely that many of the others date from 1960-1961, rather than the dry period of no releases after 1963, and represent another casualty of Motown's embarrassment of riches.
Of most interest of these are an upbeat duet with Singin' Sammy Ward; the first version of Able Mable, an autobiographical song written by Mable and her mother Lillie, which was later to be a single on Stax; her version of You Never Miss A Good Thing, a Smokey/Berry song that Eugene Remus had out in 1960 and that became a Miracles B-side in 1962; and an unreleased early Dozier-Holland song, Meet Me Half Way, which had also been recorded in 1962 by Kim Weston. This closes the album and an important chapter in her career, now finally available for our evaluation."
Pre-Motown Sound
Truth | DC | 12/06/2006
(2 out of 5 stars)
"Mable John has had several careers: She was a member of the United Five, a gospel group with her four siblings (including R&B singer Little Willie John); she was the first solo female act signed to Berry Gordy's Tamala Records (his pre-Motown company); she recorded with Isaac Hayes & David Porter on Stax Records; she was one of Ray Charles's Raelette's for over a decade, into the 1970s; she is a minister; she has a Ph.D. in counseling. This compilation covers 1960-1963, her years on Tamla.
MY NAME IS MABLE: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION - 19 HI-FIDELITY SOUL CLASSICS consists of 19 songs, including 2 versions of both "No Love" and "Who Wouldn't Love a Man Like That". Disc is packaged in a clear jewel case. Booklet includes some recording dates, no recording personnel information, an essay by David Ritz consisting of mostly a first-person account by Dr. Mable John, and several small black-and-white photographs. The sound quality is good.
The songs here (most previously unreleased) are not really "Soul classics". The music here is more of a Do-Wop variety; more Rhythm & Blues and Pop than Soul. There is little resemblance to what would later be known as the Motown Sound. Her recordings here are not dissimilar to what Ruth Brown did in the 1950s. While Mable's voice is pleasant, she is not a vocal powerhouse, nor is her voice particularly distinctive.
This collection includes "I'm Yours, You're Mine" (duet with Singin' Sammy Ward), the 1963 version of "Who Wouldn't Love a Man Like That" co-produced by a teenage Stevie Wonder, and the original version of "Able Mable" (this version called "My Name Is Mable").
For Mable John's 1966-1968 Soul recordings on Stax (and some Bluesy tunes), get the compilation "Stay Out of the Kitchen" [1993, Fantasy].
Music: 1 and half stars
Packaging: 3 stars"
Track Listings (19) - Disc #1