Search - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell :: United

Their only two genuine duet albums

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 08/16/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In theory, Marvin and Tammi recorded three albums together, but Tammi was desperately ill and dying at the time the third album was being recorded, so for most of it, Tammi was replaced by Valerie Simpson, although it was Tammi's name that appeared on the album and the singles that came from it. So the two albums featured on this collection are the only albums that Marvin and Tammi recorded together.The first album, United, yielded three American hit singles - Ain't no mountain high enough (top twenty), Your precious love (top five) and If I could build my world around you (top ten). In Britain, only the last of these charted and even then it was only a minor hit. There are plenty of other great duets here including a cover of Nancy and Frank Sinatra's Something stupid.The second album, You're all I need, yielded two American top ten hits - Ain't nothing like the real thing and You're all I need to get by - that also charted in Britain, though less successfully. Keep on loving me honey became an American top thirty hit. Its B-side, You ain't living till you're loving, became a British top thirty hit. As with the United album, there are plenty of great album cuts here.Since I bought this collection, a double-CD has been released in both Britain and America titled The complete duets. The tracks on this set form the first 24 tracks of the first CD of that collection. The rest of that collection includes the so-called third duet album, plus some of Tammi's solo recordings and various alternate takes. If you just want the definitive versions of the songs that Marvin and Tammi recorded together, this twofer will be sufficient. I looked at the track listing of the other collection and the only important tracks not available here can be found on various other Motown compilations."