\"If you've seen the Showtime special, Hitsville: The Making Of Motown, you only glimpsed the tip of the iceberg. For certain, it would have required a multiple-episode special to showcase most if not all of the talent that passed through Motown's Detroit studios; and that would be just the 60's... Time to dig a bit deeper into the groups and hits that made (and continue to make) Motown so famous. Here for your listening pleasure, three of \"The Women Of Motown\", The Marvelettes.
It's hard to believe that the young teenagers who gave Motown its first million-seller, \"Please Mr. Postman,\" while still in high school, would come to provide Motown with some of it's most adult, sophisticated moments as this, \"When You're Young And In Love.\" This majestic, masterpiece speaks speaks volumes of how good these \"Girls To Women\" were. Motown were a long time in wanting to let the group grow into a more adult image and sound. That changed, in part with Smokey Robinson's tirelessly lobbying to get \"Don't Mess With Bill\" released. Once the genie was out of the bottle, other producers were free to provide the group with better and more complex material. Motown producers James Dean and William Weatherspoon were responsible for producing songwriter Van McCoy's \"When You're Young And In Love.\" The song, especially as sung by The Marvelettes, is worthy of being a staple of weddings everywhere.
From the attention-snagging drum roll introduction alone, Motown's Quality Control had to have been sold. Recorded with Motown was at the top of their game in crafting some of the most imaginative and creatively progressive music, Dean and Weatherspoon spared no expense. Easily one of the biggest-sounding masterpieces with soaring strings, a batallion of rhythm guitars strumming, stunning drum fills and every other trick in the Motown production playbook.
Then, the production's only rival is an absolutely dreamy, romantic performance by Wanda Rogers, augmented with rapturous backing vocals which includes Wanda and group-mates Katherine Schaffner and Gladys Horton as well as Motown studio group, the Andantes providing a counterpoint vocal backing line. The total effect is undsiputedly on a par with the best of Motown's hits from the era, including the Four Tops' \"Reach Out\", Stevie Wonder's \"I Was Made To Love Her\" and The Supremes' \"You Keep Me Hangin' On\"
* Recently, there have been two excellent box sets released on the Marvelettes covering all of their album releases, singles and un-issued recordings- \"Forever\" and Forever More\". Give yourself a gift and get these two sets!\"
\"The Marvelettes When You're Young And In Love\" (Van McCoy) published Picturetone
recorded Hitsville-GW, completed 27-Oct-66 ; produced by William Weatherspoon, James Dean ; [lead Wanda Rogers]\"
related: \"the marvelettes don't mess with bill\" \"the marvelettes please mr. postman\"
