Chalky

A superb set of releases from Kent in early June rounded off with the Patrice Holloway Anthology. "Patrice was beautiful, she was sassy. She was extraordinarily creative and way ahead of her generation. I loved her very, very much." Motown producer Frank Wilson What an adventure it was to write the liner notes for "Love & Desire: The Patrice Holloway Anthology"! I had the opportunity to immerse myself in the life of this fascinating unsung artist through interviews with a host of her legendary colleagues: stellar session vocalists such as Clydie King and Edna Wright as well as Motown icon Brenda Holloway, Patrice's sister. What emerged was a portrait of a singularly talented, spirited and fascinating young woman who was truly beloved by all who knew her. What didn't emerge was the answer to an age-old riddle: Who sang backup behind Diana Ross on 'Someday We'll Be Together'? Brenda Holloway clearly hears her sister on the track, and Merry Clayton shared a vivid anecdote about rehearsing and recording it with Patrice. After the notes were sent to the printer, Motown stalwart Gloria Jones insisted that she had cut the vocals with Carolyn Willis and Patrice. Of course, the late producer Johnny Bristol claimed it was the Waters. File this one under Unsolved Mysteries. But here's the biggest mystery: How did Patrice Holloway not become a superstar? "Love & Desire" showcases this brilliant vocal stylist on 25 rare tracks bursting with charisma and personality. Her complete output for Capitol is here: nine tracks released on five singles during two tenures with the label. 'Stolen Hours', 'Ecstasy' and 'Love And Desire' have long been Northern Soul favourites, and 1971's 'Evidence' and 'That's The Chance You Gotta Take' personify the "value for money" single. Another highlight is 1967's 'That's All You Gotta Do', written by future Motown luminary Willie Hutch. Did I say Motown? An excursion into the Hitsville vaults has yielded a treasure trove of exciting rarities. A few have sneaked out on compilations in recent years, such as Patrice's original version of 'The Touch Of Venus', her duet with sister Brenda on 'Come Into My Palace' and her seldom-heard double-sided tribute to her teenage heartthrob, 'Stevie' and 'The Boy Of My Dreams'. (Incidentally, Brenda spills the beans in the booklet notes on her little sister's romance with young Mr Wonder.) Ten Motown tracks see light for the first time anywhere. There's further flirtation with Stevie on a lively cover of his 'Surf Stomp', a Smokey-produced version of the Miracles' 'All That's Good' and an authoritative take on Mary Wells' 'My 2 Arms - You = Tears'. Barely in her teens when she committed these tracks to tape, Patrice is yearning and tender on 'Love Walked Right In' and boisterous on 'Flippitty Flop'. Versatility abounds over a wide variety of styles including doo wop ('Crying'), mid-60s pop ('The Go Gang') and testifying soul (the powerful 'I Got To Change'). As I said, everyone who knew Patrice loved her. I, too, came to love her while working on "Love & Desire". Now it's your turn. By Dennis Garvey 1. Stolen Hours 2. Lucky My Boy 3. Ecstasy 4. Love And Desire 5. That's All You Got To Do 6. Stay With Your Own Kind 7. Evidence 8. That's The Chance You Gotta Take 9. Black Mother Goose 10. The Touch Of Venus 11. Those Dj Shows 12. For The Love Of Mike 13. Stevie 14. My 2 Arms - You = Tears 15. Come Into My Palace - With Brenda Holloway 16. All That's Good 17. I Got To Change 18. Tall Boy 19. Flippitty Flop 20. The Go Gang

Hot on the heels of well-received projects by the Contours and Marv Johnson, Kent is delighted to bring you the altogether-splendid results of a further dip into the 1960s Motown archives, with the first ever CD by collector favourites the Monitors. * Although they consistently failed to achieve the promotion and success that was afforded to some of their more famed labelmates, the Monitors were among the finest groups to record for Berry Gordy's company during its golden era. * Led by the soulful tenor of future Temptations member Richard Street, the three-boy, one-girl quartet was never among Motown's big chart hitters, but the comparatively few recordings the Monitors made in almost seven years with the company were and remain of the highest quality - and each of their five released singles deserved considerably more chart action than they got. * "Say You!" - named for the group's V.I.P 45 - rounds up the Monitors' lone 1970 album for Motown's Soul label and adds a further 12 killer 60s tracks from the Detroit vaults, 10 of which are being released for the first time here. * Across its contents you will also find a version of every Monitors A- and B-side, most of them being reissued in stereo for the first time. * The package features a wealth of label shots and rare ephemera, with a sleeve note by Motown uberfan Keith Hughes that incorporates the recent reminiscences of Richard Street about his time as "head Monitor". 1. Bring Back The Love 2. Share A Little Love With Me (Somebody) 3. Step By Step (Hand In Hand) 4. The Further You Look, The Less You See 5. Since I Lost You Girl 6. Baby Make Your Own Sweet Music 7. Greetings (This Is Uncle Sam) (Stereo Album Version) 8. Time Is Passing By (Stereo Album Version) 9. Say You 10. Number One In Your Heart 11. Serve Yourself A Cup Of Happiness 12. You Share The Blame 13. Too Busy Thinking About My Baby 14. The Letter 15. Poor Side Of Town 16. Crying In The Night (Alternate Version) 17. My Love Grows Stronger 18. It Only Happens When Love Is Gone 19. Show Me You Can Dance 20. You're So Fine And Sweet 21. I'm In Love With You Baby 22. Guilty 23. Anything 24. Cry 25. All For Someone 26. Don't Put Off `Til Tomorrow What You Can Do Today