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Details Number of CDs: 1 Recording Type: Studio Recording Mode: Stereo EAN: 0602498120064

Album Notes

It might be titled "The Ultimate Motown Collection," and certainly it's the most comprehensive Jimmy Ruffin CD compilation to hit the market, with two discs and 48 tracks, a dozen of them previously unreleased. It still doesn't have everything he did for the label, and the absence of no less than four of the 11 tracks that appeared on the best previous Ruffin CD comp (20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Jimmy Ruffin) testifies to the variance of taste among those responsible for assembling these anthologies. Still, it'll satisfy both those looking for an overall Ruffin best-of and Motown collectors who want more depth and a higher concentration of rarities, though the 20th Century Masters comp is still the recommended first choice, especially if you're on a budget. Of course, Ruffin's only Top 20 pop hits, "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" and the less celebrated "I've Passed This Way Before," are both here, as are his three 1970 U.K. Top Ten chart entries "Farewell Is a Lonely Sound," "It's Wonderful to Be Loved You," and "I'll Say Forever My Love."Disc one has 26 tracks taken from his 1967-1974 albums, using the "45 Mix" versions of 11 cuts (including all of the aforementioned hits) and ten songs from his U.K.-only LPs Jimmy Ruffin...Forever (1970) and I've Passed This Way Before (1974, though the material on it that hadn't been previously issued was taken from the vaults). Decent as these are, taken together they do confirm Ruffin's standing as one of Motown's second-stringers, probably doomed to relative obscurity if not for the huge success of "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted." They do show Ruffin's skill with some of Motown's more pop-oriented material -- he was certainly not as gritty as, say, fellow Motowner Edwin Starr -- and in its way, the disc is a reflection of the label's overall drift toward more sophisticated, slicker production in the late '60s and early '70s, though there aren't too many really outstanding songs (and listeners certainly don't need to hear his covers of "Take a Letter Maria" and "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head").The real excitement for Motown fanatics lies in disc two, comprised of ten previously released "rarities" and a dozen previously unheard "unreleased masters." Among these are Ruffin's extremely Jackie Wilson-influenced debut Motown 1961 single, "Don't Feel Sorry for Me"/"Heart"; an Italian version of "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted"; a bunch of obscurities that have only shown up on Motown and soul compilations, some of them rather out of the way; and those dozen unreleased sides (one of them an alternative mix of "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" with a spoken intro), spanning 1962-1971. These rare and unissued items aren't of such a high quality that you'll pound your head in frustration over their failure to gain official release at the time they were recorded. But they're solid enough mid-level vintage Motown music in a variety of uptempo and midtempo (and, less often, ballad) styles, often written by leading Motown composers like Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong, Janie Bradford, Mickey Stevenson, and Eddie Holland, though at times they bear a strong similarity to better-known Motown hits, as "Lucky Lucky Me" does to Marvin Gaye's "Pride and Joy." Though disc two is primarily of interest to Motown collectors, it shouldn't be dismissed as subpar, standing up pretty well with the body of work Ruffin did issue while he was with the label. ~ Richie Unterberger

Disc: 1 

1. What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted 

2. Gonna Give Her All The Love I've Got 

3. I've Passed This Way Before 

4. Tomorrow's Tears 

5. It's Wonderful (To Be Loved By You) 

6. I'll Say Forever My Love 

7. Farewell Is A Lonely Sound 

8. Don't You Miss Me A Little Bit Baby 

9. Our Favorite Melody 

10. You Gave Me Love 

11. If You Will Let Me I Know I Can 

12. Take A Letter Maria 

13. Just Before Love Ends 

14. On The Way Out (On The Way In) 

15. Maria (You Were The Only One) 

16. Gathering Memories 

17. Don't Take Away My Rose Coloured Glasses 

18. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head 

19. That's Me Lovin' You 

20. Kickin' Stones 

21. Thanks But No Thanks 

22. It's A Desperate Situation 

23. Born To Be Bad 

24. I Never Loved Nobody But You 

25. I've Got You Girl

Disc: 2 

1. Don't Feel Sorry For Me 

2. Heart 

3. Se Decidi Cosi 

4. Baby I've Got It 

5. I Know How To Love Her 

6. Too Busy Thinking About My Baby 

7. I Gotta Let You Go 

8. He Who Picks A Rose 

9. Beauty Is Only Skin Deep 

10. Lucky Lucky Me 

11. Half Of Your Love 

12. In The Neighborhood 

13. Love Is A Hurtin' Thing 

14. Shake Hands With A Dreamer 

15. I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You) 

16. More Than A Heart Can Stand 

17. I Love The Way She Loves Me 

18. I Pray You Still Love Me 

19. East Side West Side 

20. That's You Girl 

21. Change Your Mind 

22. What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted 

23. Do You Feel The Way You Make Me Feel

is it any of these 

Posted (edited)

These are all the Jimmy Ruffin tracks on Don't Forget the Motor City.....

 

Ruffin, Jimmy

 

96 Tears


As Long As There Is L-O-V-E Love


Baby I've Got It


Beauty Is Only Skin Deep


Black Is Black


Bless You


Born To Be Bad


Change Your Mind

(Do You Feel) The Way You Make Me Feel


Don't Feel Sorry For Me


Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me


Don't Take Away My Rose-Colored Glasses


Don't You Miss Me A Little Bit Baby


East Side, West Side


Everybody Needs Love


Farewell Is A Lonely Sound


Gathering Memories


Gonna Give Her All The Love I've Got


Gonna Keep On Tryin' Till I Win Your Love


Half Of Your Love


Halfway To Paradise


He Who Picks A Rose


Heart


Honey Come Back


How Can I Say I'm Sorry


I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You)


I Gotta Let You Go


I Love The Way You Love


(I Never Loved) Nobody But You


I Pray You Still Love Me


I Want Her Love


I'll Never Let You Get Away


I'll Say Forever My Love


I've Got You Girl


I've Passed This Way Before


If You Will Let Me, I Know I Can


In The Neighborhood


It's A Desperate Situation


It's Wonderful (To Be Loved By You)


Just Before Love Ends


Kickin' Stones


Let's Say Goodbye Tomorrow


Living In A World I Created For Myself


Lonely Lonely Man Am I


Love Gives Love Takes Away


Love Is A Hurtin' Thing


Lucky Lucky Me


Maria (You Were The Only One)


More Than A Heart Can Stand


On The Avenue


On The Way Out (On The Way In)


Our Favorite Melody


Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head


Sad And Lonesome Feeling


Shake Hands With A Dreamer


Since I've Lost You


Stop Leading Me On


Take A Letter, Maria


Thanks But No Thanks


That's Me Lovin' You


That's You Girl


This Guy's In Love With You


Tomorrow's Tears


Too Busy Thinking About My Baby


What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted


World So Wide, Nowhere To Hide (From Your Heart)


You Gave Me Love


You've Got What It Takes

Edited by chalky

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