The story of how a singer named Saundra Mallett, who had had one Tamla single out in 1962, and a vocal group in the Isley Brothers mould called the Downbeats, who recorded for the same label, joined forces to become a hit combo called the Elgins, is well documented and illustrated on this two-disc anthology, which draws together pretty much everything they recorded, both separately and together.

The Elgins' hit 1965 single Darling Baby provided the title track of their V.I.P. album of the following year, which also included the hits Heaven Must Have Sent You, Put Yourself In My Place and Stay In My Lonely Arms. The entire album, mixed in stereo, is included in full and comprises the first twelve tracks of disc one. Saundra shines on all the lead vocals on the album, apart from 634-5789 and When A Man Loves A Woman on which Johnny Dawson sings lead. It was mostly recorded in 1966, but It's Gonna Be Hard Times dates from 1962, and was the B-side of her solo single on which she was joined by the three Vandellas and Marvin Gaye on piano. Most of the album was produced by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier, with several original Holland-Dozier-Holland songs from when they were on a huge roll, but one of my favourites is No Time For Tears, which Norman Whitfield produced. The Marvelettes did the great original version of this but that was buried on a B-side, and Saundra here makes it her own.

The original mono singles and their B-sides are also included separately, as well as those by Saundra Mallett and the Downbeats, but the revelation here once again is the quality of the wealth of previously unreleased material. The second disc includes fifteen tracks by the Downbeats, more than enough for a pretty good album, and all but three of these are appearing for the first time (one is a superior alternative mix of a 1962 single). A couple of these may never have been intended for release as they are fairly blatant carbon copies of existing songs: Party Time bears a strong similarity to Pony Time by Chubby Checker, and Let The Groove Roll On is a secular version of Mahalia Jackson's Let The Church Roll On via Chris Kenner's I Like It Like That. Both bring out the gospel fervour of the Downbeats, though, and sound terrific.

Yvonne Vernee Allen took over as lead singer in 1968 but nothing was released from her tenure with the Elgins, until now: there are four excellent examples of her work with the Elgins on disc one, produced by James Dean and William Weatherspoon, and reflecting the Motown sound of the time.

These Motown Anthologies are pure treasure trove and this opens another largely unknown chapter.

This set is not as good, overall, as the Motown collections by Bobby Taylor, The Velvelettes, and Kim Weston, possibly because The Elgins were not as good as some of those other entertainers or maybe because the material they were given to perform was less appealing. Evenso, this set is definitely a must-have for true Motown fans. The first disc, which is basically all Elgins tracks, is excellent. The second, comprised of earlier material by the group members before they became the Elgins and some single versions of Elgins' hits, is less entertaining. All of disc one is great. The highlight of disc two are Saundra Mallett's solos, including two wherein she was backed by The Vandellas. Like all of the British Motown compilations, the set has great liner notes and group history.

For those of us who wanted the Elgins' "Darling Baby" album released on disc, it's finally here! Thanks to Universal Group in the United Kingdom (because we don't like our own music!!), I have before me a copy of their Motown Anthology. At first I thought, "Oh goodie!! A disc is finally issued by The Elgins!!" But when I saw the track listing, I was appalled as to why a second album was not issued in early 1968, at least. These two discs not only include the album and subsequent single, "It's Been a Long, Long Time", but vaulted recordings of The Downbeats and some great songs by Saundra Mallett. Both Johnny Dawson (who sounds like a cross between James Brown and Professor Charles Taylor) and Saundra had such great vocal skills that a few blues recordings emerge here. "I Still Love You", an Elgins track with Saundra deftly singing the lead, is an exquisite track worthy of Aretha and Etta. They also handle Stevie Wonder's "Thank You Love" very well while "Let's Give Love Another Chance" is so bluesy that it defies traditional Motown outright. Mallett takes on sliding vocal trails only a skilled Gospel singer would try. The hits become a distant memory as these unreleased tracks eclipse their all too familiar appearance. Johnny Dawson sings on "Another Hurt Like This", written by the late, great Shorty Long. For those who enjoy listening to Martha & the Vandellas' reading of Shorty's "You've Been on My Mind" from the "Spellbound" collection, this will be a keeper for sure. Marvin Gaye's "When You Are Available" compares to anything he ever wrote and produced for The Originals. A lilting soul number, it brings back the feel of Marvin & Tammi's classic "If This World Were Mine". The Dean-Witherspoon team is responsible for "Life Can Be Beautiful" (which could have been a smash by Jimmy Ruffin who cut his hits on their repertoire), "My Love For Your Love" and "Love Where Are You Hiding" are all irresistible pieces of soul. By this time the Elgins switched female vocalists, but the recordings kept going. No releases, however were made of these recordings. The new lead singer sounds a bit like Tammi Terrell, with a bit of Barbara McNair thrown in. Clarence Paul's "All For Just Lovin' You" sounds at first like a slowed down reworking of "Put Yourself in My Place", but its Gospel overtones uncover a more soulful recording. The Downbeats' "Request of a Fool" b/w "Your Baby's Back" single is here, but a superior alternate vocal track is heard on the latter. "Don't You Know I Love You Baby", and "I Feel So Fine" could have been great vehicles for The Contours, while "Let the Groove Roll On" is a spin-off on Mahalia Jackson's "Let the Chruch Roll On". The Downbeats are at full steam giving some backing vocals in the tradition of James Brown's Famous Flames! "All I Got" was originally recorded by Saundra Mallett, as heard here. It was tried out on Marvin Gaye and Mary Wells on their 1964 "Together" sessions, but not used for that album. Saundra gives it her typical Etta James-style vocal. "Boo-Hoo" is a Berry Gordy production close to The Supremes' "Buttered Popcorn" with the tenor man mimicking the Mar-Keys' "Last Night". Janie Bradford and Richard Wylie penned a nice blues tune in "First Try At Love". Why this wasn't given to Mable John is beyond me. Saundra does it great, a complicated time signature, but she doesn't miss a beat. How does she do it? "Party Time" is a reworking of Chubby Checker's "Pony Time". It's obvious, but they get away with it. One of The Downbeats' original tunes, it was written by Johnny Dawson. "Until I Lost You" returns to the blues, and this is where Dawson brings everything to the pulpit. These guys could have been huge at Cincinnati's King label. The recording features a brand new jazz-soul sensation, an 11 year old Stevie Wonder who played harmonica. Saundra's single, "Camel Walk" b/w "It's Gonna Be Hard Times" is here in all its wonder with Martha & the Vandellas pulling backup duties as only they can. The baby, baby, baby on "Camel Walk" is reminiscent of Dee Dee Sharpe's vocal on "Slow Twistin'", her immortal duet with Chubby Checker. Marvin Gaye fills in on piano. The B-side, however was the more popular of the two as it became part of the "Darling Baby" album, closing Side One. The Downbeats follow with more vault selections filled with hard R&B and rockers too many to mention here. If there's a bad track here, I can't find it. Perhaps the lowest point is the '65 aborted single release, "Do You Know What I'm Talking About" b/w "You Say You Love Me", first issued on "The Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 5". The reason for holding back its release was because Holland-Dozier-Holland had a pair of killer tunes for Saundra with The Downbeats recording the backing vocals. Then, after the name change, Saundra & The Downbeats were history and The Elgins name took over. The set features a new stereo mix of "It's Been a Long, Long Time", but it should be pointed out that "Darling Baby" has not only been re-mixed from its earlier stereo inception, but also extended. The original album contained all B-sides from their singles under the Elgins name, a rarity in most Motown albums. Consequently, this is one of the most essential collections to come out of the Motown catalog. We owe a lot of gratitude to Universal Group for these recordings!!

I must say this is one of the best cd's to be released in this series
yet. I thought the "B" artist who had only 1 or 2 hits, maby had a hand
full of things in the vaults. My God, there are nearly 40 or so great
songs here. What an awsome surprise! Berry Gordy, you were really the
busy little bee. Then the other surprise on these cd's is what they
recorded versions of. Jerry Butler's "For your precious love"
James Brown's fabulous"It's a man's world" , just to mention a few.
The stero mix of the "Darling Baby" lp is something to listen to.
I will not list my favorite cuts, all I can say is that, if you
are truley a motown fan, you will be pleasantly surprised.