Gladys Knight was treated a bit torridly by Motown in the 1960's, but it worked to her advantage in the end as being a cutting edge soul queen in the 1970's. In 1969, a struggling news broadcaster named Don Cornelius was starting a show in the Chicago market called "Soul Train" and it was 'Gladys Knight and the Pips' who agreed to perform on the show. It wasn't Aretha, it wasn't Dianna Ross, nor Martha Reeves, or Marvin Gaye (they all wanted a comfortable fee). Gladys embodied what soul music meant, giving it up for the people, and lending a helping hand when you could. An embodiment of the true 1960's spirit. Soul Train toook off, but it was Gladys Knight who performed first.

This comp is excellent. I was at a Mod/Soul DJ night in San Francisco in December 2002 and the DJ spun "Walk In My Shoes" off a 45Rpm and I was gassed instantly. I knew about her work in the 1970's, but this......this was good, danceable raw soul. I looked into Gladys's career and music before the 1970's and stumbled upon this comp. The music is danceable, and Gladys put every effort into what was provided for her, swooning harder, better, than any modern 'diva' could today. The backing by the Pips is stellar, always hitting the beat, and backing up "what she's talking about" and that was in itself something she should be proud of.

Pulled this one off the shelf the other night after hearing that Gladys Knight had performed in our town earlier in the week. My wife and I had seen Gladys Knight and the Pips perform in the summer of 1989 and that concert remains one of the finest live performances I have ever witnessed.
Originally released back in 1997, "The Ultimate Collection" features just about every one of the groups charted singles from their highly successful six year stint at Motown. While Gladys Knight and the Pips would achieve their biggest chart success during the mid-seventies at Buddah Records, a good many critics would argue that their best work was probably done at Motown. I would tend to agree with that assessment. Gladys Knight and the Pips were formed way back in 1952 after 8 year old Gladys was the weekly winner on the nationally televised "Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour". From that point on there was simply no holding her back. After a couple of highly successful records in the early 1960's Gladys Knight and the Pips arrived at Motown in early 1967. And before that year was out they had a monster hit with the original version of "I Heard It Through The Grapevine." Other Top Ten hits would follow including "If I Were Your Woman" and "Neither One of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye)" from 1973. As is so often the case some of my personal favorites were not necessarily the biggest hits. Perhaps my very favorite recording is the funky "It Should Have Been Me" which barely cracked the Top 40 in the Summer of '68. And switching gears completely, I was totally mesmorized by Gladys' heart wrenching rendition of the great country standard "Help Me Make It Through The Night". I had forgotten just how great a record that one really was. Add to these other familiar hits like "The End of Our Road" and "I Don't Want To Do Wrong" and you've got yourself a pretty darn good collection.
If you are in the market for the all the great Motown tunes then this single disc collection is still the best option around. I have been waiting for years for a collection that spans the entire forty year career of this legendary group. But for now, pop this one in and enjoy. Highly recommended.

On the packaging of this CD, it says that the original masters were used in making it. However, I have a hard time believing this. From the first moment I heard this CD, I knew that the CD either wasn't made from the tapes or the mastering was done poorly. This CD was produced the same year (1997) that The Supremes and Jr. Walker had their Ultimate Collections come out and they sounded much better because they were louder and fuller in sound. Where the consistancy?

This is the best single disc "hits" collection during their Motown/Soul years. Like many "greatest hits" albums, you can't argue what's here but maybe what's not here. However, I do recommend this album along with "The Soul Survivors: (1973-1988)" if you want just the hits. Very Essential.

Gladys Knight and the Pips made some records before they signed to Motown, but those records were not successful, so these are the earliest important recordings.

I heard it through the grapevine was their first major hit, going to number two in the American pop chart (and topping the R+B chart) and also giving them a minor British hit. Gladys recorded the song at around the same time as Marvin Gaye, but Motown originally selected the version by Gladys and the Pips for single release. Marvin's version was released as a single a year later and topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. The two versions are very different despite both being produced by Norman Whitfield. He obviously loved the song as he also produced versions by the Isley brothers and the Miracles.

There are many other classic songs here, including Take me in your arms and love me, It should have been me (revived by Yvonne Fair in the seventies), Every little bit hurts, If I were your woman, Help me make it through the night and Neither one of us.

Gladys Knight is best remembered for the recordings she made after she left Motown for Buddah, including Midnight train to Georgia, but her Motown music is well worth a listen.

finally,a compilation that remembered the great b side hit of i heard it through the grapevine,the timeless it's time to go now,originally on soul motown. this rare record is one of their best records they ever will make. i mean honey chile their sweet soulful harmonies together is enough to melt butter baby!anyone that does not agree doesn't know true r n b when they hear it!i thought for sure they would put that song on the motown anthology,but to my surprise it wasn't,instead they put too many filler busters on it that weren't ever heard of, somebody fell asleep at the wheel.anyway thanks to the ultimate collection that fabulous song lives!!alright gladys & the pips!!j.h.52757

A quote from Gladys herself - "Diana & the Supremes, The Temptations, and Marvin Gaye were given all the hits while we took the leftovers." That was on her A&E biography, and she had a point, her group deserved more. They had some great hits though, her version of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is one I still listen to, sometimes more than I listen to Marivn Gaye's version. "Neither One of Us" is just a wonderful song, and their version of "I Wish It Would Rain" is just as great as the Temptations' version. "If I Were Your Woman" is a Gladys classic. They had a great sound and Motown should have treated them better.

This CD doesn't really deserve five stars though. Maybe if "Every Beat of My Heart", "Midnight Train to Georgia", "Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me", etc. were on here, you'd see five stars instead of four.

This is the best (so far) of the many hits packages Motown has released on Gladys and her Pips. It's not too brief and not too unwieldly, either. As the liner notes state, all selections are the original 45 rpm versions. That is to say, there are subtle, but noticeable differences between many of these recordings and the versions that have been repackaged previously over the years. For instance, the fade-out is longer on "Didn't You Know" and "Just Walk In My Shoes" contains a vocal section I'd never heard before. These are little things, but they mean a lot to serious fans. The digital remastering makes for excellent sound. One quibble though is the inclusion of "It's Time To Go Now". This unremarkable track from 1968 was a poor choice to end the CD.

I wish I could see Gladys Knight in person. I think she is a singer. My mother use to own almost all her records. I still continue to buy them because I still like her music. It is just wonderful. Maybe one day I will beable to get out and see her in concert.

Gladys Knight & The Pips have always been a major fave of mine. While at Motown,they never received as much attention as the other major groups but they always managed to hold their own while outlasting many of them. Gladys herself is still knockin' 'em dead in concert and never fails to sing all the major hits and then some. This is a major collection of their timeless classics.