The Originals - Portrait Of The Originals (1970/2021)

A fine collection that would have been better without the remakes. Marvin Gaye produced "The Bells," a gorgeous doo-wop-influenced ballad with a riveting, spoken bass monologue; it has all the charm of "Baby I'm For Real," another Gaye production, and then some. Members Freddie Gorman, C.P. Spencer, Hank Dixon, and Walter Gaines, with the help of Pam Sawyer wrote "I Like Your Style," a delightful romp that Motown banished to the B-side of "We Can Make It Baby," athough it had the legs to stand on its own. Ironically, Motown released only "The Bells" as a single from this LP, despite other viable candidates like the infectious "Don't Stop Now" and the harmonic heart-tugger "You Want Hearts and Flowers."