Together (Original Master Mono)

Motown mogul Berry Gordy, Jr. decided to increase his chances for sales by recording his male and female stars together, and the public went for it. Together trekked up the pop charts, finally stopping at number 42, a good showing for an R&B album in 1964. A two-sided hit and the only single released, "Once Upon a Time" and "What's the Matter with You Baby," helped the cause by charting in the upper echelons of the R&B and pop charts. The former is a slow, floating ballad, while the latter is an accusing jump-beat number. A rendition of Sam Cooke's "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" doesn't measure up to their talents or the song involved, while "Deed I Do" fits the mold of songs done by male/female duos of the early '60s. For the most part, the material is different than what Mary or Marvin normally cut; Marvin probably felt more comfortable with these songs than Mary, since they were closer to the MOR tunes that he preferred doing -- at the time -- anyway. ~ Andrew Hamilton