Track Listing

1. If I Were Your Woman - Clay McMurray, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Paul Riser
2. Feeling Alright - Clay McMurray, Gladys Knight & The Pips
3. One Less Bell To Answer - Clarence McMurray, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Johnny Bristol, Joe Hinton
4. Let It Be - Gladys Knight & The Pips
5. I Don't Want To Do Wrong - Gladys Knight & The Pips, Johnny Bristol, Paul Riser
6. One Step Away - C. McMurray, Gladys Knight & The Pips, J. Hinton, Johnny Bristol
7. Here I Am Again - Clay McMurray, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Tom Baird, Jerry Long
8. How Can You Say That Ain't Love - C. McMurray, Gladys Knight & The Pips, J. Hinton, Johnny Bristol
9. Is There A Place (In This Heart For Me) - Gladys Knight & The Pips
10. Everybody Is A Star - C. McMurray, Gladys Knight & The Pips, J. Hinton, Johnny Bristol
11. Signed Gladys - Clarence McMurray, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Johnny Bristol, Joe Hinton
12. Your Love's Been Good For Me - C. McMurray, Gladys Knight & The Pips, J. Hinton, Johnny Bristol
13. Make Me The Woman That You Go Home To - Clay McMurray, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Robert White, Paul Riser
14. Can You Give Me Love With A Guarantee - Clay McMurray, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Johnny Bristol
15. Fire And Rain - Clay McMurray, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Johnny Bristol
16. Master Of My Mind - Gladys Knight & The Pips
17. Medley: He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother/Bridge Over Troubled Water - Clay McMurray, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Johnny Bristol
18. It Takes A Whole Lotta Man For A Woman Like Me - Clay McMurray, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Johnny Bristol
19. Help Me Make It Through The Night - Gladys Knight & The Pips, Johnny Bristol, H.B. Barnum
20. The Long And Winding Road - Clay McMurray, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Johnny Bristol
21. If You Gonna Leave (Just Leave) - Clay McMurray, Gladys Knight & The Pips, H.B. Barnum
22. No One Could Love You More - Gladys Knight & The Pips
23. You Need Love Like I Do (Don't You) - Gladys Knight & The Pips, Norman Whitfield, Paul Riser

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #36616 in Music
• Released on: 2006-11-06
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .16 pounds
• Running time: 80 minutes

Customer Reviews

Motowns best female singer
Gladys Knight was the finest female singer at Motown - she was overlooked in favour of Diana Ross (the Bosses' lover). All of Gladys Knight and the Pips output was issued on the Soul subsiduary label in the USA, which tells you all you need to know about what you will find on this set and the other albums released with them.

It is clear from these albums that Motown/Soul albums from this era were primarily about the singles which it contained. I guess this is the reason for the number of covers these contain. Don't let that put you off, however, because of Gladys' ability to take a familiar song and find something new in her interpretation - as illustrated by "Help Me Make It Through the Night", from which Gladys wrenches pain and loneliness. For me she rivals Aretha Franklin when covering others' songs.

There's also original tracks here - "If I Were Your Woman", "I Don't Wanna Do Wrong" and "Make Me The Woman..." as well as the uptempo "You Need Love..." stand out for me - and the overriding impression is of the power of her voice and the perfect counterpoint provided by the Pips.

Gladys and the Pips left Motown after a couple more albums (also now available) and she was able to enjoy the major success that they deserved with Buddha Records. However since then they have been cruelly ignored. I hope these releases will act as a reminder of just how talented were Gladys Knight and the Pips.

Talent Maturing
This is one of a series of twofers of Gladys Knight & The Pips Motown albums. What a gem this one is.

'If I Were Your Woman' is a mature soul album. The title track and 'I Don't Want To Do Wrong' were smash hits in America, and show off Gladys' passionate emotional way of interpreting lyrics. A few covers, mostly from the soul field, show off the power of her voice and The Pips tight harmonies. Of the rest I especially like 'Here I Am Again', and 'Signed Gladys', which must have been written for her :-)

'Standing Ovation' took a turn towards pop with a cover of James Taylor's 'Fire and Rain'. The Hollies 'He Aint Heavy' done as a medly with Simon and Garfunkel's 'Bridge Over Troubled Waters' works well. They stand comparison with Aretha's interpretations of other peoples' songs. Gladys' brother Bubbah takes the lead on The Beatles 'Long and Winding Road'. There is a bit of country here too. Kris Kristofferson's 'Help Me Make It Through The Night' gave them their biggest UK hit of their Motown days, and pointed the way to all those Jim Weatherley songs, that would see the group enjoy their biggest commercial success.

The albums are repackaged with 'You Need Love Like I Do (Don't You)', a single from just before '....Woman', that is a good contrast, showing their funkier side.

I've had this one for a week and I've been playing nothing else. It is like having two old friends back.