Now here’s a nice little package that took me by surprise as I had no idea this was being released and was an early morning tonic after a late night the day before. It wasn’t so much that the CD contained two original albums in their entirety (even though they are worth collecting in their own right) but what Universal Music would be throwing as ‘extras’ with bonus and unreleased tracks.

You will not be disappointed as this package contains 38 tracks in all, of which 7 are previously unreleased recordings, and 10 alternative versions. The Supremes/Temptations collaboration in 1968 for an NBC TV special was an idea that Berry Gordy had dreamed up for the two best selling acts on his roster. Both acts had racked up so many chart hits it was like a rollercoaster out of control as each single scored high in Billboard. Put simply, both acts were massive!

The TV special aired in the US during early December 1968 was an instant hit with the viewers and paved the way for healthy sales around the release of their album entitled ‘Together'.  Both groups had never looked so good, The Temptations in their green slick three quarter length coats, and The Supremes in psychedelic swirling patterned dresses – they looked dressed to kill!.

Motown collectors will be well familiar with the two original albums released here namely ‘Join The Temptations’ (November 68) and ‘Together’ (September 69) so we won’t go over well trodden ground but concentrate on making you aware of the alternate and unreleased songs contained therein.

If you would like a sneak look at a performance from ‘TCB’ (Taking Care Of Business) TV special then click here.

The alternative mixes within this set (side 2) are centred around the usual mono takes and single mixes and to be fair on some songs you will be well pushed to spot the difference. What you will instantly recognise as being different is the alternative take of their massive hit from 1968 'I'm Gonna Make You Love Me' complete with spoken intro by none other than Motown songwriter and arranger Frank Wilson and whilst the rest of the song remains almost unchanged the intro is well worthy of your attention and is included here as a streaming audio clip.

There's also an extended alternative mix of 'Not Now I'll Tell You Later' featuring both groups on a song that had previously been recorded on the Temptations and its infectious count in lets you know your in for a good song. Scanning through the other alternative takes I was hard pushed to spot the difference in Mary Wilson's solo vocal on the song 'Can't Take My Eyes Of You' a hit during the same decade for Andy Williams and additional versions of their US only release 'The Weight' along with an attempt at Sly Stone's massive hit 'Sing A Simple Song' left me feeling cold, and it was only after moving on to other known favourites such Marvin Gaye's 'Try It Baby' and Wilson Pickett's 1967 smash 'Funky Broadway' did I feel comfortable again.

When you listen to their version of 'I'll Try Something New' which has been recorded on numerous acts at Hitsville you quickly realise just what a monster version Barbara McNair recorded on her recently issued UK double CD.

There's no need to get too excited about this new set as I suspect you will no doubt already have these two albums and you'll have to listen ever so carefully to spot any meaningful differences on the alternative takes that have been included. That said nevertheless we are talking about two of the biggest names on the label and newcomers to the world of Motown will find this a good addition to your collection.

I must also add in conclusion that behind every good Motown album are the Funk Brothers - and let us never forget that 'It's What They Left In The Groove That Counts'.

Rating 7/10

P.S. I had some difficulty is scanning the front CD cover and the one shown above is taken elsewhere from the inlay booklet.