Customer Reviews
Covered by many - By: Richard, 02 May 2008 
Every little bit hurts was not typical of T M at the time.The song was by an outside writer Ed Cobb who was one of the 4 Preps & it was covered by Cilla Black as well as a few groups like the Spencer Davis one.A classical sounding song with an aching melody which suited Cilla Black but not really groups like the Small Faces
By the time a new single was issued it could have been anybody.When I'm gone was to my mind rather a poor My guy soundalike.
Later came a single called You made me so very happy-which was good enough to have been a Goffin-King one but its cover by Blood Sweat & Tears is what made the song famous
Her sister Patrice was on the Capitol label & cut a single called Love & Desire-which was nearer the mark.Later she signed to TM & came to nothing
Deep Soul to move your heart and feet - By: TheJonesBoy, 15 May 2005 
Brenda Holloway crafts some of the sweetest soul on this LP. Stand out tracks include the flawless How Many Times Did You Mean It? as well as the better-known Every Little Bit Hurts. Not a compilation with any tracks that you'll want to skip. As the title suggests, it ticks all the boxes & a bit more. On vinyl these tracks would cost a small fortune, at this price can afford to not pop for this treasure trove?
One of Motown's greatest singers - By: Laurence Upton, 13 Apr 2005 
One of Motown's very greatest singers (although as she was basedin Los Angeles & refused to play the record company game, somewhat undervalued), & a classically-trained violinist, Brenda Holloway made some of the most memorable singles on a label famous for its memorable singles.
All of the 9 singles released during her Motown lifetime turn up here (with 6 of their B-sides), including her two best known songs, Every Little Bit Hurts, on which she also plays viola, & You've Made Me So Very Happy, which she co-wrote with her younger singer sister Patrice, along with Berry Gordy & Frank Wilson. Both of these are of course sublime & essential to any Motown collection.
The other 3 tracks are made up from Brenda Holloway's only proper album Every Little Bit Hurts, from 1964 (Tamla Motown UK later put together a compilation called The Artistry Of Brenda Holloway), & include her soulful version of Unchained Melody. Who knows, perhaps it was hearing this that inspired Phil Spector to revive the song the following year?
Although this collections omit some excellent material, it does score over The Very Best Of Brenda Holloway by using stereo mixes for 6 of the tracks, though sadly this does not include Every Little Bit Hurts. Some of the mastering is slightly muddy on other tracks. Hurt A Little Every Day is by far the most disgraceful, sounding as if it was mastered from a well-worn stereo acetate, & without any explanation or disclaimerin the notes.
Some of the tracks were producedin Detroit by Smokey Robinson & include versions of the Miracles' Who's Lovin' You & I've Been Good To You. There was an attempt to mould her as the new Mary Wells, so versions of her 1962 B-side Operator & When I'm Gone (which Mary Wells had recorded but which Motown did not release until 1966) were made at this time. She does a great job on them but was unhappy with the direction she was being obliged to take & returned to Los Angeles before the sessions were complete.
The need for a 2CD retrospective using new mixes from best quality stereo masters & including unreleased material was still badly needed at the time of this release, but until such time this needed to be on your Motown shelf. However, the releasein 2005 of the Brenda Holloway 2CD Motown Anthology answers much of this deficiency, & gives consumers the choice as to the extent of Brenda Holloway's work they wantin their collection, though this remains a useful introduction
Classic Motown from a classy lady - By: Kevin Cooke, 27 Dec 2003 Brenda Holloway made some truly superb recordings with Motown - most of them are represented here on this album which is a bargainin anyone's books. There are so many classic tracks it's hard to know where to begin.
My favourite Brenda Holloway track is I'll Always Love You (not the same song as the release from The Detroit Spinners also on Motown) - an excellent deep soul side which was issued as a singlein the USA & made one various artists EPin the UK as well as Brenda's only UK Tamla Motown album - The Artistry of Brenda Holloway. It also featured on a classic album Motown Memories Volume 2 (TML11077) backin the 60s.
Co-incidentally, Together Til The End of Time was on the first Motown Memories album (TML11064) & was actually released as a UK single. Fantastic song & performance.
Every Little Bit Hurts is probably Brenda's best known work & this song was recorded by many different artistsin the 60s including The Small Faces.
When I'm Gone - another song released on several albums & covered by many other artists. Rightly so. Brenda improves on Mary Wells' original version I think. Worth the price of the album on it's own.
Some excellent dancers also feature, witness Just Look What You've Done andStarting the Hurt All Over Again. Both tracks featured on the Motown Disco Classics series of albumsin the 70s.
Brenda co-wrote You've Made Me So Very Happy - personally I've always preferred her version to the more famous one by Blood, Sweat & Tears. Smokey Robinson had a handin many of Brenda's tracks - Who's Lovin You, When I'm Gone, I'll Be Available for example. Berry Gordy himself wrote You Can Cry On My Shoulder.
In addition to the above, I can recommend Hurt A Little Everyday (in the same genre as Every Little Bit Hurts & I'll Always Love You), Where Were You (written by the Lewis Sisters), How Many Times Did You Mean It, Operator & I've Got To Find It.
The only one from this album which is a dud (in my opinion) is Unchained Melody. There are many much better versions of this song out there.
So what's missing ?
There was loads of materialin the can by Brenda, some of this is now seeing the light of day & being released on Motown compilation CDs. Try Reconsider from the This is Northern Soul series or other unreleased tracks from Ms Holloway on A Cellarful of Motown. In fact there could be enough stuff around for a second Brenda Holloway Greatest Hits & rare Classics CD.
Finally, could Motown please, please, release the original Brenda Holloway album on CD, including original artwork, which was issued on the Tamla labelin the USA backin the sixties.
Seriously under appreciated Motown singer - By: Peter Durward Harris, 06 Sep 2003 Brenda co-wrote one classic song – You've made me so very happy, a huge American hit & minor British hit for Blood sweat & tears. Brenda's own brilliant version of that song is here, along with her original versions of several other great songs.
Brenda's biggest American hit was Every little bit hurts, a song that has been covered many times (but never improved upon), including by the Spencer Davis group, who had a minor British hit with it. Other American hits to be found here include I'll always love you, When I'm gone, Operator & I'll be available. Other A-sides included here are Hurt a little every day, Cry on my shoulder & the outstanding closing track, Together till the end of time.
This British compilation is a repackaging of an earlier American compilation with the same title & track listing. It is a fine collection of music by a lady who ought to be famous but isn't.
