United was the first of
Marvin Gaye and
Tammi Terrell's three LPs, and quite possibly the best of the lot.
Harvey Fuqua and
Johnny Bristol handled the productions and gave the photogenic duo a slightly harder edge than subsequent productions by
Valerie Simpson and
Nickolas Ashford. Three blockbusters -- "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "If I Could Build My World Around You," and "Your Precious Love" -- propelled the album to number 29 on the pop charts, the highest rating of any of the duo's LPs. Plus, you had treats like "Little Ole Boy, Little Ole Girl," a remake of Loe & Joe's little-known release on
Fuqua's Harvey Records in 1962. "Two Can Have a Party" grooves from start to finish and could have been the fourth hit, but Motown thought otherwise. I like the duo's rendition of "Hold Me Oh My Darling," a song
Tammi first recorded on her solo album; the stuttering chorus and bass backing voice makes it unique. You won't find two better ballads than "Give a Little Love" or the often-recorded "If This World Were Mine"; written by
Marvin Gaye, the starry-eyed proclamation has become an R&B standard, and rightfully so. ~ Andrew Hamilton