This disc is the most comprehensive chronicle of Tammi's career. On songs 1-6, if you listen only to the left speaker, you'll hear Tammi but not the people who sang behind her. On songs 11, 12, 15-21 the right speaker features Tammi sans backup.
1. Sinner's Devotion (2:41) - This song, somewhat slower than moderate, features a tambourine, on every second and fourth beat. This and the next three songs feature background vocals by the Shirelles, but they and Tammi were never in the studio simultaneously; the Shirelles sang those songs themselves, and the same instrumental and background tracks were used in Tammi's versions. Although the man belongs to another woman and this encounter is a one-night stand, the narrator still feels passion for him and is willing to indulge in this affair until he tires of her.
2. Make The Night Just A Little Longer (2:24) - I also have the Shirelles' own version, on a 2-disc set of them.
3. It's Mine (2:25) - This song, somewhat faster than moderate, has a jazzy intro. Here Tammi does a vocal impression of usually-lead Shirelle Shirley Owens. The heart of the person being sung to is not the one that's breaking and aching over a lover's departure; it's the narrator's.
4. Voice Of Experience (2:09) - In this case, the narrator of this moderate-tempoed song embodies that loudest-speaking of voices. Having been cheated on by a certain boy, she warns another girl not to be too quick to fall in love with him. Through an echo chamber, the Shirelles sing, "Listen to the v. of e."
5. Big John (2:33) - This version is somewhat faster than moderate, slower than the Shirelles' own.
6. If You See Bill (2:58) - This slow, 12/8 song features violins and chimes. Tammi's vocals here are soft and sad, yet throaty. The character she plays begs the second person to tell Bill that she still loves him, he should come back to her, and she's sorry for whatever caused their relationship to end.
7. If I Would Marry You (2:38) - This song, slightly faster than moderate, features chimes. Here are more throaty vocals--the screaming kind. The man offers to take the narrator to the city's best places and to stop seeing other women; at first she refuses to marry him. Then he offers her all his money and the key to his heart, and she changes her mind.
8. I Cried (2:46) - This slow, 12/8 song opens with a rolling piano solo. A flute plays lead during the middle instrumental. The tone of Tammi's voice shows how her character has cried over her boyfriend who has left her. Near the 2-minute mark, Tammi speaks, "Now listen. Turn your record player down real low, so listen"; when she resumes singing, she shifts to singing ABOUT the man. No way could she have known then that now we're using a *CD* player.
9. Come On And See Me (2:18) - The tempo is slightly faster than moderate. The narrator tells the boy that if he wants a love that will always be true, he should come to her. "I've got joy love for some boy love...If you want it, better come and get it," she tells him. I sure would've come on and seen Tammi if I had come of age in the 60s!
10. I Can't Believe You Love Me (2:32) - The tempo is moderate. The narrator believes that her boyfriend no longer loves her. Signs include: he's silent when they're together, and his kisses lack thrill and sincerity.
11. Hold Me Oh My Darling (2:38) - The tempo is somewhat slower than moderate. The narrator's family and friends believe that her love for the man is in vain. But she still loves him very much, so she tells him to hold her, lay his head on her shoulder, and tell her he loves her too.
12. This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You) (2:25) - This fast song was previously a hit for the Isley Brothers. Despite the man's cruel treatment of the narrator, if he left her 100 times, she'd take him back 100 times.
13. Baby Don't You Worry (2:51) - The tempo is slightly slower than moderate. In either a letter or a phone call, the narrator tells her man not to worry about her, whether it's morning or night; for soon she will come home to him.
14. There Are Things (3:10) - The tempo is moderate. The tambourine, horns, and other instruments are so loud you have to listen closely to hear what Tammi is singing. But the things of which her character speaks include hugging and kissing the man, which she would love to do if she could find the courage.
15. That's What Boys Are Made For (3:04) - A drum roll kicks off this slow song. Boys are made for girls to hug, kiss, and walk and hold hands with. Of course, girls are made for boys to hug and kiss, too. Same sort of theme as "The Game of Love" by Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders.
16. What A Good Man He Is (2:59) - This moderately slow song (which to me is Tammi's best) opens with an organ solo, and also features a tambourine. The narrator's "man of steel" uses his strength for tender purposes--"pretty good lovin, pretty good kissin'." He is seldom mean to her. How ironic, for Tammi's real-life relationships apparently were abusive.
17. Tears At The End Of A Love Affair (2:56) - The tempo is slightly faster than moderate. The narrator gave the man "the best of [her] years," but all she's getting in return is his leaving her for another woman. Through her tears she can see him leaving her door and knocking on the other girl's.
18. He's The One I Love (2:35) - I like this moderate-speed version even better than the slow original by Mary Wells. Instruments here include horns and a tambourine, the latter playing on every beat.
19. Can't Stop Now (Love Is Calling) (2:39) - In this fast song, the tambourine plays on every even-numbered beat. The backup singers sigh as the narrator describes her urge to begin a romantic relationship with the man she sings about. Although she has been warned that only fools rush into love and that the man's love may not last, that loving urge is now too strong for her to stop.
20. Just Too Much To Hope For (2:54) - That's what the narrator realizes about getting back her ex-boyfriend. But she still would like him to flash her a small smile when they pass on the street, and just comfort her when she's crying. This moderate-tempoed song features a vibraphone.
21. I Can't Go On Without You (2:34) - The tempo is somewhat slower than moderate; a vibraphone plays here also. Now that the man has left the narrator, she no longer spends time with her friends, for they couldn't bear to see her sad. Even taking his picture down from her wall doesn't help her get over him.
Tracks 22-29 are duets with Marvin Gaye.
I Gotta Find A Way (To Get You Back) (2:54) - The tempo is moderate. Every time the narrator closes her eyes, all she sees is the boyfriend who recently left her. Her life is so gloomy without him that she seeks a way to win his love back.
Lone Lonely Town (2:52) - In this moderate-paced song, Tammi portrays a girl who regrets having mistreated the guy to whom she sings. She roams the same streets on which they used to walk together. But now that he has left her, the streets of her hometown have a lonely air about them. Every day she cries as the picture of his face sticks in her mind. She begs him to return to her.
Two Can Have A Party (2:16) - The duet version is good, but this one is even better. It's nice to hear Tammi's voice, unedited, singing the parts that would later be cut and replaced with Marvin's vocals. This version appears on a various-artists Northern Soul compilation and on The Essential Tammi Terrell as well as on the 2-disc set The Complete Duets, released in 2001.
Oh How I'd Miss You (demo version with unknown male duet partner) (2:39) - This version, released for the first time on The Complete Duets, has different lyrics than the version with Marvin. For example, in the chorus, "I need you so" and "never go" are both replaced with "when you're gone." Instead of fadeout, this version ends with a short, sweet laugh from Tammi.
More precious gems from The Complete Duets include Tammi's solo versions of Ain't No Mountain High Enough, You Ain't Livin' Till You're Lovin', Give In, You Just Can't Win, When Love Comes Knocking At My Heart, Memory Chest, That's How It Is (Since You've Been Gone), and More More More. Finally, the Liberty Belle gets her due as a soloist! Not just as half of a duo.