Ridin' High (Martha and the Vandellas album)

Ridin' High
Studio album by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
Released	April 29, 1968
Recorded	1967-1968
Genre	Soul
Length	mm:ss
Label	Gordy
Producer	Richard Morris
Martha Reeves and the Vandellas chronology
Martha and the Vandellas Live! (1967) Ridin' High (1968) Sugar 'n' Spice (1969)
Singles from Ridin' High
"Love Bug Leave My Heart Alone / One Way Out" Released: August 3, 1967 "Honey Chile / Show Me the Way" Released: October 31, 1967 "I Promise to Wait My Love / Forget Me Not" Released: April 4, 1968 "(We've Got) Honey Love / I'm in Love (And I Know It)" Released: March 20, 1969

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Allmusic	[1]

"Ridin' High" is a soul album released by Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas on the Gordy (Motown) label in 1968. This album featured the last Top 40 pop hits scored by the group during their recording tenure, "Love Bug Leave My Heart Alone" and "Honey Chile". It was a series of firsts for the group: it was the first album without the help of since departed producers William "Mickey" Stevenson and Holland–Dozier–Holland, however, Motown included one HDH track on the album, "Leave It In The Hands Of Love." Also on Ridin' High is a cover version of Dionne Warwick's then recent hit "I Say a Little Prayer."

Bringing in Richard Morris and songwriter Sylvia Moy, the group managed to release two hit singles though this was the beginning of the end for the group as hitmakers on the pop charts. Like their label mates The Supremes and the Four Tops, they stalled without the team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, although they continued to chart well on the R&B charts and in England until their 1972 disbanding. This was also the first album to include lead singer Martha Reeves's sister Lois Reeves, who was replacing Betty Kelly after Kelly was fired from the group in 1967 and also the first album where they were credited as Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. It was also the last album to feature original member Rosalind Ashford, who would exit out of the group shortly a year after this album came out.

Track listing

Side 1

1. "I Promise to Wait My Love" (Brown/Gordy/Gordy/Story)
2. "Honey Chile (Morris/Moy)
3. "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" (Bacharach/David)
4. "Leave It in the Hands of Love" (Holland, Dozier, Holland, Dean)
5. "Love Bug Leave My Heart Alone" (Morris/Moy)
6. "I'm in Love (And I Know It)"

Side 2

1. "To Sir with Love" (Black/London)
2. "Forget Me Not" (Morris/Moy)
3. "(We've Got) Honey Love" (Morris/Moy)
4. "I Say a Little Prayer" (Bacharach/David)
5. "Without You" (Dean/Richards)
6. "Show Me the Way" (Barnes/Morris/Moy)

Personnel

• Lead vocals by Martha Reeves
• Background vocals by Rosalind Ashford, Betty Kelley, Lois Reeves and The Andantes
• Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers

References

Martha and the Vandellas
Martha Reeves and the Vandellas Martha Reeves Lois Reeves Delphine Reeves The Original Vandellas Rosalind Ashford Annette Beard Roschelle Laughhunn Gloria Williams Betty Kelly Sandra Tilley
Studio albums	Come and Get These Memories Heat Wave Dance Party Watchout! Ridin' High Sugar 'n' Spice Natural Resources Black Magic
Live albums	Martha and the Vandellas Live!
Compilation albums	Greatest Hits
Singles (US/UK Top 40)	"Come and Get These Memories" "Heat Wave" "Quicksand" "Dancing in the Street" "Wild One" "Nowhere to Run" "You've Been in Love Too Long" "My Baby Loves Me" "I'm Ready for Love" "Jimmy Mack" "Love Bug Leave My Heart Alone" "Honey Chile" "Forget Me Not" "Bless You"
Related topics	Discography Members William "Mickey" Stevenson Holland–Dozier–Holland Marvin Gaye
Book:Martha and the Vandellas