The Early Years

Before Gladys Knight & The Pips came to the attention of Motown’s Berry Gordy they recorded a wealth of superlative material for independent R&B imprints like Fury, Maxx, and Vee-Jay. Though not as well known as their chart scraping sides for Motown and Buddah, these sides rank among the group’s very finest work and see them striking a perfect balance between gritty Southern soul and smooth group harmonies. Gladys Knight was unquestionably one of the finest singers of the soul era and she proves it repeatedly on this compilation. The hit “Letter Full of Tears” is propelled by a modest, slow stepping rhythm worthy of a late ‘50s girl-group side, but Knight’s impassioned delivery ignores the tune’s florid string line and instead clings to the pugnacious bass-line, effortlessly overshadowing the song’s potentially saccharine arrangement. Ballads like “Every Beat of My Heart” and “Operator” are cast in the same winning mold as “Letter Full of Tears” while other cuts like the propulsive “Another Love” and “What Shall I Do” see Gladys tackling roadhouse R&B with unrivaled aplomb. The Early Years documents a vital and often overlooked period of Gladys Knight’s career and should be of interest to committed Knight fans and relative neophytes alike.