1964- "Purple Snowflakes" (addenda)

.....The second known Christmas recording by Marvin Gaye also remained unreleased until the 1990's, but is of greater interest (to me, anyway) because it was an original composition. There are two mixes that I know of, one mono and one stereo, and I made note of them in last year's post. The link to that post would be here:

http://lgcmusic02.blogspot.com/2011/02/1964-purple-snowflakes.html

.....What I can add here are the redundant appearances, of which there are a few. I've listed below everything I've been able to find.

• VACD CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY Motown Master Series 37463-6326-2 (Germany) 10/19/93
• VACD A CHRISTMAS PRESENT FROM MOTOWN- VOLUME ONE Spectrum 544 672-2 (UK) 10/05/01
• VACD A MOTOWN CHRISTMAS VOLUME TWO Motown/Universal 440 016 364-2 (US) 11/06/01
• VACD 20TH CENTURY MASTERS- THE CHRISTMAS COLLECTION: THE BEST OF MOTOWN CHRISTMAS VOLUME TWO Motown/Universal 602498-83491-6 (US) 09/13/05
• VA2CD THE ULTIMATE MOTOWN CHRISTMAS COLLECTION Motown/Universal B0013383-02 (US) 10/13/09

.....One quick note: the Funk Brothers' recording of "WINTER WONDERLAND" which was chronologically placed after "PURPLE SNOWFLAKES" last year has been relocated from 1965 to 1968 owing to the number of other mistakes in the liner notes to CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY, where the 1965 date originated. But it should be pointed out that from its first appearance its availability has been almost identical to the list above with the only difference being that it is found on Volume One of the 20th Century Master compilation, not Volume Two. Being secular seasonal songs rather than strictly Christmas songs and both having debuted on the same disc decades after their recording they may be thought of as somehow kindred, or they may be an indication of whether the intended effect of a compilation is meant to be weighted for variety (with as many different artists as possible) or weighted for familiarity (using the three act with the largest Christmas catalogues: The Temptations, The Miracles and The Supremes).