Archive for the ‘Motown’ Category
Sunday, June 13th, 2010
Listen: Just a Little Misunderstanding / The Contours 06 Just A Little Misunderstanding.mp3
Most times the really successful acts are great, but after they’re pounded into your brain relentlessly, you can go off them a bit. The Beach Boys come to mind and their biggest hits at that. I love ‘California Girls’ but never need to hear it again. Likewise ‘Hey Jude’ or ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’.
So yeah, we all loved The Supremes and The Four Tops too, but those lesser known Motown acts were just as great. Some had the occasional smash, Like Mary Wells or The Marvelettes, yet some just never got near their fair share. Like The Contours.
It’s in hindsight I’ve come to appreciated them. Northern Soul has given a lot of great singles an unexpected success story, if not in big sales at least in big appreciation. ‘Just A Little Misunderstanding’ is one. I heard this on a few of those truly great Northern comps like THE IN CROWD – THE STORY OF NORTHERN SOUL and it’s accompanying must-read book.
Tags: Berry Gordy, Mary Wells, Motown, Northern Soul, Tamla, The Beach Boys, The Contours, The Four Tops, The Marvelettes, The Supremes
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Friday, May 28th, 2010
Listen: Nitty Gritty / Gladys Knight & The Pips GladysNitty.mp3
What’s really proof of this record’s power: the most addicted to any other genre of music fan can’t resist instant curiosity when ‘The Nitty Gritty’ powers through a set of speakers. I had quite the time spinning singles at Brooklyn Bowl last Sunday with Lord Wardd, playing mostly 60′s – present, basically tomorrow’s sound today stuff – even the one’s from the 60′s and 70′s, when released, would have been considered that: The Small Faces, T. Rex, or X. So it’s really fun to watch a younger but musically informed crowd light up when some down and dirty funk or soul hits. Even better, a whole bunch of parents and their young kids, out bowling for a fun afternoon, suddenly doing an about face toward the DJ booth with that ‘Oh my God, I remember this’ look burned onto their face.
Gladys Knight could belt it out every time, when she was given the green light that is. Looking back on a few gems like ‘The Nitty Gritty’ need only one listen to show us why.
Some friends stuck with her from the Motown move to Buddah. Suddenly she was sounding a touch buffed around the edges for my tastes, but the pre ‘Midnight Train To Georgia’ era, all that Tamla/Norman Whitfield stuff, there’s no topping it.
Tags: Buddah, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Gordy, Lord Warddd, Motown, Norman Whitfield, T. Rex, Tamla, The Lo Fidelity Allstars, The Small Faces, X
Posted in Brooklyn Bowl, Buddah, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Gordy, Lord Warddd, Motown, Norman Whitfield, T. Rex, Tamla, The Lo Fidelity Allstars, The Small Faces, X | No Comments »
Monday, March 29th, 2010
Listen: Can’t Shake It Loose / Pat Lewis PatLewisShake.mp3
Using the title, ‘Can’t Shake It Loose’, to describe how you feel after the first few listens would be a little ‘done before’. This time there’s coincidentally no better way to say it that I can think of.
Turns out ‘Can’t Shake It Loose’ was Pat Lewis’ very first single as a solo artist. I stumbled on it at a record treasure trove that doubled as a junk store in Brooklyn. It led me to pick up anything I’d find by her through the years, every last one a monster Northern track. That process all began in the late 90′s.
I’ll tell you she was an early Motown backup singer and guess what, has a Facebook page with the most incredible bio. Do yourself a favor – go there. Everyone of you will find out you’ve got Pat Lewis’ voice all over your music collection.
Finding the singles is not an easy or cheap process, but well, well worth it.
Tags: Golden World, Motown, Northern Soul, Pat Lewis, Solid Hit
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Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010
Listen: The End Of Our Road / Gladys Knight & The Pips GladysEndRoad.mp3
Feeling victims, as were The Marvelettes and Mary Wells, of being tossed the leftovers, those songs passed on by Motown’s A level acts (The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations) according to legend, really pissed off Gladys Knight and her Pips (all family members as it turns out). Having moved from Vee Jay to Motown in ’65 with wider success in mind, they quickly found themselves relegated to subsidiary Soul, set up for the more RnB, less leaning pop acts. good call there. From ’66 – ’68, they recorded some of the label’s dirtiest and most raw sides. I’m sure to Berry Gordy’s surprise, ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’ became the company’s biggest selling single at that point, leaping to #2 pop and bringing Gladys Knight’s signature rasp to the mainstream.
Even better was “The End Of Our Road’, it’s followup. Peaking at #15 on Billboard’s Hot 100, it was a mighty strong showing for such a picture perfect dirt and grime black single. Their performance, recording and mix are so aggressive, it’s impossible to not be dragged in. Played this a few nights ago at the Otis Clay show – it sounded mighty powerful through that big system, filled the room, every last head and foot surrendering.
Tags: Berry Gordy, Billboard, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Marvin Gaye, Mary Wells, Motown, Norman Whitfield, Otis Clay, Soul, The Marvelettes, The Temptations, Vee Jay
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Friday, February 26th, 2010
Listen: You Beat Me To The Punch / Mary Wells MaryWellsPunch.mp3
I agree with those who say Mary Wells was the first lady of Motown, well if I turn a blind eye to Brenda Holloway, Kim Weston and Tammi Terrell that is. I guess because she had the biggest pop crossover hit out of the bunch with ‘My Guy’ sort of justifies it. Whatever, she had the voice and the presence. There are some fantastic shots of her on various UK album sleeves, and that blond hair dye job turned brassy orange – I just love it.
No question, she and Smokey Robinson were a perfect match and gave her the biggest successes. Same with The Marvelettes. It’s just something about his productions, maybe it’s the drum sound or use of vibes combined with handclaps. Some magic recipe was definitely at work, I never could put my finger on it though.
Listen: Two Lovers / Mary Wells MaryWellsTwoLovers.mp3
Then there’s the lyrical twist, most prevalent on ‘Two Lovers’. It doesn’t get much more clever than this. What happens at the end of this song again, how does the two lovers thing play out? I forget every time.
It’s a drag about the royalty issue that drove Mary Wells from Motown. Once burned, it’s sometimes hard for certain folks to move beyond it – by all counts, that summed up her attitude toward Berry Gordy. And so the downward spiral began.
Listen: Dear Lover / Mary Wells MaryWellsDearLover.mp3
The fact that ‘Dear Lover’ was substandard compared to any of the Smokey songs, in a way, became the appeal. I do love a struggle to polish up something fairly mediocre in the world of singles and follow-ups. I find it rather interesting, the way all parties involved go through the motions, hoping no one else will notice that it’s actually not very good.
In the case of ‘Dear Lover’, seems producer Carl Davis basically tried copying the Motown sound – unsuccessfully. Is that a description of Northern Soul or what? Exactly the whole point of the genre, making substandard copy attempts glorious in their own way.
Probably the most Northern of any Mary Wells track, it’s absolutely become a favorite.
Tags: Atco, Atlantic, Berry Gordy, Carl Davis, Mary Wells, Motown, Northern Soul, Oriole, Smokey Robinson, The Marvelettes
Posted in Atco, Atlantic, Berry Gordy, Carl Davis, Mary Wells, Motown, Northern Soul, Oriole, Smokey Robinson, The Marvelettes | No Comments »
Thursday, February 25th, 2010
Listen: Stubborn Kind Of Fellow / Marvin Gaye MarvinStubborn.mp3
Neck to neck, it’s a real tossup which guy epitomizes the early 60′s mod / soul sound: Smokey Robinson or Marvin Gaye. Funny enough, it’s as strong a debate as you might expect around The Beatles / The Rolling Stones challenge. At least at some of the pubs in North London, where the Tamla guys seem to be fixtures on a Sunday afternoon. I’d never thought about it actually. My barometer was always tuned to what The Rolling Stones were covering, so I’d lean towards Marvin.
Not sure why ‘Stubborn Kind Of Fellow’ never seems to show up on comp cd’s or anthologies, not any that I have, given it was his debut UK single and all. Besides, is there any other Motown based release that credits The Vandellas on the label?
Listen: Can I Get A Witness / Marvin Gaye MarvinWitness.mp3
This original paced version took some getting used to on first listen way back when. I knew the faster ‘Can I Get A Witness’ from ENGLAND’S NEWEST HIT MAKERS. Don’t shoot me, I was far from the only kid in America that got my soul music from the UK bands instead of pop radio, early on that is. Now that faster Rolling Stones take just feels wrong, but hats off to them for introducing American middle class kids to their own culture.
It’s pretty dramatic the difference between early and later Marvin Gaye. Even more than Stevie Wonder, but way less than say, Underworld. I think they take the cake. Check out that first album.
As with both singles above, these mono vinyl pressings possess a sound absolutely no other format can enhance or replace.
Tags: Martha & The Vandellas, Marvin Gaye, Motown, Oriole, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Tamla, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Underworld
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Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
Listen: Helpless / Kim Weston KimWestonHelpless.mp3
She made two of the greatest records ever. This and ‘It Takes Two’. Like Mary Wells, Tammi Terrell and Florence Ballard, she was, from time to time, my Motown Goddess. I can replay her performance of this on SHINDIG like it was yesterday. Even though the program was black and white, I remember it in color, I guess because I wanted to.
Tags: Florence Ballard, Kim Weston, Mary Wells, Motown, Shindig, Tamla, Tammi Terrell
Posted in Florence Ballard, Kim Weston, Mary Wells, Motown, Northern Soul, Shindig, Tamla, Tammi Terrell | No Comments »
Monday, September 21st, 2009
Listen: It Takes Two / Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston MarvinTammi.mp3
I don’t believe the general public hears this one enough. Seems to have slipped through the fingers of time. If I ever hear Marvin Gaye’s duets with Tammi Terrell (‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’, ‘Ain’t Nothing Lie The Real Thing’) again on stale, tired US Oldies radio, I think I’ll puke. I’m betting Sirius gives this one a spin occasionally though. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Tammi Terrell, but I really love Kim Weston. She had swagger and I had the hots for her as a teenager, saw her on one of those Dick Clark ‘Caravan Of Stars’ tour packages.
‘It Takes Two’ is also an oddly hard single to find, considering it reached #14 Pop in ’67. Hard to find in good condition that is. I didn’t pick it up on release, and only found a fairly clean copy a year or so back. Now one of my jukebox staples, I spent the day just hanging around the house, filing stacks of singles I picked up during the past two weeks busing around the States with Matt & Kim, playing it incessantly, pressing B9 every time I passed my trusty Seeburg.
Tags: Dick Clark, Kim Weston, Marvin Gaye, Matt & Kim, Motown, Seeburg, Tamla, Tammi Terrell
Posted in Dick Clark, Kim Weston, Marvin Gaye, Matt & Kim, Motown, Seeburg, Tamla, Tammi Terrell | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
Above: Front Cover, Below Back Cover
Listen: Baby Love / The Supremes SupremesBaby.mp3
How many consecutive hits did they have once their amazing chart run began with ‘When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes’? Somewhere between twenty and thirty, many after Diana Ross split – as though nothing had changed. It’s pretty hard to tire of those many singles, even the few that are overplayed.
Despite being their first US and UK #1, ‘Baby Love’ is always positioned to be the not quite as successful followup to ‘Where Did Our Love Go’. Hmm, my dime’s on ‘Baby Love’ as the favorite.
Beware, this picture sleeve is getting mighty scarce these days.
And by the way, Flo was the hottest. I have a feeling she was a real good night out.
Tags: Diana Ross, Florence Ballard, Motown, The Supremes
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Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
I got a fantastic email today from a reader in France, Bands Michel, who alerted me to a site whereby you can read just about every BILLBOARD from the 50′s, 60′s and onwards. These are mesmerizing. Scrolling through the weekly singles reviews whereby they predict records that will achieve Top 20, Top 60 or simply a ‘Chart’ placing alone is worth the visit. Most of the greats are in that later section, although many a ‘should have been a hit’ record features in the other two as well. Not to mention stunning full page tip sheet adds for singles by The Herd, The Who, Mary Wells, Scott Walker, Ike & Tina Turner, The Small Faces, multi artist adverts for Mercury, Okeh, Motown, Fontana, Deram, Ric Tic, Bang, Sue Records plus hundreds and hundreds more. Do yourself a favor:
BILLBOARD MAGAZINE ARCHIVE
Tags: Bang, Billboard, Deram, Fontana, Ike & Tina Turner, Mary Wells, Mercury, Motown, Okeh, Ric Tic, Scott Walker, Sue Records, The Herd, The Small Faces, The Who
Posted in Bang, Billboard, Deram, Fontana, Ike & Tina Turner, Mary Wells, Mercury, Motown, Okeh, Ric Tic, Scott Walker, Sue Records, The Herd, The Small Faces, The Who | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
Listen: I’m Blue / The IkettesIkettesBlue.mp3
All the behind the scenes drama, politics, tension and sleeze associated with Ike & Tina Turner is an endless source of stimulation for this voyeur. Get hold of every last cd booklet accompanying their reissues, and especially the box sets (the Time/Life one is hugely advised) and study. The countless sessions and musical chairs will never really be figured out, but when this bunch was on – they were truly on. Whether as an after thought, or a genius parallel business model, The Ikettes were the bomb. ‘I’m Blue’ premiered them to vinyl and was probably an unexpected hit. The first of many sizzling, gutteral vocal performances – you could always depend on an Ikettes single.
Listen: Peaches & Cream / The Ikettes IkettesPeaches.mp3
‘Peaches & Cream’ sounded fantastic on AM radio in ’65, and I was well excited to see that summer’s Dick Clark Caravan Of Stars make a Syracuse stop. The Ikettes took the stage in silk fringed orange mini dresses and gyrated though four numbers including this one. Being afforded the benefit of headliner Tom Jones’ full brass back up band transformed it into a crazy wild Soul revue. Not surprisingly, these weren’t The Ikettes at all, at least not the ones on record. Still through Ike’s revolving door it seems everyone was an Ikette for a minute, so who’s complaining. Considering they followed Them on stage after ‘Here Comes The Night’, ‘Call My Name’ and a rousing ‘Gloria’, and upped the stakes is proof of their power.
Listen: I’m So Thankful / The Ikettes IkettesThankful.mp3
Like The Flirtations’ ‘Nothing But A Heartache, ‘I’m So Thankful’ is one of the great Motown records that was never on Motown. You’d swear it was recorded right there on Grand Blvd.
Tags: Atco, Atlantic, Caravan Of Stars, Dick Clark, Ike & Tina Turner, Motown, Polydor, Stateside, The Flirtations, The Ikettes, Them, Tom Jones
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Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
Listen: Mighty Mighty Spade & Whitey / The Impressions ImpressionsMighty.mp3
Was it by coincidence the album from which this, and it’s flip side ‘Choice Of Color’, came sported a title THE YOUNG MODS’ FORGOTTEN STORY? What fan of the under appreciated US Blues/RnB/Soul sound, so loved in the UK, would not embrace it whole heartedly? After all, the mods championed Tamla/Motown, James Brown, all things blues, ska and multi racial in the years prior to this 1969 release. Capturing the heroin chic of Harlem, glorified by endless blaxploitation films, ‘Mighty Mighty Spade & Whitey’ was the real theme of racial tensions in every inner city public school. If you lived it, you’d know. Relegated to a B side, it’s a bit of an undiscovered gem.
Impossible now not to respect, even worship, the mere sound of Curtis Mayfield’s fragile falsetto voice, his style was in extreme contrast to the sound of rollicking soul, then dominating the charts. It’s gratifying that he, along with Donny Hathaway, tended to define the mainstream almost overnight.
Tags: Blaxploitation, Curtis Mayfield, Curtom, Donny Hathaway, James Brown, Motown, Tamla, The Impressions
Posted in Blaxploitation, Curtis Mayfield, Curtom, Donny Hathaway, James Brown, Motown, Tamla, The Impressions | No Comments »
Sunday, November 16th, 2008
Listen: Listen: Viva Bobby Joe / The Equals 01 Viva Bobby Joe.mp3
Ok, so a good friend of mine, who follows this blog, has on several occasions suggested I post an Equals single. And every time I agree I should. So I guess I take requests.
Like The Foundations, they were marketed as a multi-racial rock band. Back then, it was an anomaly, maybe novelty and possibly a little dangerous. I’m sure those late night motorway stops had their fair share of comments. This was England 1968 remember. Vicki Wickham has told me a few jaw droppers about the experiences she had when bringing over the Motown acts, and James Brown, for her READY STEADY GO!!! program in that era. Check out photos and footage of them, they looked fantastic in flowered shirts and Carnaby Street trousers. It’s hard to find an Equals track that doesn’t sound big and booming. Eddy Grant’s voice certainly didn’t hurt. I saw him live a few times, years later, when ‘Electric Avenue’ was a hit – and he had lung power. Seems like he didn’t even need to get near the mike.
I’m not going to say ‘Baby Come Back’ isn’t the greatest, but ‘Viva Bobby Joe’ is an absolute runner up and a hard one to hear very often.
Posted in Eddy Grant, James Brown, Motown, President, Ready Steady Go, The Equals, The Foundations, Vicki Wickham | No Comments »
