As undeniably great as the golden age Motown studio
musicians were, and as indisputably funky and creative as the
arrangements were, you still have to think that maybe it would've been a good idea to release some of
The Temptations amazing vocal group artistry in unaccompanied form. Maybe as B-sides or something. Well, that never happened back in the day, as far as I know, but we are extremely fortunate now to be able to hear a capella versions of many of the Tempts biggest hits, in stunningly impressive and thoroughly enjoyable unaccompanied renditions:
Runaway Child Running Wild,
Just My Imagination,
Papa Was a Rolling Stone,
Ball of Confusion,
Get Ready and
Cloud Nine . And folks, there's more a capella from the Tempts and other Motown acts floating around on the Tubes out there, so feel free to link to them in the thread, cause, you know, I
Ain't Too Proud To Beg.
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Jun 1, 2010 -
39 comments
In 1966, Motown songwriters Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield wrote a song about Strong's relationship troubles, and Smokey Robinson & The Miracles recorded it. Motown CEO Berry Gordy thought the song was "horrible" and shelved it. The song was
"I Heard it Through The Grapevine." [more inside]
posted by kirkaracha
on Apr 19, 2010 -
41 comments
Dennis Coffey was one of the most prolific Detroit session and solo guitarists. His revamped site features a couple phenomenal podcasts of his music and interviews.
posted by klangklangston
on Mar 25, 2010 -
8 comments
Motownship, the combination of Cape Town township music, traditional African instruments and motown tunes, is the topic of
this Radio 4 documentary. While purists - both of the African music and motown persuasion - may think this is just a gimmick, it is hard not to have a smile on your face when you listen to the tunes on Abavuki's album
Africa Got Soul.
What is even more amazing is the background of these musicians - kids who grew up in one of the most deprived townships in South Africa,
Langa. To check out the band for yourself, see them playing at the legendary Mama Africa club, via
youtube (this is not a motown tune from the album).
posted by Megami
on Apr 11, 2009 -
10 comments
Y'all think whatever you want about Michael Jackson
now, knaamean? But on this day back in 1983,
Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever was being taped before a live audience. Since he was no longer contractually tied to Motown, MJ planned to attend but not perform at the function; he was finally able to negotiate a solo spot singing a non-Motown song.
Thriller had been released more than a year prior;
Billie Jean had been the Number One single on Billboard's Top 100 for two weeks. It was time for a Pop Culture "Do you remember where you were when...?" moment.
And then came the moonwalk.
posted by t2urner
on Mar 25, 2008 -
82 comments
His father was a minister in the Apostolic Church, but, after a series of arguments about his son's womanizing and heavy cocaine use he ended up
shooting his own son down.
The biggest of
Motown's solo artists.
Marvin Gaye often struggled with his brother-in-law,
Berry Gordy over his desire to pursue different creative choices rather than following the tried and tested commercial formula.
[more inside]
posted by PeterMcDermott
on Sep 18, 2007 -
32 comments
Anybody out there remember
The Left Banke? They were a kinda Beatle-y 60's pop/rock outfit out of New York City. Critics labeled them "baroque-pop", apparently due to the "classical" influences in their music. They're surely best known for their catchy little harmony vocals hit from 1966,
Walk Away Renée. And in a reversal of the more common trend of white artists covering Motown hits, a rather unexpected version by
The Four Tops turned up. Arguably, the song wasn't
exactly a perfect fit for the soul vocal quartet at the time they first recorded it, but more
recent performances show that they've grown comfortable with it over the years: maybe it's the slower tempo. Here's the
lyrics. And the
story behind the song. And what the hell, the
Wikipedia page. And
Songfacts. They all have something of interest to offer concerning this durable little number, originally written by a 16-year-old!
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Jul 24, 2007 -
51 comments
Motown history traded for Super Bowl parking. (mostly audio) The Motown Center in Detroit was torn down a few weeks ago and turned into Super Bowl parking. Although not the main recording studios, and long abandoned, it still contained many Motown documents and memorabilia, most of which were lost in the razing. Covered by local bloggers: dETROITfUNK (
1,
2) , Detroit Blog (
1,
2,
3,
4), and
Kempa, plus local
tv.
posted by caddis
on Feb 6, 2006 -
46 comments
Immortal classics I remember as if it were today when I first listened to Marvin Gaye's "Whats Going On" when it first came out. This album has never tired. "What's Going On was the first album out of Motown to include the printed lyrics of the songs in the album liner. Marvin Gaye had something to say and he wanted to make sure people got the message. Thirty-one years later, we're still getting it." Always bewildering why an album becomes immortal.
posted by Voyageman
on Mar 29, 2002 -
14 comments
