Valerie on the Tammi vocals question----At last!!!!!!!

[kenneth]

I respect Valerie Simpson. She's a huge talent, a great lady and has a vast amount of integrity. I think she is saying what she is saying, not because of past contractual obligations [[which I'm sure were in place), but to protect Tammi's legacy. At the time, I don't think any such scandal had ever been revealed, and it certainly could have damaged Motown's reputation, caused people to accuse them of "cashing in" on Tammi's death. At the very least it would have been false advertising.

Still, even when I was a teenager and heard the "Easy" album, I wondered why Tammi sounded so different. Her lightness was gone. I don't attribute it to her illness; if anything her voice was stronger. But it was forced-sounding, exaggerated. It was an impersonation. I also knew, even then, that "I Can't Believe You Love Me" was an overdubbed Tammi solo recording, and it comes out now, years later, that so was "More, More, More."

Still, even more evidence exists which convinces me it was not Tammi on the "Easy" album. She'd been ill for some time by then, and even most of the "You're All I Need" album was previously canned Tammi Solo recordings overdubbed by Marvin to turn them into duets. Not the case with "Easy." Ten out of 12 "original" tracks which she newly recorded 6 to 8 months before her untimely death is just impossible to believe. In addition, the annotations in the Complete Motown Singles box has some clues such as the credits for "The Onion Song" which show "Marvin Gaye Vocal" but instead of Tammi, just shows "Female Vocal" and "Additional Vocal" as I recall, though I'm not looking at it at the moment.

I believe Marvin had no reason to claim it was Valerie when he told this to his biographer. The fact that Simpson's words will not ever convince me that it was Tammi on the "Easy" album does nothing to dispel my belief that Simpson is a great lady who even today refuses to claim the credit which she so easily could do, after all these years. If anything, I think even more highly of her for this than I did before.

[midnight johnny]

I respect Valerie Simpson. She's a huge talent, a great lady and has a vast amount of integrity. I think she is saying what she is saying, not because of past contractual obligations [[which I'm sure were in place), but to protect Tammi's legacy. At the time, I don't think any such scandal had ever been revealed, and it certainly could have damaged Motown's reputation, caused people to accuse them of "cashing in" on Tammi's death. At the very least it would have been false advertising.

Still, even when I was a teenager and heard the "Easy" album, I wondered why Tammi sounded so different. Her lightness was gone. I don't attribute it to her illness; if anything her voice was stronger. But it was forced-sounding, exaggerated. It was an impersonation. I also knew, even then, that "I Can't Believe You Love Me" was an overdubbed Tammi solo recording, and it comes out now, years later, that so was "More, More, More."

Still, even more evidence exists which convinces me it was not Tammi on the "Easy" album. She'd been ill for some time by then, and even most of the "You're All I Need" album was previously canned Tammi Solo recordings overdubbed by Marvin to turn them into duets. Not the case with "Easy." Ten out of 12 "original" tracks which she newly recorded 6 to 8 months before her untimely death is just impossible to believe. In addition, the annotations in the Complete Motown Singles box has some clues such as the credits for "The Onion Song" which show "Marvin Gaye Vocal" but instead of Tammi, just shows "Female Vocal" and "Additional Vocal" as I recall, though I'm not looking at it at the moment.

I believe Marvin had no reason to claim it was Valerie when he told this to his biographer. The fact that Simpson's words will not ever convince me that it was Tammi on the "Easy" album does nothing to dispel my belief that Simpson is a great lady who even today refuses to claim the credit which she so easily could do, after all these years. If anything, I think even more highly of her for this than I did before.

Kenneth...I totally agree with you. I would only add that, to me, it was the numerous surgeries that probably impaired Tammi to the point of being unable to record. In those days, neurosurgery was much less delicate than now, and often caused serious functional impairment. Note that Tammi recorded "It's Been a Long Time Happenin'" after her "event" while on stage with Marvin, and her vocal showed absolutely no impairment. But the tracks that are thought to be done by Marvin and Valerie were done after the surgeries had started, not to mention all the "engineered" tracks that were on the "You're All I Need" and "Easy" albums.

[jillfoster]

Kenneth...I totally agree with you. I would only add that, to me, it was the numerous surgeries that probably impaired Tammi to the point of being unable to record. In those days, neurosurgery was much less delicate than now, and often caused serious functional impairment. Note that Tammi recorded "It's Been a Long Time Happenin'" after her "event" while on stage with Marvin, and her vocal showed absolutely no impairment. But the tracks that are thought to be done by Marvin and Valerie were done after the surgeries had started, not to mention all the "engineered" tracks that were on the "You're All I Need" and "Easy" albums.

Your'e a nurse, you should know better than this. Impairment would completely depend upon what part of the brain was affected by her tumor and subsequent surgeries. She was still able to speak to people during the whole ordeal, so the problem was obviously not the speech center of her brain. what was this I read about her being in the audience at the Apollo in the fall of 69, and singing a bit with Marvin when he came off stage and gave her a microphone?

[midnight johnny]

Your'e a nurse, you should know better than this. Impairment would completely depend upon what part of the brain was affected by her tumor and subsequent surgeries. She was still able to speak to people during the whole ordeal, so the problem was obviously not the speech center of her brain. what was this I read about her being in the audience at the Apollo in the fall of 69, and singing a bit with Marvin when he came off stage and gave her a microphone?

You'll have to come up with more than some unsubstantiated points spouted in an obnoxious way to disprove the facts.

[mysterysinger]

Just listened again to some of those suspect tracks and to be honest...I'm really no wiser, and either way, they really are great!

For a moment though I thought maybe Marvin had a stand in too -JJ.Barnes. He certainly could have done it he sounds enough like Marvin on some of his material.

Just my taste, of course, but the Diana and Marvin stuff is weaker, in every respect, to what went before.