"The 81"

[justanothermotownfan]

Ok, I was listening to SiriusXM when this song came on and noticed it sounds strikingly similar to Martha and The Vandellas "In My Lonely Room." Is anyone familiar with this song by Candy & The Kisses? And considering the lawsuit about that song "1-2-3" sounding like "Ask Any Girl", I'm now wondering if Motown ever sued over this soundalike song. At least I've never heard of one.
Can anyone out there possibly shed some light on this? I'd be fascinated with your responses.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Ok, I was listening to SiriusXM when this song came on and noticed it sounds strikingly similar to Martha and The Vandellas "In My Lonely Room." Is anyone familiar with this song by Candy & The Kisses? And considering the lawsuit about that song "1-2-3" sounding like "Ask Any Girl", I'm now wondering if Motown ever sued over this soundalike song. At least I've never heard of one.
Can anyone out there possibly shed some light on this? I'd be fascinated with your responses.

Justanothermotownfan, you’re right – Candy & The Kisses’ "The 81" sounds just like Martha & The Vandellas’ "In My Lonely Room. Candy & The Kisses were labelmates with the famed Cameo/Parkway stable of artists of the early-to-mid 1960's which included Dave Appell & The Applejacks, Chubby Checker, Dee Dee Sharp, Bobby Rydell, The Orlons, and The Dovells, to name just a few. Cameo/Parkway Records were the early proponents of what later became known as The Sound Of Philadelphia, or, more lovingly dubbed, The Philly Sound. In short, what The Motown Sound was to the 1960's, The Philly Sound was to the 1970's.

http://www.amazon.com/Do-Other-Soul-Candy-Kisses/dp/B00005IB78/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1412297827&sr=8-3-fkmr0&keywords=candy+%26+the+kisses+the+81+on+cd

[thomas96]

Been discussed here before. Motown did sue and won I believe.

[theboyfromxtown]

And there was fellow Cameo Parkway artist Dee Dee Sharpe with her Mashed Potato Time.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

And there was fellow Cameo Parkway artist Dee Dee Sharpe with her Mashed Potato Time.

Oh, yeah, that's right! I had forgotten about that. It was a hot record, but, melodically, it was a direct rip-off of The Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman". Did Motown sue and win over that one, too? [[What the heck were Gamble & Huff thinking?!!!)

[Methuselah2]

There was a lawsuit and by the time MASHED POTATO TIME came out on an album by Dee Dee, the writing credit for the song was augmented to include all those responsible for PLEASE MR. POSTMAN, as well.

"It's the latest, it's the greatest, PLEASE MR. POSTMAN."

"They even do it to LOVE IS HERE AND NOW YOU'RE GONE. Oh, dear."

[[Well, the first paragraph is true, anyway.)

[Ngroove]

How about that ol' Barry White's Felice Taylor's "It May Be Winter Outside [[But In My Heart It's Spring)", made only more noticed when done by Love Unlimited in 1973?

[rrussi]

Motown did sue over "The 81", which is why the record ended up going no further than about #54 on the Billboard Top 100 in 1964. Gamble & Huff had stopped by a record hop to see disc jockey Jerry Blavant. He played In My Lonely Room and the kids were doing a dance called the 81. Jerry suggested they come up with a song/record for the dance.

[rrussi]

As for Mashed Potato Time by Dee Dee Sharp, Motown wanted a claim on it so they got a writer credit for "Brianbert" on the lp, plus publishing for Jobete. I never thought the two sounded that much alike, however. But the writers/producer of Mashed Potato Time were not Gamble & Huff, who weren't even a team at that time, 1962, and weren't even at Cameo/Parkway Records either. Kal Mann of Cameo/Parkway and big influence on the careers of Chubby Checker and Dee Dee Sharp told me everybody would try to sue you if you had a hit. They'd wait and see if the record was gonna hit before they'd file. I think Motown rushed in on "The 81" a little too soon and Cameo probably stopped promotion on the record.

[justanothermotownfan]

Thank you for all of your responses! This is some incredible stuff. Thanks!