Martha in fine form in the UK!

[jillfoster]

Great stuff from the UK last week, Martha is sounding awesome!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08EcN7B_Upw

[marv2]

That really was great! I especially liked "No One There". Martha still has it when she wants to show it.

[smark21]

Good vocal, but not from last week, but last month. The video was posted in September. In the UK, dates are posted day/month/year while in the US dates are listed month/day/year.

[marybrewster]

I wish she would tour with Lois and Delphine.

Or can I dream and say Roz and Nettie?

[midnightman]

It seems Martha decided not to do anything with "Vandellas" in it anymore. I'm okay with that... I agree that she's in fine vocal form here.

[detmotownguy]

That really was great! I especially liked "No One There". Martha still has it when she wants to show it.

Man you are not kidding Marv! Martha works the audience like nobody else. A national treasure.

[marv2]

Man you are not kidding Marv! Martha works the audience like nobody else. A national treasure.

Miss Martha is legend! That's right, she's been singing on the stage since I was a baby.

[vgalindo]

I love Martha so much. She is one of my all time favorites ever since I was a kid The first Motown artist I fell in love with. But I am sorry but her vocals don't sound good to me. I remember her voice from the 60s and 70s and it was so good. I really can't bare to hear her now. Sorry. I am glad some of you still really enjoy her.

[detmotownguy]

Miss Martha is legend! That's right, she's been singing on the stage since I was a baby.
Hum since you were a baby...aren't you stretching it Marv lol! I could not resist!

[marv2]

Hum since you were a baby...aren't you stretching it Marv lol! I could not resist!

No not really. I wasn't even in school yet when she, Rosalind and Annette were singing "Pride and Joy" behind Marvin! LOL!
She is a national treasure and just a good lady all the way around.

[marv2]

I think that was pretty slick how Martha went from singing "My Baby Needs Me" to "No One There"........interesting when you consider the lyrics of both songs. I cannot remember if "No One There" was released as a Martha Reeves and the Vandellas song or simply Martha Reeves?

[midnightman]

^ I think it was MRV but I'm not sure myself. Though I did hear it was supposed to be the first song off her MoWest contract...

[marv2]

^ I think it was MRV but I'm not sure myself. Though I did hear it was supposed to be the first song off her MoWest contract...

Thanks Midnightman. Another bit of info I found about this song was that it was released in 1973.

[Ryon6]

I don't think "No One There" was released as a single. Wasn't "Tear It On Down" the last single released by Martha and the Vandellas and that was in 1972? [[At least in the US). One of my favorite Martha Reeves songs "No One There".

I too found Martha's vocals lackluster in the above performances.

[reese]

In 1973, NO ONE THERE was released in the UK under the billing "Martha Reeves".

[marv2]

In 1973, NO ONE THERE was released in the UK under the billing "Martha Reeves".

Thanks Reese!!!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

I love Martha so much. She is one of my all time favorites ever since I was a kid The first Motown artist I fell in love with. But I am sorry but her vocals don't sound good to me. I remember her voice from the 60s and 70s and it was so good. I really can't bare to hear her now. Sorry. I am glad some of you still really enjoy her.

Amen. Dreadful....Unlistenable! But her Motown recordings are still among the best!

[Roberta75]

Amen. Dreadful....Unlistenable! But her Motown recordings are still among the best!

thats real harsh real unfair and not at all true IMO Philles/Motown Gary. The First Lady of Motown Records sounds wonderful here and look like a trillion dollars. Dr Reeves is in her 70s and deserve our love and respect.

Roberta

[Philles/Motown Gary]

thats real harsh real unfair and not at all true IMO Philles/Motown Gary. The First Lady of Motown Records sounds wonderful here and look like a trillion dollars. Dr Reeves is in her 70s and deserve our love and respect.

Roberta

I don't mean to be harsh, Roberta75, and I DO love and respect Martha Reeves. But it IS true -- at least to my ears. I love Martha's Motown recordings just as much as you, and I always will. But her current-day voice is NOT the same-sounding Martha Reeves whose Motown voice I've known and loved for 50 years. In fact, like many others, I find it to be embarrassing and cringe-worthy. I once read that her voice was damaged due to years of cocaine abuse which, in turn, burned out her sinuses, or something to that effect. I'm not a doctor, but what I had read certainly made sense given Martha's over-use of nasally-sounding falsetto. If you think that Martha still sounds wonderful, you're certainly entitled to your opinion, but, so am I. And I, unfortunately, have to disagree [[unless you want me to lie).

[Roberta75]

I don't mean to be harsh, Roberta75, but it IS true -- at least to my ears. I love Martha's Motown recordings just as much as you, and I always will. But her current-day voice is NOT the same-sounding Martha Reeves whose Motown voice I've known and loved for 50 years. In fact, like many others, I find it to be embarrassing and cringe-worthy. I once read that her voice was damaged due to years of cocaine abuse which, in turn, burned out her sinuses, or something to that effect. I'm not a doctor, but what I had read certainly made sense given Martha's over-use of nasally falsetto. If you think that Martha still sounds wonderful, you're certainly entitled to your opinion. But so am I, and I, unfortunately, happen to disagree.

Thank you for your explination Philles/MotownGarys. I happen to believe Dr Martha Reeves still sound great and still look great and still put on the best show in entertainment today. Miss Martha may have had addiction issues in the past but so did Mary Wilson and Diane Ross and Smokey Robinson and I thank God all four of them are still with us and doing real good and still out there singing for the masses. I love Marthas voice and love watching her sing her hits. Thank you for your kind response and im real sorry if I ofended you.

Yours, with every good wish.

Roberta

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Thank you for your explination Philles/MotownGarys. I happen to believe Dr Martha Reeves still sound great and still look great and still put on the best show in entertainment today. Miss Martha may have had addiction issues in the past but so did Mary Wilson and Diane Ross and Smokey Robinson and I thank God all four of them are still with us and doing real good and still out there singing for the masses. I love Marthas voice and love watching her sing her hits. Thank you for your kind response and im real sorry if I ofended you.

Yours, with every good wish.

Roberta

You're welcome, Roberta. You didn't offend me, but I had the feeling that you thought that I was personally attacking and disrespecting Martha, which couldn't be farther from the truth. Although I've always bought Motown material by EVERY Motown artist on the label that I could ever find [[including that God-awful "Streeeiiiiiiikes Back" baseball comedy album from 1971), the Motown releases that I looked forward to the most over the years were The Supremes, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, and the Wanda-led Marvelettes. I'll always love and cherish ALL of these artists because, like most people on this forum, Motown has been my life. [[I grew up tall and skinny because all of my food money got spent on Motown instead!) But that doesn't mean that I have to like their current-day voices. True, Mary and Smokey dealt with varying degrees of drug issues as well, but it never seemed to affect their voices. Martha wasn't so lucky. But I still wish her the best, and bless her heart for still kickin'. A part of me will die if anything were to ever happen to her. But it's her Motown voice that I love and adore, not the current one.

Every good wish for you as well, Roberta. - Gary

[bobkayli]

Just to add that No-one There was first issued as an album track on MR& the Vandellas, on their Black Magic LP if I remember rightly. It was issued in the UK only as a 45 in 1973. The 45 is quite an expensive buy as a 45 since it didn't sell especially well at the time but has become a northern soul favourite since making it a very collectible item.

[bobkayli]

Btw I'm going to see Martha on December 12 at the Brooklyn Bowl in London's O2.
I'm going with friends who want to see her since they are fans of the 60s. Much though I love Martha as a person and as an artist, I have to agree with the comments on her diminished vocal powers. I 've ducked out on her recent UK tours for this reason. I hope they find some good young Vandelllas who can sing loud and support her voice.

[dickiemint]

Btw I'm going to see Martha on December 12 at the Brooklyn Bowl in London's O2.
I'm going with friends who want to see her since they are fans of the 60s. Much though I love Martha as a person and as an artist, I have to agree with the comments on her diminished vocal powers. I 've ducked out on her recent UK tours for this reason. I hope they find some good young Vandelllas who can sing loud and support her voice.

I have seen Me Reeves many times over the years, most recently last.month and she look, sounded and performed better than I had seen her in years. The band and backing singers were all young and enthusiastic which I believe enhanced Martha and her show

[westgrandboulevard]

Me too. I don't look back to records made 50 or 60 years ago as a memory, I just bring them forward with me every day, to keep them current.

I don't look back to how Martha or myself was, except in passing. I could not criticise Martha for any changes, any more than I would be happy if she were ever to criticise me for changing the way I sound or look because I, as a supporter of her, have also become older.

There were two panels of young university students, average age 19 years old, on UK TV 'University Challenge' last week. I missed the question [[I think it was music connected with civil rights in the 60s), but short snippets of records were played, and the artists had to be identified.

While the teams could not identify Marvin Gaye's 'Abraham, Martin And John', another short excerpt was from 'Dancing In The Street'. The young team on camera then eagerly shot looks of agreement to each other, and immediately responded with great smiles of recognition : "Martha Reeves and the Vandellas!" The host, Jeremy Paxman, then smiled and said "well actually, in the day, they were just called Martha & The Vandellas'.

That was virtually instant recognition from 19 year olds. To them, they don't look back to what used to be, they accept today. I have seen many young people in the audience at a Martha performance and, yes, have been a little surprised myself.

Martha, as with all heritage artists, will give no more performances when the tickets don't sell enough to make it a viable proposition, or ill health makes stage performances impossible.

The link at the head of this thread indicates that she has changed but also is doing just fine, and we oldies should join with those young people who do readily accept Martha today just exactly as she is - a performer experienced and old enough to be a grandmother, putting on a grand show.:)

[Roberta75]

I have seen Me Reeves many times over the years, most recently last.month and she look, sounded and performed better than I had seen her in years. The band and backing singers were all young and enthusiastic which I believe enhanced Martha and her show

Bless your heart dickiemint and may God continue to bless the first Lady of motown records Dr Martha Reeves.

Fondly,

Roberta