Top 5 Motown songs that you'll accept no imiitations

[lockhartgary]

Hi all,
As I sit at my computer listening to the Motown Box collection, I thought about Motown songs that I like so much that any cover/other versions are met with an immediate NO! So here is my question: what are your top 5 Motown songs that you love so much that you refuse to accept another artist's interpretation as being equally good as your favorite Motown version?

My list:
1. Just Another Lonely Night - Temptations
2. My Girl - Temptations
3. Ooh Baby Baby - The Miracles
4. I'll Be There - Jackson 5
5. How Sweet It Is - Marvin Gaye

[daviddesper]

Interesting question. I would have to go with these five:

1. Ain't Too Proud to Beg-Temptations
2. Heaven Must Have Sent You-Elgins
3. Bless You-Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
4. I Got a Feeling-Four Tops
5. Needle in a Haystack-Velvelettes

I won't cheat by naming more than five, but I could think of plenty of others.

[RossHolloway]

The Tracks of My Tears
Stop! In The Name of Love
Ain't No Mountain High Enough [[either version)
My Girl
I Heard It Thru The Grapevine [[either version)
For Once in My Life

[mr soul]

Like everyone else I could name a lot more:

If This World Was Mine - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
I Like Everything About You - Four Tops
I Could Never Love Another [After Loving You] - Temptations
Just Look What You've Done - Brenda Holloway
Come See About Me - Jr. Walker & The All-Stars

[theboyfromxtown]

Needle In A Haystack - Velvelettes
Dancing In The Street - Martha & The Vandellas
Here Comes The Judge - Shorty Long [[and I mean those similar versions)
Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
I Can't Give Back The Love I Feel For You - Rita Wright

[alexstassi]

Grapevine - Marvin Gaye [[definitive ... sorry Gladys)
Superstition - Stevie Wonder
Ain't No Mountain High - Marvin & Tammi
I want you back - J5
Papa was a rolling stone - Temptations

[wedgeville]

You Can't Hurry Love - Supremes
This Old Heart Of Mine - Isley Brothers
Heaven Must Have Sent You - Elgins
I Hear A Symphony - Supremes
Love Starved Heart Of Mine - Marvin Gaye

Wayne

[marv2]

Stoned Love - The Supremes

[motony]

"My Guy":MARY WELLS , "Two Lovers":Mary Wells , "Dancing In The Street":Martha & Vandellas , "Playboy" Marvelettes, "Whisper You Love Me, Boy"Mary Wells.

[mowest]

"[[I'm A) Road Runner " - Junior Walker & The All Stars
"Chained" - Marvin Gaye
"Baby Don't You Do It - Marvin Gaye

[arr&bee]

Hey gary,i started a similar post about covers and almost got lynched,hehe....good subject...here's my five-my girl-ooo baby baby-i'll try something new-just my imagination-tracks of my tears.

[jobeterob]

Heat wave
Stop in the name of love
Both grapevines
Both ain't no mountain high enoughs
Endless love

[jobeterob]

What does it take to win your love
Dancing in the street
My girl
Reach out I'll be there
Baby love

[midnightman]

Too Many Fish in the Sea
Bye Bye Baby [[least a modern cover, I don't mind the '60s covers)
Ain't No Mountain High Enough [[either version)
You
Get It Together

[daviddh]

really I think all the original Motown songs are classics and and I rarely like the updated versions or covers

[tmd]

No one can come close to Levi's greatest individual performance and also the Andantes finest work.

Wow, what a classic.

[antceleb12]

Frankly I think its great when other artists cover Motown songs. They might not have the same feel as the old classics, but its really a great tribute to have others cover songs by the Temptations, the Supremes, etc. If we told artists they can't cover these songs, we would never see the legacy of Motown passed down to younger generations. While there have been some pretty abysmal covers of Motown songs, I think its a bit close-minded to say that no one could or should cover a particular song.

Frankly, I think there have been some wonderful artists and acts that have done these songs a world of justice. Human Nature, Boyz II Men, Joanne Osborne, Bette Midler...there have been excellent covers of many of these songs, and keeping an open mind about covers and not getting to precious about who sings them makes you free to understand new music.

[Ngroove]

Four Tops - Baby, I Need Your Loving
Four Tops - Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever
Stevie Wonder - Uptight [[Everything's Alright)

While I have no qualms against covers, depending on who does it, it depends on who does it. Unless it's really, really, good, their own, and with soul, regardless of ethnic makeup, and I mean, really, really, really trying at it, I believe a Motown song is best covered by rhythm and blues / soul singers.

To listen Johnny Rivers easy singing Four Tops, my opinion, like a folksy caucasian fellow, is just as auditorily insulting, as "rock and roll" Pat Boone doing Little Richard.

[splanky]

None.
Not a single one. As much as I love the originals I have no problem at all with other artists
covering them or doing re-interpretations of them. That's classics become standards. As
great as I thought Eddie Kendricks with the Tempts did Just My Imagination, I completely
enjoy the revisits by both Dianne Reeves and Rene Marie...

[jobeterob]

I like the covers; I just don't think any of them can touch the originals. Some of the simplest of them, like Just My Imagination and Endless Love are uncoverable in a form that even comes close to the originals.

[midnightman]

Added more:
Neither One of Us [[Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye) [[just heard a glimpse of a cover from Hall & Oates that was really bad lol)
Brick House
Ain't That Peculiar
I Hear a Symphony
If I Were Your Woman [[I actually didn't care for either Stephanie Mills or Alicia Keys' versions; that song is just majestic as done by Gladys and the Pips)
Uptight [[I agree with that wholeheartedly)
Any of Marvin & Tammi's stuff together

[jboy88]

When it comes to covering Motown, if you're not gonna do it right don't do it at all!