Lakeside at Motown

[TomatoTom123]

This fantastic funk group at Motown? You better believe it!

So, I have read that Lakeside signed with Motown in 1974 after meeting legendary producer Frank Wilson. But they had no singles nor albums released by Motown. Two years later, when Frank left Motown in 1976 for ABC, they went with him.

So Lakeside must have made some recordings for Motown during this time but it's just that none were released? I sure hope so. Can anyone confirm this? :)

[RanRan79]

Thanks for the info Tom. I had never heard of Lakeside signing to Motown. I love them. My mother had their Fantastic Voyage album when I was growing up and the cover art is etched into my brain. I sure hope there are some tracks of theirs in the Motown vault.

[TomatoTom123]

You're welcome, RanRan. And I hope so too! Frank did some excellent work with Eddie Kendricks and The Originals [[check out this FIESTY number from them: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul_HqBwCEOA) in the mid-'70s and I'm sure his productions on Lakeside would have been just as excellent. Interestingly had Motown released a single or album on Lakeside it would have been the group's first released recording, as their self-titled 1976 LP on ABC was their debut!

[RanRan79]

You're welcome, RanRan. And I hope so too! Frank did some excellent work with Eddie Kendricks and The Originals [[check out this FIESTY number from them: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul_HqBwCEOA) in the mid-'70s and I'm sure his productions on Lakeside would have been just as excellent. Interestingly had Motown released a single or album on Lakeside it would have been the group's first released recording, as their self-titled 1976 LP on ABC was their debut!

Tom I don't like "Everybody's Got to Do Something". Today just isn't our day for musical agreements! Lol

[TomatoTom123]

Tom I don't like "Everybody's Got to Do Something". Today just isn't our day for musical agreements! Lol

WHAT!!!??? Oh no!!! ;)

LOL... RanRan, it really isn't!!!

[TomatoTom123]

Ok, then, RanRan, lemme try again... how 'bout this funky little number...?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CERK8jIF2k

[TomatoTom123]

And you must surely like "Down To Love Town"...?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjYEf32Kmgs&app=desktop

Interestingly I'm not a massive fan of this one. Which probably means you'll love it!!! Lol

[RanRan79]

Tom the answers to both questions is: Nope. LOL

[TomatoTom123]

Tom the answers to both questions is: Nope. LOL

Ok, RanRan, I give up! LOL

May I ask why you don't like them? I love 'em all as you might have guessed :)

[RanRan79]

Ok, RanRan, I give up! LOL

May I ask why you don't like them? I love 'em all as you might have guessed :)

They just don't do anything for me. It's like that sometimes. But there's so much other music we have in common Tom. Have you gotten the A Go-Go expanded yet? Or plan to?

[TomatoTom123]

They just don't do anything for me. It's like that sometimes. But there's so much other music we have in common Tom. Have you gotten the A Go-Go expanded yet? Or plan to?

Oh ok, that's fair enough! And, YES, yes we do!

You know, I haven't even gotten around to getting the expanded A Go Go. I definitely plan to though! :)

[TomatoTom123]

So Lakeside must have made some recordings for Motown during this time but it's just that none were released? I sure hope so. Can anyone confirm this? :)

Does anyone know if there are any Lakeside recordings in the Motown vaults? Is it likely/reasonable to think that there might be an album's worth of unreleased tracks? :)

[motownjohnny]

Can I ask where you read that they had signed a recording contract with Motown in 1974?

[TomatoTom123]

Can I ask where you read that they had signed a recording contract with Motown in 1974?

Yeah, sure, johnny... let me find it for you...

[TomatoTom123]

This is from Wikipedia [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakeside_[[band)): "The group was seen by Dick Griffey, a promoter handling successful artists like Stevie Wonder. Impressed by the group, he offered his friendship and advice, and began informally managing Lakeside in early 1974. It was also in 1974 that Lakeside met Frank Wilson and signed a deal with Motown. Things seemed to be looking up for the band. Unfortunately, Motown was promoting/prioritizing other groups, and shelved what they had produced for Lakeside. When Frank Wilson left Motown in 1976 for ABC Dunhill, Lakeside went with him."

This is from the SOLAR Records website [[http://www.disco-disco.com/labels/solar.shtml): "The group met producer Frank Wilson of Motown, who had earlier worked with both Eddie Kendricks and the Supremes, and Frank managed to get them a deal with Motown. They recorded one unreleased single for Motown before Mr. Wilson brought them over to ABC Records, for which he produced their first album - Lakeside. Sadly the label went under and the group was again without a contract."

[[This one says that they only recorded one unreleased single, which isn't very much at all)

In pretty much all of the bios I have read about the group, there is one very brief mention about the group's time at Motown and that's it! :)

[motownjohnny]

Thanks Tom. I'm still not convinced they actually had a contract with Motown - they had a recording session with Frank Wilson, but nothing more, so I very much doubt if there's an album's worth of material from that period in the Motown vaults that is still unreleased.

You may know the bands background already, but if not, the following may, I hope, be of interest. Near the end there is a reference to Frank Wilson with a single release on ABC, which may explain why it has been assumed that this recording was done for Motown.

"During the 70's funk paved its way to the American mainstream and Dayton, Ohio was the epicenter. The Ohio Players, Zapp, Lakeside, Slave, Heatwave, The Sun all came out of Dayton, Ohio. More funk band funkateers than any place in the world came out of Dayton, commanding it to gracefully take its place in history known as "The Land Of Funk" coined in the Lakeside's classic single, "Fantastic Voyage."

Lakeside is a world class showband of pioneers driven in funkology! The band has maintained it's Solar Records/Dick Griffey sound over the years. The show stopping group made its mission churning out so many Notorious Funk Gems such as "It's All The Way Live," "I Need You," "Raid," "Fantastic Voyage!"

Lakeside's true sound comes from the seasoned musicianship of pioneer Mark Adam Wood, Jr. [[aka The Captn) a natural multi-talented funkateer with amazing vocals that Eloquently Captivates a Lakeside Audience and sets it ablaze, over 4 decades!!! As lead singer, Mark's unique voice has carried the Lakeside sound to all far corners of the planet appearing on television too many times to count and continues to share the stage with many of the Greatest Artists. His Powerful Raspy/Husky Tenor is "Remarkably Intact" after years of putting on indefatigable first rate concerts.

Only Mark Wood rightfully owns the Lakeside trademark and sound who is the lead singer on all the great top 10 hits of party songs & ballads of the Lakeside Motif, including as The Captn' on the classic, "Fantastic Voyage" which was his brainchild. This classic coined the phrase "The Land Of Funk" and Mark Wood is proud that the people of Dayton refers to Dayton as "The Land Of Funk!"

THE BIOGRAPHY:

Original & current lead vocalist/founding member of LAKESIDE: A REGISTERED TRADEMARK AND SOLE PROPRIETORSHIP OF MARK ADAM WOOD JR.

Mark Adam Wood Jr. has been around the entertainment industry for over 30 years, he started singing at age 3 in the church choir, then in the high school choir where he met up with what would become "The Nomads".

His career started in the land of funk music, DAYTON, OHIO in 1969. Mark Wood began as lead vocalist in a singing group called the Nomads. next the nomads, MARK, Tiemeyer Mc'Cain,and later Stephen Shockley who had been released from a band of older musicians called the Monterays, decided to form a self-contained band, The Nomads & The Young Underground which became the Young Underground, which later became The Lakeside Express and evolved into the legendary funk band known all over the world as Lakeside.

Mark's 1st recording experience occurred in Chicago when he was introduced to Curtis Mayfield through Eddie Thomas, as a kid. later in California, mark met a great producer named Frank Wilson from Motown who released their ballad on
Abc records entitled "If I Didn't Have you".

Shortly thereafter, Mark met his mentor, a man named Dick Griffey from Solar Records who published his 1st song "Happy Holidays to you"recorded by the Whispers."

[TomatoTom123]

Thanks johnny! I am not that familiar with the group I have to say, so thanks a lot for the background info.

Am I right in saying that the single they recorded with Frank Wilson at Motown was then released on ABC? :)

[motownjohnny]

Tom, that's exactly how I read it and that's why I suggest they didn't have a contract with Motown. Frank Wilson, on his own initiative recorded a couple of sides in L.A., then offered these around various companies, and as a result they were picked up by ABC and issued. And that's where the tenuous Motown connection begins and ends LOL.

In other words Lakeside were never signed to Motown and the Motown company reference simply comes about through some sloppy researching and the name Frank Wilson.

If you look at their discography on 45cat or any similar website, you'll see only one single released on ABC entitled "If I Didn't Have You" / "It's Not Only The Outside That Counts".

There are two points of interest. Firstly, both sides credit Frank E. Wilson as joint writer and producer and the label also mentions that they are taken from an LP entitled "Lakeside". The release date for this single is given as 1977, so I suspect that these are indeed the two tracks you originally mentioned and in the intervening period they may have recorded additional tracks for ABC, but I can't find any listing that suggest this album was ever released or any other songs that would have appeared on it.

[TomatoTom123]

Tom, that's exactly how I read it and that's why I suggest they didn't have a contract with Motown. Frank Wilson, on his own initiative recorded a couple of sides in L.A., then offered these around various companies, and as a result they were picked up by ABC and issued. And that's where the tenuous Motown connection begins and ends LOL.

In other words Lakeside were never signed to Motown and the Motown company reference simply comes about through some sloppy researching and the name Frank Wilson.

If you look at their discography on 45cat or any similar website, you'll see only one single released on ABC entitled "If I Didn't Have You" / "It's Not Only The Outside That Counts".

There are two points of interest. Firstly, both sides credit Frank E. Wilson as joint writer and producer and the label also mentions that they are taken from an LP entitled "Lakeside". The release date for this single is given as 1977, so I suspect that these are indeed the two tracks you originally mentioned and in the intervening period they may have recorded additional tracks for ABC, but I can't find any listing that suggest this album was ever released or any other songs that would have appeared on it.

Mmm, interesting...

I would like to think that Lakeside were signed to Motown in 1974 and recorded two albums worth of Frank Wilson-produced gems, but now you explain it like that, it all seems pretty unlikely!

I guess it now makes sense as to why there is so little mention of Lakeside's "Motown days"... because, quite frankly, there weren't any! Oh well... LOL

Thanks for your help, anyway, johnny ;)