Sixties Motown Songs Longer Than Five Minutes?

[Boogiedown]

Being "Hitsville USA" , most [[all?) of the songs that were recorded there were approached with the idea of their becoming potential radio "hits" . With that goal in mind, they were recorded and edited into radio friendly lengths , typically two to three minutes plus in length.

So with that intent, did many/any sixties Motown songs garner a recording length that was over five minutes when used as an LP cut ?

I can think of this one:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guLKWeqVYII

[TomatoTom123]

Ooh, good question Boogiedown... The Tempts' "Runaway Child, Running Wild" came to mind for me...


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=f-AATsBO4cI

[Motown Eddie]

Here's one; Rare Earth's "Get Ready". It was over 21 minutes on the LP version released in 1969 [[and edited for the 1970 single release).

[Motown Eddie]

Being "Hitsville USA" , most [[all?) of the songs that were recorded there were approached with the idea of their becoming potential radio "hits" . With that goal in mind, they were recorded and edited into radio friendly lengths , typically two to three minutes plus in length.

So with that intent, did many/any sixties Motown songs garner a recording length that was over five minutes when used as an LP cut ?

I can think of this one:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guLKWeqVYII

Tough question Boogie Down. Most Motown recordings in the 60's didn't go over the three minute mark [[even on albums). Stevie Wonder's "Fingertips [[Pts. 1 & 2)", The Temptations' "Run Away Child [[Running Wild)" and Rare Earth's "Get Ready" are to only ones that come to mind.

[JohnnyB]

Here's one; Rare Earth's "Get Ready". It was over 21 minutes on the LP version released in 1969 [[and edited for the 1970 single release).

Two classics come to my mind:

Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Diana Ross 6:00
Papa Was A Rolling Stone - Temptations 8:00

[Motown Eddie]

One more; Jr Walker & the All Stars' "Hip City". Issued as a two part single in 1968, the song runs over 5 minutes [[on the Home Cookin' LP).

[Sotosound]

Two tracks that come to my mind are "Slave" [[7m 20s) and "Message From A Black Man" [[5m 50s), both from "Puzzle People" by The Temptations.

[Sotosound]

Two classics come to my mind:

Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Diana Ross 6:00
Papa Was A Rolling Stone - Temptations 8:00

Wrong decade?

[marv2]

Two classics come to my mind:

Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Diana Ross 6:00
Papa Was A Rolling Stone - Temptations 8:00

That's true but both of those records were released in the 70s. "Cloud Nine" by the Temptations from 1968 was longer than 3 mins.

[bradsupremes]

Although it wasn't released until 2008, the Supremes' version of "MacArthur Park" was 6:47. I believe that was the longest 60's studio recording the Supremes did.

[Motown Eddie]

And one more; The Twistin' Kings' "Congo" [[or "Congo Twist" as it was called on the Twistin' The World Around LP). Released as a two-part single in 1961, it must run close to the 5 minute mark on the album version.

[sansradio]

Diana Ross & The Supremes' "I'm the Greatest Star" clocks in at @ 6 minutes [[although it's technically a medley).

[DJMoch]

The Supremes' version of "Ode To Billie Joe" on their Reflections LP falls just shy of the 5 minute mark, by a couple of seconds.

[144man]

And one more; The Twistin' Kings' "Congo" [[or "Congo Twist" as it was called on the Twistin' The World Around LP). Released as a two-part single in 1961, it must run close to the 5 minute mark on the album version.

Album label gives time as 6.35.

[jbpintus]

Classic Motown although released in the early 70s are Stevie Wonder's "Do Yourself a Favor", "I wanna talk to you" and "Sunshine in their Eyes" from WHERE I'M COMING FROM in 1971.
Three years earlier, Eivets Rednow covered "Ruby".

J5 "Bridge Over Troubled Water" is quite long on their THIRD ALBUM in 1970.

FOUR TOPS did long tracks as well with "MacArthur Park" and "Do What you Gotta Do" in 1969.

Of course the Temptations gave us long psychedelic tracks from 1969 on. Not cited yet are "Hum Along and Dance" or "Friendship Train" from the PSYCHEDELIC SHACK lp in 1970. "Smiling Faces Sometimes" clicks in at 12 Minutes the following year on SKY'S THE LIMIT. And there are more of the same length elsewhere on that album, but also on SOLID ROCK in 1972 or MASTERPIECE and 1990 from 1973. But we are a bit late for the classic Motown period huh?

Let's not forget Bobby Taylor's cover of the Beatles "Eleanor Rigby" from his TAYLOR MADE SOUL lp.

And I'm sure there are more [[nor counting live medleys of course)

JB

[Boogiedown]

Nice input !
So far about a dozen songs from the sixties teeter on the five minute plus range . That would rapidly change as soon as the seventies arrive


From 1968 [[thank you DJ Moch):


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIXPnP9k64Q

[alexstassi]

Funnily enough the album version of J5's "Who's lovin you" clocks in at 4:05, yet the single version which was the B side of "I want you back" was a little longer at 4:22

[motownjohnny]

Alexstassi, can I ask where did you get those timings from? I am curious, as I have both the vinyl single 45 and the album, and from the labels the timings are:

45 - [[M-1157) 2:59
album - [[S-700) 3:57

Clearly both are considerably shorter than those you have given.

[DJMoch]

Looking at both the single and LP versions in my iTunes, they do indeed run slightly over 4:00 for LP and slightly over 4:20 for single. Perhaps they were extended when they were later released on CD -- or, perhaps, were labelled incorrectly. Hey, mistakes happen, and mis-timings on vinyl labels seem to happen quite often.

[alexstassi]

I've got the album on cd and it has a timing 4:05... the single version I got the timings from the complete motown singles 1969

when you listen to the single version it sounds more bare bones and MJ has more ad lib towards the end of the runout....

[reese]

Looking at both the single and LP versions in my iTunes, they do indeed run slightly over 4:00 for LP and slightly over 4:20 for single. Perhaps they were extended when they were later released on CD -- or, perhaps, were labelled incorrectly. Hey, mistakes happen, and mis-timings on vinyl labels seem to happen quite often.

It might have been on purpose. Back then, most songs were in the area of three minutes or less. In the case of YOU'VE LOST THAT LOVING FEELING, it was over four minutes but Phil Spector put an incorrect timing on it on purpose so that djs wouldn't stay away from playing it. Maybe Motown did the same with WHO'S LOVIN' YOU.

[DJMoch]

That thought definitely did not cross my mind, but it makes sense, considering radio tended to shy away from longer tracks. Deliberately fudging track times. Sneaky devils if they did. :D

[TomBairdFan]

Although it wasn't used as an album cut in its time, 'Singin' Sammy Ward's recording of ''Someday Pretty Baby'' clocked in at 5:55. It was recorded on July 8, 1962, and features 12 year old Little Stevie Wonder, who plays harmonica like an accomplished pro throughout the song [[Sammy calls out, ''Blow it, Stevie'' before the boy wonder's solo). Stevie is also one of the cheering voices [[''Yeah Sammy!'') heard in the song's intro. ''Someday Pretty Baby'' was co-written by Sammy [[as James Woodley) and Berry Gordy and it sounds like a one-take recording. Sammy, Little Stevie and especially the brass section sound as if they're so hooked into the rocking jam that it's no wonder they kept the tape rolling! The shorter mono single version was issued on Tamla six weeks after ''Someday Pretty Baby'' was recorded, and the long stereo version appeared on 'Switched On Blues' in 1970 and then on Polygram's 'Motown's Blue Evolution' CD in 1996. Sammy Ward laid down some cracking tracks in the early days and ''Someday Pretty Baby'' is over 5 minutes of Motown blues at its best - definitely worth the use of some extra tape!

[Boogiedown]

I probably should have said 60s songs over four minutes , Motown sure kept them brief!

For what its worth , Stevie Wonders FINGERTIPS , that longer version was a live recording of the original release which was under three minutes on his THE JAZZ SOUL OF STEVIE WONDER LP.
On it , there was this five plus tune: SOME OTHER TIME


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEv1ReboBfE

Bedsides being hit oriented, I'm thinking that during the sixties, this was the songwriters era at Motown, they ruled , and the more of their tunes that got squeezed onto as many various artists' albums as possible, the more money for them .
Later into the seventies, albums got to be as much about the producer who likely would rather spend the energy more focused on the sound of eight or so more developed tunes than having to guide an act through a quick dozen.