The Marvelettes - "Dance A While, Cry A While"

[mysterysinger]

The production sounds a lot like something Phil Spector would have been very proud of, right down to the sax break .....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcQh3Rn-5rk

[kenneth]

How right you are. Even the early verse where they singing about the days of the week is straight out of "Da Doo Ron Ron" or "I Met Him on a Sunday." I've overlooked this track. I should play that "lost and found" disk on the box set more often.

[copley]

Written by Edward Holland & Norman Whitfield in I think a deliberate attempt to copy Spector. It's great of course.

[arr&bee]

Sounds like something the vandellas would've done.

[mowest]

The verses remind me a little of Sam Cooke’s “Twistin' The Night Away."

[westgrandboulevard]

Yes Mowest, I hear strains of 'Twistin'...., too.

Impossible to keep the feet still for this one! It has a 'live', get up and dance quality.

The track was completed August 22nd 1963, and the vocals recorded August 30th.

In those days, I guess that meant all the singers on the recording needed to be in the studio at the same time....including what sounds like The Andantes, although not prominently featured.

Definitely influenced by the Phil Spector sound as, of course, was 'Too Hurt To Cry, Too Much In Love To Say Goodbye', completed just nine days earlier.

[144man]

Completed one month before the Miracles' "I Gotta Dance to Keep from Crying".

[motony]

all 4 Marvelettes on there Aug. 1963.

[mysterysinger]

Still digging this one a lot.

[westgrandboulevard]

Me, too, mysterysinger....am really glad you posted it!

For me, while I've had this track for some time, and it's great having previously unreleased tracks, they do come in batches.

Most times it's tempting to just let the CD run while I'm doing something else...but then often I don't give each of them the really close attention that I did with the original single releases.

And that's not good, because many of them, like this one, are indeed worthy of close attention...:)

[BigAl]

To me, it sounds more like Cameo/Parkway than Spector. I'm not hearing the Wall.
It also sounds sort of like an amalgamation of "Twistin' the Night Away" and "Quicksand."

[mysterysinger]

There was no "Wall Of Sound" to speak of on Spector's earlier productions - "Pretty Little Angel Eyes" from Curtis Lee is one example. I can also hear a Cameo Parkway influence now you mention it and the analogy with TTNA and "Quicksand" holds as well. The Marvelettes did record TTNA of course.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE18IowNH1Q

[mysterysinger]

A wee similarity methinks.
14661

[TomatoTom123]

A wee similarity methinks.
14661

If they were really going for the same look they probably should have spelt the group's name right... :p

[mysterysinger]

Another erect-a-Spector to my ears - Mary Wells "One Block From Heaven"


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU4dgUuA7rQ

[Philles/Motown Gary]

To my ear, definitely reminiscent of Cameo-Parkway, not Philles.

[mysterysinger]

I'm hearing aspects of "Puddin n' Tain" and "Why Do Lovers Break Each Others Hearts" among others. The link is there for me but it's an excellent track nonetheless. One of my faves from The Marvelettes.

[mysterysinger]

The Alley Cats.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZrhYsW8leQ