Billy Eckstine _ Motown Collection

[snakepit]

pent an enjoyable day compiling a CD-R on Billy Eckstine . I wanted to concentrate on Motown only songs, leaving the standards alone. I was worried that I would not have enough tunes to fill a CD-R.
In the end , I ran out of room.....had to leave a few off, which was a shame.
I really enjoy MR. B's Motown material. What a shame the company didn't find the right platform/promotion for him...I'm sure there were some potential hits here....possibly they chose the wrong 45s?

ROAD TO HAPPINESS
I HEAR A RHAPSODY
I'LL BE LOVING YOU
LOST
DOWN TO EARTH
HAD YOU BEEN AROUND
LOVE IS GONE
JUST LOVING YOU
FANTASY
MAYBE TODAY
TOGETHER TILL THE END OF TIME
I WONDER WHY [[ NOBODY LOVES ME)
I'VE BEEN BLESSED
THANK YOU LOVE
ANYONE HERE GOING MY WAY
MY CUP RUNNETH OVER
ASK THE LONELY
OH HOW HAPPY
THE LOVE LINE
KICKIN' STONES
UMBRELLA MAN
I JUST DON'T HAVE THE TIME
LOVE IS LIKE AN OLD MAN
LOOKIN' DOWN
IF YOU ARE REALLY HAPPY
I WISH YOU WERE HERE
THE ANSWER IS LOVE

[woodward]

Maybe the fact that he was born in Pittsburgh, PA instead of the Motor City, that might have worked against him. To my knowledge the only other Motown artist who was from Pennsylvania was the one and only Tammi Terrell. Does anyone know of any others?

[snakepit]

I think a lot of plans Motown had in 1965...such as a few MOR signings... were blown out of the water by the DRATS explosion.....they had to ride that train whilst it was hot.

[nabob]

Syreeta also was from Pittsburgh.

[WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance]

Maybe the fact that he was born in Pittsburgh, PA instead of the Motor City, that might have worked against him. To my knowledge the only other Motown artist who was from Pennsylvania was the one and only Tammi Terrell. Does anyone know of any others?
What happened to Mr. B is the same thing that happened to Peggy Lee [[about whom I'm now reading), The Mills Brothers, Stephanie Mills, Johnny Gill, Yes, Van Halen... in every era are artists who hit the expiration date as tastes change. They can and usually try to keep up with the times, but at some point people loose interest no matter how good the music may sound. Denise Williams didn't run out of talent, but her audience more or less moved on.

I think when Billy Eckstein signed with Motown, he may have been an artist from a generation before Motown's core audience. Today, we just hear good music and embrace it, but back then, kids would have just thought it was "some old guy" trying to sing our music. It's exactly the same problem Peggy Lee faced with her record company from the 60s on. They recorded her with young, contemporary songwriters and producers but they just couldn't sell her to the young Top 40 audience. Such a shame because Billy Eckstine did some incredible things at Motown.

[snakepit]

Good points WWLFAC
He made some great tracks at Motown but got lost in the shuffle...and tastes change very quickly.

[WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance]

Good points WWLFAC
He made some great tracks at Motown but got lost in the shuffle...and tastes change very quickly.
Yeah that's the shame of it. Both Billy and Barbara McNair made some amazing music at Motown but nobody was paying much attention at the time. I don't think Billy Eckstine got much success at Stax either.

[snakepit]

No but his "Stormy" is great. In fact I'm sure he appeared on UK TV promoting it. Can't remember the show but I recall being very surprised.

[soulwally]

My favourites from your list Snake are I Wonder Why andAsk The Lonely, probs because they don’t fit into Billy’s standards bag. I used to have Had you been around on UK TMG. I only picked it up [[very cheap) because it was on TM, but sold it for many times what I paid for it.
BTW, Billy’s album for Stax’s Enterprise label, produced by Isaac Hayes, with the same instrumentation as Isaac’s solo albums, is excellent

[snakepit]

Here it is..Stormy.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nFtLz8yzw2k

[snakepit]

Hi Soulwally
I had his TMG on white demo..lov both sides.
Sold it for a few bob.
Not heard his Stax stuff..only Stormy.
Did you see that UK tv show?

[mysterysinger]

I like "Lookin' Down" from Motown Unreleased 68. Jolly tune but actually quite depressing words. Play it quite a bit.

[snakepit]

The 1968 unissued tracks were very good . I think Umbrella Man would have done well with promotion.

[snakepit]

Umbrella Man

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hoTQr3s0XZI

[luckyluckyme]

Here it is..Stormy.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nFtLz8yzw2k

And the album it is from + 1 more


https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nIXppBZh4j4teUQMccoxg4FJ3wm0 M9Wxg

[snakepit]

And the album it is from + 1 more


https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nIXppBZh4j4teUQMccoxg4FJ3wm0 M9Wxg

Many thanks Lucky luckyme
will look into that 2fer on Stax

[calvin]

I was just reading about him and came across this article. I'm sure many of you are already aware of this but I had never heard about it before - a photo published in Life magazine in 1950 of Billy Eckstine with white female fans that some say had an adverse effect on his career:

http://behindthescenes.nyhistory.org/life-infamous-1950-photograph-billy-eckstine/

[snakepit]

Calvin,

interesting article...sad that the views expressed by some at that time are still around.
Seems Mr. B was quite a big star in the 40s.

[calvin]

I'm just listening to his "The Prime of My Life" LP... The cover artwork and album title remind me of Frank Sinatra's "September of My Years" album, which also came out in 1965 [[Sinatra's LP in September, Eckstine's in November). I don't think this could be a coincidence, the Sinatra LP was very popular. Both LPs have the song "This Is All I Ask" [[though according to DFTMC, the Eckstine song was recorded in March 1965).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_of_My_Years

Compare the covers:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/September-Years-VINYL-Frank-Sinatra/dp/B012UW4SF8

https://www.flickr.com/photos/cookephotography/2920156360

[snakepit]

That's interesting...it does look as though Motown were looking at getting BE to be in the Sinatra style.
Whilst I think the standards were well done, I prefer BE's Motown original tracks.
I'm a Nat King Cole man myself.

[soulwally]

Hi Soulwally
I had his TMG on white demo..lov both sides.
Sold it for a few bob.
Not heard his Stax stuff..only Stormy.
Did you see that UK tv show?
No I didn’t wonder what it could have been. Of course the album is called Stormy and that’s the lead track

[Optimal Saint]

He’s of an earlier era from the usual artists they cover but eckstine definitely should have an unsung episode

[snakepit]

And the album it is from + 1 more


https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nIXppBZh4j4teUQMccoxg4FJ3wm0 M9Wxg


Played a few tracks of the 2fer on Stax and enjoyed what I heard. I will return to again.

[robb_k]

Maybe the fact that he was born in Pittsburgh, PA instead of the Motor City, that might have worked against him. To my knowledge the only other Motown artist who was from Pennsylvania was the one and only Tammi Terrell. Does anyone know of any others?
17497
Weren't The Stylists from Philadelphia?

[mysterysinger]

Might never happen [[the Japanese would be the only hope) but I'd still buy Billy's Motown albums as individual CDs. Come to that I'd also buy Barbara McNair's, Diahanne Carroll and Sammy Davis Jr's too. Well they did release Brenda Holloway and Chuck Jackson's. Official releases only though preferred.

[grapevine]

...I purchased a Longines LP of Motown songs eons ago ...Soul Supreme Vol 2

https://www.discogs.com/Various-Soul-Supreme-Vol-2/release/1927073

...which contained one Billy Eckstine song which I've loved ever since ...The Answer Is Love

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

...up until that point ...I'd never heard of him...!!! :cool:

Grape :)

[snakepit]

Grape
Don't you remember "Passing Strangers" duet with Sarah Vaughn...an unlikely UK hit in about 1969?
That track you like is a gem from Smokey.
It's great I agree.

[mysterysinger]

Some more photos you might like ....

His 3 UK Tamla Motown albums
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cookephotography/32412241440/in/photolist-XEYpmm-Road9Y

Comparison of UK and US cover for "Gentle On My Mind/For Love Of Ivy"
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cookephotography/36540653912/in/photolist-XEYpmm-Road9Yhttp://

The Billy Eckstine Story
5C 052-93364
Tamla Motown LP Holland

A1 Had You Been Around
A2 Gentle on My Mind
A3 My Way
A4 I Wish You Were Here
A5 Together 'til the End of Time
A6 Maybe Today
B1 Love Is Gone
B2 Feeling Good
B3 I'll Only Miss Her When I Think of Her
B4 Talk To Me
B5 Nothing But Trouble
B6 You Better Believe It

https://www.flickr.com/photos/cookephotography/5653920835/in/photolist-9BEKUJ-9BBPFH/

[mysterysinger]

17497
Weren't The Stylists from Philadelphia?

The Stylists were a Detroit group [[not to be confused with Philadelphia's Stylistics or even another Motown group The Stylers).

[grapevine]

Grape
Don't you remember "Passing Strangers" duet with Sarah Vaughn...an unlikely UK hit in about 1969?

...must have passed me by Snake ...I was just getting into Ska and reggae then...!

I'm very glad I bought Billy Eckstine's The Motown Years when I did...!!

https://www.discogs.com/Billy-Eckstine-The-Motown-Years/release/933732

Grape :)

[robb_k]

The Stylists were a Detroit group [[not to be confused with Philadelphia's Stylistics or even another Motown group The Stylers).
17506
No I remembered an early '70s group who were produced by Thom Bell, or some other Philly-Sound producer, singing a Philly-Sound song, which I had thought was one of the last V.I.P. records, but is not listed on the discography. I had mixed up the Stylists with them, because their release was one of V.I.P. releases. Maybe it was Courtship on Tamla? Was Courtship from Philadelphia? Didn't Thom Bell produce some records for Motown? Maybe Gamble and Huff recorded some Philadelphia artists?
must have

[roger]

Grape
Don't you remember "Passing Strangers" duet with Sarah Vaughn...an unlikely UK hit in about 1969?
That track you like is a gem from Smokey.
It's great I agree.

Actually "Passing Strangers" was from 1957, and was a reasonable hit back then [[#82 BB Hot-100, #22 UK), somehow it got caught up in the 1969 UK reissue boom and got as high as #20. Great record!!

Roger

[snakepit]

Yes I aware it was an "oldie" in 1969 but didn't.know the details
A great tune .

[westgrandboulevard]

July 8th:

On his Birthday, remembering Billy Eckstine [William Clarence Eckstine; 1914-1993]......

[Graham Jarvis]

Birthday Present.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN_b9zeCJn8

[paul_nixon]

Birthday Present.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN_b9zeCJn8

One of the tracks that unfortunately [[because there were just so many) got left of the Billy Anthology - there is another version of this in the vauts which remains unrleased by Harvey Fuqua.

[robb_k]

No but his "Stormy" is great. In fact I'm sure he appeared on UK TV promoting it. Can't remember the show but I recall being very surprised.
20914
"Stormy" sounds better to me than anything he cut for Motown. And it blows The Classics IV original version away!!! Imagine what The Funks could have done to even improve his Enterprise version!!! And with The Andantes singing background vocals!!!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

My favorite Billy Eckstine Motown track is Smokey's "The Answer Is Love". The Motown shuffle beat and The Andantes back-up vocals provide the perfect surroundings for capturing Billy Eckstine within The Motown Sound.

https://youtu.be/eTqdOWNArrg

[reese]

My favorite Billy Eckstine Motown track is Smokey's "The Answer Is Love". The Motown shuffle beat and The Andantes back-up vocals provide the perfect surroundings for capturing Billy Eckstine within The Motown Sound.

https://youtu.be/eTqdOWNArrg


The first time I heard THE ANSWER IS LOVE was because of its inclusion on the SOUL SUPREME collection issued by the Longines Symphonette Society. I was only a kid and was unaware that Billy had been signed to Motown at one point. I ended up liking it a lot, as I did another selection, HERE I AM BABY by Barbara McNair.