The early days of MoWest

[jsmith]

BG set his plans out ahead of time; Detroit was ending & LA was to be the new home.
Of course, Motown already had it's LA base and team of producers [[Frank Wilson, etc.), acts [[Brenda Holloway, etc.) and musicians.
But it would be summer 71 that the MoWest label was instigated.
It seems that things went awry from the start.
In all, 9 albums were released on the label [[2 on the label in the UK), but
many more were planned.
Numbers were allotted for 50 US singles on the label but not all of them actually made it into the pressing plant.
JUST WHAT HAPPENED & WHY WAS THE LABEL DISPENSED WITH ?
21016

[snakepit]

I'd guess lack of $$$$ on sales

[Motown Eddie]

I'd guess lack of $$$$ on sales

And no major hits were ever released under the MoWest imprint [and they let at least big pop hit get away from them; Frankie Valli's "My Eyes Adored You"].

[Boogiedown]

that is one ugly label insignia . especially considering their others.
guess it was supposed to be cutting edge, but don't get the shrunken w "swinging"?? inside the O?

the name itself is just not good. imo.

[Graham Jarvis]

The US MoWest copies from a total of 5001- 5051, twenty two of the 51 records were not released. Other than the "Blackberries" on MoWest 5020 included on "Complete Motown Singles Vol 12A [1972]" issued finally 2013.

[mysterysinger]

It's just not true to say that there were only 2 Mowest albums issued in the UK - there were at least the following issued on Mowest UK:

MWS7001__Syreeta - Syreeta___1972
MWS7002__Odyssey - Odyssey__1973
MWS7003__Thelma Houston - Thelma Houston__1973
MWS7004__The Crusaders - Hollywood___1973
MWS7005__Severin Browne - Love Songs___1975
MWS7006__Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons - Chameleon___1975
MWS7007__Frankie Valli - Inside You___1976
MWS7008__Gaylord & Holiday - Second Generation___1977

All - bar the last of these - are available on CD.

[mysterysinger]

It might also be worth having a look at this earlier thread which came about as a result of the Light In The Attic Mowest CD release of 2011 - "Our Lives Are Shaped By What We Love - Motown's Mowest Story 1971 - 1973". That release seemed to generate a fair bit of interest at the time.

https://soulfuldetroit.com/showthread.php?3172-California-flop-article-Guardian&highlight=mowest+thelma+houston

[mysterysinger]

And no major hits were ever released under the MoWest imprint [and they let at least big pop hit get away from them; Frankie Valli's "My Eyes Adored You"].

They also could have had "December 1963" by The Four Seasons and what a hit that became. But it's not true to say Mowest had no major hits - MW5002F reached number 8 on the Billboard charts - Tom Clay's "What The World Needs Now Is Love/Abraham Martin and John" was a hit.

[ralpht]

I was never fond of the name, "Mowest". I thought it sounded stupid and compromised the respected and iconic name MOTOWN.

And then to get even dumber they come up with the Weed label with the slogan "Your favorite artists are on Weed". How incredibly dumb was that?

You may be getting the idea that I feel the West Coast operation ruined Motown. Bingo!!

[Motown Eddie]

They also could have had "December 1963" by The Four Seasons and what a hit that became. But it's not true to say Mowest had no major hits - MW5002F reached number 8 on the Billboard charts - Tom Clay's "What The World Needs Now Is Love/Abraham Martin and John" was a hit.

My mistake; I totally forgot about Tom Clay's record which did hit the Billboard Top Ten. Thanks for the information. I also forgot about The Four Seasons' "The Night" which charted in England in 1975 [three years after it was recorded].

[copley]

Another list.

https://www.bsnpubs.com/motown/mowest/mowest.html

In the UK 'The Night' by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons was released on Mowest and it got to #7 in 1975 making it the labels biggest hit single.

21017

[mysterysinger]

"The Night" was issued twice on UK Mowest - 1972 as MW3002 and 1975 as MW3024 [[and then again on Tamla Motown but still with number MW3024 in 1980).

But as we know, there are 2 FV&4S versions of "The Night" - the first has The Four Seasons singing "Beware of this promise" [[known as the 1972 version) and the second with only Frankie Valli singing "Beware Of This Promise" [[known as the 1975 version).

So my question is, were MW3002 and MW3024 identical, or did one have the 4S backing at the start and one with only Frankie singing "Beware" etc? Is anyone with both singles able to confirm the position? MW3024 was the hit version whichever way round it was.

On the Motown Chartbusters Volume 12 CD - it's the one with the 4 Seasons singing the opening.

[Boogiedown]

I was never fond of the name, "Mowest". I thought it sounded stupid and compromised the respected and iconic name MOTOWN.


Was it perhaps an inference to the old 'Go West'?? which is what they did ...

And if the label's name is MoWest , why is it the "w" that is small , of any, shouldn't it be the "o" ???




https://www.bsnpubs.com/motown/mowest/label4.jpg
Sin

[pj1]

I wasn't there, so I really don't know. But I had a thought.
It's been said that because of the the manner in which the human brain functions, people often fill in missing letters in incomplete words [Ex: I'm six feet tll].
Looking quickly at the logo, concentrating only on the letters that are the same size, it might be intially read MOEAST.
But it may also be seen as an abberation/elongation of the word 'most' [Ex: You are the mo-est generous person that I've ever met.].
Perhaps the graphic department wanted to achieve multiple purposes with the design: To serve as a bridge between Motown of the past and the new Motown, to capitalize on the superlative quality of the word 'most' [Motown records {from the east and now west} are superb products] and to subtly employ a play on letters [MoWest and elongated Mo-est being pronounced the same].

[pj1]

Was it perhaps an inference to the old 'Go West'?? which is what they did ...

And if the label's name is MoWest , why is it the "w" that is small , of any, shouldn't it be the "o" ???




https://www.bsnpubs.com/motown/mowest/label4.jpg
Sin




I just thought about your first statement and then it became clear. The 'O" with the 'W' is designed to look like the mark placed on cattle with a hot iron as to identify ownership. Yes Motown 'went' west and wanted to identify itself with a tie-in to the former label, Motown, thus Motown West became identified as Mowest.

[Boogiedown]

I just thought about your first statement and then it became clear. The 'O" with the 'W' is designed to look like the mark placed on cattle with a hot iron as to identify ownership. Yes Motown 'went' west and wanted to identify itself with a tie-in to the former label, Motown, thus Motown West became identified as Mowest.
I get the second part: MoWest is a condensing of Motown/West but that's very good observation: its a cattle brand!!

I guess it felt to them as if they were heading to the wild west, but I think "west" could misleadingly connote country/WESTern music and especially when your moniker is a cattle brand. Ill-conceived in my opinion and a bit retro in imagery when really they're trying to project the changing times and the forward movement of Motown.

[snakepit]

Not to be confused with MAE West :)

[mysterysinger]

Or Haverford West.

[pj1]

And let's throw Adam West into the mix and ask John Lester to explain the connection between his girls and Mr. West