The Motown Sound...What is it?

[skooldem1]

What are the key components of the Motown sound? Is it beats per minute, certain instruments, etc? I know its the writers and the musicians, but what is it that "defines" the sound?

[westgrandboulevard]

For me, it's the unique acoustics of Hitsville Studio A.

Any instrument would come up sounding more dynamic, but the unique way the drums were recorded, coupled with the prominent bass lines, gave each track that firm, thump and kick, distinctive bedrock.

Add to that, the 'top' echo on the brass, guitars and vocals and, for me at least, there you have it.

Each of the records, when released, had 'the sound', even when the vocals were by an unknown artist or group.

Once I subsequently learned to identify the voices with their names, the sound [[the 'brand') became even more distinctive to me.

I could identify 'Supremes', 'Vandellas', 'Temptations' etc on the radio, as well as the 'Motown Sound'. There was a familiarity, a reassurance, to each new record. They were pre-sold.

The band tracks recorded elsewhere did not, in the main, do it for me to the same degree, although some came close.

Generally, those that did, were generally because the vocal was recognisable as that of a favourite artist...for example, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles 'More Love', which I believe was recorded elsewhere. The instruments likely would have had a slightly more crisp, resonant sound, had they been recorded in Detroit.

[soulster]

For me, it's that final sound of those mono 45 singles of the 60s and early 70s, a sound that lasted until around 1975. Clearly, the many producers played a big role in that. H-D-H, all of those who consisted of "The Corporation/The Clan", Ashford & Simpson, Leonard Caston, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Henry Crosby, Marvin Gaye, and, of course, Berry Gordy. The biggest players were the many engineers, including Russ Terrana, Mike McClean, Bob Olhsson, Lawrence Horn, and even later, people like Tom Flye.

And, of course, Motown would not have been anywhere without the many members collectively called The Funk Brothers!

[tamla617]

soulster i agree and i'll add.....

the andantes

[soulster]

soulster i agree and i'll add.....

the andantes

Notice I did not mention any artists. That is because they were basically interchangeable. At Motown, it wasn't about the artist, at least until near the close of the 60s. It was about the recording, the product.

Then, again, someone could argue that the musicians were also artists. Then you could extend that to the writers, arrangers, engineers...

[vcq]

For me, the Motown sound is synonymous with the Funk Brothers. The two standouts for me are the drums, with unique, aggressive riffs and fills by Benny Benjamin, and funky prominent basslines courtesy of Jamerson, rounded out by Mike Terry's grunting sax, vibes / harpsichord, and tambourine.

Plus, as other reviewers have mentioned, you had the unique acoustics of Studio A thrown into the mix.

[funkcity]

To me classic Motown was as follows:
Rock solid drumming sometimes all 4 beats per bar on snare drum, fairly simple rhythm section allowing much freedom for Jamerson on bass, backbeat Messina guitar, whole note chords on vibes, backbeat on tambourine, add strings, flutes/piccolos, french horn brass and winds and this was the basis for many of those signature tracks. The arrangements were sparse but heavy dance-beat rhythm oriented and this left lots of room for the vocalists to do their thing:)

[bradsupremes]

I agree with everyone about the unique acoustics of Studio A. I think that played a major role in determining the sound. However, the Funk Brothers collectively were the Motown Sound. To me, it was a certain group of men who knew what to play, how to play it, and incorporated their sound with the others.

As far as instrumentation, when I first hear a song, I can tell if it's Motown by the drum riffs, pickups, and fills. Plus the drums at Motown had a certain sound to them. Where most drums have a clear-cut "popping" sound to them, the Motown drums had a distinctive "booming" sound. I'm not sure if it was the certain type of drum sets used or if the fact that there were two drummers on a lot of recordings that helped to make that "boom" sound. Whatever it is, it's the best drum sound I've ever heard.

The bass, guitar licks, and tambourine are other key instruments in the Motown Sound. The bass had a nice full sound to it and packed a lot of punch. The guitars had a unique sound in which you could hear the three guitars separately, yet their sound was unison.

Above all, it was all of the instruments from drums to horns to strings that made the Motown Sound. Also, the way these songs were mixed played a critical role as well.

[skooldem1]

To me classic Motown was as follows:
Rock solid drumming sometimes all 4 beats per bar on snare drum, fairly simple rhythm section allowing much freedom for Jamerson on bass, backbeat Messina guitar, whole note chords on vibes, backbeat on tambourine, add strings, flutes/piccolos, french horn brass and winds and this was the basis for many of those signature tracks. The arrangements were sparse but heavy dance-beat rhythm oriented and this left lots of room for the vocalists to do their thing:)

Thanks to all that have responded so far. This answer that I've quoted is more along the lines of what I was looking for. I know the "Motown Sound" is all about the Funk Brothers, HDH, etc; but I'm not interested in the "players". I was wondering if there was some kind of formula, beats per bar etc.

[MIKEW-UK]

Well, here's some tracks recorded in Detroit in 1976 with Earl Van Dyke, Bob Babbit, Robert White, Thomas Bean Bowles and The Detroit Symphony. And what's more, the arranger is David Van Pitte. Is this the Motown Sound? I don't think remotely so, even when some of the Funk Brothers are contributing and one of Motown's most accomplished arrangers is also present. The song structures and the backing vocalists are not motown-like, and the lead vocals and arrangements are more rhythm and blues biased...

The singer / songwriter is Denise Laselle, and the album is Second Breath.... perhaps illustrates that irrespective of the musicians and arranger, the key components of the Motown sound are a distinctive blend of the song structures, the rhythm arrangements, orchestrations, the background vocals, the sweeteners, the recording studios setup / ambient sound, and the mixing.......... [[by the way I sure they were absolutely not attempting to recreate the motown sound on these tracks in any event).

FYI backing vocals Rhodes Chalmers Rhodes.

http://mikew-uk.podomatic.com/player/web/2011-11-04T10_39_33-07_00

http://mikew-uk.podomatic.com/player/web/2011-11-04T10_22_00-07_00

[vcq]

More proof that, for me, the Funk Brothers WERE the Motown sound:
Cool Jerk [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNCWhdYmPoE)
Higher and Higher [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPwSu1ETx2A&feature=related)
Agent Double-O Soul [[instrumental) [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPZ8FDRW5Kk)

Just by listening, it's pretty obvious that various Funk Brothers were moonlighting around Detroit and elsewhere. To me, that's still "The Motown Sound," even if the label in question wasn't Motown [[of course, in the case of Ric-Tic, Berry just bought them out anyway).