Unusual Tamla Motown family label record releases

[R. Mark Desjardins]

While viewing a Motown tribute on youtube http://youtu.be/rzTypmsrfJ8 , I noticed a very unusual vinyl record release on the VIP label in 1966 by The Abbey Tavern Singers entitled "We're Off To Dublin In The Green." Berry Gordy may have thought he could have made a profit by leasing the master tape in the U.S.
Here in Canada, this record was distributed by Arc Records, in Toronto. Thrift stores here in Canada can't give this item away, yet I was outbid on eBay recently for a near mint copy on eBay. Go figure!4978

[roger]

Presumably it is a mixture of "Motown Completists" and Irish Folk Music fans who bid for it?

This cropped up here some years back and it seems that the "Abbey Tavern" in question is situated in Howth, just outside Dublin, Ireland. I was over in Dublin some 10 years back, went up to that part of the world and must have walked past the place. If I'd known about the Motown connection at the time I would have made a point of going in for a Guinness or Five .. :)

Anyway .. they have a website ..

http://www.abbeytavern.ie/

Roger

[Calv1971]

This album was also issued as one of those 6 track Jukebox 7" mini albums on VIP which i bought sometime in the 1980's, i don't like it at all, and obviously bought it it with it being issued on a Motown label. Years later while doing a search on Ebay for obscure Motown, i remembered this record and thought whether the 12" album was available, at that time there were a few copies for sale and at a reasonable price, so i purchased a copy, so there were double the amount of tracks to cringe to!!!!!!!
What a pity that it got a release on a Motown label, then it would never have been included in one's collection!!!

[Roger Polhill]

Would you be kind enough to supply the track listing for the EP please Calv.

[kenneth]

I think the King Floyd LP, ironically also on VIP, is also unusual in that it wasn't made up of Motown recordings but were apparently leased from someone else. I think this came out when he was high on the charts with his "Oogum Boogum Song" [[I forget the real title).

[Roger Polhill]

That album was recorded in New Orleans Kenneth. I used to have to have and don`t remember it being remarkable. It came out before the hit "Groove Me"

[motownjohnny]

It's not just the Abbey Tavern Singers that are cringe making.

A few years prior to that release, Gordy put out the Ralph Sharon album "Modern Innovations On Country and Western Themes" and The Stylers 45, "Going Steady Anniversary" / "Pushing Up Daisies". Early on, VIP had a 45 release on French pop star Richard Anthony - "I Don't Know What To Do" / "What Now My Love". Then there are the "comedy" albums from Red Jones and Willie Tyler with his compagnon Lester. And last, but by no means least in my humble opinion, are the numerous progressive folk/rock albums issued on Rare Earth from 1969 - 1971. I never understood how any of these releases made it out past Quality Control, although I believe the Rare Earth output was due mainly to a licensing deal that Motown had with EMI in the U.K.

[gordy_hunk]

One doesn't have to switch over to Rare Earth or MoWest to see some strange releases:

Motown
- Joe Harnell
- Ding Dongs
- Severin Browne
- Scatman Crothers
- Diahann Carroll
- Albert Finney

Gordy
- Luther Allison
- Bottom and Co

These are just the ones I remember. Of course, many of the more "unusual" acts did appear on Rare Earth or MoWest [[remember the God Squad featuring Leonard Caston, Toe Fat ... )

I have no idea what the strategic view was at the time of the signing of these acts / licence deals, but the management at Motown must have realised that the chances of actually selling any of these to a reasonable level would be quite unlikely to happen.

When I was younger, I never understood the desire to issue [[or even record) some of the material - such as the Supremes Sing and Perform Funny Girl. I suppose though that in their wisdom, management at Motown, thought that sufficient sales would happen to ensure some kind of profit would follow.

[roger]

But Mr Gordyhunk .. BOTTOM AND CO may have had a strange name but they did make at least one good record [[for fans of '70s Soul at least) ..

BOTTOM & CO - "Gonna Find a True Love" ..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evHXq2Q0C9I

Roger

[mysterysinger]

Actually I quite like the Richard Anthony sides. I had a copy of The Honest Men Cherie/Baby on UK Tamla Motown. That was different.

[tamla617]

roger
that bottom and co album is good imo,i play it all the time,dont think it will ever get a cd release tho'

[Calv1971]

Would you be kind enough to supply the track listing for the EP please Calv.

Roger- I will post the tracks that are on the Abbey Tavern Singers ep for you, please bear with me for a few days as this record [[and all of my other vinyl) is at my Parents home- Calv

[Roger Polhill]

Thanks Calv I will really appreciate that.Don`t forget Captain Zap`s Luneys, the diabolical Ray Oddis and Haney & Armstong`s "The Interview"

[theboyfromxtown]

Actually I quite like the Richard Anthony sides. I had a copy of The Honest Men Cherie/Baby on UK Tamla Motown. That was different.

I like those Richard Anthony recordings too.

[kenneth]

I think the Luther Allison LPs are outstanding...don't find the blues genre to be so far removed at least from Motown's roots anyway.

[keith_hughes]

I entirely agree, Kenneth, and couldn't figure out for the life of me what Luther was doing in that "oddball" list. A belated return to roots is the worst you can say of those albums, but it was not entirely misconceived: electric blues were very much in fashion in the early 70s. I suspect the albums received next to no promotion, and the fact that they were very much Detroit products when Motown had all but moved out of the city by the time they were cut can't have helped.

I agree too with John. The album was from which those two Richard Anthony tracks were lifted was cut in London, with Ivor Raymonde behind the glass: John won't need to be reminded of this, but Raymonde wrote Dusty's first solo disc, and was associated with her throughout her hit years. Motown evidently had an option on the album [[the tracks are still in the Vaults, though Motown own no rights in them), but presumably decided to pass when the single failed.

[Calv1971]

Roger - as promised, here is the track listing for The Abbey Tavern Singers 7" juke box ep [[VIP 60402)
Side 1
We're off to Dublin in the green
Mick Maguire
Twenty men from Dublin Town
Side 2
The captain of the gallant forty ??? [[Sorry can't even read my own writing!)
Whack fol de diddle dee
The orange and the green
It comes with the juke box strips and a couple of the album [[ep) sleeve pictures.

[roger]

Well it seems the ABBEY TAVERN SINGERS have made it to you-tube ...

Here is "Off To Dublin In The Green" ..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mhlogwol5M

And .. "The Captain of The Gallant Forty Four" ..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdaajgYtzuc

"Mick McGuire" ..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNOdMiHtXwQ&feature=related

Qiute like the rhythm track of "Off to Dublin" actually .. I'm wonder if it has been sampled yet by one of the Hip-Hop artists ... :)

Roger

[Stone Diamond]

Here's another strange release . . .
This was photographed from a tiny picture on a release sheet, hence the bad quality, but I've photoshoped the text.

[Stone Diamond]

Heres the ralph Sharon album, that would have been at home on the Workshop Jazz imprint.

All selections published by Marzique Music Co., Inc. [[BMI)
ARRANGED BY HAROLD BATTISTE
A HALMAC PRODUCTION
RECORDED AT THE VOX SOUND LAB
DESIGN BY EMMETT McBAIN
PHOTOS BY DUNSTAN PEREIRA

Plus the Red Jones album, this is a spoken word album with Red beeing interviewed about his days as a Major League Umpire; and if your into Baseball, then it's a rather funny album, but just what is it doing on Motown?

[Stone Diamond]

and the King Floyd album

All selections published by Marzique Music Co., Inc. [[BMI)
ARRANGED BY HAROLD BATTISTE
A HALMAC PRODUCTION
RECORDED AT THE VOX SOUND LAB
DESIGN BY EMMETT McBAIN
PHOTOS BY DUNSTAN PEREIRA

[Roger Polhill]

Many thanks Calv I really appreciate your assistance. Is there anything I can do for you? Stone Diamond I don`t thinh that the Stepin

[Roger Polhill]

Sorry `bout that. I meant to say that the Stepin` Fetchit might not have been released.

[kenneth]

I entirely agree, Kenneth, and couldn't figure out for the life of me what Luther was doing in that "oddball" list. A belated return to roots is the worst you can say of those albums, but it was not entirely misconceived: electric blues were very much in fashion in the early 70s. I suspect the albums received next to no promotion, and the fact that they were very much Detroit products when Motown had all but moved out of the city by the time they were cut can't have helped.


The Luther sides eventually were highlighted in a great disk "Luther's Blues," along with a great set on the earlier Blues sides, "Motown's Blues Evolution."

[Stone Diamond]

Sorry `bout that. I meant to say that the Stepin` Fetchit might not have been released.
Roger, as far as I know, the album was cancelled before even a track listing was drawn up, but maybe someone that has seen the official release notes, as oposed to a release sheet, will know more about this album.

[keith_hughes]

You can see the tracks assigned to this album at www.dftmc.info. Look at the Artist section under the letter F. I don't believe even test pressings of this LP were ever made, but I may be wrong.

Motown rumour has long held that the writer credit "W.A.Bisson" shown for Liz Lands' recording of "May What He Lived For Live" on Gordy 7026 is a pseudonym for Fetchit, though we couldn't find any evidence for that when researching "The Complete Motown Singles", so didn't print it. Fetchit's real name was "Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry", according to Wikipedia, where a survey of his career [[which does not include his time with Motown) may be read.

[Roger Polhill]

Many thanks for your advice Keith.

[144man]

The most unusual Motown family releases to me are the ones where there's only one release on the label: Wade Jones' single on Rayber, Sammy Davis's single on Ecology, Valentino's single on Gaiee, Elaine Brown's single on Black Forum [[all the other releases were albums), similarly Gaylord and Holiday's single on Natural Resources, Gary Byrd's 12" on Wondirection, Chris Clark's album on Weed.

[theboyfromxtown]

and hopefully also...

There He Goes/That's The Reason Why - The Velvelettes [[IPG)

[144man]

and hopefully also...

There He Goes/That's The Reason Why - The Velvelettes [[IPG)

Yes, I've got that, but I didn't include it as there were a couple of other releases on IPG, though not from Motown. I didn't include Cornell Blakely's third record for Rich which came through Motown either.

[theboyfromxtown]

But you know I have to get them a mention, even if it's a small one!

[Stone Diamond]

You can see the tracks assigned to this album at www.dftmc.info [[http://www.dftmc.info). Look at the Artist section under the letter F. I don't believe even test pressings of this LP were ever made, but I may be wrong.

Motown rumour has long held that the writer credit "W.A.Bisson" shown for Liz Lands' recording of "May What He Lived For Live" on Gordy 7026 is a pseudonym for Fetchit, though we couldn't find any evidence for that when researching "The Complete Motown Singles", so didn't print it. Fetchit's real name was "Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry", according to Wikipedia, where a survey of his career [[which does not include his time with Motown) may be read.

Thanks Keith, I should have thought of that, but the older I get the more the brain fades :-[[

[mwlh]

Weren't Wade Jones' and other early "maybe-Motown" songs sort-of vanity projects? And Sammy D. did a whole album for Motown, I believe...I think SDF has athread about it.

[robb_k]

5207
Wade Jones came to Berry and Raynoma Gordy in late 1958, with a song of his he wanted to get recorded, and have a record released, because of their advertising of RayBer Music Services Co., offering record production services, including songwriting, music publishing, arranging recording and marketing the record to get it placed with a record label that would release it and get it distributed. They may have done some "vanity projects" [[Mike Power on Zelman Records), but I think they actually thought that this one might sell some, and they could make some more money from it than just their fees for writing, production, recording and marketing it. THAT'S why, I think it appeared on their OWN named label, rather than on a made-up name like "Zelman" [[also a RayBer Production), and rather than being shopped to an outside label, or a co-owned label [[where a financier was sought [[such as was probably the case with The Biscaynes and Don McKenzie releases on Ridge Records)).

It may be that The Gordys shopped Wade Jones' record to other labels, but couldn't get a satisfactory deal that they felt would make decent money for everyone involved, so they put it out on thier own label, and gave it to Robert West's distribution firm to get it distributed regionally. The reason it was released on RayBer, rather than Tamla, is becuse the project was initiated well before Tamla was started. It was probably due to hang ups and delays, after commitments were made, that caused it to eventually be released AFTER Tamla 101, Marv Johnson's "Come To Me". It was never "on the books" of Tamla, and Raynoma got the rights to all RayBer Music Co.'s assets in the divorce settlement. So, it couldn't end up being included in an "inheritance to Mowtown [[similar tothe assets of Anna Records and Hardye Recording Corporation). It seems that only SOME of the assets of each were brought into Motown along with Anna and Gwen Gordy and Harvey Fuqua. I assume that the bulk of those assets and rights were kept by those people, personally.