daviddesper
09-27-2012, 12:46 AM
A few weeks back, I asked for advice on here about whether I should take a trip to Detroit or to Memphis. Most of you suggested Memphis as having the most attractions, but after seeing the Marvelettes' "Unsung" feature, I decided to take a Detroit trip first and put Memphis off till later. Well I am back now and here are some thoughts from a first-timer.
It was great to see a giant photo of the Marvelettes as the first thing you see when you open the door. In fact, the photos and other memorabilia throughout the building are very impressive and you would need to stay 2-3 hours minimum to take everything in.
The tour guides were very young [[early 20s I would say) but very enthusiastic and well-trained on their subject matter. Because of the time my friend and I arrived, we joined one tour already in progress, then went with another one for a second round. That turned out to be wise because they definitely had different styles and covered different subjects.
I knew a lot of the history they were describing but I will confess to learning a few things that I did not know. For example:
1) They showed us the echo chamber that was designed to get a richer fuller sound on hand claps, etc. I had never heard about that.
2) I had never heard that Berry kept the studio open 24/7 during the label's heyday. That certainly explains the amazing amount of material produced out of there.
3) I did not know the policy that radio stations had of not playing more than 3 songs per hour per label, which led to Berry establishing the different labels under the Motown umbrella.
4) I had always thought that Martha got her start when Mary Wells didn't show up for a session and she filled in, but the guide said it was Kim Weston. Anyone know for sure on that?
Speaking of Martha, I was disappointed that neither she nor any other stars popped in during the several hours we were there. Of course that would be the ultimate fantasy and would really make a fan's day, and I guess I really did have a picture in my mind that some of them hung around there or put in an appearance just to enhance the experience. But then of course I do realize they all have lives of their own, are getting older, etc. so I am sure it is rare to see any of them there. The lady in the gift shop did say that Martha is the one that shows up the most often of the original stars.
And speaking of disappointment, I have a question about one of the t-shirts they sell in there. I realize this will be hard to describe without a photo, but I am guessing one of you will have the exact shirt in question and can scan a shot of it, so the others will know what I am talking about.
It is a shirt that was fashioned after an inner sleeve that they used for albums in the early 70s. I am looking right now at a copy, which came with the original "Black Magic" album.
Anyway, that sleeve, and the t-shirts in the gift shop, featured a collage of about 20-30 names of Motown artists arranged in a pattern. But here is my complaint/question. Why were the Marvelettes left off this shirt, when it has much less significant artists, such as Letta, Bobby Darin, and Lodi, who I have to admit that I have never even heard of?
If the answer is that the group had broken up by the time this design was created, I might buy that, but I think some of the others had left and gone on to other labels by then [[Edwin Starr, Four Tops, Spinners being possible examples) so what is the difference?
Anyway, as a shirt it would have been a great idea, and I would have bought one in a heartbeat, but decided against it with the Marvs not being featured on it. Even the lady in the store seemed shocked, but then of course that would have been the expected reaction from her.
So to summarize, a fantastic experience, one that makes you feel as if you "were really there" so I highly recommend it. But if Martha or Smokey or someone major had in fact popped in, I might have been so floored by it that I wouldn't be able yet to write about it! So maybe it was all for the best that they didn't!
It was great to see a giant photo of the Marvelettes as the first thing you see when you open the door. In fact, the photos and other memorabilia throughout the building are very impressive and you would need to stay 2-3 hours minimum to take everything in.
The tour guides were very young [[early 20s I would say) but very enthusiastic and well-trained on their subject matter. Because of the time my friend and I arrived, we joined one tour already in progress, then went with another one for a second round. That turned out to be wise because they definitely had different styles and covered different subjects.
I knew a lot of the history they were describing but I will confess to learning a few things that I did not know. For example:
1) They showed us the echo chamber that was designed to get a richer fuller sound on hand claps, etc. I had never heard about that.
2) I had never heard that Berry kept the studio open 24/7 during the label's heyday. That certainly explains the amazing amount of material produced out of there.
3) I did not know the policy that radio stations had of not playing more than 3 songs per hour per label, which led to Berry establishing the different labels under the Motown umbrella.
4) I had always thought that Martha got her start when Mary Wells didn't show up for a session and she filled in, but the guide said it was Kim Weston. Anyone know for sure on that?
Speaking of Martha, I was disappointed that neither she nor any other stars popped in during the several hours we were there. Of course that would be the ultimate fantasy and would really make a fan's day, and I guess I really did have a picture in my mind that some of them hung around there or put in an appearance just to enhance the experience. But then of course I do realize they all have lives of their own, are getting older, etc. so I am sure it is rare to see any of them there. The lady in the gift shop did say that Martha is the one that shows up the most often of the original stars.
And speaking of disappointment, I have a question about one of the t-shirts they sell in there. I realize this will be hard to describe without a photo, but I am guessing one of you will have the exact shirt in question and can scan a shot of it, so the others will know what I am talking about.
It is a shirt that was fashioned after an inner sleeve that they used for albums in the early 70s. I am looking right now at a copy, which came with the original "Black Magic" album.
Anyway, that sleeve, and the t-shirts in the gift shop, featured a collage of about 20-30 names of Motown artists arranged in a pattern. But here is my complaint/question. Why were the Marvelettes left off this shirt, when it has much less significant artists, such as Letta, Bobby Darin, and Lodi, who I have to admit that I have never even heard of?
If the answer is that the group had broken up by the time this design was created, I might buy that, but I think some of the others had left and gone on to other labels by then [[Edwin Starr, Four Tops, Spinners being possible examples) so what is the difference?
Anyway, as a shirt it would have been a great idea, and I would have bought one in a heartbeat, but decided against it with the Marvs not being featured on it. Even the lady in the store seemed shocked, but then of course that would have been the expected reaction from her.
So to summarize, a fantastic experience, one that makes you feel as if you "were really there" so I highly recommend it. But if Martha or Smokey or someone major had in fact popped in, I might have been so floored by it that I wouldn't be able yet to write about it! So maybe it was all for the best that they didn't!