Thanks, Ralph! I appreciate your kind comment.
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If you don't have the "Soul Giants" 4 CD set, I would recommend that you do because there some really good tracks on there. Especially since it sells for very little money nowadays. There is a separate thread in this by West Grand Boulevard currently which is excellent.
...and is a thread which is still very much a work in progress...but am on it...and thanks for the compliment, Mystery....:)
@WestGrandBLvd,
Love this track from the Betty Lavette album listed above. The background doesn't sound formulaic like some of the others, not so obviously "computer generated."
Question for you, WGB. Would this be one of the tracks which has been redubbed to a new backing track? I really like it. Honestly, I'd heard of Betty Lavette but couldn't name anything she ever sang. I think her stint at Motown was fairly late in the game, meaning late 70s, maybe?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFpFxB4Wqcg
Kenny,
You will have noticed the difference in versions, between the one used for the 'Very Best Of' album, and the one used in the video clip that you have posted immediately above.
The 'VBO' version was the first. And was originally used with the video.
The version you now hear with the video is indeed from a later date, with a new backing track used.
I can't give you a date for it just now, but the signature sample drum roll places it as a later recording.
Also, the guitar solo sounds, which really lift it above the standard Motorcity production....although the first version, while not perfect, is not bad. [even though, IMO, the drum/percussion sound is too clumsy, and needed overdubs...and the string sound notes are sustained for too long].
'Let Me Down Easy' is likely to be the song for which Bettye Lavette is most remembered - and from 1965, when her first name was spelled 'Betty'.
A short stay with Motown, just one album, 'Tell Me A Lie', 1982. :)
Does anyone know where you can purchase the Barbara Randolph CD on Motorcity?
Can't seem to find it. Wish I had bought it back in the day.
Yes indeed, Barbara's 'Breaking Into My Heart' CD is not so easy to find.
Keep an eye on Discogs..and post here if you do find it somewhere.
I have made a note to give you a nudge, if I do spot one for sale.....while I am 'Soul Searching'....:)
Kim Weston's "Restless Feet" is one of my favourite Motorcity tracks, but I can't place what the backing reminds me of.
Any ideas?
Would that be all of the backing, or just certain sequence[s] of it?
And do you feel it reminds you of another Motorcity track, or a different source?
^^^ I just don't know. It might be someone like Abba.
Attachment 20589
Attachment 20590
Attachment 20591
J.J. BARNES [[King Of Northern Soul)
"The Very Best Of Motorcity"
Label: Essential Media Group
Catalog #: 8 94231 25732 2
Released: 2011
[NOTE 1: There is no catalog number shown on the CD's front cover, back cover, nor on the CD disc itself. The ONLY # shown is on the bar code on the back cover, which is what I ended up using.]
[NOTE 2: There are no production credits listed. I'm crediting all productions to Ian Levine.]
1) "Whatever Happened To Our Melody"
[[I. Levine - S. Wagner)
Producer: Ian Levine
https://youtu.be/GtuQbs527YI
2) "On Top Of The World"
[[I. Levine - J. Giscombe)
Producer: Ian Levine
https://youtu.be/yEWr0o7asXo
3) "Talk Of The Grapevine"
[[I. Levine - J. Barnes - S. Wagner)
Producer: Ian Levine
https://youtu.be/wfM_VuPoSt8
4) "Our Love Is In The Pocket"
[[G. Clinton - R. McCoy - J. Batton)
Producer: Ian Levine
https://youtu.be/DJskrNyj5W8
5) "Try It One More Time"
[[I. Levine - E. Starr)
Producer: Ian Levine
https://youtu.be/q2q74N_HeLo
6) "In And Out Of My Life"
[[I. Levine - J. Barnes)
Producer: Ian Levine
https://youtu.be/Yl0jkL5LBy0
7) "Say It"
[[D. Davis - J. Barnes)
Producer: Ian Levine
https://youtu.be/atR_TkIw-0U
8) "Building A Strong Foundation"
[[I. Levine - S. Wagner - S. Moy)
Producer: Ian Levine
https://youtu.be/RpM4lodMdAk
[NOTE: The CD's commercial tracklist lists the song title as "Building A Strong Foundation", while the video links list it as "Build A Foundation".]
9) "Sweet As A Honey Bee"
[[I. Levine - J. Barnes)
Producer: Ian Levine
https://youtu.be/pTGBlpH9g2M
10) "Eternity"
[[I. Levine - J. Giscombe)
Producer: Ian Levine
https://youtu.be/3rwmc_78nsA
11) "Happy Road"
[[I. Levine - J. Giscombe)
Producer: Ian Levine
https://youtu.be/zsOMBnILLpk
12) "That's Just Never Enough"
[[I. Levine - J. Barnes - S. Wagner)
Producer: Ian Levine
https://youtu.be/SbDzO1sYXOM
13) "Please Let Me In"
[[D. Davis - L. Bailey)
Producer: Ian Levine
https://youtu.be/cz8JoeSJTYk
14) "I've Seen The Light"
[[I. Levine - E. Starr)
Producer: Ian Levine
https://youtu.be/m6aix08Ph3w
15) "Real Humdinger"
[[A. Hamilton - R. Hamilton - R. Morris)
Producer: Ian Levine
https://youtu.be/uG_ePGjFYyY
16) "Your Can Bet Your Love"
[[I. Levine - J. Barnes)
Producer: Ian Levine
https://youtu.be/rA2KdO7RYcg
17) "Open The Door To Your Heart"
[[D. Banks)
Producer: Ian Levine
https://youtu.be/JZI0BYOPT3Q
18) "Sweet Sherry"
[[D. Davis - J. Barnes)
Producer: Ian Levine
https://youtu.be/1W1LNMsNqfg
Hi Gary...
Just for interest, the J. J. Barnes compilation set above from Essential Media Group is, I think, a CD-R of the original UK release from 1996:
'King Of Northern Soul' - The Very Best Of The Motorcity Recordings', Essential Gold/Carlton Home Entertainment, 30359 90112.
At that time, 'Whatever Happened To Our Melody', 'Eternity' and 'Happy Road' were previously unreleased.
The CD included an eight page insert booklet of photos and notes by Graham Betts.
The notes state that 'Eternity' was also to be the title of a second, unreleased Motorcity album by J. J. Barnes....although information from another source states the scheduled title was actually to be 'Happy Road'.
The track list is identical in both sets, and also identical to the Hot Productions 7700 series compilation, released same year, 1996....but I can't confirm if the insert booklet was identical.....
Thanks for your as-always interesting tips, westgrand! If J.J. Barnes CD was available back in 1996, how did I manage to miss it? I thought I had ordered every Motorcity CD title that HOT Productions had available.
Oh, well... go figure! Upon playing it for the first time yesterday, I knew from the first track alone that I would love this CD, and I DO!!! [[Unfortunately, my copy is the budget version without Graham Betts' booklet, but I still love it!)
My top favourite is "I've Seen The Light".....
Now that production is what I call the real 'Motorcity Sound'....
The UK CD does not seem to give any producer credit, and I do not have the Hot Productions version to check, but Discogs does confirm your assumption that Ian Levine was the producer.....:)
Thanks, westgrand.
On the "Try It One More Time" CD, the producer of "I've Seen the Light" is indeed Ian Levine.
The producer of "Build A Foundation" [see post #53] on this cd is given as Ian Levine & Sylvia Moy.
Lakeside, eBay [[U.S.) has a "Like New" copy of Barbara Randolph's ""Breaking Into My Heart" CD but it's an auction -- not a direct sale.
Yes, it's the same UK seller from all three sources....
It would seem a reasonable price, if it stays that way....