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I’d like to firstly say Hello to you all. I have just joined having been a lurker for years so I recognise your names but obviously you won’t recognise mine.
As my first post I’d like to ask if anybody knows if there are unreleased tracks in the Motown Vaults produced by Norman Whitfield? With the 1970 Unreleased tracks hopefully making an appearance later this year, we are getting into Norman Whitfield”s most productive period and I’m hoping to hear something new from him.
We know what you drive. :)
You got me :o
Our Ralph would most likely know that, and I sure hope the answer is 'yes' !
Although not generally regarded as one of its golden years, like 1965 or 1966, I like Motown 1970 the best. They really seemed to come into their own on the albums front, there was a lot of funk that started to get into the music, and it was a nice modification of the original Motown sound into a little more of a relaxed or funky groove I guess. Anyway for whatever reason I always remember it is my favorite year for Motown music.
I wanna read his book! Out a couple years ago.
I remember asking something similar a fair number of years ago, and I can't recall if it was Ralph who replied that there wasn't. My question had been focused on the Temptations period from Cloud 9 until Norman finished working with them. That period for me is by far the best [[Cloud 9, through to such significant products as Solid Rock, All Directions, Masterpiece, and also not forgetting the Rare Earth productions) of all of Norman's contributions at Motown.
I can remember reading somewhere that there is an unreleased Four Tops album of Whitfield produced songs, that would be interesting.
I agree a Four Tops album produced by Norman Whitfield would be interesting. I wonder what period it was recorded, the early seventies, during what I see as Norman’s heyday, or the eighties when the Tempts and the Tops were back at Motown and joined forces on The Battle Song?
Thanks for info; that’s a shame there’s not any in the can. I agree with you on Norman’s best period and I especially like Solid Rock, All Directions, Masterpiece and the Rare Earth LP Ma.
The Four Tops album was recorded around 1998/1999 there are some really classics on it, especially from Levi. I was asked if their would be interest to release it in the UK, I played a few tracks and there was real interest! and then I was told it's been stopped!
Sorry for the delay. As far as anything in the vaults that would be worth anything, I still have my doubts. Norman pretty much knew what he wanted to do on a project and that, more than likely, left very little for future releases.
On the "Standing In The Shadows Of Motown" deluxe edition 2 CD they had several instrumentals by The Funk Brothers including "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" and "I Can't Get Next To You", And on the 20th Century Masters Funk Brothers Millennium Edition an intrumental "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone". Just sayin.
Just been playing a track from the Norman Whitfield album, which was given the provisional title of '999 Emergency' the idea was to introduce Theo Peoples into the group.
'Just Another Day' is the track, it was recorded just prior to Levi's stroke, and I can assure you that Levi is at his very Best!
Is there not any unreleased Norman Whitfield tracks left on Rare Earth then? [the group, not the label]
As Norman Whitfield wrote, "Round and Around and Around We Go"........
https://soulfuldetroit.com/archives/...tml?1082098768
From the Complete Motown Singles vol.12A booklet :
"... an unreleased performance of Friendship Train by Edwin Starr [[ and produced by Norman ) is still in the Motown Vault..."