The Monitors

I guess that the Monitors last recording session took place in the late 60's.
Anyone with access to the Motown recording session logs have the exact details ?

I would think that there are lots of 'unissued' Monitors tracks still to escape from the vaults [[Robb, can you remember if the group had loads of cuts listed when you went thru the Motown master tape documentation).

Has a date been noted down when the group actually broke up [[it had to be sometime in 1969 or 1970).
Cal of the Velvelettes must know as she married the group's Richard Street in November 1969.

......... Attachment 294

Well, you can ask Cal herself...in Prestatyn. HAHAHA

Next question?

Attachment 296
I remember seeing quite a few Monitors unreleased songs [[maybe 8 or so?). Several of them have been released on CD. "Crying in the Night" and maybe another song I remember sung by NO other artist. But the bulk of the unreleased were songs that had had releases by other Motown artists [[i.e. Spinners, also, maybe Bobby Taylor?, Jimmy Ruffin?Chris Clark?-I can't remember). But, a few of them were Fuqua/Bristol productions sung by The Spinners.

Keith Hughes and Harry Weinger would be better authorities on this one. I have to depend upon memory of what I saw 30-40 years ago, or even the difficult task of remembering where in my tapes to look. I don't have time now to look through my tape lists. My guess is that there were 8 unreleased Monitors' [[non-Majestics) cuts in The Vault, and about 5-6 of them have been released. Most of them were pretty good. But a couple were not all that great. Those may be the only cuts left in The Vault [[but will likely be released on future "Cellarful" compilations).

If you count Majestics' cut along with, that would make close to 15 unreleased cuts [[if you count alternate takes). I may be underestimating both Monitors' and Majestics' unreleased totals. It's tough to remember from all those years ago. All I can say is that I believe there are no more "spectacular" cuts left unreleased [[as far as I can remember). But I like ALL The Monitors' recordings I've ever heard. So, I still look forward to any new releases.

You might want to PM Keith Hughes, to alert him to this thread. But please tell him to answer your question on this thread rather than privately.

Can't you do a search via the DFTMC site. I'm not computer savvy but I understand that is what people do.

Attachment 302

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Originally Posted by theboyfromxtown

Can't you do a search via the DFTMC site. I'm not computer savvy but I understand that is what people do.

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I don't know what that is. Can you give us the URL for that website?

http://www.dftmc.info/main.html

John, I'll have to try to make the time and check right thru the dftmc site's [[long) song title listings.
........ this one was easy coz it was released .........
Greetings [[This Is Uncle Sam) [[Robert Bateman-Brian Holland-The Valadiers-Ronald Dunbar) publ. Jobete
The Monitors; recorded 28-Jan-66 ; produced by William Stevenson, Henry Cosby

Attachment 307
How did Ron Dunbar get his name on the writer's credits? [[Isn't that Eddie and Brian Holland-to avoid the Motown lawsuit?) Brian already was getting credit as one of the actual writers.

Attachment 308
The problem in this case, is that the list of songs is not cross-referenced by artists. So, we have to go through EVERY one of the thousands of songs, to tabulate how many unreleased Monitors' songs are left.

A few more [[starting with the A's) .......

All For Someone [[Roy Nievelt-Robert Staunton-Robert Walker) publ. Jobete
The Monitors; rec 25-Oct-65 ; produced by Robert Staunton, Robert Walker
12-Nov-65; 45 [[M): V.I.P. 25028 B

Baby Make Your Own Sweet Music [[Sandy Linzer-Denny Randell) publ. Screen Gems
The Monitors; rec 11-Jul-68 ; produced by James Dean, William Weatherspoon
Nov-68; LP [[S): Soul SS714 Greetings ... We're The Monitors

Bring Back The Love [[James Dean-William Weatherspoon-Jack Goga-Edward Holland Jr) publ. Jobete
The Monitors; rec 25-Oct-67 ; produced by William Weatherspoon, James Dean
02-Apr-68; 45 [[M): V.I.P. 25046 A

Cry [[Thelma Coleman Gordy-Richard Street-Warren Harris) publ. Jobete
The Monitors ; produced by Thelma Coleman Gordy, Richard Street
Jan-79; LP [[M): NaturalResources NA4014 From The Vaults

......... TO BE CONTINUED ......

About time that The Monitors were given the treatment and a set released of their Motown recordings. If anyone in power reads this, please, please, please make it happen.

Try the forthcoming COM 4 for the unreleased Doctor Of Love - amazing

jsmith - the answer to your original question seems to be about March 1969

robbk - the answer to your question seems to be about 20 finished but unreleased [[including tracks originally assigned to the Majestics)

Neither answer guaranteed! You never know with Motown ...

/k

Attachment 320

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Originally Posted by keith_hughes

jsmith - the answer to your original question seems to be about March 1969

robbk - the answer to your question seems to be about 20 finished but unreleased [[including tracks originally assigned to the Majestics)

Neither answer guaranteed! You never know with Motown ...

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Fantastic! That's 4-5 more than I thought! Richard Street is my favourite voice at Motown. Were any of them Sandra Fagin Edwards [[as on "Words")?

Maybe if we ask Paul Nixon really nicely he might tell us who sings lead on Doctor Of Love?

*smile*

Enough tracks for a Monitors' Anthology then.

single or double?

Live..live ...live.

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Originally Posted by theboyfromxtown

Maybe if we ask Paul Nixon really nicely he might tell us who sings lead on Doctor Of Love?

*smile*

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Why Sandra Fagin of course

Ooo!

*HAHAHA*

Attachment 322
I can't wait to hear it! I wonder how I could have missed that one. Is it from 1964?

Really glad I started this thread now.
The Monitors never were a 'big name' with anyone except the big Motown fanatics [[though they did have 2 national US hits).
..... BUT with all Richard Street's fans via his 'Temptations' years' PERHAPS a Monitors Anthology could sell well.

Did Richard sing solo at Motown on any 'vaulted' tracks [[after all, most of the other members of the Temptations
from the 60's & early 70's seem to have done) ??
Maybe Richard cut some solo tracks between April 69 and summer 71.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by robb_k

Attachment 322
I can't wait to hear it! I wonder how I could have missed that one. Is it from 1964?

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Written and prodcued by Clarence Paul the track was recorded in May 66

Quote:

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Originally Posted by robb_k

Attachment 307
How did Ron Dunbar get his name on the writer's credits? [[Isn't that Eddie and Brian Holland-to avoid the Motown lawsuit?) Brian already was getting credit as one of the actual writers.

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Ron[[ald) Dunbar was a real person IIRC; he was a friend of Brian Holland's who later worked at Motown and later for HDH Productions. What's less clear is whether he actually wrote and produced all those Hot Wax/Invictus songs bearing his name [[there are LOADS of them), or whether HDH just used his name to cover their tracks while they were legally barred from doing that kind of work. Way back in the mists of time there was a SDF thread about this - Freda Payne identified Dunbar in an old photo and described him as "one of the writers at Invictus", or something similar.

The HDH pseudonym was "Edith Wayne" [[or various spellings thereof); AFAIK nobody's ever uncovered any biographical information on this person, let alone a photo, and unlike Dunbar there's no evidence she worked in the music industry [[or indeed existed at all) before or after the legal restrictions on HDH were in place. One thing I have read is that Eddie Holland - as Motown's former A&R director, and possibly a contracted performer, but not a producer - had a different contract to Brian and Lamont, with different stipulations on when he could start working under his own name again - hence the existence of later writing credits for "Edith" alongside Brian and Lamont, but never Eddie.

I know its just me but Sandra Fagin's vocal on Doctor of Love is reminiscent of Carolyn Crawford.

Attachment 1245
Interesting stuff, Radio. Thanks.

I have said it already, but it is worth repeating, can we please have a Monitors package in the near future? Along with the Fantastic Four, the Monitors are my all time favourite Motown group. Although both groups are well supported on compilation releases, both are sadly neglected when it comes to individual packages. I feel sure CD releases on both groups would be most welcome and supported by the faithful. Please, please, please will someone with influence take up the campaign!

What ever really happened to The Monitors?

Hi John ..I do have Contact with Richard and speak to him often .. i could ask him any question you would like to put to him , also i have been trying to talk him in doing a Monitors live set here in the uk .. ..He is very intrested .. this would be a one of and would be Fabulous .

Are there any good books or major articles on The Monitors? Are they all still around.

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A BOOK on The Monitors??? THAT would be something! An article-you could find a few of those. I know there was a publicity article put out by Motown just before "Say You" was released. There probably was something about them in the trades [[at least paragraph short blurbs).

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Originally Posted by topdiva1

What ever really happened to The Monitors?

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The Monitors were over by 1969. Richard Street married Cal Gill. By 1970, Street was touring with the Temptations. Warren and John stopped singing for a while and recruited other members. Sandra Fagin started a girls group with Warren's fiance [[my aunt) and another girl. Doctor of Love on Cellarful 4 features these other ladies singing with Warren, John & Richard. For a time, Sandra's group was popular on the Detroit nightclub circuit.

Fascinating info !!!

hitsville

Could you talk Richard Street into joining this forum?
Russell Tompkins Jr. did.

edafan

I adored Crying In The Night, when that came out and could not understand how this MONSTER was never released back in the day. It would, should have been a SMASH. Paulo XXX

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kamasu_Jr

The Monitors were over by 1969. Richard Street married Cal Gill. By 1970, Street was touring with the Temptations. Warren and John stopped singing for a while and recruited other members. Sandra Fagin started a girls group with Warren's fiance [[my aunt) and another girl. Doctor of Love on Cellarful 4 features these other ladies singing with Warren, John & Richard. For a time, Sandra's group was popular on the Detroit nightclub circuit.

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Kamasu Jr.,

What was the name of Sandra's group? What were/are the names of your aunt and the other girl? Did they do any additional recording at Motown?

Thanks,
PJ

Another group that Motown paid very little attention to, I loved their version of "Just to Keep You Satisfied":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1Z3LA7Z3MA

Of course Marvin used the music for "God is Love" [[that's why the credits - M. Gaye, A. Gordy Gaye, E. Stover) didn't change, just James Nyx's name in "God is Love" and then Marvin re-writing the lyrics years later for his own version.

But I loved the doo-wop arrangement of this one.

What about a Monitors Essential Collection on the Spectrum Label, a Fantastic Four one too, Spectrum released loads on little known Motown Artists a few years back, Mable John,Barrett Strong and the 1st Velvelettes,Kim Weston and Brenda Holloway UK CD's, they have just released a Northern Soul compalation so they are still working the Soul Market, anyone on this forum could steer them in the right direction?

I support you on this dickiemint. I have for many years longed for such releases but for whatever reason, I, along with many others I suspect, continue to wait in hope rather than expectation. A Spectrum CD would be a good start, however, there is enough product on both groups, The Monitors and The Fantastic Four, for more in-depth releases either by Spectrum, Hipo or Ace! Would someone with influence please make them happen in my lifetime.

Oh how I wish too