BBC Radio 2 in the UK celebrates 'Motown At 60' 23-26 August!

BBC Radio 2 in the UK will be celebrating Motown's 60th with a whole range of programmes over the coming [[Bank Holiday) weekend, 23rd - 26th August, including:

Friday 23rd

4.00am The More Motown Magic Mixtape
The Craig Charles House Party Mixtape [[30mins)
For the iconic record label's 60th birthday, Craig digs deep to find some Motown magic you'll love, but might not have heard before!

8-10pm Friday Night Is Motown Night
Friday Night is Music Night
Trevor Nelson celebrates 60 years of the Motown sound at Hackney Empire with the BBC Concert Orchestra and guest singers Tommy Blaize, Tony Momrelle, and Heather Small.

10-12midnight Sounds Of The 80s with Gary Davies
The Brand New Heavies guest on My 80s and, keeping it soulful, another chance to hear Gary's 80s Motown Mastermix, as part of Radio 2's Motown Weekend, celebrating the 60th anniversary of Motown.

Saturday 24th

3.00-400am The King Of Motown - Berry Gordy
Marshall Chess tells the story of Berry Gordon and the Motown "family". The documentary was first broadcast in January 2008.

9-10pm
Motown At The BBC
Tony Blackburn presents the first of 2 shows celebrating Motown at the BBC. Featuring unique archive performances from Diana Ross, Gladys Knight and The Pips, and The Four Tops.

Sunday 25th

2.00 - 3.00am Stevie Wonder recorded live in concert for Radio 2. [[rpt from 2006)

3.00-4.00am
Motown On The Mersey.
Another chance to hear Craig Charles celebrate the heyday of Liverpool's Mardi Gras club. [[rpt 2007)

3.00-5.00pm
Sounds Of The 70s with Johnnie Walker
It's a Motown special and Johnnie speaks to former Motown plugger John Reid, who went on to manage Elton John.

9.00-10pm
Motown At The BBC [[pt2)
Tony Blackburn presents the second of 2 shows celebrating Motown at the BBC. Including a recently rediscovered Radio 1 session from Martha Reeves and the Vandellas.

Monday 26th

12.00-3.00pm
Motown Top 100 Countdown with Craig Charles
Craig Charles starts Top 100 Countdown to celebrate Motown's 60th year, with the writers, producers and artists involved talking about Hitsville USA and the classic sounds.

3.00-6.00pm
Motown Top 100 Countdown continies with Trevor Nelson
Trevor Nelson continues the Motown Top 100 Countdown to celebrate the label group's 60th year, with the writers, producers and artists involved talking about Hitsville USA.

6.00-8.00pm
Motown Covered with Ken Bruce
Ken Bruce brings you the best of today’s artists performing Motown tracks, live from the Piano Room. Plus famous names pick their favourite Motown songs in Tracks Of My Years.

8.00-9.00pm
Motown Loves Northern Soul
Richard Searling highlights the foundations of Northern Soul and connections with Motown.

[[Phew, Bank Holiday Monday is certainly a 'Motown Monday'!!)

That's a whole lot of Motown! Sounds great!!!

Mary Wilson just been on The One Show.
Hitsville the movie released on September 30 I think...anybody know how/where this can viewed in the UK?

Mary was on The One Show? Omg! :p

Yes, last night Weds, promoting her new book and the Hitsville doc.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TomatoTom123

Mary was on The One Show? Omg! :p

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...not sure you'll be able to pick this up in the US

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod...-show-21082019

:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TomatoTom123

Mary was on The One Show? Omg! :p

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Yes she was...and a bit OTT IMHO...
Was waiting for the presenter to ask her " Is is true that you are not actually on half of the Supremes recordings" ha Ha.

That's next Monday sorted out then!

Thanks for the info.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by snakepit

Yes she was...and a bit OTT IMHO...
Was waiting for the presenter to ask her " Is is true that you are not actually on half of the Supremes recordings" ha Ha.

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I caught Mary this morning on Radio 2 quite by chance on the Amol Rajan Breakfast Show.

She was also on breakfast tv this morning ITV.

The records played on Craig Charles House Party this morning were:

It Should Have Been Me - Yvonne Fair
You Haven't Done Nothing - Stevie Wonder
Two Lovers - Mary Wells
Brick House - The Commodores
Leavin' Here - Eddie Holland
Give It To Me Baby - Rick James
Motownphilly - Boyz II Men
This Love Starved Heart of Mine [[It's Killing Me) - Marvin Gaye

The Top 100 Countdown is based on download and streaming sales only! - hardly representative of true Motown sales over the years, most of which, surely, would have been on CD or ‘vinyl’. However it’s good to hear so many hours of Motown being played on Radio 2, along with contributions from artistes, producers etc.

Listening to it now and wishing that it followed the format of Tony Blackburn’s Golden Hour, i.e. almost non-stop music and quick-fire voice-overs. Tony Blackburn certainly knows how to keep things on the boil.

Craig Charles, however, doesn’t get my adrenalin going. There’s no energy and excitement. The presentation style is halfway towards being a documentary, so there are long intervals with laid-back drawling chat and short interview excerpts breaking up the music. Too many things to stop the music. I know that Craig Charles loves this music but it doesn’t come across for me.

This is dance music. Fast dance and slow dance. Not dance followed by a cup of tea and a sandwich.

And how many Radio 2 listeners want to hear “21st century” Motown?

YMMV. :)

He just skipped around 6 tracks cos he ran out of time. He skipped 6 earlier on as well.

Sheesh!

Here's the songs included in the first half of the Countdown:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0007wn4

Trevor Nelson just said that “War” by Edwin Starr got to #39 in the UK. It got to 3.

I don’t know whether Trevor Nelson will end up skipping tracks too, but they do seem to be playing long versions of some songs, rather than the single length [[or trimming the duration of long/album tracks). That doesn’t help the overall chart programme timing.

Who says that a top 100 of something like Motown should always be rigidly counted down in numeric order?

Perhaps they should have shuffled the tracks.

I want to be entertained, not educated.

I switched off. Now doing my own Motown hit list using my Bluesound Vault 2, onto which all of my Motown CDs have been ripped.

Much better.

he meant 39 in the Motown countdown that hes doing

Oops! Silly me! :)

Here are the songs in the second half of the Countdown:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0007wn7

Many thanks for sharing this.

So “Superstition” minus the second verse was number one?

This an easier to read chart listing with 11-100 in basic text and 1-10 featured with commentary, all on the same page:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/art...l-motown-chart

Many thanks for sharing this.

Craig Charles also said he didn't know R Dean Taylor's Ghost was on Tampa Motown WTF

Stupid error in the chart. It says Marvin and Tammi's Ain't No Mountain High Enough was never released as a single in the UK. It definitely was, TMG611.

Where's the Q/A these days!

Was shocked with 'Superstition' being the Number One! not mine! lol, wonder how big the vote was?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jaybs

Was shocked with 'Superstition' being the Number One! not mine! lol, wonder how big the vote was?

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It wasn’t a vote/poll. The chart was based on UK download and streaming sales.

Tracks played by Richard Searling on "Motown Loves Northern Soul" were:

Earl Van Dyke - 6 By 6
Elgins - Heaven Must Have Sent You
4 Tops - Something About You
Kim Weston - Helpless
Isley Brothers - Tell Me It's Just A Rumour
Frank Wilson - Do I Love You [[Indeed I Do)
Gladys Knight & Pips - If You Ever Get Your Hands On Love
Spinners - What More Could A Boy Ask For
Velvelettes - Lonely Lonely Girl Am I
Contours - Just A Little Misunderstanding
Brenda Holloway - When I'm Gone
Edwin Starr - Agent 00 Soul
Barbara Randolph - I Got A Feeling
Ivy Jo - Lucky Lucky Me
Chris Clark - Whenever I'm Without You
Temptations - All I Need Is You to Love Me
Marvin & Tammi - Tears At the End of A love Affair
Originals - Suspicion
Barbara McNair - You're Gonna Love My Baby

Great ones! :)