Playing this every day on the way to work...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd8scwq5zgE
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Playing this every day on the way to work...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd8scwq5zgE
Hmmmm. I like vocal group harmony, but I hate out of tune and off -key singing. There is the signature sweet and ragged quality to the vocals, but they were still kind of rough and unpolished. I can hear why the three songs were not major hits and therefore not essential listening, in my opinion. Though the Mighty Marvellows did have an album on ABC and northern soul fans in the UK pay a lot of money for their stuff.
No denying it, most American tastes in soul music [back in the day ] was shaped or influenced by American radio, Motown, Chicago and Philly. One question though, were those the same Presidents who had hits on Sussex in the 1970s? That one was OK, sort of like the Impressions.
These songs and others like them ARE GREAT!!!!!!!!!! They were the basis for rock and roll and soul IMHO. These groups were the originators, and in many cases better vocalists than those who followed - rough and unpolished or not. I much prefer the sounds of these groups to those who had more sophisticated production techniques. This is REAL music.
~~Mary~~
Quote:
Originally Posted by JIVE FIVE Mary G.
Everyone doesn't like the same things. The songs didn't sound good to me. Guess, I hear things differently. I listened to the songs twice and then completely forgot them.
True that, Kam. Musical taste is subjective.
One reason records like these didn't sell as well as Motown, Philly, etc., is because many songs were recorded at small labels with little or no promotion. Also, many of the artists were played more extensively on Black radio than so-called mainstream radio. If all things were equal given the different eras, it's difficult to say how well some of these records might have sold.
~~Mary~~
I LOVED The Marvellows out of the Windy City, ever since they first hit the scene in 1965 with "Do I". "In The Morning" is clearly one of my favs of all-time. Along with another [[Chi-Town) group The Artistics' "I'm Gonna Miss You".
One of my favorite rarer 1960's groups along with The Madlads [[Memphis), The Van Dykes [[Houston), & The Realistics [[Cleveland).
Loved [[D.C.) The Presidents' hit "5-10-15-20-25-30 Years of Love" in 1970. Also love D.C.'s Diplomats "Here's A Heart".
Kam, me thinks you too much of a perfectionist, lol....... The over all sound of the era and the feeling those records give is what is so fantastic about them. I guess you had to be there when the first came out and hit the Black Radio Stations. In N.Y. tri-state area we had the greatest radio with WWRL & WNJR. They played the best sounds of the mid 1960's era and beyond!!
Just sayin`
:rolleyes:,
S.S.
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The Mighty Marvelows ~
Attachment 7000
The Presidents ~
Attachment 7001
S.S.
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The Icemen - How Can I get Over A Fox Like You....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAavI_76aQc
George Kerr produced both The Icemen & The Whatnauts typical of George's work, love all!
The Madlads is one of my Top 5 Groups, love everything by them!
S.S.
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S.S, As you know, George produced "The Picture Becomes Quite Clear" by The Manhattans - great record!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTW0FYw6gxU
And another by George on The Manhattans
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XKbxlSv99I
Of course I do, with my sweet ex "Smitty", one of the best 60's lead singers in a group.
"Give Him Up" is one of my favs, from their last album with "Smitty" titled "With These Hands" in 1970, it's one most folks don't know.
"SMITTY" ~ Original lead singer of The Manhattans ~
Attachment 7006
S.S.
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and The Whatnauts later took a crack at "Give Him Up"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0VC7DK4DdA
And Little Jr Jesse and The Teardrops......................
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVVUN_Uj0N8
There's no contest, the lead singer of The Whatnauts cannot compare to Smitty's lead on the original record. I find the Whatnauts version "souless". :D Just sayin`.
S.S.
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For me the "out of tune and off key" style is precisely the charm and appeal of this early Doo-Wop to Soul era. The lesser-known artists and groups were real people from down the street, unaffected by stardom, and free of slick production gadgetry to make them sound better. I suppose Soul Sister is right--you had to "be there" at the time and hear the groups grow and evolve. Check out this early tune from The Intruders. [[brace yourself for the ending Kamasu :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p9DdT0foTI
Compare that song to "I Wanna Know Your Name" from a decade later.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=cFh-nkRxzos
Much more sophisticated production-wise, yet Little Sonny still threatens to go off key at any moment, lol. He even flubs the lyrics, "...I'll drop you at the hou...the doorstep" [[I LOVE that Gamble & Huff had the wisdom not to 'fix' it). By the end of the 70s, the "Quiet Storm" era ushered in synthesizers and superstars like Whitney Houston and Luther Vandross to a broader audience [[and market). The voices and production were perfect. Too perfect for me.
Mike I love the Mighty Marvelows..
And here's one of my favs. West Coast group harmony, L.A via Seattle. A great 2 sider! [[Note Charles Wright as writer, also has spoken intro on "Be Fair")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWE021xi2Nk
Totally agree there sunshineonacloudyday .. I love a lot of those "big-production" records but sometimes nothing can beat simplicity .. check out this one from the early '70s ..Quote:
Originally Posted by sunshineonacloudyday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHZacBl48SA
Strangely it was written and produced by J.R. Bailey and Ken Williams who did their fair share of "Big" productions for the likes of THE MAIN INGREDIENT around the same time ..
Roger
Yes Roger, no frills. And if you went to hear 4th Kingdom live at your local club, they would likely sound just like the recording.
Recently I've encountered many young record collectors fond of this raw old-school Soul. Here on the West Coast there are independent artists like Myron & E currently recording very much in this style, putting it out on VINYL, and personally delivering it to the local record stores!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJ6Odq8l1ZY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCiF-ndqXv8
"Little Sonny" is known for his nasal and off-key style of singing but it's oh so good! Everything 'The Intruders' did was fabulous starting with "United", which was dynamite whether they did it live or just listening to the record.
I was at their show at the Howard Theater in D.C. back in 1966 and they killed it!
S.S.
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Great to see so many positive comments and enthusiastic appreciation for these great vocal performances ..... so pleased there are others out there still keeping alive fond memories of such beautiful music.... the sounds are not flawless, and that's why they appeal so much as little works of art in their own right!!!!
Here's a great one, remember this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-m7FdBtoR4
The Masqueraders - Wake Up Fool
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHl-rDWhUWQ
Frankie And The Spindles....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yttdLTtCrU
The O'Jays...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpeslxI9OIg
AAAAAAAHHH The great Masqueraders!! Fabulous group. LOVE "Average Guy".
I think it's interesting to note some of the great vocalists who came our of vocal group harmony~~~ Jackie Wilson & Clyde NcPhatter both sang with Billy Ward & His Dominos. Marvin Gaye sang with The Marquees out of Washington, D.C.
Some here may or may not appreciate this, but Jon Bon Jovi, who is a pretty good rock singer, was taught to sing and harmonize by none other than Eugene Pitt lead singer of The Jive Five. Eugene worked with Jon's uncle Tony during the disco era. Tony asked Gene to teach Jon when he became serious about singing. Gene has autographed photos from Jon thanking him.
I guess my point is, there are some great vocalists from the R&B era. Not all of them sang off key. Some possessed perfect pitch. I agree the vocals are raw and the instumentation is minimal, but most of it sounds better to my ears than the over produced records that followed.
~~Mary~~
The Masqueraders...
http://youtu.be/5jLR59uQD_Q
I agree Mary.
For example I prefer The Whispers on Dore or Soul Clock over their later, more popular material.
Love, love, LOVE! this one--
I Was Born When You Kissed Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1ZV3krkv4g
My friends,Charlie & Pam Horner had The Masqueraders at their anniversary party a few years back with 3 original members.You can see video of them at Charlie's website.classicurbanharmony.net. I think you'll enjoy other videos they have as well.
@MIKEW-UK,
The O'Jays "Sweeter Tomorrow" was the biggest hit of 'that song' here in 1968, from their album "Back On Top" followed by "Look Over Your Shoulder".
Check out Frnakie & The Spindles "Count To Ten".
The Masqueraders are one of the top of the lost soul groups. Some of my favs are "I Ain't Got To Love Nobody Else", "Call Me The Traveling Man", & "One More Chance" [[Is a KILLER!)!
The Whispers: "I Was Born When You Kissed Me", "The Teacher", "Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong", all the earliest stuff was their best.
S.S.
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I'm all for simplicity and harmonies sung on key and in tune. Here's a Detroit beauty.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3UrSqTpkM8
Another personal favorite from the underrated MIGHTY UNIFICS!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWs4-bVyTgM