The mighty Mary Wells performing "Bye Bye Baby" - LET'S SWING NOW!!!

**midnightman** · 10-31-2010, 07:40 PM

Love her little Isley Brothers-inspired intro on this.

**Kamasu_Jr** · 10-31-2010, 07:47 PM

Originally Posted by midnightman

Love her little Isley Brothers-inspired intro on this.

Remember on the old forum, we talked about a scene in Nothing But a Man where the live version of Bye Bye Baby was effectively used. It's heard during the gas station scene where Duff is harassed by these rednecks and when he stands up to them, he is fired.

**midnightman** · 10-31-2010, 07:49 PM

^ I believe so.

**copley** · 10-31-2010, 07:54 PM

Mary should never ever have left Motown. Great singer and good old song. It's always reminded me of another song but can never think of the title!

**midnightman** · 10-31-2010, 07:59 PM

You know before two or three years I didn't know how many covers of this song came out. I was quite astonished by those that did cover it including Betty Everett and Bonnie Raitt [[yes Ms. Bonnie Raitt covered "Bye Bye Baby"). I even loved Mary's 1968 version that Bobby Womack produced for her.

**robb_k** · 11-01-2010, 01:30 AM

I wonder if her male back-up group in the video were The Love-Tones?

**marv2** · 11-01-2010, 01:38 AM

Originally Posted by robb_k

I wonder if her male back-up group in the video were The Love-Tones?

In this video the male backing singers are the Temptations minus Al Bryant.

**Kamasu_Jr** · 11-01-2010, 08:51 AM

Originally Posted by midnightman

You know before two or three years I didn't know how many covers of this song came out. I was quite astonished by those that did cover it including Betty Everett and Bonnie Raitt [[yes Ms. Bonnie Raitt covered "Bye Bye Baby"). I even loved Mary's 1968 version that Bobby Womack produced for her.

I was going to ask more about a version of Bye, Bye Baby produced by Bobby Womack and then I remembered Mary Wells did remake the song for her Servin' Up' Uome Ssoul album. But I believe that cover was produced by Mary and Cecil Womack, not Bobby. Bobby was in Memphis & Los Angelos working as a session guitarist and recording with Chips Moman.

Many say Mary never should have left Motown, but had she stayed, we would not have had her excellent 20th Century album nor her Chicago recordings produced by Carl Davis. Who knows what would have happened had she remained at Motown? The damned Supremes were bound to happen and Mary might have ended up like Marv Johnson or the Marvelettes.
It's speculative.
I do wonder why Mary rarely collaborated on any songwriting at Motown. She wrote her first hit and a few things after, but she had Smokey Robinson and Holland-Dozier-Holland writing for her, so she essentially stopped writing until she began collaborating with Cecil.

back to Bye, Bye Baby. Did Mary redo the tune for that album she did for Aallegiance?

**randy_russi** · 11-01-2010, 09:01 AM

Mary did remake Bye, Bye Baby on Jubilee label, her 1st lp, Servin' Up Some Soul. However, she did do a version produced
by Bobby Womack in '74 which remains unissued. Quite a few years ago I heard Bobby was making a deal with a
European label to release the material he had on Mary, but nothing's come of it. There was only one single issued on
the Reprise label, If You Can't Give Her Love [[Give Her Up) b/w Don't Keep Me Hangin' On. That B side was later
replace [[why, no one seemed to know) with a ballad called Cancel My Subscription. But there was a whole album's
worth of material Bobby produced on Mary including duets between he and her.

**randy_russi** · 11-01-2010, 09:04 AM

Also, if you check under her name at the BMI website, you 'll see several titles published by Jobete that were never
issued on record or perhaps not even recorded. There are a few songs written by her and Sylvester Potts of the
Contours.
She told me she stayed busy learning how to perform and didn't write as much after her career took off, but
Berry encouraged her to continue writing.

**Kamasu_Jr** · 11-01-2010, 09:16 AM

Originally Posted by randy_russi

Also, if you check under her name at the BMI website, you 'll see several titles published by Jobete that were never
issued on record or perhaps not even recorded. There are a few songs written by her and Sylvester Potts of the
Contours.
She told me she stayed busy learning how to perform and didn't write as much after her career took off, but
Berry encouraged her to continue writing.

Interesting that BERRY Gordy encouraged Mary to continue writing. Mary went to Motown with the intent of being a writer, but she could sing too.
I guess Bobby Womack could not get the deal he wanted for his recordings with Mary. I have the single. It sounds kind of sped up to make Mary sound like Bobby. But Mary could have sung names from the phone book for me and I would have believed her.

**randy_russi** · 11-01-2010, 11:18 AM

This video is from the Motortown Revue at the Apollo in NYC, either late 62 or early 63. The Love-Tones had backed
Mary on the road, however, one was killed in a car accident and then the company sent the Temptations out to
back her while they were looking to replace El Bryant who had been fired by the group. The Temps also started
backing Mary on record where the Love-Tones had.

**midnightman** · 11-01-2010, 02:59 PM

^ Hmm, then this was in the summer of 1963 because Al Bryant [[or Eldridge Bryant) was absent for much of the performances that year.

**midnightman** · 11-01-2010, 03:01 PM

Originally Posted by Kamasu_Jr

I was going to ask more about a version of Bye, Bye Baby produced by Bobby Womack and then I remembered Mary Wells did remake the song for her Servin' Up' Uome Ssoul album. But I believe that cover was produced by Mary and Cecil Womack, not Bobby. Bobby was in Memphis & Los Angelos working as a session guitarist and recording with Chips Moman.

Many say Mary never should have left Motown, but had she stayed, we would not have had her excellent 20th Century album nor her Chicago recordings produced by Carl Davis. Who knows what would have happened had she remained at Motown? The damned Supremes were bound to happen and Mary might have ended up like Marv Johnson or the Marvelettes.
It's speculative.
I do wonder why Mary rarely collaborated on any songwriting at Motown. She wrote her first hit and a few things after, but she had Smokey Robinson and Holland-Dozier-Holland writing for her, so she essentially stopped writing until she began collaborating with Cecil.

back to Bye, Bye Baby. Did Mary redo the tune for that album she did for Aallegiance?

Yep. I wonder how that version sounded. Look like she re-recorded the song three times lol I don't know if she re-recorded it for the Motorcity sessions, she might've.

**reese** · 11-01-2010, 03:27 PM

Originally Posted by midnightman

Yep. I wonder how that version sounded. Look like she re-recorded the song three times lol I don't know if she re-recorded it for the Motorcity sessions, she might've.

I think it is on the Allegiance album, but I'm not sure. On the whole, I'm not a fan of an artist doing remakes of their own material. They almost always pale next to the original.

I don't remember being impressed with the Allegiance album, except for her remake of WHAT LOVE HAS JOINED TOGETHER.

**midnightman** · 11-01-2010, 06:13 PM

^ I posted a video of her redoing "My Guy" on the album. I only posted it to see how far away from the real soul of the single it really was. It was alright but yeah that cover was kinda atrocious.

**randy_russi** · 11-02-2010, 08:32 AM

I hated the Allegiance lp! Basically I don't like remakes anyway. But to redo those songs and not stick to the original
recordings, anyway, I didn't like it. My Guy was horrible! So was most of the rest of the album.

**midnightman** · 11-02-2010, 01:21 PM

^ I bet Mary didn't like it either but she did it for money?

**reese** · 11-02-2010, 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by midnightman

^ I bet Mary didn't like it either but she did it for money?

I would assume so, but Randy would probably know best. By the time of the Allegiance album, her Epic deal had ended. After Allegiance, I don't know if there were any other deals until the one with Motorcity.

I have another cd that contains different remakes that she recorded for King, including one of AIN'T IT THE TRUTH.

**arrr&bee** · 11-05-2010, 03:47 PM

Great performance from mary and a bit of temps history on film not just that there were four of them but did anyone notice the improptu move that paul did and the others falling right in[watch closely]otis mentions in the book that paul would do such moves and they would always turn out great.

**midnightman** · 11-05-2010, 04:16 PM

^ Yep.

I noticed. The Temptations basically bettered themselves without much help from Motown [[besides Cholly Atkins).

**arrr&bee** · 11-05-2010, 05:23 PM

Originally Posted by midnightman

^ yep.

i noticed. The temptations basically bettered themselves without much help from motown [[besides cholly atkins).

did you also notice how tight the vocals were even with just four of them[al who??]hehe these guys could just flat out sing,i think the temps would've been hitmakers even as a quartet....of course we are all glad that the tall man in glasses joined em though,hehehehe-temps and mary wells forever!!!

**randy_russi** · 11-08-2010, 09:41 AM

All of the remake lps were done for the money. I don't know about the Allegiance deal, but the others were recorded for
a flat fee. There was a second Allegiance lp which really wasn't issued until later on CD, coupled with the first, and it
was horrible too. It wouldn't bother me if all that stuff was scrapped and burned and lost forever. I really hated it
and thought it was an embarrassment to her talent.
I didn't like any of the Motor City stuff either. Not just hers, but all of it. I hate music without real musicians.

**midnightman** · 11-08-2010, 07:21 PM

Originally Posted by arrr&bee

did you also notice how tight the vocals were even with just four of them[al who??]hehe these guys could just flat out sing,i think the temps would've been hitmakers even as a quartet....of course we are all glad that the tall man in glasses joined em though,hehehehe-temps and mary wells forever!!!

Why yes I do!

The Tempts never changed their step, they were always in sync even when group members left lol David put them over the edge for real.

**thommg** · 11-08-2010, 11:46 PM

I have the Allegiance cd - Allegiance Extra is the title - and it contains the 10 tracks comprising The Old, The New and The Best of Mary Wells and 5 tracks from I'm A Lady. Credits say that Producer was Wayne Henderson & Exec. Producer is Ira Blacker.

The Old....
My Guy, The One Who Really Loves You, Two Lovers, You Beat Me To The Punch, Oh Little Boy What You Did To Me, Bye Bye Baby, What's Easy For Two Is Hard For One, What Love Has Joined Together, You Lost The Sweetest Boy, Old Love Let's Try Again

I'm A Lady
I'm A Lady, Make Up Break Up, I Feel For You, To Feel Your Love, Monet Talks.

No recording dates but the copyrights on it are 1983 & 1987.