Motown Northern Soul & The Nation's Favourite Motown Song

[jack020]

Amazon UK has these listed for june, 30 and july,7 release any info?

[Hotspurman]

Amazon has the following tracklisting for Nation's Favourite Motown Song:

1. Baby Love - The Supremes
2. My Guy - Mary Wells
3. My Girl - The Temptations
4. Dancing In The Street - Martha & The Vandellas
5. The Tracks Of My Tears - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
6. Stop! In The Name Of Love - The Supremes
7. Reach Out, I'll Be There - Four Tops
8. Uptight [[Everything's Alright) - Stevie Wonder
9. I Can't Help Myself [[Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) - Four Tops
10. Jimmy Mack - Martha & The Vandellas
11. What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted - Jimmy Ruffin
12. My Cherie Amour - Stevie Wonder
13. I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
14. I Want You Back - Jackson 5
15. War - Edwin Starr
16. The Tears Of A Clown - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
17. Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Diana Ross
18. I'll Be There - Jackson 5
19. What's Going On - Marvin Gaye
20. Papa Was A Rollin' Stone - The Temptations
Disc: 2
1. Money [[That's What I Want) - Barrett Strong
2. Please Mr. Postman - The Marvelettes
3. Heat Wave - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
4. Do You Love Me - The Contours
5. Get Ready - The Temptations
6. Needle In A Haystack - The Velvelettes
7. It Takes Two - Marvin Gaye, Kim Weston
8. There's A Ghost In My House - R. Dean Taylor
9. Baby I Need Your Loving - Four Tops
10. [[I'm A) Road Runner - Jr. Walker & The All Stars
11. Do I Love You [[Indeed I Do) - Frank Wilson
12. This Old Heart Of Mine [[Is Weak For You) - The Isley Brothers
13. Heaven Must Have Sent You - The Elgins
14. Reflections - Diana Ross & The Supremes
15. I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Gladys Knight & The Pips
16. You're All I Need To Get By - Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell
17. Easy - Commodores
18. Being With You - Smokey Robinson
19. Upside Down - Diana Ross
20. All Night Long [[All Night) - Lionel Richie

The glaring omission is Stevie Wonder's I Just Called To Say I Love You, which must surely figure in the Top Twenty as it sold 1.5 million copies in the UK.

You will know that this release is designed to accompany the television programme of the same name, which will air on ITV1.

[florence]

I'll have to keep an eye open to see when this airs.

It would be interesting to know how the track listing was chosen - the title would suggest there was some sort of poll but the actual listing and the fact that there is no preponderance of any particular artist/s suggest TPTB decided.

[florence]

No news yet of when this airs but you would expect it to be around the time of the record's release.

The show will be based on a top 20 as voted for by "a representative panel of ITV viewers across the country".

How these will be chosen is anyone's guess and on reflection I think the top 20 may very well include tracks not listed above.

[roger]

I'm also interested in watching this ITV show and finding out how the list was compiled. The fact that it excludes "I Just Called To Say I Love You" suggests that perhaps it was compiled by proper Motown Fans ...

Also, the title is "The Nation's Favourite Motown SONG" .. [[not to be confused with biggest selling records) .. the tracks listed above are very well known as songs in the U.K. but a handful have never graced the U.K. best selling singles charts and a few were [[originally at least) better known by other artists, rather than the Motown originals.

I see "Needle In A Haystack" is in there .. this has never charted in the U.K. though it is VERY well known ... I'm wondering if Theboyfromxtown has some involvement in this.

Roger

[Sotosound]

Let's hope that we get the single mixes. Every time I hear "Reach Out" or "There's A Ghost In My House" in stereo I cringe.

And I hope that neither of the US remixes of "Tears Of A Clown" is accidentally included.

End of cynical moan.

[theboyfromxtown]

I'm also interested in watching this ITV show and finding out how the list was compiled. The fact that it excludes "I Just Called To Say I Love You" suggests that perhaps it was compiled by proper Motown Fans ...

Also, the title is "The Nation's Favourite Motown SONG" .. [[not to be confused with biggest selling records) .. the tracks listed above are very well known as songs in the U.K. but a handful have never graced the U.K. best selling singles charts and a few were [[originally at least) better known by other artists, rather than the Motown originals.

I see "Needle In A Haystack" is in there .. this has never charted in the U.K. though it is VERY well known ... I'm wondering if Theboyfromxtown has some involvement in this.

Roger

No sorry......but I did send a few telepathic messages - maybe one got through!

In all seriousness, I'm really happy that the Velvelettes were included.

[paul_nixon]

[QUOTE=theboyfromxtown;237026]No sorry......but I did send a few telepathic messages - maybe one got through!

In all seriousness, I'm really happy that the Velvelettes were included.[/QUOTE

Only the tracks from disc one are being voted for it surprises me that the person who put this list together would not include the track that Tony Blackburn and practically the whole of England campaigned to get a single release on, I'm Still Waiting...

[florence]

[QUOTE=paul_nixon;237043]

No sorry......but I did send a few telepathic messages - maybe one got through!

In all seriousness, I'm really happy that the Velvelettes were included.[/QUOTE

Only the tracks from disc one are being voted for it surprises me that the person who put this list together would not include the track that Tony Blackburn and practically the whole of England campaigned to get a single release on, I'm Still Waiting...

I'm beginning to lose some enthusiasm for this project as it's really a " choose your favourite song from this list of 20" and so we will actually know the content of the programme if not the order.

How do you know this info Paul and is it just one person who picked the 20 songs?

I rather suspect if it was a open public vote we'd get an entirely different result.

I know they will want a balanced programme but it sort of detracts from the authenticity.

I've written to ITV to see if they can give any idea of when this show might be broadcast.

I remember when Radio 1 used to have periodic listeners' votes for the best 100 singles of all time for many years Diana's I'm Still Waiting made the top 20.

[mr soul]

Here's the track listing for the Motown Northern Soul compilation.

1. Going To A Go-Go - The Miracles
2. Sure Is A Lotta Woman - The Isley Brothers
3. Baby Come Home To Me - Shorty Long
4. Sweet Was The Love - Four Tops
5. It's A Bitter Pill To Swallow - Marvin Gaye
6. Nothing But Heartaches - The Supremes
7. Your Love Can Save Me - The Marvelettes
8. A Love So Deep Inside - The Velvelettes
9. You Can Do It - Kim Weston
10. Crying In The Night - The Monitors
11. We'll Keep On Rolling - Brenda Holloway
12. I Can't Help Myself [[Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) - Earl Van Dyke & The Soul Brothers
13. Witchcraft [[For Your Love) - The Temptations
14. For The Love Of Mike - Patrice Holloway
15. Tears At The End Of A Love Affair - Tammi Terrell
16. Keep On Loving Me - Frances Nero
17. I Miss You Baby [[How I Miss You) - Marv Johnson
18. I'll Always Love You - The Spinners
19. Headline News - Edwin Starr
20. Helpless - Kim Weston
21. Baby I Miss You - Tommy Good
22. I've Been Blessed - Bobby Taylor
23. Look What You Done Boy - The Lollipops
24. You're Gonna Love My Baby - Barbara McNair
25. Stormy - Diana Ross & The Supremes

Nothing new here & these things are what they are, but I managed to put another 4 tracks on to the CD I did for the car, so why couldn't they and in case you're wondering:

When I Feel The Need - Marvin Gaye
Girl [Why Do Wanna Make Me Blue] - Temps
I Like Everything About You - Eddie Holland
Born To Love You Baby - Chris Clark

[theboyfromxtown]

I'm pleased to see that the Velvelettes are included. :-)

[mr soul]

theboyfromxtown...what a surprise! lol. I meant to say you'd be pleased in my original post.

[theboyfromxtown]

It's nice to have something different too.

[mr soul]

Can't argue with that, however nothing new for me & so I won't be buying either release.

[theboyfromxtown]

It is these kind of releases that keeps the music of Motown in the public eye so whereas once I used to frown on another compilation, I don't buy them but I still hope that another generation does.

[roger]

I think you have to be very much a completest to already have all the tracks on this collection on CD. Even I'm missing one .. "Witchcraft" by THE TEMPTATIONS .. which presumably has only been officially available on the "Emperors of Soul" box-set.

I imagine that there a lot of people out there who are very keen on Northern and/or Motown who are missing enough tracks to make purchasing this collection attractive.

Roger

[westgrandboulevard]

It's a real bonus to have a Motown compilation backed up by a complete TV programme....

[mr soul]

Roger...I'm no Motown completest [and apologize to any Motown completest's reading this that might be upset by that statement], although over the years I have been drawn to buying the CD's that don't contain the same old thing on & the Temps are my favourite group so naturally I'd have Emperor's of Soul. So as I said nothing new for me.

[mowsville]

any kind of tv promotion is good by me...imagine how many younger viewers are going to be turned on to Motown for the first time...and its them we need to keep the Motown flame burning.

[Hotspurman]

The programme airs on Sunday, 6th July at 9.00 until 10.30 pm on ITV 1. Narrated by Craig Charles [[one of the current stars of Coronation Street!).

[florence]

This is how The Nation's Favourite Motown Song panned out in the UK:

01 Marvin Gaye - I Heard It through The Grapevine
02 Jimmy Ruffin - What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted
03 Diana Ross - Ain't No Mountain High Enough
04 Martha & The Vandellas - Dancing In The Street
05 The Temptations - My Girl
06 Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - The Tears Of A Clown
07 Jackson 5 - I'll Be There
08 The Supremes - Baby Love
09 Edwin Starr - War
10 The Supremes - Stop! In The Name Of Love
11 Jackson 5 - I Want You Back
12 Four Tops - Reach Out I'll Be There
13 Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - The Tracks Of My Tears
14 Mary Wells - My Guy
15 Four Tops - I Can't Help Myself [[Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)
16 Stevie Wonder - My Cherie Amour
17 Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
18 The Temptations - Papa Was A Rollin' Stone
19 Stevie Wonder - Uptight |[[Everything's Alright)
20 Martha & The Vandellas - Jimmy Mack

I think it's safe to say that had it been an open vote [[instead of the above 20 songs being listed and asked to vote on) probably a majority of them would not have made the top 20.

Never in doubt that Marvin's Grapevine would be #1, perhaps the biggest surprise being the relatively low placing for The Four Tops' Reach Out.

[robb_k]

Amazing how much influence Northern Soul taste has these days on the "overall" taste of people in The UK, considering that "There's A Ghost in My House" shouldn't be remembered by the average UK citizen. It certainly is completely unknown in USA, other than to a handful of Motown completists.

[roger]

I think it's safe to say that had it been an open vote [[instead of the above 20 songs being listed and asked to vote on) probably a majority of them would not have made the top 20.

Never in doubt that Marvin's Grapevine would be #1, perhaps the biggest surprise being the relatively low placing for The Four Tops' Reach Out.

Have to agree with you on your first point Florence, I'm not sure why "This Old Heart of Mine" by THE ISLEY BROTHERS wasn't included as I'd put that among the Top 10 in terms of popularity. Similarly "Heaven Must Have Sent You" by THE ELGINS and "You Can't Hurry Love" by THE SUPREMES I would have thought would make any Top 20. Other perennially popular tunes I can think of are "Roadrunner" by JUNIOR WALKER, "You Keep Me Hanging On" by THE SUPREMES, "Where Did Our Love Go" by THE SUPREMES and "Nowhere To Run" by MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS and when I come to think of it all of those were H-D-H productions/songs.

I suspect that the list of 20 candidate songs was tailored to give the various different Motown songwriters and producers equal weighting as otherwise there might have been too much emphasis put on H-D-H.

Like you I thought that "Grapevine" would top the list but I wasn't too surprised to see the relatively low position of "Reach Out", as to me it hasn't aged as well as most other Motown records, however I was surprised to see "I'll Be There" rated above "I Want You Back" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" doing so well.

Roger

[lakedistrictlad1]

I was pretty impressed with the programme. They had actually gone to some effort and sourced some great footage.

I guessed 'grapevine' would be No.1 - but was surprised the Isley's 'This old heart of mine' wasn't in there.

[westgrandboulevard]

I thought it was a cracking programme, and I do hope that the accompanying CD set shifts very many units to help keep the music alive.

For Motown fans in the US [[and I still feel it's like the cart pulling the horse in saying that),check out this programme. In concentrating on just 20 of the very many most popular Motown recordings, I imagined it would be a straight rehash of everything we'd seen before. It was not.

Sure, there were many clips and photos that fans have seen before, and many artists who were not mentioned, but I have never before seen a programme on Motown with such an interesting cross section of current interviews :

including.....

Martha Reeves
Mary Wilson
Otis Williams
'Duke' Fakir
Smokey Robinson
Tito Jackson
Holland-Dozier-Holland
Mickey Stevenson
Ivy Jo Hunter
Paul Riser
Cornelius Grant
Shelly Berger
Dennis Coffey
Dayna Hartwick
Wilton Felder

I'll have to watch and listen again, as there was a snippet of Frank Wilson's 'Do I Love You [[Indeed I Do)'...but which sounded more like the recording he made of it for Ian Levine....

[mowsville]

Westgrand..that's exactly what I thought about the Frank Wilson track..but what a cracking programme?...and yes it even gave a nod to some that are no longer here..my son is 16 and he was asking me all kinds of questions while watching and when it had finished he looked at me and said "how cool was that "...so I guess the programme has converted one of the next generation...now that's cool.

[snakepit]

Westgrand..that's exactly what I thought about the Frank Wilson track..but what a cracking programme?...and yes it even gave a nod to some that are no longer here..my son is 16 and he was asking me all kinds of questions while watching and when it had finished he looked at me and said "how cool was that "...so I guess the programme has converted one of the next generation...now that's cool.

that's nice to hear...keep on with the education!

[snakepit]

fantastic to see Ivy Hunter interviewed......criminally overlooked on ALL previous TV Motown shows.

[ron]

Amazing how much influence Northern Soul taste has these days on the "overall" taste of people in The UK, considering that "There's A Ghost in My House" shouldn't be remembered by the average UK citizen. It certainly is completely unknown in USA, other than to a handful of Motown completists.

'There's a ghost in my house' was first released in the UK on the 'Motown Memories Volume 2' album in 1970, which is where I first heard the track.
It finally got a single release in the UK in 1974 and reached number 3. Having spent 12 weeks in the charts, this was one Northern Soul track that well and truly crossed over. Dean was already well known to the general listening public with his previous charting single 'Indiana wants me', that reaching number 2 over three YEARS earlier.

[roger]

'There's a ghost in my house' was first released in the UK on the 'Motown Memories Volume 2' album in 1970, which is where I first heard the track.
It finally got a single release in the UK in 1974 and reached number 3. Having spent 12 weeks in the charts, this was one Northern Soul track that well and truly crossed over. Dean was already well known to the general listening public with his previous charting single 'Indiana wants me', that reaching number 2 over three YEARS earlier.

Yep Ron .. and also "Ghost" was included on a budget L.P. of R DEAN TAYLOR recordings on MFP or some similar label that got released around 1973. Mr Taylor was also well known to British Motown fans through his 1968 #17 U.K. hit "Gotta See Jane" which was included on the big-selling "British Motown Chartbusters Volume 2" L.P.

Roger

[mr soul]

I would like to know who voted & how the voting was constructed, it seems to me it was just a matter of being given 20 titles & voting to find the running order, can anyone enlighten me.

Also, whilst Jimmy Mack was a great record, back in the day I recall the b-side "Third Finger, Left Hand" being more popular, especially with the girls.

Marvin's "What's Going On" album sold well, but the single virtually sank without trace, so I found it's inclusion odd, not unmerited just odd, after "Grapevine" his most played track must be "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" but I guess it wasn't on the list.

And finally 60's Mods dancing to Frank Wilson please, more like "Can I Get A Witness" & not the Stones insipid version.

[ron]

also "Ghost" was included on a budget L.P. of R DEAN TAYLOR recordings on MFP or some similar label that got released around 1973.
Roger

It was on MFP [[Music for Pleasure) Roger, one of a number of Motown albums issued on that budget label around that time. The stereo version of Ghost was included on the MFP release, the first time I'd heard it, the by far superior mono version being included on Memories Volume 2. I seem to remember the MFP album being issued after the UK chart success of Ghost. The stereo version [fortunately] seemed to have sunk without trace until the release of the 'Essential Collection' on Spectrum back in 2001 [[was it really that long ago??) when it amazingly reappeared. Not having come across another stereo take, I assume this is the only stereo version. Does anybody know anything different?
[Sincere apologies all, but I have an avid interest in alternates, especially between mono and stereo versions.]

[florence]

I would like to know who voted & how the voting was constructed, it seems to me it was just a matter of being given 20 titles & voting to find the running order, can anyone enlighten me.

Same here, mr soul.

You're right about 20 tunes being selected and put to the vote - who selected them is anyone's guess.

According to ITV the voting was done by "a selected group representative of the British public across the country".

But again how were these "voters" chosen.

In a free public vote I'd have been going for Diana's Remember Me and The Supremes' You Can't Hurry Love.

[Hotspurman]

The programme was missing the following number one hits from Motown: Three Times ALady [[The Commodores), I’ve Never Been To Me [[Charlene), Being With You [[Smokey Robinson), Hello [[Lionel Richie), I Just Called To Say I Love You [[Stevie Wonder), One Day In Your Life [[Michael Jackson) and I’m Still Waiting [[Diana Ross), as well as End Of The Road [[Boyz II Men) from the 1990s.
Both For Once In my Life and Yester-Me Yester-You Yesterday were bigger hits [[in terms of chart positions) than either of Stevie’s entries on the list. But, as has been mentioned elsewhere, the producers were obviously putting together a programme that would appeal to three million or so viewers rather than a couple of thousand Motown diehards.
I thought the programme worked well, and it was good to see some of the hitherto ignored personnel get a mention. I thought the Wilton Felder segment would have worked even better if they’d have mentioned the fact that he was a member of the Crusaders – how many of the public would have got the relevance of him playing bass on the Jackson 5 when he was a saxophonist by trade? Also, I was praying they’d give the name of the girl who selected Tears Of A Clown for release -take a bow Sharon Davis.

[mr soul]

I wondered if they actually put the footage they had together & this dictated the playlist, just a thought.

[florence]

Also, I was praying they’d give the name of the girl who selected Tears Of A Clown for release -take a bow Sharon Davis.

I hadn't realised the young lady in question was THE Sharon Davis.

Wasn't she also instrumental in having Diana's My Old Piano released as the follow up to Upside Down instead of I'm Coming Out in the UK and also persuading Diana to record a video for the song in the ballroom of a Park Lane, London hotel?

I was pretty shocked at the time but it was an inspired decision with MOP going top 5 and being certified Silver.

[Sotosound]

Sharon Davis also had a secret life under another name as the Motown Press Officer.

In my dealings with her I always found her to be very personable.

[snakepit]

Sharon ran the UK Four Tops fan club under the name of Jackie Lee, and then Motown Ad Astra, as I recall.

[westgrandboulevard]

Just to gently clarify....

'Sharon Davis' is the pen name of a lady who, indeed, is very personable, and a very gifted and informative writer.

The lady used her own given name in the 70s for her work at EMI/Motown, and which was also the name by which she was known when she ran the Four Tops UK fan club.

She then also used her given name when 'Motown Ad Astra' subsequently came into being, in conjunction with another lady who, indeed, was named Jackie Lee. [[and who, prior to that, had run The Temptations UK fan club with Lynne Pemberton)

[roger]

Sharon Davis also had a secret life under another name as the Motown Press Officer.

In the write up on "Tears Of a Clown" in TCMS10 her name is given as Karen Spreadbury, with the implication that "Sharon Davis" is the pseudonym. Interestingly in her own book "Motown The History" Sharon keeps quiet about her involvement in the release of "Tears Of A Clown" as a single.

Roger

[snakepit]

Just to gently clarify....

'Sharon Davis' is the pen name of a lady who, indeed, is very personable, and a very gifted and informative writer.

The lady used her own given name in the 70s for her work at EMI/Motown, and which was also the name by which she was known when she ran the Four Tops UK fan club.

She then also used her given name when 'Motown Ad Astra' subsequently came into being, in conjunction with another lady who, indeed, was named Jackie Lee. [[and who, prior to that, had run The Temptations UK fan club with Lynne Pemberton)

My mistake...Karen Spreadbury WAS the secretary of the Four Tops club.....I'm sure I bought several 45s off her when she had a 'clear out'.........

[Sotosound]

In the write up on "Tears Of a Clown" in TCMS10 her name is given as Karen Spreadbury, with the implication that "Sharon Davis" is the pseudonym. Interestingly in her own book "Motown The History" Sharon keeps quiet about her involvement in the release of "Tears Of A Clown" as a single.

Roger

So. let's all say "Hi" to Karen. Hope you're well.

[theboyfromxtown]

[theboyfromxtown]

Hopefully you guys outside the UK can see this

[Hotspurman]

According to the midweek sales figures, the accompanying album The Nation's Favourite Motown Song is going to land at number one on the offical compilation chart on Sunday. It's registering 25% more sales than its rival the Frozen soundtrack.

[alanh]

Yes, I noticed it was out of stock at my local large supermarket [[and someone was looking for it), plus a Motown compilation was being played in store at a charity [[thrift) shop I visited earlier; the staff were discussing the programme and various Motown artistes plus Berry. It's amazing what publicity and a TV show can do! It still beats me, after all these years and all the compilations that have been released, how successful some of these CDs can be among the general mass public. You would have thought that anyone who liked the music would have bought it before!

[Hotspurman]

Further down the listings, Motown Anthems soared back up into the Top 30 [[but not the Top 20) and even the two box sets of Motown Chartbusters 1 to 3 and 4 to 6 re-appeared! As you say, it's amazing what a TV programme can do!

[westgrandboulevard]

If this level of promotion could have happened at the time of the UK Tamla-Motown tour/'Ready, Steady, Go!' TV special, it could have made a significant difference to the response...but so glad to be here and to see it happening now, virtually 50 years later....

[Hotspurman]

In the last ten years or so, Motown compilations have made almost regular appearances on the British charts. The sales figures are based purely on my knowledge of silver, gold and platinum certifications issued by the BPI.
November 2003 – Capital Gold Motown Classics [[100,000+)
November 2005 – Dancing In The Streets [[60,000+)
March 2006 – To Mum Love Motown [[100,000+)
October 2006 – Motown – The Ultimate Collection [[100,000+)
November 2007 – Motown Gold The 1970s [[60,000+)
December 2008 – Motown 50 [[300,000+)
December 2009 – Motown 50 Love [[60,000+)
July 2011 – Motown Summer Mix
December 2012 – Motown Anthems [[100,000+)
I could give you the track listings for each one, but you can rest assured that pretty much the same tracks turn up time and gain, so these must be appealing to a new, perhaps younger audience.