Andantes Questions

[Cadeho]

It has probably been asked before, but maybe not this way. For those who lived during the 60s and were Motown fans, did anyone notice the switch to their vocals on Marvelettes, Vandellas, and Supremes songs? Anyone think, "Hey aren't those the same girls who sing on the Four Tops songs?" or did people think they were the actual groups still singing? When did information on the Andantes come out initially?

I ask because I notice a total difference between the sound the Andantes gave to the Marvelettes versus how they sounded before. The same for the Supremes. As I was getting into Motown, I recognized Mary and Florence has very recognizable voices and harmonies and I had heard that on the later Diana Ross & the Supremes hits, Mary and Cindy didn't sing on them. I had thought they had a falling out of sorts and they all refused to work together so they brought in backup singers instead. I didn't know it was something the company regularly did. I figured I'd never know what Cindy's voice was like if that was the case.

But I learned of the Andantes and love their contribution to music history. I loved reading their book and learning things from their perspective. I do wish the producers had used the actual group members of the girl groups with the Andantes more instead of replacing them. But what's done is long since been done. I always wondered if others were fooled like I was upon first hearing these songs.

[theboyfromxtown]

Certainly we in the UK were fooled. No question about it.

It came as a HUGE shock when I later learnt that Tammi Terrell MIGHT not have been singing lead on some Marvin & Tammi songs. I was a little miffed with myself that I had been so gullible. I am sure I was not the only one.

[BigAl]

The switcheroo was most apparent to me with The Marvelettes. The actual group's harmonies were very sharp-edged, verging on shrill, but it worked. Around 1966 the background sound changed altogether. I was only fifteen at the time and just figured that they had been given voice lessons or something until one day, after playing "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" by Marvin Gaye, the radio deejay identified the background vocalists as being The Marvelettes, which I found rather implausible, although I knew that Gladys Knight & The Pips had backed him on "You." Still, the voices sounded a whole lot like the newer "Marvelettes" backings, so I sat down and wrote a letter to Norman Whitfield asking who was doing the background vocals. I got a reply from his secretary explaining that it was The Andantes, not Marvelettes. I had heard of them but only because Kim Weston had introduced them when she sang "Just Loving You" on the second Motortown Revue record. After I got the info I started noticing that they were being used all over the place at Histville, being passed off as Marvelettes, Vandellas, Supremes, and I really noticed them on the Supremes' Country Western & Pop album, so the practice actually went back to 1963 although it was not so glaring as it was after 1966.

[captainjames]

I think I first discovered something different with the Four Tops. Female voices on an all male group song. It was there that I started to listen more to the background.

[Motown Eddie]

It has probably been asked before, but maybe not this way. For those who lived during the 60s and were Motown fans, did anyone notice the switch to their vocals on Marvelettes, Vandellas, and Supremes songs? Anyone think, "Hey aren't those the same girls who sing on the Four Tops songs?" or did people think they were the actual groups still singing? When did information on the Andantes come out initially?

I ask because I notice a total difference between the sound the Andantes gave to the Marvelettes versus how they sounded before. The same for the Supremes. As I was getting into Motown, I recognized Mary and Florence has very recognizable voices and harmonies and I had heard that on the later Diana Ross & the Supremes hits, Mary and Cindy didn't sing on them. I had thought they had a falling out of sorts and they all refused to work together so they brought in backup singers instead. I didn't know it was something the company regularly did. I figured I'd never know what Cindy's voice was like if that was the case.

But I learned of the Andantes and love their contribution to music history. I loved reading their book and learning things from their perspective. I do wish the producers had used the actual group members of the girl groups with the Andantes more instead of replacing them. But what's done is long since been done. I always wondered if others were fooled like I was upon first hearing these songs.

As someone who lived through [[and loves) Motown's golden era, I did not notice the switch in background vocals from the original group members to The Andantes. It wouldn't be until the early '80s that I first read an article in Goldmine Magazine about The Marvelettes that I found out that most of their recordings [[from 1965 onward) used the group for their backgrounds. As more information about The Andantes background work began to circulate [[and as Motown collections began providing more details during the '90s and beyond), I learned that they did a lot of the background vocals on a great number of Motown classics. While it might have been better to just use the actual group members to do the backgrounds, The Andantes did give the songs they performed on an additional level of polish [[especially with The Marvelettes' mid to late '60s recordings).

[BigAl]

Even though The Andantes made a great effort to sound sufficiently like the group members they were replacing [[or being used to augment or "sweeten"), their "flutey" harmonies were pretty easy to pick out. As has been noted before, this made for a pretty homogenized sound in the backing vocals after 1966 -- even when they were moonlighting for other labels. [[Notably on "Whispers," "Higher and Higher," and "Since You Showed Me How to be Happy" for Jackie Wilson on Brunswick.) Like The Sweet inspirations, their sound was pretty unmistakable. [[Unlike The Blossoms, who could sound entirely different from song to song to suit the producer they were working with.) In one way, this worked as the Motown Sound became more of an assembly-line product, creating songs which were more formulaic but pretty much guaranteed to chart well. Still, it did become just a bit monotonous.

[mowest]

Big Al, your observations are spot on. In fact, before Martha & The Vandellas became stars and were in the background for acts such as Marvin Gaye, they sounded a lot better in that role, never "monotonous."

[marv2]

Big Al, your observations are spot on. In fact, before Martha & The Vandellas became stars and were in the background for acts such as Marvin Gaye, they sounded a lot better in that role, never "monotonous."

They were the perfect backup, the perfect counter to Marvin on those records as were the Supremes on Marvin's "Wonderful One".

[luke]

I will never understand why on earth with their glorious backgrounds on Heatwave, Rosalind and Annette would often be subsequently replaced by the Andantes.

[rod_rick]

I will never understand why on earth with their glorious backgrounds on Heatwave, Rosalind and Annette would often be subsequently replaced by the Andantes.

I feel you Luke and it can't be that they had to take time to teach the ladies their parts because it's been stated that martha & The Vandellas recorded the Heat Wave album in one night and then went back on the road.

[bradsupremes]

Motown's usage of the Andantes on the girl groups, as Motown claimed, was due to cost. They said it was cheaper to fly in the lead singer than the whole group. If that's the case, then why didn't Motown just use the Originals on all the Temptations, Four Tops, etc. tracks? I know it was easier for the guys to speak up, be heard, and get what they wanted as compared to the women, but it always seemed so odd to me. I love the Andantes and their incredible work, but there is a genuine group sound missing from those tracks without Mary & Cindy, Roz & Betty/Lois, Kat & Gladys/Wanda/Ann.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

I love The Andantes. In fact, they're my all-time favorite girl group. I grew up during Motown's hey-day, and, like the other fans, I had no idea that Motown was using back-up vocals by anyone other than the actual girl-group members themselves [[Supremes, Vandellas, Marvelettes, etc.). All I knew was that Motown's back-up vocals put other record companies to shame -- not just with Motown's girl groups but nearly ALL of Motown's artist roster including the Four Tops, Brenda Holloway, Kim Weston, Shorty Long, etc. I loved the mature sophistication that The Andantes brought to The Motown Sound. Motown's producers loved their blend, too, because their vocals made Motown's recordings sound great. They were so right! It wasn't until the 1980's when I discovered through the many behind-the-scenes books about Motown that those sophisticated vocals were provided by The Andantes -- including records supposedly by The Supremes, Martha & The Vandellas, and The Marvelettes. Unlike some fans who felt lied to or tricked, I felt grateful. I thought, "Ah! So THAT'S why Motown's back-up vocalists were always so consistently high quality". I loved the records then and I love them now. There was nothing boring nor homogenous-sounding to my ears. [[Just check 'em out on Eddie Holland's "Just Ain't Enough Love" and "Candy To Me", or Mary Wells' "My Guy" album, or The Marvelettes' self-titled "pink" album. Louvaine, Jackie & Marlene sound downright sexy with their near-operatic ooh's and aah's.) They were right up my alley, as well as the alley of millions of other Motown fans. Motown's 50+ years of popularity proves it.

[LuvHangOva]

I will never understand why on earth with their glorious backgrounds on Heatwave, Rosalind and Annette would often be subsequently replaced by the Andantes.

I agree ... Heatwave is in my top 5 Motown records... For 2 reasons [[1) The background harmonies [[2) The Funk Brothers seem to be having one HELL of a great time playing on the track!!!!!