[QUOTE=loganjlr;474923]If my ABBA-related knowledge serves me correctly, I believe artists used to lip-sync on television to accommodate the studios and sets who weren't up to code with handling live musical performances. Although I love me some live vocals, I always found the performances with pre-taped instrumentals sound strangely mixed in 1960s-1980s performances, probably due to the technological limitations of the time.

It was probably in Motown's best interest to present the artist and their song in the most pristine light as possible and get as close to the aesthetic of the studio track. For example, without the lavish production, the songs found in the New Hit Medley from the Supremes Live In Japan don't really capture the same "punch" Up The Ladder To The Roof, Floy Joy, and Nathan Jones have in the studio [[I think Automatically Sunshine came out pretty well though, aside from Jean being too far from the mic during her first solo-line).

But I digress: I used to get fairly annoyed when I would find an artist lip-syncing on television, until I realized these performances are much less concerts and moreso promo for the radio single. In a way, a lot of these blatantly lip-synced performances from yesteryear have a certain charm to them -- they're like pre-MTV music videos, interpreted differently by the artist than they would in a live concert setting.



Side note: I always wondered what was going through Martha's head during this performance. She looks a little absent.[/QUOTE

Beautiful ladies
Beautiful song
Martha hair is too big it probably had her thinking dang I want to scratch my head.