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  1. #101
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    Quote Originally Posted by keith_hughes View Post
    Somehow this one just grabbed me during the prep phase and wouldn't let go. What do people think of these guys? Why are there no legit, mastered from tape, digital compilations of their work? Would you buy one if there were? [[I'm just asking out of interest, this isn't some kind of hidden announcement!)

    Yes, Sir! I sure would!!!

  2. #102
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    Quote Originally Posted by luckyluckyme View Post
    And as Blinky Williams sang in 1969

    The more I hear Blinky's "It's Gonna Be Always", the more I love it! It's pure Motown! And those strings! Imagine what a 45 release and some airplay could have done for this buried treasure.

  3. #103
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    My vote goes for an exhaustive collection of the San Remo Golden Strings' recordings! YES!

  4. #104
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    Quote Originally Posted by bradsupremes View Post
    Can we talk about how amazing this is? I had predicted a few years ago that if a Motown version existed that it should mention the Motown artists. It looks like they did just that. This was the track meant for the Supremes. I wish they had added their vocals, but Martha tears it up.

    Quite interesting that the first Motown girl group to get a shout out here is the Marvelettes. At the end of the song Martha doesn't even mention her group, but only song titles she/they've recorded.
    If I've heard correctly, shout-outs went to the Miracles [[Smokey)/Marvin Gaye/ Marvelettes/ 4 Tops/ Supremes/ Gladys Knight [[Pips)/Temptations/ Stevie Wonder/ Bobby Taylor/ Shorty Long/Jimmy Ruffin/Edwin Starr.

  5. #105
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    Lucky, I, too, noticed that The Vandellas shout-out name was conspicuously missing. While listening the first time, I was sure Martha would save The Vandellas for last during the fade-out, but when all she got was a mention of her song titles, it seemed like a slap in the face to Martha -- not unlike her 30-second time allotment on Motown 25. Do we know who the producer was on "Sweet Soul Music"? And why he would prevent Martha from mentioning The Vandellas?
    Last edited by Philles/Motown Gary; 12-15-2018 at 05:26 PM.

  6. #106
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    Frank Wilson

  7. #107
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    Quote Originally Posted by theboyfromxtown View Post
    Frank Wilson
    Thanks, boyfromcrosstown.

  8. #108
    Quote Originally Posted by keith_hughes View Post
    Somehow this one just grabbed me during the prep phase and wouldn't let go. What do people think of these guys? Why are there no legit, mastered from tape, digital compilations of their work? Would you buy one if there were? [[I'm just asking out of interest, this isn't some kind of hidden announcement!)

    Keith, I would definitely buy a CD by the San Remo Strings! Out of all my Motown CD collection, I keep just one duplicate in a fireproof safe [[just in case!), and it's the San Remo Strings collection on Marginal because the 'Strings' are my absolute Motown [[OK, Ric-Tic!) favorites. I would never part with my three San Remo Strings albums. Yes, three: Hungry for Love [[Gordy 923), San Remo Strings Swing [[STML11216) and San Remo Golden Strings Swing [[Gordy 928). The two 'Swing' albums have different artist names and tracks. I wonder if there are enough fans out there to justify a release, but there is no doubt that it is superbly arranged music with definite 'crossover' potential. As has been pointed out, it's highly adaptable for use in various media as the San Remo Strings sound is so appealing and engaging and would grab the attention of lots of music lovers. I would buy two copies of any legitimate CD release: one for me and one for my safe!
    Last edited by TomBairdFan; 12-16-2018 at 09:11 AM. Reason: Spelling

  9. #109
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    Thanks for all the positive replies on the San Remo Strings. I'd better dig around and see what there is, and find out whether there might be a slot for them in the Motown 60 schedule. Doubtful at this late stage, but you never know.

    At least I know what I'm looking for now. On my first trip to New York to research for "The Complete Motown Singles", Harry asked me if I'd have a look through the computerised tape index to see what was available for the San Remo Strings. [[Someone must have applied to do a compilation, I guess.) I found no tracks. Harry told me to go back and look again, and this time instead of searching for "San Remo" I looked for just "Remo", and there they all were, indexed under REMO, SAM. Since then they've always been Sam and his boys, for me.
    Last edited by keith_hughes; 12-16-2018 at 09:42 AM.

  10. #110
    Quote Originally Posted by keith_hughes View Post
    Thanks for all the positive replies on the San Remo Strings. I'd better dig around and see what there is, and find out whether there might be a slot for them in the Motown 60 schedule. Doubtful at this late stage, but you never know.

    At least I know what I'm looking for now. On my first trip to New York to research for "The Complete Motown Singles", Harry asked me if I'd have a look through the computerised tape index to see what was available for the San Remo Strings. [[Someone must have applied to do a compilation, I guess.) I found no tracks. Harry told me to go back and look again, and this time instead of searching for "San Remo" I looked for just "Remo", and there they all were, indexed under REMO, SAM. Since then they've always been Sam and his boys, for me.
    Hmmmm, Motown 60 schedule eh? Does this mean we are going to be getting some cds or digital releases next year? Or am I misreading that?

  11. #111
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    Weighing what Keith said about Motown 60, it'll certainly be festive. My concern is what will the releases be?, rehashes we don't need newly remastered or a plethora of surprises?. UMe could learn alot from Craft/Concord and the way they're representing Stax for their 60th. They're doing a fantastic job with that and the important projects are tangible too. Universal has what is probably the greatest catalogue in music history,so they should be more than capable of matching or surpassing. No comparison,just perspective.

  12. #112
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    We need physical CDs. Not digital. We should be acting as if digital doesn't exist. It takes away from people who want the music. Physical media should always be #1 priority.

  13. #113
    In this day and age such physical releases of old music, which has a niche market like ours, is not a viable proposition! Of course I would like a CD but I'm more than happy with downloads now as the alternative is nothing!

  14. #114
    I have a lot of question about the many new tracks and artists. I would like to know if there exists any pictures of T&T ? Were both artists black artists ? What where the plans by Motown? Create a new Marvin & Tammi thing?

    "Tears at the end of a love affair" was an overdub with Marvin´s voice, right?

    On the Martha & The Vandellas tracks, we have here the original vocals or just Martha?

    "Opportunity knock for me" reminds me of "My heart" by Tammi Terrell, this track by the Tops is breathtaking and sophisticated !

    IMHO Blinky´s best track here is "Mind" subrisingly this track reminds me of a Stax Kim Weston track called "You just don´t know". And I like it because it´s not the typical sound of Motown 68.

    The further unreleased Chuck and Yvonne Duet could be the b-side of the unreleased single of "It must be love", maybe such a thing was planed ?

    I´m very glad about the fact that Blinky sings "I´ll be in trouble" more like The Marvelettes [[Wanda) as The Temps, because my favorite is by Wanda.
    But "Ooo Baby baby" she sings amazing.
    A final question about Blinky, maybe Keith can give me a hint. I am very curious about her version of HLHTETBG, so Blinky used the backing track of the Supremes ? And will this track including in the forhtcoming Blinky Motown Collection ?

    Thanks so much for any replies and answers !
    All the best from Germany

  15. #115
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fullfillingnessfirstfinale View Post
    I have a lot of question about the many new tracks and artists. I would like to know if there exists any pictures of T&T ? Were both artists black artists ? What where the plans by Motown? Create a new Marvin & Tammi thing?

    "Tears at the end of a love affair" was an overdub with Marvin´s voice, right?

    On the Martha & The Vandellas tracks, we have here the original vocals or just Martha?

    "Opportunity knock for me" reminds me of "My heart" by Tammi Terrell, this track by the Tops is breathtaking and sophisticated !

    IMHO Blinky´s best track here is "Mind" subrisingly this track reminds me of a Stax Kim Weston track called "You just don´t know". And I like it because it´s not the typical sound of Motown 68.

    The further unreleased Chuck and Yvonne Duet could be the b-side of the unreleased single of "It must be love", maybe such a thing was planed ?

    I´m very glad about the fact that Blinky sings "I´ll be in trouble" more like The Marvelettes [[Wanda) as The Temps, because my favorite is by Wanda.
    But "Ooo Baby baby" she sings amazing.
    A final question about Blinky, maybe Keith can give me a hint. I am very curious about her version of HLHTETBG, so Blinky used the backing track of the Supremes ? And will this track including in the forhtcoming Blinky Motown Collection ?

    Thanks so much for any replies and answers !
    All the best from Germany
    T&T stands for Terry & Terri and it was originally intended as a replacement for Marvin & Tammi. With Tammi's unfortunate illness that slot needed to be filled. The guy in the duo is Terry "Buzzie" Johnson who used to be in a group called The Flamingo's who's also a great friend of Smokey Robinson. Terri was a singer from Philadelphia whose demanding boyfriend screwed up the deal before things could really get moving. I highly doubt if there are any photos due to the pairing coming and going so quickly.

    "Tears At The End Of A Love Affair" is an overdub with Marvin. Quite clearly no one knew it existed for it never surfaced on 2001's "Complete Duets" and it wasn't mixed. Keith had to stumble upon that on a rundown reel. I don't particularly like the new mix either, the track is dreadfully low and is barely audible. Don't know if the tape has irreparable damage that Richard or Obie couldn't fix or what. Sound quality was a let down for me.

    As for Chuck Jackson & Yvonne Fair, I don't believe anything was planned for them. Bristol & Fuqua just recorded what they felt was proper and waited to see. There also wasn't room for two vocal duo's at Motown, so those tracks were probably done to placate Chuck & Yvonne. They were doomed from the start in my opinion.

  16. #116
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    Quote Originally Posted by Quinn View Post
    Weighing what Keith said about Motown 60, it'll certainly be festive. My concern is what will the releases be?, rehashes we don't need newly remastered or a plethora of surprises?. UMe could learn alot from Craft/Concord and the way they're representing Stax for their 60th. They're doing a fantastic job with that and the important projects are tangible too. Universal has what is probably the greatest catalogue in music history,so they should be more than capable of matching or surpassing. No comparison,just perspective.
    I hate to poo poo things, but Motown 50 was a far more important anniversary and it came and went like a fart in the wind. I'm not holding my breath when it comes to next year and these releases. I'm sure we'll see a release or two from Ace, but until it happens I don't see Universal issuing dozens of releases on CD next year. Maybe they learned from Motown 50, but I'm not going to believe it until I see it. I'm expecting major disappointment.
    Last edited by bradsupremes; 12-17-2018 at 12:44 PM.

  17. #117
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    Quote Originally Posted by Quinn View Post

    "Tears At The End Of A Love Affair" is an overdub with Marvin. Quite clearly no one knew it existed for it never surfaced on 2001's "Complete Duets" and it wasn't mixed. Keith had to stumble upon that on a rundown reel. I don't particularly like the new mix either, the track is dreadfully low and is barely audible. Don't know if the tape has irreparable damage that Richard or Obie couldn't fix or what. Sound quality was a let down for me.
    I don't understand what you are saying about the sound quality as it seems to be fine on iTunes? Please explain.

  18. #118
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    Quote Originally Posted by rovereab View Post
    I don't understand what you are saying about the sound quality as it seems to be fine on iTunes? Please explain.
    Bought it from ITunes too. There's no problem with Apple's presentation of the song, it's the mix itself. The first thing is the bass, it's too HOT and literally overpowers the track. The drums are audible only when there's a pause in the vocal performance and need to be turned up louder. There should be a better balance of those two. The piano is back too far and the vocals and orchestration are too loud,up too high. Another factor is the lack of treble,which was to me is what made Motown mixes so great. The clarity is always there unless the mix is just poor overall. Here it sounds like someone has what engineers call " A blanket over the music".

    I'm not trying to be a butt plug, but as an audiophile I'm very critical when it comes to mixing and mastering. As a music lover nothing frustrates me more than listening to classic music remastered sub par or just plain bad. I'm grateful to have the tune, but a better balance could've been achieved unless it's something I don't know about the audio source. My honest evaluation.

  19. #119
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    Quote Originally Posted by aarondillon2011@gmail.com View Post
    Hmmmm, Motown 60 schedule eh? Does this mean we are going to be getting some cds or digital releases next year? Or am I misreading that?
    I certainly hope 60 is celebrated with a little more fanfare than 50.

  20. #120
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    Quote Originally Posted by Philles/Motown Gary View Post
    Lucky, I, too, noticed that The Vandellas shout-out name was conspicuously missing. While listening the first time, I was sure Martha would save The Vandellas for last during the fade-out, but when all she got was a mention of her song titles, it seemed like a slap in the face to Martha -- not unlike her 30-second time allotment on Motown 25. Do we know who the producer was on "Sweet Soul Music"? And why he would prevent Martha from mentioning The Vandellas?
    A stab in the dark, but why mention the Vandellas when clearly they're absent from this track?

  21. #121
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    Why not? Martha & The Vandellas were just as responsible for Motown's success as the other groups who were mentioned in the record. If the producer [[Frank Wilson) allowed Martha to name the Vandellas' hit records at the end during the fadeout, as he did, he should have allowed her to mention her group's name. Another Forum member noticed that the shout-out for The Vandellas name was conspicuously missing as well. As far as Betty and Rosalind's backup vocals not being included, I'm guessing they just hadn't gotten around to adding them yet. Who knows? If I were Martha, my first thought at the recording session would have been, "Hey, these new lyrics to "Sweet Soul Music" are cool by calling out the names of the various Motown groups! At what point in the record do I get to call out the name of MY GROUP -- The Vandellas? I just hope that Martha wasn't told that she couldn't mention them, as that would be cruel. But cruel things did happen at Motown, oftentimes to Martha. I wonder if she remembers that recording session and what the reason for omission was, if any?

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    I'm wondering if these new lyrics to 'Sweet Soul Music' are just a try-out, being considered not for actual release, more for audience recognition and response for The Vandellas in their own stage show?

    Perhaps also for some radio promo?

    Name credit for The Vandellas probably was included in this recording, to complete the roster, but unheard simply because the track was longer, but faded out just before 3 mins?

    It then stayed unfinished, probably because Martha was too big a name simply to be listing other Motown acts on any of her released recordings.

    Had the original lyrics to 'Sweet Soul Music' been used and released, it would have been credited as usual to Martha Reeves and The Vandellas - but very unlikely ever to happen, because Martha would have been calling out the names of non-Motown acts?
    Last edited by westgrandboulevard; 12-18-2018 at 07:34 AM.

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    Martha could very well just be following the template of the original SWEET SOUL MUSIC by Arthur Conley, in that Arthur paid tribute to various acts but didn't mention himself. Calling out her own song titles was a nice touch that Arthur couldn't do since he had no hits before this one.

  24. #124
    Quote Originally Posted by reese View Post
    Martha could very well just be following the template of the original SWEET SOUL MUSIC by Arthur Conley, in that Arthur paid tribute to various acts but didn't mention himself. Calling out her own song titles was a nice touch that Arthur couldn't do since he had no hits before this one.
    I was thinking along the same lines. It was Martha & The Vandellas singing the song, so it wouldn't be necessary to give a shout out to yourself. It would sound awkward to refer to yourself in the third person in song. That would be a bit like someone saying, I'd like to salute all the greats of this or that and then after listing all the people saying, " and MYSELF".

    I'm also recalling another song where Marvin Gaye was name dropping various Motown singers but he didn't say his own name. Yet another song "Life Is A Rock [[But The Radio Rolled Me)" is basically a continuous name-dropping session of a lot of Top 40 artists, but again, the group does not mention themselves.
    Last edited by WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance; 12-18-2018 at 11:19 AM.

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    Exciting tracks, many are on Youtube already. Of course, one of the great unreleased recordings of 1968 remains Martha Reeves and the Vandellas Live at the Copa....https://soulfuldetroit.com/showthrea...-quot-Acetates

  26. #126
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sharpmoves View Post
    Exciting tracks, many are on Youtube already. Of course, one of the great unreleased recordings of 1968 remains Martha Reeves and the Vandellas Live at the Copa....https://soulfuldetroit.com/showthrea...-quot-Acetates
    I notice in the track listing for the new set it includes the Vandellas' studio recording of "Ode to Billie Joe." This song is so suited to Martha's voice and style. It's kind of a dark version of "Honey Chile," and her Southern roots really shine on this one. I've heard the live recording from a bootleg of the live at the Copa so always wondered if they actually recorded the song in the studio.

    I'm anxious to hear what others think of Martha's recording of "Ode to Billie Joe" if you care to share.

    Last edited by kenneth; 12-18-2018 at 04:16 PM.

  27. #127
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    Quote Originally Posted by westgrandboulevard View Post
    I'm wondering if these new lyrics to 'Sweet Soul Music' are just a try-out, being considered not for actual release, more for audience recognition and response for The Vandellas in their own stage show?

    Perhaps also for some radio promo?

    Name credit for The Vandellas probably was included in this recording, to complete the roster, but unheard simply because the track was longer, but faded out just before 3 mins?

    It then stayed unfinished, probably because Martha was too big a name simply to be listing other Motown acts on any of her released recordings.

    Had the original lyrics to 'Sweet Soul Music' been used and released, it would have been credited as usual to Martha Reeves and The Vandellas - but very unlikely ever to happen, because Martha would have been calling out the names of non-Motown acts?
    I
    See where you're coming from regarding this track. I just listened to it and I certainly believe that Frank Wilson intended on returning to this at some point. Martha's performance sounds like a scratch vocal and was probably only done once as opposed to multiple times. She needed more takes to grind her feet into it.

    As for The Vandellas getting a name credit, I don't think it's there. Maybe had this been an original Mono mix, I would consider it, but the mix is brand new and done by Obie O'Brien. As you may know already, tunes had to be less than three minutes because DJ's could only play so many songs in an hour. In addition it was so many independent companies around then releasing several singles a month. Time was a critical factor. Today we don't have that problem, but I said that to say this West. Given that the mix is new it's made from the multi track which like anything else only runs so long. As we can see Obie faded out at 2:56 and considering that running time is not really a concern anymore, I can't see the song going more than fifteen seconds after the fade. Occasionally they let the songs go all the way to the end, but that's not the case here. I also paid close attention to the adlibs at the fade and there's no indication that more names would've been said. I think the gifts had been given.

    As for release of it, I simply believe that Motown didn't want to give Frank the money for another crack at it. Wasn't worth it to them, didn't think enough of it to even mix it. The tune was brought up to a certain point and shelved as were many Motown recordings. Sometimes the company just moved on. My evaluation.

  28. #128
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    Has anybody besides me noticed that the bass line on some of these Unreleased 1968 tracks kick ass like never before? I listened to all 50 tracks of 1968 Part 1 under my headphones which have great bass response. I couldn't believe how incredible it sounded. James Jamerson outdid himself this time around, for sure!

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    Gary, I've been listening in my car and have been thinking the same thing about the bass. I wonder whether it's also due to the mixing and mastering as well as the recordings themselves....but yes they really sound good.

  30. #130
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    Quote Originally Posted by marv2 View Post
    Bobby Taylor's tribute to The Supremes:

    The version on the John Manship Acetate cassette was really bad. This is a great improvement.

  31. #131
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    Quote Originally Posted by alanh View Post
    Gary, I've been listening in my car and have been thinking the same thing about the bass. I wonder whether it's also due to the mixing and mastering as well as the recordings themselves....but yes they really sound good.
    It could be any of the above, Alan. Whatever the reason, that bass sure sounds HOT!
    Last edited by Philles/Motown Gary; 12-19-2018 at 11:19 AM.

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    Does anyone know of a website where this is available to buy as FLAC rather than just mp3?

    Thanks

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    Quote Originally Posted by lakedistrictlad1 View Post
    Does anyone know of a website where this is available to buy as FLAC rather than just mp3?

    Thanks
    LDL, in the UK, you should try www.7digital.com. Good prices, IMO. [[US folks, go to us.7digital.com)

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    I'm loving the Billy Eckstine tracks. He could have had 5 albums on Motown instead of 3. Also, what do you know, Paul Petersen could have had a Motown album back when. I love Terry Johnson's voice and all those vids of him fronting those Flamingos on revival shows are wonderful but I'm struggling to enjoy those T&T tracks

  35. #135
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    Quote Originally Posted by danman869 View Post
    LDL, in the UK, you should try www.7digital.com. Good prices, IMO. [[US folks, go to us.7digital.com)
    Thanks danman.

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    Quote Originally Posted by lakedistrictlad1 View Post
    Thanks danman.
    Youre welcome. Hope it is to your liking!

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    That's where I got my FLAC versions, only it was the Canadian 7digital store. I am so in love with this compilation you have no idea. You guys have outdid yourselves, yet again!

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    It totally amazes me that something as incredible as Stevie's "I'll Wait For You To Come Home" has been unreleased for so long - Stevie's voice at its best too.

    Truly a crying shame if, as rumour has it, Stevie's unreleased recordings are destroyed when he passes.

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    Quote Originally Posted by JM27 View Post
    It totally amazes me that something as incredible as Stevie's "I'll Wait For You To Come Home" has been unreleased for so long - Stevie's voice at its best too.

    Truly a crying shame if, as rumour has it, Stevie's unreleased recordings are destroyed when he passes.
    That is a very good song and the melody is undeniably Stevie, but I can see why it ended up staying in the can. When songs like this crossed the path of Quality Control I don't think they intended to hold on to them. Usually they would wait until the artist recorded some songs that could go around it/them and add it in the lineup. For Stevie that fortunate situation didn't come soon enough and everybody moved on. If possible listen to every album Motown released on him between 1968 and 1970 and try to put this song in with the rest or even replace something and see how it sounds. Most than likely it'll stick out like a sore thumb and throw that entire side completely off.

    I learned a long time ago that when I hear these unheard gems, to think like a company employee as opposed to a fan. When you adopt these behaviors and become multi faceted you'll be surprised how the scales tip. To credit Billie Jean Brown, Richard Street and Norman Whitfield in the early days, they made few mistakes. "Jimmy Mack" was a rare exception, but they rarely failed even considering how much we like this stuff.

  40. #140
    Quote Originally Posted by Quinn View Post
    ... Usually they would wait until the artist recorded some songs that could go around it/them and add it in the lineup. For Stevie that fortunate situation didn't come soon enough and everybody moved on. If possible listen to every album Motown released on him between 1968 and 1970 and try to put this song in with the rest or even replace something and see how it sounds. Most than likely it'll stick out like a sore thumb and throw that entire side completely off.

    I learned a long time ago that when I hear these unheard gems, to think like a company employee as opposed to a fan. When you adopt these behaviors and become multi faceted you'll be surprised how the scales tip.
    I never considered that aspect. Really. Those remarks you made are so very germane to the issue of some of these unreleased gems. There is another unreleased Stevie Wonder song, "Why Don't You Come Home" that blows my mind. I kept wondering how it was that it didn't see the light of day back then, but that song is staggeringly different, almost much more advanced in sound than anything else on "My Cherie Amour." Definitely, it would have not figured into the mix on that album.

    Point well made. If I were in charge of coming up with the lineups for various Motown albums back then, I would have thought like a fan...and all of those albums would have tanked.

  41. #141
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    Quote Originally Posted by Quinn View Post
    That is a very good song and the melody is undeniably Stevie, but I can see why it ended up staying in the can. When songs like this crossed the path of Quality Control I don't think they intended to hold on to them. Usually they would wait until the artist recorded some songs that could go around it/them and add it in the lineup. For Stevie that fortunate situation didn't come soon enough and everybody moved on. If possible listen to every album Motown released on him between 1968 and 1970 and try to put this song in with the rest or even replace something and see how it sounds. Most than likely it'll stick out like a sore thumb and throw that entire side completely off.

    I learned a long time ago that when I hear these unheard gems, to think like a company employee as opposed to a fan. When you adopt these behaviors and become multi faceted you'll be surprised how the scales tip. To credit Billie Jean Brown, Richard Street and Norman Whitfield in the early days, they made few mistakes. "Jimmy Mack" was a rare exception, but they rarely failed even considering how much we like this stuff.
    Some good points - I know where you're coming from. It's not dissimilar in its quirky compositional characteristics to "I'd Be A Fool Right Now" [[no accident that both feature Henry Cosby as a co-writer) and I'd say that latter song was more deserving of a place on the "For Once In My Life" album. But it's certainly a sign of things to come in terms of Stevie's writing, with its somewhat idiosyncratic use of harmonic changes that became a hallmark of his compositional style in the 70s.

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    I love that we get yet another version of Martha singing the chorus to I Can't Dance To That Music You're Playin'. I'm surprised she wouldn't remember singing it at least THREE times.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Otsiningo View Post
    I love that we get yet another version of Martha singing the chorus to I Can't Dance To That Music You're Playin'. I'm surprised she wouldn't remember singing it at least THREE times.
    I'm not sure why this first version of "I Can't Dance To That Music You're Playin'" was included in Motown Unreleased 1968. Other than it being a mono mix, it was already released on the Vandellas Singles Collection a few years ago in stereo.

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    Quote Originally Posted by mysterysinger View Post
    I'm loving the Billy Eckstine tracks. He could have had 5 albums on Motown instead of 3. Also, what do you know, Paul Petersen could have had a Motown album back when. I love Terry Johnson's voice and all those vids of him fronting those Flamingos on revival shows are wonderful but I'm struggling to enjoy those T&T tracks
    There are things I like and dislike about the T&T track. What I like are the tracks, [[Jamerson always had a little extra on duets) and how well Terry and Terri intertwine in harmony. However, some of the lyrics sound too darn sappy. “Psychologically” to me sounds like something out of “Schoolhouse Rock’ or “The Electric Company”. All & All, the tracks aren’t the worst but not the best either.
    Last edited by jboy88; 12-31-2018 at 09:04 PM.

  45. #145
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    Quote Originally Posted by jboy88 View Post
    There are things I like and dislike about the T&T track. What I like are the tracks, [[Jamerson always had a little extra on duets) and have well Terry and Terri intertwine in harmony. However, some of the lyrics sound too darn sappy. “Psychologically” to me sounds like something out of “Schoolhouse Rock’ or “The Electric Company”. All & All, the tracks aren’t the worst but not the best either.
    I agree. I like these songs even though what we have could very well be their output in totality. Hearing those five tracks and evaluating them left much to be desired for me. I was left with a "What If ?" type of a feeling. We'll never know what greatness could have emanated from this duo as Smokey & Al Cleveland couldn't really grasp ahold to what was required to get that smash hit. I also feel that Smokey should've co written the songs with Terry Johnson as it would've made all the difference in the stories. I believe these tunes would end up in the can even if things had worked out because they have an experimental sound. Terry,Smokey and All were trying to put the puzzle together and see what would fit,but unfortunately Terri's beau screwed her golden opportunity. So much potential was there.

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    Those T&T tracks are sub-par at best. They sound like demo singers especially the Terrie woman. Her voice doesn't have much energy or life to it. They're rather bland sounding. No soul. I can't imagine them having any kind of success. "What Happened To Love" and "The One Who Loves You" have great band tracks. It's a shame they weren't give some rewrites and given to other artists to record.

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    I agree with all you guys say about the T&T tracks. I'm a little disappointed because I love Terry Johnson but these sound like demos at best. Nevertheless, I'm grateful we've got them because I'd rather have them than not - and maybe something will grow on me over time.

  48. #148
    Quote Originally Posted by bradsupremes View Post
    I'm not sure why this first version of "I Can't Dance To That Music You're Playin'" was included in Motown Unreleased 1968. Other than it being a mono mix, it was already released on the Vandellas Singles Collection a few years ago in stereo.
    Maybe just pure "distribution." If you were one who didn't buy the Vandellas Singles Collection, you still have no idea that this exists. If you happen to buy this Unreleased collection, you're in for a great surprise. Lot of songs are discovered because they are "distributed" over a number of various collections; miss it here, find it there.

  49. #149
    Quote Originally Posted by Quinn View Post
    I agree. I like these songs even though what we have could very well be their output in totality. Hearing those five tracks and evaluating them left much to be desired for me. I was left with a "What If ?" type of a feeling. We'll never know what greatness could have emanated from this duo as Smokey & Al Cleveland couldn't really grasp ahold to what was required to get that smash hit. I also feel that Smokey should've co written the songs with Terry Johnson as it would've made all the difference in the stories. I believe these tunes would end up in the can even if things had worked out because they have an experimental sound. Terry,Smokey and All were trying to put the puzzle together and see what would fit,but unfortunately Terri's beau screwed her golden opportunity. So much potential was there.
    [/QUOTE]
    Those T&T tracks are sub-par at best. They sound like demo singers especially the Terrie woman. Her voice doesn't have much energy or life to it. They're rather bland sounding. No soul. I can't imagine them having any kind of success. "What Happened To Love" and "The One Who Loves You" have great band tracks. It's a shame they weren't give some rewrites and given to other artists to record. [/QUOTE]

    I keep recalling a single post some years back when these vault collections started coming out. Someone said very simply that a lot of these should never have been released. That was odd, but he went on to say that some of these things were scratch vocals or demos or discarded ideas and we'd all end up making judgements not realizing which ones of these were works in progress.

    I have to remember that when I hear something that sounds "not quite there..."

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    I notice that the composers of Suzee Ikeda's "Tell Me How I'm Gonna Make It" are unknown.

    Does anyone else think that it sounds like a Kay and Helen Lewis composition?

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