What's your thought on the Andantes replacing vocals on groups

[StuBass1]

Can I imagine them without Andantes? Yeah! I've heard the Tops perform those songs live and in concert at least 30-35 times over the years and they were spectacular. They did not always sing "7 Rooms of Gloom", but they always performed "Bernadette" in concert. Here they are dancing and singing and sounding great live. Please note that they have 3 vocalists providing the harmonies. Groups like the Supremes and Martha and Vandellas had to go with just two vocalists which makes it quite difficult to achieve 3 part harmony live. So on some sessions there were session singers utilize to fill in some of the background.

Look and listen close to the performance you posted... First of all...this was not record release quality...terrific to watch and listen too...but not release quality... Also notice that Levi is the ONLY singer with a mic and a chord, meaning that the other tops are likely lip syncing to previously recorded backing tracks [[virtually impossible to get studio quality backup OR lead vocals while dancing around with the adrenalin of a live show, and getting winded as most humans, regardless of what kind of shape they are in could pull off as Duke, Lawrence, and Obie are doing) , and yes...those high voices we are used to on the recordings are not there and absolutely a missing element, just as unlike the record on Bernadette...in this medley, Jamersons classic bassline [[that many people will tell you actually MADE the song) is just not there carrying the band track and few could recreate that line and when I saw the Tops live, those bassists didn't even TRY to play that same line...You have to listen closely to notice these things...As I'm sure you know...performing live and mastering a recording are two entirely different animals. Many of those groups performed live with 5 or 6 piece backing bands [[and sounded great in context).. .I'm sure you'd notice a huge difference if the Tops recorded with a combo backing them rather than the Funk Brothers and other musicians including horn and string players, and put on a great show...not even close to putting together a recording that people will sit and listen to, back in those days through a 2 inch transistor speaker or 4 inch car radio speaker on an am band [[that was not sonically geared to lower range voices and higher voices were often needed to brighten up the sound) that in most cases that had to be immaculately produced and engineered to sound GOOD, regardless of the basic song, material, or group... with no visual stimulation or enhancement and base the record primarily on sonic quality... Producing a recording and performing live on stage with the visuals you describe as an enhancement are two ENTIRELY different animals...

[marv2]

Look and listen close to the performance you posted... First of all...this was not record release quality...terrific to watch and listen too...but not release quality... Also notice that Levi is the ONLY singer with a mic and a chord, meaning that the other tops are likely lip syncing to previously recorded backing tracks [[virtually impossible to get studio quality backup OR lead vocals while dancing around with the adrenalin of a live show, and getting winded as most humans, regardless of what kind of shape they are in could pull off as Duke, Lawrence, and Obie are doing) , and yes...those high voices we are used to on the recordings are not there and absolutely a missing element, just as unlike the record on Bernadette...in this medley, Jamersons classic bassline [[that many people will tell you actually MADE the song) is just not there carrying the band track and few could recreate that line and when I saw the Tops live, those bassists didn't even TRY to play that same line...You have to listen closely to notice these things...As I'm sure you know...performing live and mastering a recording are two entirely different animals. Many of those groups performed live with 5 or 6 piece backing bands [[and sounded great in context).. .I'm sure you'd notice a huge difference if the Tops recorded with a combo backing them rather than the Funk Brothers and other musicians including horn and string players, and put on a great show...not even close to putting together a recording that people will sit and listen to, back in those days through a 2 inch transistor speaker or 4 inch car radio speaker on an am band [[that was not sonically geared to lower range voices and higher voices were often needed to brighten up the sound) that in most cases that had to be immaculately produced and engineered to sound GOOD, regardless of the basic song, material, or group... with no visual stimulation or enhancement and base the record primarily on sonic quality... Producing a recording and performing live on stage with the visuals you describe as an enhancement are two ENTIRELY different animals...

No it was not record release quality because it was a LIVE performance! Now, I am totally confident that they could have recorded those songs.......alone and they still would have been big hits! You heard the acapella example I posted of the Four Tops singing?

[StuBass1]

No it was not record release quality because it was a LIVE performance! Now, I am totally confident that they could have recorded those songs.......alone and they still would have been big hits! You heard the acapella example I posted of the Four Tops singing?

Kinda my final on this...but I think most would agree that it's often subtleties that makes a decent record good...and a good recording great... Sounding "good to you" and having those extra elements are what makes hits... If not...who would need producers...just a songwriter, a vocal arranger, a band, and a group...Brian Wilson spent weeks and months perfecting tracks for his classic tracks, making subtle changes on parts that one not attuned would not even notice... like bringing cello musicians back to the studio day after day after day to just get the bowing patterns just right on Good Vibrations ...HDH were not just songwriters...they were Masters of production... That's why even things like stomping on the floor, hotel sheets, and slapping two pieces of wood together, things that many or most listeners would hardly notice to isolate if asked to describe the important features of a recording, played such an important role when utilized on Motown songs and were often credited with making a good tune a major hit. Same with the voices of the Andantes on the Tops recordings... MAJOR contribution in my opinion... Those recordings would not have sounded the same without them... Sounding good, and making a classic record are two different things. They would have sounded good without the Andantes on 7 Rooms of Gloom...and those female voices reaching mezzo soprano and even soprano to lend an effect and offset the lower end male singers made a HUGE difference that upon close examination...One can't dismiss the importance of production that upon close examination, those subconscious and subtle additions actually MAKE the record...much in the same way a Jamerson bassline or Mike Terry bari part can MAKE a record...It would have sounded "good enough" is NOT the standard any record producer worth his/her salt would be satisfied with...The best analogy I can give would be to say... that Escalade looked really good with the stock wheels and rims and I don't know why that guy needed to add those 22's with the low profiles...