Motown Short Documentary 1969 [[Rare Footage)

[blackguy69]

[motown01]

WOW!!! What a great find. This is a really rare video - haven't seen any of this before.

[jobeterob]

They seemed to be a lot smarter than they are often given credit for

[Levi Stubbs Tears]

Interesting clip to see but a bit of spin in there.

1968 - when was the last 'high school group' that Motown had found in their talent audtions and decided to give a hit to?

The only major artists they had signed in the last five years were veterans like Gladys Knight, Four Tops & Isley Brothers. Not too many Detroit high-schoolers I can think of. Just as well with HDH leaving - Motown could hardly find a hit for their stars, let alone any newcomers.

[Bluebrock]

I have never seen this before. There may be a few innaccurate remarks made but it makes for a fascinating piece of History. Many thanks for posting.

[snakepit]

Great stuff....Motown very rarely allowed film footage of recording techniques.
Does anybody know who the engineer is with Smokey, and the engineer discussing " mastering tapes"?

[carlo]

That was cool. Neat to hear/see the Marvelettes' Caught You Putting the Game On Love playing at the mixing board, especially considering the fact that this track went unreleased until several years ago.

[MIKEW-UK]

I thought Lawrence Horn on the mixing.

I think Marv Tarplin with Smokey...

[snakepit]

I wouldn't know Mike...
I've met Marv Tarplin briefly....but it was years afters this. I 'm not aware Marv did mixing.
Ralph would know I think.
But....I hope a lot of members see this, to show them how recordings were a "patchwork quilt"... various pieces put together. Smokey recording the lead vocal....other vocals done at other sessions.
Might help some to realize that all the "who are singing on what??" stuff can be a mystery.

[snakepit]

Could it be Al Cleveland? He co-wrote "Point it out" with Smokey and Marv Tarplin.

[blackguy69]

Actually this clip was from 1969

Interesting clip to see but a bit of spin in there.

1968 - when was the last 'high school group' that Motown had found in their talent audtions and decided to give a hit to?

The only major artists they had signed in the last five years were veterans like Gladys Knight, Four Tops & Isley Brothers. Not too many Detroit high-schoolers I can think of. Just as well with HDH leaving - Motown could hardly find a hit for their stars, let alone any newcomers.

[bradburger]

Very interesting watch, and many thanks for the link.

1969, and were are in to Motown at it's most 'corporate' according to Hitsville technical 'wiz' and head of the technical engineering department [[from 1961 until 1972), Mike McLean.[[I'm sure it was on this very forum that he said this latter period was his least favourite at Motown).

Interesting that they should refer to the mixing process of the multitrack as 'mastering' - the 'corporate' effect with all the associated jargon and speak perhaps?

As for the person in the control room, defiantly not Lawrence Horn, as he had jumped ship several years earlier with a few other Motown staffers to join HDH at Hot Wax and Invictus.

[[For the technical lovers and those interested in such things, note the Neuman KM-86 mics which had replaced the trusty but delicate and hard to repair Neuman U-67/87s - the staple mic at Studio A from in the mid 60s).

I wonder if Ralph or Bob Olhsson can identify the mixer shown in one of the mixdown rooms at the Motown Centre. And interesting to hear the tune is [[as mentioned) is the Marvelettes 'Caught You Putting the Game on Love', which is a cracking tune, and a puzzle why it was never issued at the time!

Cheers

Paul

[snakepit]

Any offers for the engineers?

[snakepit]

Ralph has told me that the engineer with Smokey is Cal Harris.
The other is still unknown.

[ralpht]

Snake, a misunderstanding. I've been looking at the video. I'm not sure who is with Smokey. Could be Marv Tarplin. I never met the guy. Who I thought was Cal Harris could be Art Stewart.

[ralpht]

Maybe Bob O will look in and tell me what I don't know for sure.

[snakepit]

Thanks Ralph.

[bradburger]

I'm sure Cal Harris can be seen in the video of the staged 'Sorry is a Sorry Word' session for the CBS news report that was included on that Tempts DVD of classic TV performances, and is also up on YouTube.

Cheers

Paul

[LaDiaF]

Thanks for posting!

[jbpintus]

Bob Olhsonn posted on FB under the video « Two of my closest friends at Motown, Art Stewart recording Smokey and Larry Miles mixing. »

[snakepit]

thank you jbpintus.

[ralpht]

Thank you Bob.

[bradburger]

Thank jbpintus and Bob!

Btw, found this short radio interview with Art Stewart: -



Cheers

Paul

[reese]

Here is the entire program from which the Motown doc in this thread came from.

[bradburger]

Thank you reese!

Cheers

Paul