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  1. #51
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    Quote Originally Posted by 144man View Post
    One of my favourite of Hattie's tracks is "Running A Fever". However I always feel that there's something wrong with the song structurally as the verse seems to me to be a line short somehow.
    Interesting point. I need to play it a few times...see if I more easily understand your feeling.

    I do hear a similarity in composition between this track and 'Holding On With Both Hands'......and also elements of Marvin and/or Tammi's 'Two Can Have A Party'.....

  2. #52
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    PMG...

    Looking forward to studying your Motorcity details!

    And since it seems the upcoming reworked tracks [many thanks to Soren1974!] will be available digital-only......maybe this will provide me with a suitable spur to now embrace the digital era.

    My experience to date has only been of clicking links online [for example, YouTube), or downloads [generally of information details, such as documents] received via emails.

    So...can anyone confirm how I could receive and play the new Motorcity tracks, and achieve the same quality of sound that I would experience with a CD player?
    Last edited by westgrandboulevard; 02-13-2023 at 09:22 AM.

  3. #53
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    Westgrand, Kenny uploaded it for me this morning, bless his heart! My thread is available now.

  4. #54
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    Quote Originally Posted by 144man View Post
    One of my favourite of Hattie's tracks is "Running A Fever". However I always feel that there's something wrong with the song structurally as the verse seems to me to be a line short somehow.
    Hi 144man....

    Have now carefully listened, and then researched a little.

    Instead of 'Running A Fever' being composed in couplets, there seem to be an 'odd' number of lyric lines [five] to each of the verses. So I can understand why, to your ears, the verses would seem a line short.

    If I have it right, I think this is an example of a five-line stanza, also known as a 'quintet' or 'quintain'....

  5. #55
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    Quote Originally Posted by westgrandboulevard View Post
    PMG...

    Looking forward to studying your Motorcity details!

    And since it seems the upcoming reworked tracks [many thanks to Soren1974!] will be available digital-only......maybe this will provide me with a suitable spur to now embrace the digital era.

    My experience to date has only been of clicking links online [for example, YouTube), or downloads [generally of information details, such as documents] received via emails.

    So...can anyone confirm how I could receive and play the new Motorcity tracks, and achieve the same quality of sound that I would experience with a CD player?
    Westgrand, your question regarding CD-quality downloads didn't register in my mind until just now. I'm sorry to keep you waiting. The answer to your question is Yes -- there are websites that offer "loss-less", CD-quality downloads. Whether or not they offer Ian''s new remixes is beyond me. I'm afraid I can't tell you the names of those websites, as I would much prefer the CD. [[I did make an exception a few years back when Motown secretly released a ton of albums as downloads which had never gotten a rightful CD release [[i.e., the final few Smokey & Miracles albums, several Temptations albums, etc.). I bought the regular-priced downloads on Amazon and they sound great. If you find what you want on the loss-less sites, they will cost you more so be-ye-prepared! I remember that Soulster and a few other Forum members used to rave about the improved sound quality. I'll bet you can find out the names of the loss-less sites by Googling the question "Where can I buy loss-less downloads?" That should steer you in the right direction. Then, you'll need to go on that site and see if they offer the artist and album title that you're looking for. I hope that helps.
    Last edited by Philles/Motown Gary; 02-15-2023 at 01:41 AM.

  6. #56
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    In a rare letter to Blues & Soul magazine back in the day Ian confirmed all artists were indeed paid fully what was contracted. In fact, a few took his money and ran without completing their contract including one Motown leading lady whose name he quoted with regret but I will not. And as for Liz Lands’ published comments I consider them insulting ravings – who else but Ian gave her the chance to return to public awareness? Let’s have a little fair play for a guy who bet the farm on what he loved and believed in.

  7. #57
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    PMG, thanks for those details.

    The main problem is if I have a CD I want to play, I can just do it. As long as the CD player, or replacement, is available to use, that is.....

    But if, for example, I use the links that you recently posted, and play them on this laptop, I will get the sound...but not the original full sound.

    I'm just unsure how to be able to take a download, and hear the same depth of sound as if it had been obtained on a CD.

    From what little I have learned to date,I guess I need to 'burn' said downloads onto blank CDs.....but that's as far as my knowledge goes....

  8. #58
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    Quote Originally Posted by BritishTony View Post
    In a rare letter to Blues & Soul magazine back in the day Ian confirmed all artists were indeed paid fully what was contracted. In fact, a few took his money and ran without completing their contract including one Motown leading lady whose name he quoted with regret but I will not. And as for Liz Lands’ published comments I consider them insulting ravings – who else but Ian gave her the chance to return to public awareness? Let’s have a little fair play for a guy who bet the farm on what he loved and believed in.
    Yes, British Tony, I do remember Ian's comments published in Blues & Soul.

    I seem to remember he actually quoted two Motown leading ladies - both of whose first names begin with the same capital letter as Motown, and also Motorcity. One took the money, and one did not fully co-operate in completing the tracks allocated to her. Very regrettable, indeed.

    As for Liz Lands....her comments, and those of some others, simply seemed to be borne of unfulfilled and unrealistic expectations. Feelings probably, and sadly, made even more acute from living in unfortunate circumstances...
    Last edited by westgrandboulevard; 02-15-2023 at 08:29 AM.

  9. #59
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    I only met Ian a few times and I remember him being very bitter at the time that one of the ladies had not fulfilled her contractual obligations. Late DFTMC member Stephen Daws mentioned this to me as well.

  10. #60
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    Quote Originally Posted by TomatoTom123 View Post
    Hey Boogie, Frances had one single released on Motown in 1966, "Keep On Lovin' Me" b/w "Fight Fire With Fire".



    If I remember correctly, she won some sort of talent competition, and the prize was a recording session at Motown! I think she was pretty young at the time, maybe 16 or so when she recorded it. But, it was her one and only Motown single.

    Then, her next release, 25 years later, "Footsteps Following Me" becomes a #17 hit in the UK!!



    It’s what great stories are made of!!!
    you’re right Tom Tom !
    it is what great stories are made of! Of the 800 or so numbers motorcity recorded I wonder when/where that one fell into place …

  11. #61
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    Quote Originally Posted by heikki View Post
    Hi!

    A bit more on Frances at - https://www.soulexpress.net/deep110.htm#francesnero

    Best regards
    Heikki
    ” I think Ian tried to do too much at one time. He alienated a lot of the artists. I wouldn’t have a problem with it provided he had paid me my money upfront, because I was his hit artist.”

    thanks Heikki!
    interesting surmising by Frances because had Levine limited his focus more , she , being so Obscure, likely wouldn’t have made the cut. All the more ironic as she turned out to be the only one of the bunch to have a hit , which was probably most unexpected at the time, if that’s indeed the case ….i.e. FOOTSTEPS being the only one of 750 songs to chart ??? [!!!]
    Last edited by Boogiedown; 02-19-2023 at 01:05 PM.

  12. #62
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    Quote Originally Posted by Boogiedown View Post
    you’re right Tom Tom !
    it is what great stories are made of! Of the 800 or so numbers motorcity recorded I wonder when/where that one fell into place …
    ... written by Ian, Steven Wagner, and Ivy Jo Hunter, no less!!

  13. #63
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    I recently discovered this one by Syreeta and it's quickly become one of my Motorcity favourites!!!


  14. #64
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    Quote Originally Posted by TomatoTom123 View Post
    I recently discovered this one by Syreeta and it's quickly become one of my Motorcity favourites!!!

    Tom, I, too, like Syreeta's "Moment Of Weakness".

    And, Boogie, I'm getting the distinct impression that Ian's best Motorcity work was developing at the time HOT Productions closed their doors and Ian's much-improved productions were no longer being heard here in the States. Syreeta's "Moment Of Weakness" was included on "Best Of Motorcity [[Vol. 19), track 3 -- just before Vols. 21-50 were denied to us. I would give my right arm to have those missing productions on CD.

  15. #65
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    PMG [and Tom], just in passing, and you may already know it, but Syreeta had a CD ['With You I'm Born Again'] released in Japan, on Nightmare label, with what would seem to be all her Motorcity recordings, including 'Moment Of Weakness'......

    And which was co-written by Syreeta and, I believe, her then-husband, Torrence Mathis...and who both also co-wrote 'Talking In My Sleep' [Barbara McNair, for Motorcity].

    'Moment Of Weakness' can be found on UK release 'Motorcity Summer Swingbeats'...

  16. #66
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    Yes, that's the one: https://www.discogs.com/release/2824...-Im-Born-Again

    I think all the original Motorcity songs ["If The Shoe Fits", "One Plan Of Action" and "Watching The Hands Of Time" with Billy Preston!] are also pretty excellent!

  17. #67
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    Yes, all good.....'Watching The Hands Of Time' is a special favourite. It has a great big booming echo sound, which I think should have epitomised the Motorcity sound....but in a fair number of all the original recordings, didn't....

    And as much as I really like Syreeta's first version of 'Love Fire' for Motown, I think the Motorcity version just goes straight to it....and beats out the original....

  18. #68
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    Quote Originally Posted by Philles/Motown Gary View Post
    As I promised to Westgrand last week, I'm preparing a listing of every Artist and Track contained within the "Best Of Motorcity [[Vols. 1-20)". It will also contain a sound link for nearly every track [[with the exception of a very few which aren't available). I'm hoping to have it finished in about a week or so.

    In the meantime, while preparing Vol. 6 of the above-mentioned listing, I made a somewhat frustrating discovery. Most of Ian Levine's recordings were released in 2 versions -- a 4:00 version, and an 8:00 version, which is pretty much typical of most Dance music. Last night, however, while preparing the segment for the "Best Of Motorcity [[
    Vol. 6)", I discovered there are two totally different 4:00 versions of Bobby Taylor & The Vancouver's "Find My Way Back".

    Check this out:

    This is my copy on the V.A. "Best Of Motorcity [[Vol. 6)", Track 11, 1995 compilation:

    VERSION 1
    BOBBY TAYLOR & THE VANCOUVERS
    "Find My Way Back"
    https://youtu.be/6KxKGKpMUJ8

    NOW compare it to THIS version which I just discovered:

    VERSION 2
    https://youtu.be/2A-EFQVMeT0

    As you can clearly see/hear, the two versions are as different as night and day. Personally, I much prefer the 2nd version above.

    Now I'm wondering how many other better versions exist of the "Best Of Motorcity" tracks.
    Hi Gary,

    Just in case it is of interest to you [or anyone else], that version 2 link of 'Find My Way Back' by Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers is featured on the 2000 release from Goldmine/Soul Supply Ltd, "You Didn't Say A Word - New Northern Soul For A New Millennium"...

    Together with at least a dozen other updated Motorcity tracks..
    Last edited by westgrandboulevard; 04-19-2023 at 07:30 AM.

  19. #69
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    Thanks, Westgrand! Good to know.

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