Single reissues

[rovereab]

In the UK several Motown singles were reissued after a few years from their initial release date and they achieved great chart success.

Is this something that was unique to the UK or are there examples from other countries, in particular the USA?

[Sotosound]

I don't know exactly what happened in the UK. I can only speculate but 1969-70 were golden years for Motown in the UK after a very poor showing in 1968, which was reflected in the lack of many big UK hits on 1968's British Motown Chartbusters Vol 2, released in late 1968, a year after the hit-laden volume 1.

Volume 3, released in late 1969 was, in stark contrast, absolutely massive, topping the charts and even being bought by rock fans. With its iconic cover, it was THE album to own in 1969-70, and if there is one Classic Motown album to own then it's this one.

I suspect that Motown benefitted greatly from pirate radio in 1966 and 1967 until all of the stations got closed down in the summer of 1967. Following this event, however, not only was there a shortage of exposure on radio but the music itself changed a bit, becoming perhaps a little less obviously poppy and catchy, and British record buyers didn't really take to it as well. With HDH gone, UK favourites such as Four Tops and DRATS did less well, and groups such as The Temptations and Gladys Knight and The Pips just didn't do as well, despite being massive in the US.

However, something changed in 1969.

Firstly, someone in Motown UK must have realised that there were loads of the more overtly "pop"-styled singles that had missed the charts in the UK first time around and that deserved a second go.

Secondly, the UK buying public was ready this time around.

Thirdly, Motown in the US started to make some bad decisions regarding the selection of new single A-sides and B-sides, resulting in a series of flops in the US that Motown in the UK flipped over and turned into big hits.

There's probably more to it than that, but I suspect that Motown UK was actually a unique force for a couple of years, even bringing the unknown and long-forgotten "The Tears Of A Clown" into broad daylight, which seriously altered the career trajectory of Smokey Robinson & The Miracles.

That's my personal take.

[reese]

In the UK several Motown singles were reissued after a few years from their initial release date and they achieved great chart success.

Is this something that was unique to the UK or are there examples from other countries, in particular the USA?

In the US, Charlene's I'VE NEVER BEEN TO ME was released in 1977 and flopped. But after being played by a Florida DJ, it became popular and was re-released in 1982, becoming a huge hit.

[copley]

Same thing happened with Charlene in the UK. Nothing in '77 but #1 in '82!

Other re-issues/re-releases that I recall :-

Dancing In The Street - #28 in '64 and #4 in '69
Nowhere To Run - #26 in '65 but only #42 on '69
Jimmy Mack - #21 in both '67 & '70
Get Ready - Nothing in '65 but #10 in '69
My Girl - #43 in '65 but #2 in '92 because of the movie
[[Come 'Round Here) I'm the One You Need - #37 in '66 but #13 in '71
Tracks of my Tears - Nothing in '65 but #9 in '69
I Can't Help Myself - #23 in '65 but #10 in '70
Road Runner - Nothing in '66 but #12 in '69
This Old Heart of Mine - #47 in '66 but #3 in 69
I Guess I'll Always Love You - #45 in '66 but #11 in '69
Heaven Must Have Sent You - Nothing in '66 but #3 in '71
Put Yourself in My Place - Nothing in '65 but #28 in '71
I'll Say Forever My Love - Nothing in #68 but #7 in '70
What Becomes of the Brokenhearted - #8 in '67 but #4 in '74
Stop Her on Sight [[S.O.S.) - #35 in '66 but #11 in '68
These Things Will Keep Me Loving You - Nothing in '66 but #34 in '71

[jsmith]

It was the UK soul club scene that led the re-issue boom in the UK. Old Motown 45's were the top sounds in 100's of clubs across the north of England [[& in other regions too). Eventually the majors realised they could make money from just putting out old 45's [[only costs involved being the pressing process). These sold on a regional basis & the UK chart listings were heavily London sales based, so many sold 1000's without ever making the UK pop charts. THE NORTHERN SOUL EFFECT spread out across many territories where EMI had local operations [[Africa, India, the Caribbean, etc.) and it also spread across Europe [[France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Holland, Sweden, etc.).
So it became much more than just a UK thing, especially after the UK led the world in making "The Tears Of A Clown" a massive hit.
THE 45 THING has continued on in the UK right from the end of the 60's to the present day ... we get many old Detroit soul & Motown tracks on vinyl 45's on a monthly basis ...

[Sotosound]

It was the UK soul club scene that led the re-issue boom in the UK. Old Motown 45's were the top sounds in 100's of clubs across the north of England [[& in other regions too). Eventually the majors realised they could make money from just putting out old 45's [[only costs involved being the pressing process). These sold on a regional basis & the UK chart listings were heavily London sales based, so many sold 1000's without ever making the UK pop charts. THE NORTHERN SOUL EFFECT spread out across many territories where EMI had local operations [[Africa, India, the Caribbean, etc.) and it also spread across Europe [[France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Holland, Sweden, etc.).
So it became much more than just a UK thing, especially after the UK led the world in making "The Tears Of A Clown" a massive hit.
THE 45 THING has continued on in the UK right from the end of the 60's to the present day ... we get many old Detroit soul & Motown tracks on vinyl 45's on a monthly basis ...

Motown was obviously the greatest beneficiary of this due to the size and nature of their catalogue, but we also saw successful re-issues from acts such as Bob And Earl, The Tams, The Fascinations, Tammi Lynn, The Chiffons, Frankie Valli, The Drifters etc. etc.

Loads of wonderful music. All melodic and sing-able as well as danceable. And that's where the real commercial magic happened in the UK.

[grapevine]

...I expect the rise of the Northern Soul phenomenon led to many of the UK re-issues in the period 1968 - 1978...!

Grape

[Sotosound]

...I expect the rise of the Northern Soul phenomenon led to many of the UK re-issues in the period 1968 - 1978...!

Grape

It did.

Robert Knight, R. Dean Taylor, The Contours, Bobby Hebb, Dobie Gray, and Marv Johnson were also beneficiaries.

[jsmith]

NOT A REISSUE, hence the price ... it also demonstrates that the NS sound has evolved down the years ...
Kin'ell ... a copy of this just sold for in excess of $3100 [[equiv) ... guess the buyer is on the R&B tip ....

[robb_k]

NOT A REISSUE, hence the price ... it also demonstrates that the NS sound has evolved down the years ...
Kin'ell ... a copy of this just sold for in excess of $3100 [[equiv) ... guess the buyer is on the R&B tip ....

This is "New Wave Blues" that is popular in Clubs in Europe, UK and USA. Ace-Kent Records has put out a few CDS with rare selections on them, - lots of Southern Bluesy Soul and 60s LA Bluesy Soul, also with some Bluesy Chicago Soul. Several really rare LA Soul records I found when I moved to LA for University in 1965-69 have become "New Wave Blues Hits", including my favourite of that genre, "I'm Tired", by Billy Watkins, which had 4 released versions, of which I like only the original on a tiny local label, located in the producers house in South Central.

In answer to the thread's original question, yes, there were MANY, MANY US re-releases a few years after the originals, to take advantage of the artists recent, later popularity, or to taske advantage of changes in the record-buying public's taste. Wayyyyyy-too many to list here. I can remember several by The Flamingos, Platters, Penguins, Clovers, Drifters, aftyer they became nationally and even World famous, after getting songs played on the Pop radio stations, and many re-issues of early career Soul songs as good as the artists' later hits, re-issued after the artist had a major national hit. This was also true for re-issues by tiny Ma & Pa labels original issues, after their artist moved to a major national label. I know of many, many small Chicago, Detroit, and LA Soul labels that reissued 45s 3-7 times to take advantage of new Soul fans and their records being played on "oldies" radio stations, or regular Soul stations with heavy oldies rotations. Detroit's Fortune Records is notorious for having a ridiculous number of different issues of some of their most popular, or personally favourite releases. You can find 3-4 different blue issues, 2-3 different Purple issues, a couple pink, an orange or 2, and a yellow issue of several Nolan Strong & The Diablos, The Five Dollars, Andre Williams, and Nathaniel Mayer. Even our own Spyder Turner had a couple different issues of his first record, on Fortune, years later, after he hit it big with MGM, on "Stand By Me".

[Motown Eddie]

Is this something that was unique to the UK or are there examples from other countries, in particular the USA?

Here's one; The Contours classic "Do You Love Me [Now That I Can Dance]". Originally released in 1962, the song was featured in the 1987 movie Dirty Dancing and the movie's soundtrack LP. Motown also reissued the single and it made the US Billboard charts at #11 in August 1988 [and the song charted in England, Belgium & Canada as well].

[theboyfromxtown]

As I recall, the first re-issue in the UK was from the Velvelettes - He Was Really Saying Something b/w Needle In A Haystack in early 1967. Both tracks had been previously issued on the UK Stateside label but they were now available on the Tamla Motown label TMG 595.

[mowsville]

In the USA Gotta see Jane by R Dean Taylor was released twice once on VIP and then a couple of years later on Rare Earth.

[rovereab]

In the USA Gotta see Jane by R Dean Taylor was released twice once on VIP and then a couple of years later on Rare Earth.

Could that be a re-release winner with three instances? I can't think of another Motown song that beats that tally!

[jsmith]

The 1st big hit reissue 45 in the UK [[unless someone else here can put me right) was Gene Chandler's "Nothing Can Stop Me" on Dave Godin's SOUL CITY RECORDS in April 68. It had originally been released here on Stateside in June 65.