UK single release approval question

[rovereab]

I wonder if anyone on the Forum knows the answer to this question please?

In the UK we had several single releases that differed to the US. Was the choice purely down to a UK management decision or did the choice have to be approved by US Motown management?

Thanks.

Eamonn

[roger]

Looking at the UK releases versus the US releases it looks to me that until late 1968 the UK releases pretty much followed those in the US [[apart from a couple of reissues like THE VELVELETTES "Needle In A Haystack/Really Saying Something" TMG 595 in February 1967 and THE ELGINS "Put Yourself In My Place/Darling Baby" TMG 642 in February 1968) with anything that was deemed "viable" in Britain being issued with the same "A" and "B" sides as in the U.S.

After the end of 1968 the issues varied very significantly, with a lot of reissues, some UK only releases and some new U.S. releases being paired with in-demand oldies [[e.g. "Its A Shame"/"Sweet Thing" by THE SPINNERS) to give them a greater initial sales impetus in Britain ..

Here is a link to the UK Tamla-Motown discography ..

http://www.broadwayboogaloo.co.uk/boogooA56.htm

My belief is that Mr Gordy realised that Britain was a very different market to the US and allowed the London office of Motown to schedule its own release schedules after 1968 .. however it would be nice to have confirmation of this from someone actually "in the know".

Roger

[stopinthenameoflove]

if John Lester was still here he would know for sure. I miss his posts and do wish he would come back

[robbert]

Did John quit SDF? OMG. Can anyone please tell me what's up?

I only can shed some light on the matter from my experience as a EMI/Motown employee [[ass. label manager & pr manager) in the sixties/seventies in Holland. The Motown office on the European mainland at EMI Holland was sort of an inbetween for most of the West-European countries [[excluding the UK) and Motown USA. The UK had their own release policy for Tamla-Motown 45's and albums.

If anyone is interested, I could find the time to write an essay...!

[psychedelic jacques]

i'd be very interested, Robbert...

[soulwally]

So would I... and where's John?

We didn't know it at the time but we were blessed in the UK in that so much soul material, much of it with little big-selling commercial potential, was released.

Not just once EMI's Tamla Motown label was launched in 1965 [[Motown releases had been sporadic at first, on London American and Fontana; cranked up somewhat on Oriole; then more and more through EMI's Stateside label); but from all sorts of American labels, principally released in the UK on London American and Stateside.

Sue, Liberty and Vocalion [[and others) also put out 'obscure' stuff

[roger]

So would I Robbert ..

Of course in Britain we had the whole "Northern Soul" phenomenon pushing up demand for mid-sixties Motown dance tracks such as "Heaven Must Have Sent You" by THE ELGINS, "Baby Hit And Run" by THE CONTOURS, "There's A Ghost In My House" by R DEAN TAYLOR etc. sometimes to the detriment of new U.S. recordings.

It would make a very interesting essay.

Roger