The Motown Sound: The Complete Albums, Singles & More

[hwume]

There must be more live tracks in the vaults. "Heartbreak" hasn`t been released on CD yet.

Yes there are - consider the live track "You Name It" [[that's how it's listed, I know it sounds like "Heartbreak) on Disc 1 of the EVD set, from the same show as "Don't Mess With Bill" on the SITSOM soundtrack deluxe edition. That's from one show where they opened for Motown headliners, and then backed them for their sets. There are reels of other live shows tethered to the main act, where the opening sets with the EVD band were recorded as well, like "Heartbreak" before the Jr. Walker set.

But - those EVD/Funks sets are generally three-to-four songs brief, contain covers to please the small crowd and are not necessarily being listened to by said crowd there to see the headliner. There are gems, but few.

The EARL OF FUNK album was a document of an actual EVD/Funks show where they were the main act, and that's the only one in the vault.

[Roger Polhill]

Thank you Your Grace. I don`t care if they are brief covers I love the Funks. Any chance of them appearing on future "Cellar Fulls". I like so many rabid fans are getting older and we`re not afraid of dying but are afraid of going without hearing or knowing what`s in the vaults.
We have August here and there is nothing promised, this means cold turkey for an addict like me. Please open up those vaults and give us something each month that we can squander our pensions on. After all it is us that have kept this magic alive. Regards Roger.

[radionixon]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I need some information!

Who is playing drums on "Ode to Benny B"? Some of the sessions for the track took place before he passed, and some afterwards - so is Papa Zita actually playing on his own tribute song?

I need to know as I'll be spinning it on my radio show this weekend to mark Benny's birthday [[25th July 1925) and I'd like to get the story right!

[Roger Polhill]

Is it Stevie Wonder ?

[radionixon]

It's obviously Stevie on the harp, but I don't think it's him drumming. According to the credits booklet, there were three separate sessions to bring this to its final state, and I'd assumed that the drums were laid down during the first one, when this was planned to go to the Tops [[and obviously long before Benny died).

With that in mind, I was wondering whether it was Benny, or someone else? I love the idea of him playing on what became his own tribute song, but it'd be good to know for sure before I blurt it out on the radio. I know Pistol Allen gave the rundown on how to tell the difference between the three great Funks drummers in Standing in the Shadows of Motown, but I could never master it!

[[thanks for replying, by the way!)

[bradburger]

I'd say it was Uriel Jones playing drums on this track.

Btw, don't take Pistol's demonstration of how to identify the drummers at Motown in SITSOM as a definitive demonstration of what pickups to listen for. Whilst it's correct to an extent, it's a rather modest, and simplistic demonstration.

Whilst both Uriel & Pistol did have there own identifiable styles [[as demonstrated by Pistol) which they would use later on in the Motown timeline, both could emulate Benny's playing and style superbly, and this was especially true in the mid sixties.

Remember in SITOSM when Uriel said that they "Tried to clone him".

Well, listen to some of those classic 1965/66 productions, and you'll hear them both doing their best to emulate Benny.

Check out Uriel emulating him on 'My Girl Has Gone', Since I Lost My Baby, 'Don't Look Back' and 'It's Growing' to name but a few.

As for Pistol, you'll hear him doing his best 'Benny impression' on the Monitors 'Crying In The Night’, 'Think It Over [[Before You Break My Heart)', 'These Things Will Keep Me Loving You', and of course the Temps 'Get Ready', which is nearly always credited to Benny!

One thing is for sure, at times, they would borrow pickups and playing styles from each other, making identifying the drummers at Motown a not quite so simple task!

Cheers

Paul