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  1. #1
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    Which records do the Marvelettes sing background on post 66 onward or on Vol 2.

    I am assuming the Marvelettes sing on some songs from the Pink lp, sOPHISTICATED sOUL AND In full bloom, can anyone give us a clue.

    I beleive "This Night was made for love" and "Uptown" and "Barefootin" are three that I hear Cat Gladys Ann or Wanda on in the bckgrnd.

  2. #2
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    I was just wondering this the other day as I was listening to a compilation. Are there any Marvelettes on I'll Keep On Holdin On?

  3. #3
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    I can hear Gladys and Kat on parts of When You're Young And In Love. They sang on very few of Sophisticated Soul and In Full Bloom lp, and did none of the tracks on Return Of

  4. #4
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    I'm not home but going from memory here are the songs that feature the actual Marvelettes

    1) The Stranger - Kat, Wanda and Gladys on background
    2) Only Your Love Can Save Me - Kat and Gladys on background
    3) Rainy Mourning - Kat and Gladys on background
    4) Uptown - Kat and Ann on background

    These are just off the top of my head. I think there are several more with the actual Marvelettes blended with the Andantes. There are also several newly released songs on Forever More that feature the actual Marvelettes.

  5. #5
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    The Marvelettes sing background on a lot of the recordings until the "Return OF" lp in which they can only be heard on the "Uptown" Track.[[They had to have the group on a least one track to legally call it a Marvelettes album) Here's the dilemma..They were often turned down so low in the mix that you can barely hear them and the Andantes were no longer just "Sweeteners" but now the dominate force in the background behind Wanda Young's sultry soulful lead.

  6. #6
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    As Lamont Dozier once said, the Marvelettes backing sound was rather shrill and it needed refining a bit. The Vandellas and Supremes had a much smoother sound but in recording sessions producers liked chorale effects which is why the Andantes were signed on as house singers. Their blend was so powerful that many times they alone could give that effect.

  7. #7
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    Ive often heard that and never understood it. I LOVE the backgrounds on Please Mr Postman-upfront and exciting! The Andantes are often boring and homogenous IMO.

  8. #8
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    all the best records were the ones that are more real & all the groups had their own sound. The Best were those with limited other background singers.

  9. #9
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    I wouldn't be surprised if the Marvelettes appeared on less than 10 of their songs after 1967.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by luke View Post
    Ive often heard that and never understood it. I LOVE the backgrounds on Please Mr Postman-upfront and exciting! The Andantes are often boring and homogenous IMO.
    An Amen to that!

  11. #11
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    From More Hits Extended Edition, very relevant to the Marvelettes recordings:

    By mid 1965 as Motown expanded to 8 track recording, the Motown session logs became more advanced. Tracks prior to this time have far less information which is why some annotations on this collection are more complete than others, depending on their recording date. The Andantes, Motown's in house background vocalists, were known for adding the "sweetening" to many Motown songs. In some cases they do just that and in others, they substitute for the Supremes, a practice not uncommon for any Motown group. Fans with a keen ear may hear them in places they never thought to listen.

  12. #12
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    all Marvelettes [[Wanda, Kat & Gladys) on I'll Keep Holding On & Danger, Don't Mess with Bill was first with Andantes on BG, in Smokeys attempt to make Wanda a solo singer.

  13. #13
    I believe the Marvelettes sing background vocals on almost, if not the entire Pink album. Of course, on many of the tracks, they are mixed in with the Andantes. There are only a handful of tracks from the remaining studio albums on which they were featured. Some of these, such as "Uptown" and "Rainy Mourning", have already been mentioned.

  14. #14
    huntergettingcaptured Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by carlo View Post
    I believe the Marvelettes sing background vocals on almost, if not the entire Pink album. Of course, on many of the tracks, they are mixed in with the Andantes. There are only a handful of tracks from the remaining studio albums on which they were featured. Some of these, such as "Uptown" and "Rainy Mourning", have already been mentioned.

    Your comment brings up a point about the Marvelettes' vocals that I've really noticed more and more with the box set. For all the noise that was made about the Marvelettes' harmonies, it seems you'd be able to easily tell when they're doing the backing vocals and when they aren't. Yet, I've noticed some songs where I'm honestly still stumped. "Don't Make Hurting Me A Habit" for one- I've listened to that song for years and I swear it sounds like Katherine and Ann[[?) mixed in with the Andantes doing the higher voices. Yet I really can't say. The recently released "Just One Last Kiss [[Before You Leave)" I know is Katherine, Gladys and Wanda, but their vocal blend is so incredibly tight and solid, you have to respect how good the girs were.

    I know for certain on "The Pink" album, "Tonight Was Made For Love" has Wanda and Katherine [[and maybe Gladys as well) doing backing vocals upfront with the Andantes doing the ahhs and such. "Young And In Love" had all three Marvelettes doing BGs and again with the Andantes a bit lower in the mix on the oohhs. However, "Barefootin'" and "Message To Michael" and "Saying Something" have me scratching my head. Is it the Marvs or is it a blend of the Marvs and Andantes. This is how good the girls had grown as vocalists- it's very hard to tell sometimes.

    On "Sophisticated Soul" I'm certian of "The Stranger", but "Only Your Love Can Save Me" sounds like it could be the Marvelettes or it could be Andantes impersonating the Marvelettes, but if it is, someone sounds amazingly like Katherine.

    The Marvelettes' harmonies when they started out were youthful and fun- maybe a bit off key at times, but somehow, they are about the ONLY group who could pull that off and make it sound appealing, and agin, youthful. Recently, I read something by one of the Hollands or another Motown producer who made a remark about the Vandellas vocal blend as well and the use of the Andantes to smooth out their sound. So at least at last, we see it wasn't just the Marvelettes.
    Last edited by huntergettingcaptured; 01-04-2012 at 10:34 PM.

  15. #15
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    when gladys horton sings lead on the early marvelettes singles the marvelettes excitement add to the raucous sound of those records. the sultry sexy smokey produced work with wanda young seems to require a much smoother sound to compliment her lead vocal. the andantes are perfect for these latter records. in retrospect my more decserining ear now see the marvelettes as almost two distinct groups. they seem almost as different as the diana ross led supremes and the jean terrell supremes!

  16. #16
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    Marvelettes Tracks

    i am delighted to learn that Gladys is featured on bc vocals on the sophisticted soul lp as well as a trackon in full bloom rainy mourning so her work extends beyond the pink album on bc what a legacy. I wonder are there more bc tracks with Ann and Cat that we can pin point.

    also there is a distinct difference between the supremes bc vocals with ross one with the mary & flo & sometime a's blend the other with the mary cindy/andantes blend.

  17. #17
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    Im 10 years late but from what I hear based on the tracks ALL of the Marvelettes sing on them with the andantes mixed into all but Barefootin & Sayin Something.

    On Sophisticated Soul, Only Side 2 features the Marvelettes on background of 3 songs: Your Love Can Save Me, Don’t Make Hurting Me a Habit & The Stranger [[Which I believe Wanda, Kat & Ann sung on). Wikipedia says Kat and Gladys sing on You’re the One [[which I can’t believe I just don’t hear them). The Andantes sung on all but Destination & Stranger.

    In Full Bloom, The Andantes were the primary background vocals for the group but blended on some songs with the Actual Marvelettes. Kat and Ann sung on Uptown with the andantes blended in, Kat & Gladys sung on At Last, Now is The Time, Rainy Mourning & Love Silent [[ALL blended with the andantes except Rainy Mourning which included all 3 of the marvelettes at the time of the recording)

  18. #18
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    My buddy Gary is the expert on all things-Andantes, and as recently discussed in another thread, he and I completely disagree as to their sound vs. the background vocals of the original artists.

    I have not listened that closely to most of the backgrounds. Gary sometimes listens to his on headphones and I think he is expert at identifying "who's who" in the backgrounds. To me, however, the Marvelettes generally sound more strident, with less harmonies employed, than do the Andantes. This is especially evident on tracks like "The Stranger," where they positively wail one of my favorite lines of all time, "In spite of the danger, she fell in love with the stranger!"

    I always think of Midnight Johnny when I think of the Andantes, because he used to sing along in the background when he would play discs on his Motown radio show, which prompted me to dub him the "Mandante." God I miss him.

  19. #19
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    Well, Kenny, it's true -- I do most of my listening under my headphones. As much as I love The Andantes, there are times when even I'm stumped. I think I'm pretty accurate when The Andantes are singing with and/or subbing for The Vandellas and The Marvelettes. The Andantes' back-up vocals are totally different from Betty Kelly's and Rosalind Ashford's, and equally different from Katherine Anderson Schaffner's and Gladys Horton's. Ditto for Ann Bogan. What I can't identify, however, is the difference between The Andantes and The Supremes. On their studio recordings, Mary & Flo and, especially, Mary & Cindy, sound very similar to The Andante's operatic oohs & aahs to the point where I can't tell the difference. Same goes for the New Supremes. In fact, I remember being somewhat shocked to learn that The Andantes sang back-up vocals even on the New Supremes' albums as well.

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