Marvelettes spoken word monologues

[franjoy56]

I noticed that Motown used Gladys on several tracks spoken word tracks that we have not noticed before especially since the new box set The Marvelettes Forever More Vol. 2 has come out.

Gladys has two great monologues one on Johnny Do Right, & the other When Your Young and in Love, prior to Wanda's lead. in addition to the already famous
"Too Many Fish in the Sea"


I noticed Wanda has a spoken monogloue on "Now is the Time for Love" from the "In Full Bloom" with this said I believe the group could have easily handled
m.o.r songs if they were given a chance. However some said that they didn't have the vocals for it. I think that is a matter of opinions : "Tonight was made for Love" Little Girl Blue and Queen of the Fools are two close examples even though Queen of the Fools sounds more dowoop in a soft way.

[copley]

It's not Gladys on the spoken intro to 'When You're Young And In Love', it's Wanda!

[franjoy56]

I will check this out it sounds like Gladys to me, and i will ask an original Marvelette this weekend.

[copley]

Kat will confirm that it's Wanda as has Harry Weinger. I always thought that it was Wanda but you put a seed of doubt in my mind. Just listen carefully, the voice does not change when she starts to sing. Anyway it would not make any sense if it were two different singers

[copley]

[randy_russi]

It's got to be Wanda. I doubt that Kat and Gladys are even on the recording.

[franjoy56]

I just spoke to Catherine and I played the intro for her via phone, twice and she said she beleives it is Gladys the voice on the spoken words and the lead voice of Wanda do not match. But she will listen to her version and confirm. Cat and Gladys were on the backing tracks with the Andantes of Young and in Love no.. . If anyone knows the voice of both singers it would be Catherine Schaffner who is an original Marvelette and is present on several of those tracks from the Pink Album.

[franjoy56]

If you listen to the Wanda spoken intro on "Now is the time for Love" and then compare it to the spoken intor on "YOung and in love" the two don't sound the same. But the to spoke intro's of "Johnny Do Right" and "Young and in Love" and you have a match. It would also make sense as to why this version was not released if it is Gladys was because Wanda was being promoted as the lead singer by this time and not Gladys so it makes sense as to why the intro was cut. I would like to hear fro some of the Motown people from 67 like Weatherspoon and maybe Smokey to confirm this not those who are playing in the vaults assuming this and that when they weren't there in 1965, 1966, 1967.

[franjoy56]

The Marvelettes had two lead singers and it would certainly make sense if it were two lead singers here especially since Gladys had a great spoken voice for songs i.e "Too Many Fish In the Sea" "Mix it UP" and the newly "Johnny Be Do Right", through their career Wanda and Gladys often traded off leads even though by this time most of the leads for singles were going to wanda, listen to Keep off no trespassing its Gladys and Wanda coming in for the high refrain
"Keep your hands off" "Locking up my heart" Gladys leads wanda comes in later. Even on these new unrealeased tracks there are two tracks that feature Wanda coming in at the end of Gladys's leads. I just didn't start listening to the Marvelettes I have been playing their records since 1962, and it started with "Someday Someway". and it it turns out that Wanda is doing the spoken intro for Yail, I will exercise my misjudgement. but for now i beg to differ.

[marv2]

I noticed that Motown used Gladys on several tracks spoken word tracks that we have not noticed before especially since the new box set The Marvelettes Forever More Vol. 2 has come out.

Gladys has two great monologues one on Johnny Do Right, & the other When Your Young and in Love, prior to Wanda's lead. in addition to the already famous
"Too Many Fish in the Sea"

I noticed Wanda has a spoken monogloue on "Now is the Time for Love" from the "In Full Bloom" with this said I believe the group could have easily handled
m.o.r songs if they were given a chance. However some said that they didn't have the vocals for it. I think that is a matter of opinions : "Tonight was made for Love" Little Girl Blue and Queen of the Fools are two close examples even though Queen of the Fools sounds more dowoop in a soft way.

Fran, just the other day on one of the offshoot channels of Showtime they aired a movie called "Vanishing of 7th Ave. " [[or "7th Avenue is Vanishing") where they played the complete recording of the Marvelette's "When You're Young and In Love" as this guy lies wounded on this pool table in this rundown bar. I thought it was interesting because the wounded guy begged this kid to play it on the juke box for him.

[luke]

I thought Gladys had left by time of Young and In Love. Guess not.

[randy_russi]

Kat is a friend of mine and I would go along with what she says. The spoken intro on Young & In Love seems kind of
odd. The 45 version in the U.S. did not have this and neither did the mono version of the "pink" lp. I don't know
if the version with this spoken intro was actually issued on record in the U.S. at the time. I know there were
different versions of some of the songs on the stereo lp as opposed to the mono lp.

[copley]

Harry Weinger has it on record that it's Wanda - I have his email. My ears tell me the voices are the same i.e. Wanda . It would make a total nonsense of the song if a different voices were involved in the lead in! BTW it's Katherine or Kat not Catherine or Cat.

Remember, memories get muddled as time passes. Blinky has forgotten more than I know about her time at Motown including many of her recordings. Barbara Randolph had no recollection of recording more than 3 songs with Motown!

[luke]

lots of songs have two different voices. Id go with Kat.

[soulwally]

Unfortunately, William Weatherspoon and James Dean are both dead.

[randy_russi]

Well, the spoken intro to me doesn't seem to go along with the song. It just kind of sounds like conversation going
on as the track begins, which means it could be Gladys. I don't think a spoken intro was meant to go with this
song, which had been done a few years earlier by Ruby & the Romantics.

[BayouMotownMan]

I'm pretty certain that is Wanda on the spoken part. Motown was trying to establish her as the full lead of the group as Gladys was pregnant and on her way out.

[randy_russi]

Gladys sings lead on several songs on the "Pink" lp. Barefootin', Message to Michael, This Night Was Made For Love,
He Was Really Sayin' Something, I Need Someone, Keep Off No Tresspassing, which is half the album. She didn't
neccessarily want to leave the group, but her son Sammy was born with CP and needed a lot of attention.

[luke]

And in Marvelettes book Marc Taylor wrote a lot was going down with Wanda that made it hard for Gladys.

[kenneth]

Gladys sings lead on several songs on the "Pink" lp. Barefootin', Message to Michael, This Night Was Made For Love,
He Was Really Sayin' Something, I Need Someone, Keep Off No Tresspassing, which is half the album. She didn't
neccessarily want to leave the group, but her son Sammy was born with CP and needed a lot of attention.

It's Wanda on "Barefootin'." It is indeed Gladys on all the other tracks you mention, and she sings lead as well on "I Know Better".

[randy_russi]

Oops! sorry for that slip. "I Know Better" was GREAT!!! In fact, I always thought this was the best lp they did.

[kenneth]

Oops! sorry for that slip. "I Know Better" was GREAT!!! In fact, I always thought this was the best lp they did.

Well, you're such a big Marvelettes fan that I guess we have to forgive you...

Seriously, I don't think they ever sounded so much alike as on this album. It is quite hard to tell them apart. I think on the slower ballads, Wanda's voice is obvious but on the faster tracks she tended to sound a lot more like Gladys. Wanda had a "smaller" voice with different shadings, but on the more raucous numbers I think the similarities tended to overshadow the differences.

[randy_russi]

It seems to me that it was cited somewhere that it is Gladys on Barefootin', but I too think it sounds like Wanda.

[theboyfromxtown]

I agree that it's Wanda singing lead on "Barefootin'" and also Wanda on lead AND intro to "When You're Young And In Love"

[copley]

From DFTMC http://www.dftmc.info/


Barefootin' [[Robert Parker) publ. Bonatemp

The Marvelettes; recorded Hitsville, completed 24-May-66 ; produced by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier ; [lead - Wanda Rogers]

[marv2]

Unfortunately, William Weatherspoon and James Dean are both dead.

Isn't Barbara Randolph deceased too?

[luke]

Yes she is.

[franjoy56]

There is reference of a muted spoken intro by Wanda on the complete motown singles 1966, but this version does sound like gladys to me, I have spoken to her several times. and until Catherine says otherwise, I am convinced it is Gladys. for the record gladys did not leave the Marvelettes until late 67, this pink albums tracks were mostly recorded in 1966, Young and in love was recorded Oct. 14, 1966, Gladys was still in the group and has 5 or 6 tracks on the pink album.

[franjoy56]

It is Wanda on "Barefootin" not Gladys, both singers were great for the Marvelettes and that is what gave them the versatility [[proof is on the Forever More 2 CD,) the Supremes or the Vandellas didn't have thanks to their lead singers ego's.

[copley]

Fransjoy, we will have to agree to differ on this one. Even if Kat said that it was Gladys I'd disagree as I hear only Wanda

[franjoy56]

We can agree to disagree all we want in the end we both have differing opinions
on who this voice is you say its Wanda, I say its Gladys, others share their opinions and it doesn't change anything. I hear the same voice when I play "I Need Someone" on the monologue at the end "someone to love and guide me someone to stand beside me, someone who'll always need me someone who'll never leave me " to me once again its Gladys. I have only heard Wanda's speaking voice on "Now is the time for love" and even though she does a wonderful job on "when your young and in love" i can't hear her speaking voice on this track, sorry. I think we need to put this to bed until some one other than Catherine who was there in 1966 contradicts what you and others are hearing..