Motown Revue Video In The Vault

[thomas96]

I've heard that they video taped and recorded the audio of all the shows for the Revue and that Mr Gordy has these in the vault. Can anyone confirm this? If it's true, then damn they really need to be released!

[kenneth]

I have no idea about video but since the released 4 LPs of the Revue were so heavily edited down to fit onto one LP each, I'm sure there are many more tapes of audio in the vaults. It would certainly make a great set to have a full Motorown Revue show in its entirety!

Does anyone know how long a Revue show would have been in the mid 60s? I know they did many shows a day so I doubt they were longer than an hour or thereabouts, but I really don't know for sure.

[thomas96]

From what I've read, they were about an hour and a half to two hours if they did a longer show with an encore. Each artist/group would play no more than 5 songs [[with the exception of medleys) with the artists having the biggest hit currently out playing the longest and being the last act.

[kenneth]

From what I've read, they were about an hour and a half to two hours if they did a longer show with an encore. Each artist/group would play no more than 5 songs [[with the exception of medleys) with the artists having the biggest hit currently out playing the longest and being the last act.

Thanks for that. Based on that, I imagine there are quite a few audio tapes in the vaults of some great shows! Some of the Revue LPs are really good, as are some of the early "On Stage" LPs [[which I think were mostly recorded at such shows), but they are pretty amateurishly edited. Would be great to have a couple full shows get the Hip-O treatment!

[thomas96]

I agree. They really need to release this live stuff. A lot of the fantastic unreleased studio tracks have been released which is so great, but they neglect a lot of the live stuff. At some point they will probably get out though.

[misty]

I sure hope so. Would love to have more live stuff. Audio and video.

[rrussi]

There was a film made in b&w in either late 62 or early 63 at the Apollo. It is for the most
part the complete show, which I don't think lasts even a full hour.
However, Mrs. Edwards told me [[if this is the same film she was talking about and I do
think it is) that Berry didn't like it and many, many years later the guy who filmed it was
in a far off country and actually called Berry as he had someone interested in buying
it for distribution. Berry told him no, but Mrs. Edwards said who would have even
thought he'd call and not just go ahead and make the deal.

As far as "live" recordings, Mrs. Edwards told me they recorded shows all the time.
However, most of the "live" stuff issued in the '60s was really "doctored-up".
The Mary Wells Lost & Found collection recently issued features a "live" version
of her only Motown single [[her third) that didn't chart, "Strange Love". Although
it was recorded with no audience, it was done at the Greystone Ballroom. I doubt
they would assemble an orchestra, equipment, Mary, etc. down there to do just
one song. Perhaps other artists recorded that day as well.
The writer of the notes says it was done for possible inclusion in Mary's lp, Live
On Stage, which is a terrible lp. The recording of "Strange Love" is far superior
to anything on that lp. In fact, the lp just plays the 45rpm recordings of two
of the songs with audience noise dubbed in.

[phil]

There was a film made in b&w in either late 62 or early 63 at the Apollo. It is for the most
part the complete show, which I don't think lasts even a full hour.
.

You can buy it on this link : http://www.thevideobeat.com/rock-rol...own-revue.html

The sound is not fantastic but it's a fantastic document. The Marvelettes and the Contours just steal the show !

Here is a clip of a part of their performance :