Motown-Backround-Vocal-Question

[Philles/Motown Gary]

The Andantes were featured on several male Motown artists' recordings as well as the female artists. Off the top of my head, Eddie Holland's "Just Ain't Enough Love" and "Candy To Me", Stevie Wonder's LPs including "I Was Made To Love Her", Jimmy Ruffin's "Top Ten" and "The Groove Governor", Marvin Gaye's HDH- and Norman Whitfield-produced albums, Jr. Walker's Johnny Bristol productions, Shorty Long's two LPs, Edwin Star's albums, etc. Motown's producers chose to use The Andantes on their productions because the girls' back-up harmonies were professional and they made Motown productions sound great -- for the male artists as well as the female artists/groups.

[WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance]

The Andantes were featured on several male Motown artists' recordings as well as the female artists. Off the top of my head, Eddie Holland's "Just Ain't Enough Love" and "Candy To Me", Stevie Wonder's LPs including "I Was Made To Love Her", Jimmy Ruffin's "Top Ten" and "The Groove Governor", Marvin Gaye's HDH- and Norman Whitfield-produced albums, Shorty Long's two LPs, Edwin Star's albums, etc. Motown's producers chose to use The Andantes on their productions because the girls' back-up harmonies were professional and they made Motown productions sound great -- for the male artists as well as the female artists/groups.

Very true. For certain, you'd have the Andantes doing backings for the solo male singers, but I think, mainly, Fullfillingnessfirstfinale was trying to figure out why

the female groups' original members were very often subbed out

by the Andantes while the male groups were able to often escape having the Andantes' voices drafted onto what was supposed to be an all-male group sound. You'd listen to The Monitors and wonder why 3 guys and a girl had decidedly extra female voices on the record. Or why the Contours, 5 guys and no girls, on later records had female voices suddenly appearing. The female groups' original members were very often subbed out, but that didn't seem to happen as often with the male groups- well at least I used to think so.

Over the years, listening more closely, I noticed a lot of the male groups had The Originals, or Spinners and/or The Andantes either replacing the original group or used to smooth out the vocals.