[2Wycked]

I've always had a fondness for music from the '60's and '70's. Like I said in my "Best Music From The 1970's" thread, I grew up listening to songs from this era.

Some of the best music from this era is "That Motown Sound."

Quote:

Throughout 2009 Motown Records is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a series of special events and performances that kicked off on Jan. 12. Motown’s extraordinary accomplishments include an unprecedented 63 number-one hit songs from 1961 to 1971 by artists that make up a Mount Rushmore of pop music: Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, The Temptations, Martha and the Vandellas and The Four Tops, among many others.

The music Motown created, which symbolizes coming-of-age and celebration, is timeless and still important to many. Motown placed African-Americans firmly in the pop music pantheon and created a new sound that appealed to people of all races.

Hitsville, U.S.A.

In 1959 Berry Gordy Jr. started Motown Records in Detroit with an $800 loan from his family. Four years after Brown v. Board of Education cleared the way for racial integration and four years before Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, Gordy, an African-American, initiated a pop music revolution in the United States. He modeled Motown Records on the automobile assembly line he had worked on earlier in his life. He aimed to turn out hit songs, create top-of-the-line artists and present a polished image that could be marketed to a general audience. Gordy recruited several songwriters to churn out records. The most famous team was Holland-Dozier-Holland, who penned dozens of popular songs for Motown, including “Please Mr. Postman,” “Where Did Our Love Go?” and “How Sweet It Is (to Be Loved by You).” Gordy’s model succeeded and Motown became the country’s first “hit factory.”

Motown was more than a music studio, however. It was also a school for the singer-performers, many of whom were local teenagers from less than privileged backgrounds. Diana Ross, for example, lived in Detroit’s Brewster-Douglass projects before getting her big break with Motown. Gordy employed instructors to help his performers choreograph their acts and to teach them proper poise and etiquette. The record company drew heavy criticism, however, for what some believed was a disgraceful practice of making black singers palatable to a white audience. During the 1967 Detroit riots, Motown Records received a number of threatening phone calls.

Ready for a Brand-New Beat?

The success of Motown came largely from what is referred to as the “Motown sound,” which flowed from three sources. First, the Funk Brothers, the Motown house band, made a major contribution to this unique sound. These musicians performed on most of the Motown hits from 1959 to the early 1970s, but, unjustly, were seldom credited on the album covers. The Funk Brothers were responsible for the consistency and groove of the Motown sound.

Second, the Motown sound used a primitive but effective method of generating a “reverb” that helped make some songs sound as if they were recorded live on stage. The music and vocals were broadcast from Motown’s famous Studio A to the attic of the building (known as the echo chamber) through a hole cut in the ceiling. The sound bounced around in the vacant space, was picked up by a microphone and recorded. Years before synthesizers and computerized recording, this was an ingenious method of creating a unique sound.

Third, the performers also made liberal use of the tambourine. Black church gospel choirs often played a tambourine to keep a dynamic rhythm steady and excite a congregation. Motown borrowed this idea for a number of its hit records. The tambourine was simple to play, easy to record in the studio and, as it turned out, more pleasing to the ear when the music was played on small transistor radios, which were popular during Motown’s peak years.

Make Me Wanna Holler

Motown Records served an important role in the civil rights struggles of the 1960s. Their “Spoken Word” series held the exclusive right to record the speeches of Martin Luther King Jr. In June 1963, two months before the March on Washington, Motown recorded King’s “I Have a Dream” speech as he delivered it in Detroit.

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The company was also an active participant in the improvement of the city of Detroit, and it hired local African-Americans for prominent jobs. As the leader of the largest black-owned business in the country, Berry Gordy himself was a role model for young African-Americans, which was no small thing at the time.

In addition to its fun, bouncy hits, Motown also produced socially conscious pop music. Marvin Gaye’s classic 1971 album “What’s Going On,” one of the last Motown albums recorded in Detroit before the company moved to Los Angeles, is a perfect example of music that shines a light on justice issues like inner-city poverty, racism, war, environmentalism and drug abuse.

While Berry Gordy initially opposed Gaye’s desire to record this album because of the serious nature of the lyrics, Gordy eventually conceded. It became one of the biggest selling Motown albums of all time. The title song also paved the way for later artists to highlight social concerns. Contemporary rock, soul and R&B artists of all races still cite “What’s Going On” as a major influence.

While the music of Motown did not change race relations either quickly or singlehandedly, of course, it was the first popular music in the United States marketed to people of many races. Ironically, many today note the joy and innocence associated with the music, but the back story is that during a disgraceful time in U.S. history, when blacks were being beaten on the streets of urban America, Motown stars were performing to the delight of white audiences, slowly chipping away at racist attitudes. In this anniversary year, fans are celebrating the music of Motown—and more than that. For its fans, Motown also became a symbol of hope.

Here is another article from Motown Museum about the era and the music: The Sound That Changed America.

Here are some choice tracks:

This woman has the voice of an angel:

Probably my favorite Motown jam:

Share your favorite songs here!

[Sumanguru]

Funny, as a black dude I grew up with my grandma playing Aretha and James every weekend. I didn't really enjoy it at the time--I came of age in the 90's during the Seattle sound and blasted Nirvana/Pearl Jam/Soundgarden from my own radio.

As I've gotten older, and learned to appreciate a wider range of music, I wish my grandma and her albums were still around.

Could you recommend a good place to start for a noob who is interested in Motown?

[Rocha]

Great thread !!

My all time Motown favorite song:

[debeguiled]

(09-06-2016 03:59 PM)Sumanguru Wrote:  

Funny, as a black dude I grew up with my grandma playing Aretha and James every weekend. I didn't really enjoy it at the time--I came of age in the 90's during the Seattle sound and blasted Nirvana/Pearl Jam/Soundgarden from my own radio.

As I've gotten older, and learned to appreciate a wider range of music, I wish my grandma and her albums were still around.

Could you recommend a good place to start for a noob who is interested in Motown?

Listened to this stuff in grammar school on AM radio. Here is a very biased list of songs to start with:

Have to include Smokey Robinson:

This song is still killing it:

We already have some Marvin Gaye. List wouldn't be complete without one of his duets with Tammy Terrell:

Temptations have to be there. Here is a player's lament at the one girl he can't get:

[debeguiled]

Martha and the Vandellas. Paen to alpha love:

Jackson 5 and Stevie Wonder are too obvious. Have to add more Smokey. He gets bonus points for making probably the only opera reference in all of pop music, referring at one moment to the clown from the opera Pagliacci:

Finally, everyone has forgotten about her, but Gladys Knight has been in show business since she was a little girl, and she is 72 and still going. One of the throatiest, most expressive voices ever:

(In some ways, Gladys and the Pips took the synchronized clothes and dancing too far, since these guys only sang backup, and they were parodied pretty bad by Richard Pryor, in a sketch featuring just the Pips

You might get a better idea of how good she is without the clutter of instrumentation. Here she is with a vocals only version of "If I Were Your Woman." What you might call the plaintive cry of an alpha widow. That scratchy throaty powerful emotion laden voice, gets me right there:

This should be a good start. Great idea for a thread.

[debeguiled]

Shoot, I forgot Dancing in the Streets:

And Diana Ross and the Supremes:

The Chi-Lites weren't officially Motown. They had that vibe, though, and their seminal oneitis song was a big hit:

You can get a feel for the Motown style from a lot of the songs and artists posted. I did a little checking, and there were also artists who didn't have the signature style, and yet still were Motown acts. Like Billie Preston, who got his start playing keyboard with the Beatles.

This song has one of my favorite lyrics. "I got a story ain't got no moral, let the bad guy win every once in a while." I loved this dude in high school:

All right, I am done hogging the thread. Thanks 2Wycked, for sending me hurtling down memory lane against my will.

[Sumanguru]

So, out of all those songs/artists you posted, are there any albums from them in particular you would recommend?

Sorry, I should have been more specific with my request. I'm looking for albums to start with.

[debeguiled]

(09-06-2016 06:19 PM)Sumanguru Wrote:  

So, out of all those songs/artists you posted, are there any albums from them in particular you would recommend?

Sorry, I should have been more specific with my request. I'm looking for albums to start with.

Sorry bro. I was just a kid listening to the radio. Someone will know though.

[Sam Malone]

The Commodores / Lionel Richie:

Earth, Wind and Fire / Philip Bailey:

3:13, Phil Collins with the EW&F outfit:

[kbell]

I think this is a little out of motown era, but I still like it.

I was introduced to this one from Beavis and Butthead do America, the Red Hot Chili Peppers version though.

[2Wycked]

(09-06-2016 03:59 PM)Sumanguru Wrote:  

Funny, as a black dude I grew up with my grandma playing Aretha and James every weekend. I didn't really enjoy it at the time--I came of age in the 90's during the Seattle sound and blasted Nirvana/Pearl Jam/Soundgarden from my own radio.

As I've gotten older, and learned to appreciate a wider range of music, I wish my grandma and her albums were still around.

Could you recommend a good place to start for a noob who is interested in Motown?

Start with one of the best albums that came out of Motown, What's Going On:

The title track is a beautiful song, as are the songs "Mercy, Mercy Me" and "God Is Love."

Barry White isn't technically Motown -- although he credited Motown artists like Marvin Gaye and The Four Tops as some of his greatest influences -- he has many great albums, such as Can't Get Enough:

I used to have a copy of the Chi-Lites album A Lonely Man, it was great:

[Ski pro]

If you want to expand you knowledge on music like this and maybe a few things that aren't this, I suggest checking out Trevor Nelson's Soul Show on BBC radio 2.

You can stream old episodes too. Just google it and you'll find it.

The Bbc puts out a lot of rubbish but this is the best thing on it by far.

[DJ-Matt]

Not to be picky, but for "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love" and in the 70s, the "Detroit Spinners" were just "the Spinners" and were on the Atlantic label, not Motown.



I consider myself a mini-expert on this part of music, so when I have some time I can spill my guts.

Also The 5th Dimension was on the Soul City (owned by Johnny Rivers) and the Bell labels:




The Motown sound changed quite a bit after Gordy moved them to L.A. after the Detroit riots. All the funk brothers that formed the backing for every record made there quit because they didn't want to move.

Marvin Gaye had to threaten to quit before Berry Gordy would release "What's Going On" because he believed it was too controversial and wouldn't sell. Gordy was wrong.

[Le Siamois]

The Isley Brothers, technically not Motown but they used to be signed on it.

(for the Biggies)

I was first and foremost a hip-hop enthusiast so discovering these songs after the sampled ones was always pure joy.

Curtis Mayfield, also not a Motown player but he's from the same era so I guess that he can be associated with the movement.

[debeguiled]

DJ-Matt, I am glad someone has come forward with some knowledge in this area. When I started looking through some websites for posting on this thread, I realized soon that there is an important distinction between the Motown style, and the actual artists who signed with Berry Gordy.

Like, for example, the Jackson 5 were signed with Motown, but have nothing in common with what is generally considered the Motown style. The Isley Brothers too.

Now, I am sure you know more about the musical technicalities of the Motown style much better than I do. I just listened to this music as a kid, and only have the general impressions you would get from repeated exposure to a style of music.

So I have a couple of questions.

First, which should we be talking about, artists that were actually signed with Gordy, or musicians that had the stamp of the Motown style?

I am completely surprised that the Spinners weren't Motown, and the Chi-Lites too, because they seem to have the Hallmarks of the Motown style.

Also, someone like Edwin Starr, with his classic sound, though great in his own way, and signed with Motown, seems to have no real connection to the Motown style.

Doesn't it make sense to speak more in terms of the Motown Sound, than the company called Motown Records?

My impression of the Motown style is this. Black Artists. Usually a group of three or more. Singing mostly romantic soul ballads, or upbeat romantic songs. Dressed well, for the seventies, anyway. Each group might have a lead vocalist, or that role could be shared, and there was always at least one guy with a really deep voice, and one with a really high voice. They sang harmony with each other, and had synchronized, simple dance steps.

In a way, they were the equivalent of the boy band today for the sixties and seventies, only they were man-bands, and young people could listen to them in order to get an idea of what grownups thought and how they acted in their romantic lives.

Also, they were in some respects old fashioned and traditional, because at the same time they were singing, all of the hippie influences were coming in to culture and creating bands like Sly and the Family Stone and Earth, Wind, and Fire, and the Ohio Players who would drop the suits and the tight choreography, and focus on the more individual aspects of the members, and also touch on topics of War, the environment, racism, and other social themes.

Even Marvin Gaye, who was signed with Motown, started out like this:



Would eventually become influenced by the times and end up singing more political songs and look like this:



So wouldn't it make sense to focus our attention on the Motown style and the bands influenced by it, rather than slavishly listing bands signed with Motown, but without the signature style?

I love all these old songs, and think it is okay to include bands like the Spinners, because they have a similar style, even if they aren't technically signed by Motown:

This stuff was old school, mature, wish fulfillment romantic music that was basically escapist and aspirational. Young people weren't so alienated and separate from grownups back in the day, and you looked for your models from your elders.

These guys were swanky as fuck, and sophisticated to a middle school kid back then, and seemed to be giving a glimpse into the romantic lives of grownups which was great for a kid looking to figure out where he was going.

I know for younger members of the forum, a lot of these songs probably immediately conjure up terms like oneitis, beta orbiter, etc., and that is fair enough, as they were a product of their time, and by the mid seventies they were shoved out of the consciousness of popular consumers by disco, and singer songwriters, and seventies funk acts like the Commodores, and Parliament.

They are pure though, and catalog male longing and interior emotional life, and a simplicity that is long gone now in the complex world of today.

Maurice White of Earth, Wind, and Fire, in the prologue to the EWF live in Rio album (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4_1tM-2Nsw)
actually refers to these acts somewhat dismissively as "drill teams," and goes on to say that his band was trying to free people from this kind of regimentation and allow them to express individuality. So they were already on their way out in the early seventies.

What do you think? Can we move this thread in the direction of the Motown style, rather than what artist was signed where? I am hoping it is not just nostalgia that makes me think there is still value in the clear honest and hopeful energetic emotion of these songs, even if in the end it is only a snapshot of a simpler and more carefree time.

Oh, and one final question. Do you think this was a time of great albums, or was it more geared towards hit singles?

[2Wycked]

@DJ Matt

Thanks for the knowledge drop. I'm an outsider in this area of music, so it's nice to have more knowledgeable guys on here. I should have known better than to include the Fifth Dimension in a list of Motown music, but she does have the voice of an angel

On a related note, has anybody read Marvin Gaye's biography? I have Barry White's autobiography on my short list of books to read, but I have never looked into Marvin Gaye's own story. Looks like "Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye" is the top hit. Seems to have been well received. There is no autobiography because it looks like Gaye was killed by his own father before he was able to put his own story together, good grief.

EDIT -- @debeguiled: Thanks for your post above, definitely gives us something to chew on. People had richer emotional lives back then and it shows up in the music, for sure.

[DJ-Matt]

Some artists' history on Motown is complicated. For example the Isley's were on RCA in the 50s when they cut "Shout" however were on Motown for "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for you)" in 1966, but were on Wand (same label as Kingsmen for "Louie Louie") for their version of "Twist and Shout" in 1962. They were only with the Motown label for 66-69, when they cut "Who's That Lady" and "It's Your Thing" they had moved to T-Neck records.

The 'Detroit' Spinners were on Motown's V.I.P. imprint in 1970 to record "It's a Shame" after that it's all Atlantic records.

As for Edwin Starr, he became a Motown artist after-the-fact when Berry Gordy purchased the Ric-Tic label and all it's assets to eliminate the competition. The record "Agent-Double-O-Soul" is not a Motown recording, hence why it's mono, because Motown has always had multitrack recording equipment with the exception of the first Motown record Barret Strong's "Money" which is forever mono. 3-Track in the early 60s, and then 8 track for the remainder of the 60s, and 16 and up when they moved to LA.

The Motown label was sort of an all-in-one hit factory, you had Holland-Dozier-Holland writing most of the hits, the funk brothers playing all the backing tracks, and then carefully selected vocal groups which were the "face" of the whole thing.

They were DEFINITELY singles oriented, as were most labels in the 50s and 60s, the albums were full of filler crap.

[Conscious Pirate]

I think Z-Trip summed it up sho-nuff with The Motown Breakdown...

That set is the best panty dropper in DJing history. Bar none. Trust me & play it.

[Tramin]

I had forgotten about some of these songs. Motown is the best.

[Cr33pin]

Great thread and great music.

I love the original but this mashup has taken over on my playlist for this particular song

Another fresh take on a timeless classic

[fokker]

If anyone asked me what Motown is, I'd just hand over the best of Marvin Gaye.

[Donkey George]

Hey,

I'm a big soul and Motown fan as well. As far as albums, I'd recommend the following:

Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life. Hands down one of the greatest albums of all time. It's the sound of a musical genius at his peak. Also check out Talking Book, Innervisions, and Music of My Mind.

Here's a great song from Songs in the Key of Life:

I'll cosign What's Going On by Marvin Gaye (check out There's a Riot Goin On by Sly and Family Stone if you get a chance. It's Sly Stone's response to Gaye's album) and all of his duet albums. One of the greatest break-up albums of all time is Marvin Gaye's Here, My Dear. He was going through a divorce with the founder of Motown's daughter. As part of the divorce settlement he was required to give her his proceeds from his next album, so he made an album about their divorce. Here's the intro:

Sly & the Family Stone's Family Affair:

Another great album is Reach Out by the Four Tops. They were key figures in developing the Motown sound and this is probably their strong album. Here's a track:

[IveBeenFramed]

Some of the most underrated Motown music came out in the 70s by people you probably haven't heard of. Namely from their in house producers and writers.

[Grodin]

This guy is an incredible singer with a controversial personality. I think, however, that he was ahead of his time. It's a shame he made some choices and ruined his career, but also the industry was behind the curve on certain things. When David Ruffin left the Temptations he lost the production value, the synergy with his bandmates, etc. He lost more than motown did, but soon thereafter those things Ruffin were demanding became the norm. There was no longer groups like the Temptations, Spinners and Four Tops; instead it became powerful singers leading the way like Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Teddy Pendergrass so on and so forth.

David Ruffin could sure sing though. If he had came into the industry at a time where superegos were accepted and embraced, he would have had years of solo success. I still recommend his solo material, you have to sort through some duds with poor production and most of it doesn't have the magic of the Temptations. He's voice is so unique and powerful that his music shines even with a lackluster surrounding cast.

[Dr. Howard]

Good thread,

There is also a modern kind of soul/motown revival going on. There are some modern bands recreating older sounding music. Some of my preferences include

Charles Bradley

St. Paul and the broken Bones

Charles Walker

Booker T is even recording new stuff