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What's your favourite Motown Song?


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I'm a fan of lots of soul music but have been listening to a lot of Motown recently and would love to know your favourite Motown tracks, hit & lesser known? (maybe 1 or 2 of each)

Lesser known (to me anyway)

Tammi Terrell 'I Can't Believe You Love Me'

More well known

The Spinners 'It's A Shame'

Martha Reeves & The Vandellas 'Nowhere To Run' 

 

 

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I didn't see another thread but haven't been here long! 

Great track!

It's no problem - we regularly rerun threads. I tried a quick search for the old thread but couldn't find it. I'm sure people will post on your new thread.

The Originals track has quite a lot of history/interest.

:thumbsup:

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Hits: 

My Girl - Temptations

Ask The Lonely - Four Tops

Truly Yours - Spinners

Tracks of My Tears - Miracles

My Guy - Mary Wells

Run, Run, Run -Supremes

Take Me In Your Arms - Kim Weston

This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak For You) - Isley Brothers

Everybody Needs Love - Gladys Knight & Pips

 

 

Non-Hits:

A Favor For A Girl - Brenda Holloway

Keep On Loving Me - Frances Nero

Lonely, Lonely Girl Am I - Velvelettes

The Man Who Don't Believe In Love - Marv Johnson

My Beloved - Satintones (Strings version)

I'll Come Running - Carolyn Crawford

 

 

 

Vinyl unreleased: 

Tears, Nobody and A Smile - Serenaders

All I Do (Is Think About You) - Tammi Terrell

Cry- Monitors

Baby, Hit and Run - Contours (Dennis Edwards)

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Versatones

Crying In The Night -Monitors

On The Avenue - Jimmy Ruffin

All I Have Left are Memories - Sammy Turner & Serenaders

A Tear From A Woman's Eyes - Temptations

I Should Have Known Better - Marvelettes

 

 

There are WAY, way to many to list  that were perfect recordings, and better than almost anything else recorded by any other company

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Hits: 

My Girl - Temptations

Ask The Lonely - Four Tops

Truly Yours - Spinners

Tracks of My Tears - Miracles

My Guy - Mary Wells

Run, Run, Run -Supremes

Take Me In Your Arms - Kim Weston

This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak For You) - Isley Brothers

Everybody Needs Love - Gladys Knight & Pips

 

 

Non-Hits:

A Favor For A Girl - Brenda Holloway

Keep On Loving Me - Frances Nero

Lonely, Lonely Girl Am I - Velvelettes

The Man Who Don't Believe In Love - Marv Johnson

My Beloved - Satintones (Strings version)

I'll Come Running - Carolyn Crawford

 

 

 

Vinyl unreleased: 

Tears, Nobody and A Smile - Serenaders

All I Do (Is Think About You) - Tammi Terrell

Cry- Monitors

Baby, Hit and Run - Contours (Dennis Edwards)

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Versatones

Crying In The Night -Monitors

On The Avenue - Jimmy Ruffin

All I Have Left are Memories - Sammy Turner & Serenaders

A Tear From A Woman's Eyes - Temptations

I Should Have Known Better - Marvelettes

 

 

There are WAY, way to many to list  that were perfect recordings, and better than almost anything else recorded by any other company

What a list!

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Guest MBarrett

Hit - "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5. For me the best intro and one of the best overall pop songs of the last 60 years.

Sorry to the purists. I have to tell it as I see it. :)

Lesser known - "Throw A Farewell Kiss" from the Velvelettes. The unrequited love thing. Gets me every time. 

Edited by MBarrett
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So many! All time favourites of mine include Barbara McNair-You're gonna love my Baby, The Originals-Suspicion, Linda Griner-Goodbye Cruel Love. I could go on but they're probably at the top. Then there's the recently released stuff in the boxed sets such as The Isley Brothers-Sure Is A Lotta Woman and also one I've been playing a lot recently in sets is The Four Tops-Don't Bring Back Memories which is a great 70s track.

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Guest Michael Wilkins

Barbara Randolph - I Got A feeling

The Spinners - Message From A Blackman

The Undisputed Truth - Save My Love For A Rainy Day

The Undisputed Truth - You Got The Love I  Need

 

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Isley Brothers - Little Miss Sweetness

I've had this tune on a 'MFP Introducing...' LP for donkeys years, and the bass comes at ya like a train.My album has a crack in it, so I picked the tune up on a 45 (UK issue or reissue I think), the problem is whoever engineered it virtually removed the bass so the track is dead

If anyone knows or has this track on a 45, with full bass complement, please let me know..maybe the US issue does?

Cheers

Rob

 

Edited by cutdown69
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Isley Brothers - Little Miss Sweetness

I've had this tune on a 'MFP Introducing...' LP for donkeys years, and the bass comes at ya like a train.My album has a crack in it, so I picked the tune up on a 45 (UK issue of reissue I think), the problem is whoever engineered it virtually removed the bass so the track is dead

If anyone knows or has this track on a 45, with full bass complement, please let me know..maybe the US issue does?

Cheers

Rob

 

Try The Temptations version Rob, Ruffin in top form

Kev

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'Uptight' by Stevie Wonder is the epitome of Motown for me. Yes, it was a big hit and is familiar to one and all but it is so dynamic and uplifting that I still get a strong emotional reaction to it even today. Sophisticated lyrics too for a 15-year-old.

Baby, everything is all right, uptight, out of sight [x2]

 [Verse 1]
 I'm a poorman's son, from across the railroad tracks
 The only shirt I own is hanging on my back
 But I'm the envy of every single guy
 Since I'm the apple of my girl's eye
 When we go out stepping on the town for a while
 My money's low and my suit's out of style
 But it's all right if my clothes aren't new
 Out of sight because my heart is true

 [Chorus]
 She says baby everything is alright, uptight, out of sight
 Baby, everything is alright, uptight, clean out of sight

 [Verse 2]
 She's a pearl of a girl, I guess that's what you might say
 I guess her folks brought her up that way
 The right side of the tracks, she was born and raised
 In a great big old house, full of butlers and maids
 She says no one is better than I, I know I'm just an average guy
 No football hero or smooth Don Juan
 Got empty pockets, you see I'm a poorman's son
 She says give her the things that money can buy
 But I'll never, never make my baby cry

 [Chorus]
 And it's all right, what I can't do
 Out of sight because my heart is true
 She says baby everything is alright, uptight, clean out of sight [x5]

 

 

Edited by ElGeePee
reedit
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Liz Lands - Midnight Johnny

Linda Griner - Goodbye cruel world

Tommy Good - Baby  I miss you

Andantes - like a nightmare

Andantes/Velvelettes ?? - It's a funny way

Well that's 5 that floats my boat  :thumbsup:

I think you meant "Good-Bye Cruel Love" by Linda Griner.  "Goodbye Cruel World" (I'm Off To Join The Circus) was a horrible Pop song, sung by one of those '50s "pretty boy" movie stars, who couldn't sing.  I think it was James Darren on Colpix Records?  It started out with an instrumental intro of circus steam calliope music.  Real camp!

Edited by RobbK
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Guest phillybuster

A personal favourite is - The Isleys, my love is your love

tammi & marvin - oh how I'd miss you - understated class

early Temps - pre david ruffin, I think - I want a love I can see - great vocal

 

 

Paul Williams

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Said it before and I'll say it again.

In my very humble opinion there has never been a track that epitomises everything that is so great about Motown as much as "Tracks of my tears" does.

The term magnificent doesn't do this justice.

Also up there with the very best:

"Just ask the lonely" - Four Tops

"I wish it would rain" - Temptations

"Baby I'm for real" - Originals.

 

Maybe predictable but absolute enduring quality from the opening bar to the final note on each of them

 

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Motown is and always will be my true love of music, I could list hundreds of tracks.  I've been playing this unreleased track a lot lately, pure class!

Brenda Holloway 'Don't Stay Away'  Its a weird and wonderful video clip too :ohmy:

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I think you meant "Good-Bye Cruel Love" by Linda Griner.  "Goodbye Cruel World" (I'm Off To Join The Circus) was a horrible Pop song, sung by one of those '50s "pretty boy" movie stars, who couldn't sing.  I think it was James Darren on Colpix Records?  It started out with an instrumental intro of circus steam calliope music.  Real camp!

Robb. Good-by cruel love was released on the yellow  Tamla with the globes. and Good-by cruel world was released on the Motown label with the map

 

Steve

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Robb. Good-by cruel love was released on the yellow  Tamla with the globes. and Good-by cruel world was released on the Motown label with the map

 

Steve

"Good Bye Cruel Love" was issued promotionally on Motown on some presses as "Good-By Cruel WORLD". I've never seen an issue that way. The Tamla version with globes is a Canadian release. 

 

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Robb. Good-by cruel love was released on the yellow  Tamla with the globes. and Good-by cruel world was released on the Motown label with the map

 

Steve

Goodbye Cruel Love was released on Motown and is, by far, the most common.  If you have it on yellow Tamla with Globes, it's the Canadian pressing.  Yes, now I remember that there was one small batch that had the wrong word (guessed wrong by the printer).

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