Thats unfortunate, because Robinsons body of work in this decade is frequently spellbinding, perhaps nowhere more than Quiet Storm, an album that lent its name to an entire subgenre of misty, meticulous R&B. 5. But stories of the label in the Seventies tend to focus on Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, to the exclusion of others. Written by Smokey Robinson, this was Mary Wells biggest hit for the label and more or less marked the end of her tenure there. Its a perfect marriage of two distinct and talented voices. Boogie On Reggae Woman is a synth-funk electro-skank where Stevie plays nearly everything himself, from the harmonica solo to that filthy Moog bass line. Rub You The Right Way Johnny Gill / U.S. R&B, 4. Ben Michael Jackson / U.S. I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) (Extended Alternate Background Vocals Stereo Mix) 2-16: Four Tops - Something About You: 2-17: The Supremes - Stop! They gained acclaim for helping to change soul in the 70s by adding rock guitar, and did the original version of Twist And Shout (later covered by The Beatles on their debut album, Please Please Me). Send us a tip using our anonymous form. Baby Im For Real The Originals / U.S. R&B, 6. Gaye sings about street life in his falsetto, declaring, Theres only three things in life thats sure taxes, death, and trouble. , This breezy groove has some of Smokeys wittiest wordplay, stretching out the makeup metaphors and puns, while Martha Reeves sings about the tears pancake and powder could never cover. . Devil In The Bottle T.G. We are keeping you music alive Duke! J.D. All Night Long (All Night) Lionel Richie / U.S. That its songs still sit among the greatest and most soulful ever recorded is testament to the relentless quality of the artists and songwriters Gordy hired. This silky 1967 treatise on desire, previously recorded by The Temptations, is one of the best Motown love songs. Got to be there in the morning/And welcome her into my world, the 13-year-old Michael Jackson sang on his first solo single, with his brothers singing behind him and a lush vocal arrangement by Willie Hutch. All This Love DeBarge / U.S. B.S. Your extended versions of Needle In A Haystack and All I Know About You are my personal favourites, Soulful Detroit is a free service that relies on revenue from ad display [regrettably] and donations. Pop, 19. It used a motto of the early 70s which became even more popular following the songs 1973 release, adorning T-shirts and badges across the US and UK. He just wants to be high (so high) and free, and really, who could deny such a sweet farewell? Sheppard / U.S. Country, 1. Sticking with the R&B end of Tamla Motown, heres the labels first No.1, stylishly delivered by Gladys Horton and the girls from Inkster, Michigan. A.M. Gaye threads multitracked backing vocals throughout almost the entire tune, sometimes echoing the lead lyric, sometimes breaking the spell with shattering ad-libs then knitting everything back together by bathing the whole track in the prettiest of ooohs and aaahs. When he starts to fade out not long after four minutes, you may not feel ready to leave. Sir Duke Stevie Wonder / U.S. One Day In Your Life Michael Jackson / U.K. Ireland, 10. Keep On Truckin (Part 1) Eddie Kendricks / U.S. Sam Armstrong, The Isley Brothers only recorded songs for Motown for a short time, but they made a mighty impact with this pleading HollandDozierHolland gem. Copyright 2023 The box set also contains an exclusive 100-page book with rare and classic photographs, detailed track annotations and an introduction by Smokey Robinson, himself responsible for 20 Motown No. Ball Of Confusion (Thats What The World Is Today) The Temptations / U.S. Throbbing, grinding, and otherworldly, this is Ross in inner space, chasing dreams and illusions, while regretting wasted love as ever. So, in 1968, the Motown machine set about creating a song to make the beloved trio totally contemporary. Jimmy Mack Martha & the Vandellas / U.S. R&B, 11. Free shipping. You Keep Me Hangin On The Supremes / U.S. Shockingly, Ooo Baby Baby was not a UK hit, though it made US No.16 in 1965. 371. A recreated version of the Motown DI is now publicly available as the Acme Audio Motown DI WB-3. Shotgun Jr. Walker & the All-Stars / U.S. R&B, 16. Sam Armstrong, This massive hit for The Four Tops wasnt just a No. This lighter-than-air party anthem hit Number One in 1983, helping make Richie one of the most famous pop stars on the planet. 1s, with the Miracles and as a solo artist. I Just Called To Say I Love You Stevie Wonder / U.S. Pop, 2. Four Tops 1966 monster, with Levi Stubbs straining every sinew to let you know hes standing by, ready to catch you when you fall. Uptight (Everythings Alright) Stevie Wonder / U.S. R&B, 23. At one point, Kendricks holds his quavering falsetto for around 10 straight seconds before the track goes full instrumental and pushes toward the lead-footed, four-on-the-floor pulse that would later define disco. 1. Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day Stevie Wonder / U.S. R&B, 17. In The Name of Love The Supremes / U.S. Aint That Peculiar Marvin Gaye / U.S. R&B, 22. Detroit-born 29-year-old Berry Gordy founded Tamla Records with an $800 loan from . 1s, including two that were not in the 2008 release and two Diana Ross remixes that have more recently topped Billboards dance chart: Aint No Mountain High Enough (2017 Remix) and Im Coming Out/Upside Down (2018 Mix).. The result was this arresting story of ghetto love. Mix - Four Tops "Baby I Need Your Loving" My Extended Vocal Version! Wherever I Lay My Hat (Thats My Home) Marvin Gaye, 1. [The feeling of] Easy like Sunday morning applies to anybody who lives in a small Southern town, he once told, . Blowin In The Wind Stevie Wonder / U.S. R&B, 3. Moy didnt have a Braille version, so she sang the lyrics line by line to Wonder as he recorded the vocal. Here well show you why. I mean, she delivered a vocal performance that folks are gonna be listening to as long as human beings are capable of love. R.S. Back In My Arms Again The Supremes / U.S. The song looked backward and forward at the same time, conjuring the Drifters 1964 classic Up on the Roof, while adding a dash of funky psychedelic whimsy. The Complete Motown Singles | Vol. Adult Contemporary Canada, 26. Told it would take a while to come up with what Richie needed, the singer made up the interjections himself. Lets Get It On Marvin Gaye / U.S. Norman Whitfield, the architect of psychedelic soul, and singer-songwriter Barrett Strong originally wrote this warning to backstabbers for the Temptations, who recorded it in 1971. , that warn a flirtatious partner to take it slow/or someday youll be all, alone, the Jackson 5s third straight Number One was a step in a more adult. Overjoyed Stevie Wonder / U.S. Such a shame the world lost her at such a young age. Yet the ladies got back to work with new singer Jean Terrell and kept cranking out hits. A Number One R&B hit, Shop Around was only kept out of the Number One slot on the pop charts by Lawrence Welk. Shop Around The Miracles (featuring Bill Smokey Robinson) / U.S. R&B, 2. Good investment. E.L. Set to a lilting waltz arrangement, this bittersweet tale of anxiety is never resolved appropriately, as couples still face the same problem. Junior Walker aka Autry DeWalt Mixon, Jr was Motowns leading horn-playing star, guaranteed to kick up a rumpus, yet sensitive, too. After the Temptations shifted course toward funkier, harder-hitting fare like Psychedelic Shack and Ball of Confusion, Just My Imagination was a sweet nod to the groups classic sound. Adult Contemporary, 6. Send One Your Love Stevie Wonder / U.S. Runaway Child, Running Wild The Temptations / U.S. R&B, 2. Where Did Our Love Go The Supremes / U.S. One doozy of a catchy song, penned by Motown backroom legends Holland-Dozier-Holland alongside Canadian singer Richard Dean Taylor. mosogotam 285K views 9 years ago. You Are The Sunshine of My Life Stevie Wonder / U.S. First recorded by The Temptations, but a huge hit for The Undisputed Truth in 1971, here's the hard-edged aspect of Motown, superbad and tough. Four Tops, The Temptations, The Funk Brothers, and more The Four Tops - Baby I Need Your Loving, Bernadette, Same Old. One of the keystones of Ms. Ross' solo career and proof that Motown could conjure up disco classics of epic proportions. For the breakdown in the middle, Richie asked a friend who worked at the United Nations to recommend some African sayings. You could make a case that the Seventies Supremes rate right up there with the Sixties edition and Bad Weather is Exhibit A. More than 40 years after its release, it still knows its built and knows how to please. A few days after the first was released locally, Gordy second-guessed himself too slow, not enough life, he grumbled and he brought everyone back to record the peppier version that became Motowns first million-seller. Please enjoy, I hope you like it. Diana doesnt want Alka-Seltzer. A Motown Records Release; This Compilation 2019 UMG Recordings, Inc. Please Mr. Postman The Marvelettes / U.S. The movie for which it was written is largely forgotten today, but the song will be remembered forever. Getting down to a list of the 100 Greatest Motown Songs wasnt easy. Pop*/** U.S. R&B, 8. Think weve missed any of the best Motown songs? K.H. Slippery When Wet The Commodores / U.S. R&B, 16. For as scary as Stubbs sounds at some points (like when the music turns overcast the second he says her name and proclaims You belong to me) but theres also something endearing about it all, and like every great Four Tops single, its impossible not to get swept away by the chorus. That keening horn at the start calls you to a 1964 Motown song that is a sure-fire smash hit. My Guy Mary Wells / U.S. It remains one of Motowns best songs. Ill Make Love To You Boyz II Men / U.S. The strutting foundation of All Night Long is unimpeachable, a squirt of bass notes scattered around a dry, echoey snare drum. When Junior Walker saw some folks at the El Grotto Club in Battle Creek, Michigan, playfully shooting at each other with index finger and thumb as they danced, he got an idea. When it comes to Motown, sometimes its more fun to print the legend. Aint Nothing Like The Real Thing Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell / U.S. R&B, 18. The newly-expanded Motown: The Complete No. But when a song like this was the result, it was worth arguing over. The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game The Marvelettes / U.S. R&B*, 9. He didnt know our names, Mary Wilson recalled of that auspicious debut. The Tears of A Clown Smokey Robinson & the Miracles [U.K. version] / U.K. 18. More than 40 years after its release, it still knows its built and knows how to please. Pop U.S. R&B*/** Canada. Check out Forever More: The Complete Motown Albums Vol. End of The Road Boyz II Men / U.S. Let us know in the comments section below. Im Gonna Make You Love Me Diana Ross & the Supremes & the Temptations / U.S. Got To Give It Up was an exception, and it showed he could have been the king of the four-to-the-floor style if it had suited him. And heres a more rolling groover: a US solo No.1 for the former high tenor of The Temptations. Soul with ambition, soaked in passion. We notice that you are using an, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis0VgLdRY8nxPcuS. Between the Detroit Symphony Orchestras tremulous, swooping strings and the Tempts honey-dripping harmonies, singer Eddie Kendricks daydreams about dating a neighbor girl who is way out of his league. Ultimately, though, its an invigorating tribute to the unifying spirit of music itself, the equal opportunity for all to sing, dance, and clap their hands, and, frankly, Wonder deserves his own Sir Duke tribute just for writing it. Burn bras and carry signs?) The piano is the engine here, pushing everything forward with heavy clumps of notes, while the brass section keeps adding injections of diesel fuel. But I will definitely work on more when I get some time to be creative. We want to hear it. Pop**, 17. Sweetened by female backing group the Adantes, and showcasing Gayes gift for riding a great groove through the verse and bringing it home on the chorus, this went to Number One on the R&B Singles chart and into the Top 10 of the Pop Singles chart in 1965. These songs are so enjoyable in the longer versions. Pop** U.S. R&B, 16. There have been hundreds of non-Motown remakes of Motown songs. Try it free for 30 days In "mixable order" using related BPM Key, trending charts and hackathon data. They followed it the next year with equally lovely The Bells, another hit co-authored and produced by Gaye. K.G. The Tears of A Clown Smokey Robinson & the Miracles [U.S. version] / U.S. Stevie Wonders all-time clavinet killer riffed its way into history in 1972, and has thrilled (and advised) listeners ever since. Adult Contemporary, 10. This was the only hit outside of the Temptations for Edwards he gets a healthy assist from Garrett, who would go on to co-write Michael Jacksons Man in the Mirror but even without his longtime groupmates, he can shoot out words and phrases with the gravel-shotgun force of Teddy Pendergrass. Pop U.S. R&B, 8. In the best Motown tradition, I Just Want to Celebrate transcended genres. As Wells told biographer Peter Benjaminson, she thought it would be cute to pay tribute to Mae West during the outro, doing a bit of a sultry staccato. 2 by The Marvelettes on Amazon Music. Pop*/**. Tina Cherry Georgio / U.S. Dance/Disco, 13. Just To See Her Smokey Robinson / U.S. Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Written and produced by Smokey Robinson, the track is a fluttering, soft, ultra-feminine tale of fidelity, with Wells coyly rejecting the advances of other men. I Heard It Through The Grapevine Gladys Knight & the Pips / U.S. R&B, 14. Diana Ross was on the precipice of solo stardom when she recorded Love Child, which was ostensibly a solo single anyway, since it was one of the first Supremes recordings without any other actual Supremes on it. Living For The City Stevie Wonder / U.S. R&B, 4. Pop U.S. R&B, 15. 4: 1964 Various The Complete Motown Singles | Vol. With a moody chord sequence and haunting harmonica, The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game was one of the most original hits of 1967. Its hard to decide which is more joyous, the opening horns or Wonders la la las,but they blend together to produce the kind of sunshine-soul pop that could only exist in 1969. On the tune, one of her first forays into more mature, soul-music territory, she narrates the tale of an illegitimate child, racked with guilt, scorned by her mother (and society), and embarrassed by her own existence. 0:57. Cameron goes from a smooth crooner waitin all alone by the telephone to bemused falsetto to enraged jilted lover in three minutes. But he returned from a European tour with a hard-driving track influenced by the Rolling Stones for writing partners Sylvia Moy and Henry Crosby to polish off. But his slower, altogether more spooked version was the one that stuck, no doubt helped along by Jack Ashfords subtle tambourine. Adult Contemporary, 13. Its such a great yarn too bad the Supremes recorded a version of Its the Same Old Song a year earlier. Required fields are marked *. J.D. Somebodys Watching Me Rockwell / U.S. R&B, 9. Hip-hop heads know the bass line was so good that Eric B. and Rakim used it to underpin their masterpiece Paid in Full. E.L. CONTACT Us Gayes early Seventies albums tend to get more attention than his work later in the decade, but 1976s I Want You is wildly ambitious and recklessly groovy, maybe nowhere more than its title song. Pop U.S. R&B Canada, 10. When they arrived at the studio, they came prepared with charts and a production blueprint, though there was still room for improvisation: That distinctive tick-a-tick-a-tick is drummer Uriel Jones hitting his snares metal rim. With Dianas name now in lights, The Supremes set about tackling the problem of delivering soul in a psychedelic year (1967) by making a psychedelic soul record. Dont Leave Me This Way Thelma Houston / U.S. The group apparently had doubts about dissing their dads, who were all upright folk. Pop U.S. R&B Australia Canada, 11. Because they were my brothers and sisters.. Adult Contemporary, 9. The title phrase was inspired by a BMI awards ceremony, where one of the winners, songwriter Ronnie Mack of Hes So Fine, was eulogized by his mother, who accepted the award after his death from Hodgkins lymphoma. They turned Too Many Fish in the Sea into a timeless feminist pep talk for anyone going through love troubles, with Gladys Horton as the voice of wisdom: I dont want nobody who dont want me/Theres too many fish in the sea! Benny Benjamins drums really second that emotion. Tender yet sprightly, its regarded as The Temptations theme song. [C# Fm B D# G#m] Chords for Diana Ross Supremes Motown "Forever Came Today" My Extended Version! Cruisin Smokey Robinson / U.S. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. In Motown narratives, Smokey Robinson is often praised for his achingly beautiful work with the Miracles and his writing and production for Mary Wells and the Temptations, among others. Masterpiece The Temptations / U.S. R&B, 17. Adult Contemporary, #1 cover/rap version by Coolio featuring L.V., as Gangstas Paradise: U.S., Australia, Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland, 1. Not much became of the imprint, which closed up shop by the mid-Seventies. (That initial bang is the sound of guitarist Eddie Willis accidentally kicking his amp.) From an earthy groove that recalls Sly and the Family Stone to lyricsthat warn a flirtatious partner to take it slow/or someday youll be all alone, the Jackson 5s third straight Number One was a step in a more adult direction than I Want You Back and ABC. Leading the way, naturally,was Michael: His pipsqueak voice packed so much intensity and fervorthat he really did sound like a wounded grown-up and not the11-year-old he was at the time. Pop U.S. R&B*/**, 14. But the not-quite original is the best! That letter she wanted probably held a 1961 gold record. Man, he was one of the major forces in the Motown sound, Stevie Wonder told Rolling Stone in 1973, just a few years after Benjamins fatal stroke. Awe-inspiring. J.D. Celebrate with Abdul Duke Fakir, the last and still living member of The Four Tops. First recorded for The Temptations Psychedelic Shack album, Edwin Starr took War to a far angrier place in 1970, and it became an anthem for those who opposed the Vietnam War. Pop U.S. R&B U.S. Pop U.S. R&B, 3. Also shout out for Eddie the writer and Brian Holland, both living, and Lamont Dozier for the melody and music! Far from the tales of carefree romance popular in Sixties Motown, the song cautions against the smiling faces that pretend to be your friend and dont tell the truth. The group wouldnt reach that level of success again, but the song earned notable covers by everyone from Rare Earth to Joan Osborne. This song was never a hit, not even a single. Pop U.S. R&B Canada, 11. K.G. Smiling Faces Sometimes The Undisputed Truth / U.S. R&B**, 8. The way the music is produced and mixed, usually with echo and reverb, means that you pretty much can't remove a sound completely without trace. But it was Motown trio the Undisputed Truth who took the original 12-minute jam, slowed it down, added horns, and cut it to down a three-minute slice of foreboding soul. Scroll down for the full tracklisting, and pre-order it here. Producer Hal David helped the recording sessions along by providing the participants with liquor, according to The Billboard Book of Number One R&B Hits first plying band members with shots of Rmy Martin, and later providing Ross with a little taste of vodka. Love Hangover became a Number One hit in 1976, presaging Ross success with disco on 1980s Diana. The songs vibe is consciously international, fitting in Caribbean, Spanish, and Swahili phrases. Rick James wrote this ballad about a torrid affair with an Ethiopian princess. The last Number One hit of the Sixties, it was afitting send-off for the group and the decade that birthed them. Youre All I Need To Get By Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell / U.S. R&B, 20. MOTOWN (extended) Jim Magoc 90 videos 341 views Last updated on Jan 6, 2023 Play all Shuffle 4:07 The Miracles "Mickey's Monkey" My Extended Version!!! The Motown Acapella Intros Mix mixed by Martin T Martin T MegaMixes 2 years ago R&B & Soul 167 4 1 Martin T MegaMixes 138 188 Report Follow Martin T MegaMixes and others on SoundCloud. Forum Archives An anthem from the first hitmaking phase of The Temptations career, when their songs were laid on by Smokey Robinson a sure sign of soul of the highest order. Im Coming Out/Upside Down 2018 Mix Diana Ross / U.S. Dance Club, Your email address will not be published. r), working up a plush, Caribbean-inspired groove that fits like an impeccably tailored velvet suit. Adult Contemporary, 11. Pop U.S. When Kendricks returns, all the instruments drop away except the hand percussion, creating the kind of endlessly loopable kinetic breakdown thats catnip for DJs.
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