From 1972.
Taken from the 1974 LP: Anthology (Motown M9-809A3)
Written by Todd Rundgren. They were going in a more progressive direction at this point in their career.
R.I.P. Levi Stubbs and all the rest.
Duration : 0:7:50
Four Tops- Hey Man / We Got To Get You A Woman (vinyl)
a motown classic: kim weston- take me in your arms (rock me a little while)
Kim Weston- ask any avid Motown fan, the ones REALLY additcted to the label’s music, about Kim Weston and I’ll make a bet that 100% of them will tell you Motown REALLY dropped the ball on a phenomenal talent…
Here is an alternate version of perhaps Kim’s best-known song for the company (at least, best-known to the public in general.)
Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While) was a firestorm that came from the forever-astonishing team of Holland-Dozier-Holland. Eddie Holland actually put his vocals down first. Notes from the Kim Weston Motown Anthology state that the song was slated for Martha and the Vandellas. The song was then assigned to Kim, and Motown’s studio A caught fire and disintigrated.
How the studio didn’t burn to the ground as this woman lit fire to the already-burning H-D-H track is a mystery. The commercial version certainly was a firecracker but this alternate version recently released… fire alarms will sound, walls will crumble, speakers will explode, you’ll be turned into ashes.
I don’t know, maybe Kim decided to just give it hell, maybe H-D-H wanted one more take and Kim was tired and decided if they wanted one more take, then she would give them something they’d never forget. Whatever factored into this take, Kim takes the vocals to asonishingly explosive heights and hits notes that must have brought down any and all aircraft flying in the vicinity of Hitsville U.S.A. Notice too her lightning-fast phrasing going into the choruses (almost like those triple-time raps hip hop artists pull of so easily today.)
People must have really been paying attention to this song because the Doobie Brothers did a cover of the song that accomplished the fantastic feat of sounding thouroughly like a Doobie Brothers original and yet keeping a lot of that fantastic, classic Motown Sound at the same time.
Kim Weston was a woman who was able to shift gears easily between the Motown Sound and ballads and standards. Wonderfully, there have been recent releases on cd to showcase all of her amazing recordings as well as the ones that were kept in the vaults. Here is just one of those tracks that were kept behind, so enjoy and keep the fire extinguisher nearby!
Duration : 0:3:1
Four Tops- I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) (vinyl)
1965.
Taken from the 1974 comp LP: “Anthology”
(Motown M9-809A3)
“Anthology” is a big triple LP set. Motown put out several of these on most of their artists in the 70’s.
R.I.P Levi Stubbs.
Duration : 0:3:1
Four Tops- Baby I Need Your Loving (vinyl)
1964.
Taken from the 1974 comp LP: “Anthology”
(Motown M9-809A3)
“Anthology” is a big triple LP set. Motown put out several of these on most of their artists in the 70’s.
R.I.P Levi Stubbs.
Duration : 0:3:10
a motown classic: brenda holloway- i’ll be alright
the beautiful brenda holloway!
here’s an un-released discovery that should be high on every motown / northern soul lover’s list; “i’ll be alright.” written by frank wilson, it would have made for a strong follow-up to brenda’s release “just look what you’ve done.” the groove is similar, possibly owing to both being written and produced by frank and lamont dozier.
frank wilson was one of motown’s strongest writers and always came up with material that was exciting and innovative. this was one of the best productions never to emerge from the motown vaults-until it’s release on the 2005 cd, “brenda holloway- the motown anthology.”
for everyone who has endured loneliness and then found the one who could remove that emptiness, brenda sings this song for you. there is so much emotional truth in the performance it’s hard to believe that this, along with so many other recordings never saw the light of day.
there’s plenty to savor here: the intricate and astoundingly tight playing by motown’s famed funk brothers, the always beautiful strings usually provided by the detroit symphony and certainly, not least of all, brenda’s never less-than-perfect vocals. attention also must be paid to the brilliant backing vocals by the andantes and the originals.
so, listen and make this one of your new motown favorites!
Duration : 0:2:36
BOBBY CALDWELL, WHAT YOU WON’T DO FOR LOVE,20TH ANNIVERSARY
BOBBY CALDWELL, WHAT YOU WON’T DO FOR LOVE,20TH ANNIVERSARY REMIX, FROM THE TIMELINE ANTHOLOGY CD SET,1998
Duration : 0:7:1
Gladys Knight & The Pips — “Till I See You Again” (1985)
This song is a fan favorite that is hard to find, but it was released in 2007 as part of an anthology. It was originally on the 1985 LP _Life_ and has been out of print for years. _Life_ was never released on CD; you can buy the album (on vinyl, of course) via eBay or other related sites. In 2007, “Till I See You Again” was FINALLY released on the IMPORT anthology CD _Midnight Train to Georgia: The Best of Gladys Knight and the Pips_. You can buy this two disc set on Amazon.com.
Performed by: Gladys Knight & The Pips
Written by: Marvin Morrow and Walter “Bunny” Sigler
_Life_ was the last LP Gladys Knight & the Pips recorded for CBS Records (which then was a part of Columbia).
Morrow and Sigler also wrote the song “Tight Fit” for Chaka Kahn in her 1986 LP _Destiny_. Bunny Sigler is a recording artist in his own right; as a composer, he has worked extensively with the legendary Gamble and Huff production team.
**UPDATE: Thanks to Marvin Morrow for linking me to his MySpace page and answering my email about it! You can check out more about his storied career by clicking on the links below:
http://www.myspace.com/marvinmorrow and http://marvinmorrow.com/
Enjoy!
Duration : 0:5:25
Four Tops- Standing In The Shadows Of Love (vinyl)
1966.
Taken from the 1974 comp LP: “Anthology”
(Motown M9-809A3)
“Anthology” is a big triple LP set. Motown put out several of these on most of their artists in the 70’s.
R.I.P Levi Stubbs.
Duration : 0:2:54
lucaslegrand fav electronic music #2
lucaslegrand music 1. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles
2. Pet Sounds, The Beach Boys
3. Revolver, The Beatles
4. Highway 61 Revisited, Bob Dylan
5. Rubber Soul, The Beatles
6. What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye
7. Exile on Main Street, The Rolling Stones
8. London Calling, The Clash
9. Blonde on Blonde, Bob Dylan
10. The Beatles (”The White Album”), The Beatles
11. The Sun Sessions, Elvis Presley
12. Kind of Blue, Miles Davis
13. Velvet Underground and Nico, The Velvet Underground
14. Abbey Road, The Beatles
15. Are You Experienced?, The Jimi Hendrix Experience
16. Blood on the Tracks, Bob Dylan
17. Nevermind, Nirvana
18. Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen
19. Astral Weeks, Van Morrison
20. Thriller, Michael Jackson
21. The Great Twenty-Eight, Chuck Berry
22. Plastic Ono Band, John Lennon
23. Innervisions, Stevie Wonder
24. Live at the Apollo (1963), James Brown
25. Rumours, Fleetwood Mac
26. The Joshua Tree, U2
27. King of the Delta Blues Singers, Vol. 1, Robert Johnson
28. Who’s Next, The Who
29. Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin
30. Blue, Joni Mitchell
31. Bringing It All Back Home, Bob Dylan
32. Let It Bleed, The Rolling Stones
33. Ramones, Ramones
34. Music From Big Pink, The Band
35. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, David Bowie
36. Tapestry, Carole King
37. Hotel California, The Eagles
38. The Anthology, 1947 – 1972, Muddy Waters
39. Please Please Me, The Beatles
40. Forever Changes, Love
41. Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols, The Sex Pistols
42. The Doors, The Doors
43. The Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd
44. Horses, Patti Smith
45. The Band, The Band
46. Legend, Bob Marley and the Wailers
47. A Love Supreme, John Coltrane
48. It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Public Enemy
49. At Fillmore East, The Allman Brothers Band
50. Here’s Little Richard, Little Richard
51. Bridge Over Troubled Water, Simon and Garfunkel
52. Greatest Hits, Al Green
53. The Birth of Soul: The Complete Atlantic Rhythm and Blues Recordings, 1952 – 1959, Ray Charles
54. Electric Ladyland, The Jimi Hendrix Experience
55. Elvis Presley, Elvis Presley
56. Songs in the Key of Life, Stevie Wonder
57. Beggars Banquet, The Rolling Stones
58. Trout Mask Replica, Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band
59. Meet the Beatles, The Beatles
60. Greatest Hits, Sly and the Family Stone
61. Appetite for Destruction, Guns n’ Roses
62. Achtung Baby, U2
63. Sticky Fingers, The Rolling Stones
64. Phil Spector, Back to Mono (1958 – 1969), Various Artists
65. Moondance, Van Morrison
66. Led Zeppelin IV, Led Zeppelin
67. The Stranger, Billy Joel
68. Off the Wall, Michael Jackson
69. Superfly, Curtis Mayfield
70. Physical Graffiti, Led Zeppelin
71. After the Gold Rush, Neil Young
72. Purple Rain, Prince
73. Back in Black, AC/DC
74. Otis Blue, Otis Redding
75. Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin
76. Imagine, John Lennon
77. The Clash, The Clash
78. Harvest, Neil Young
79. Star Time, James Brown
80. Odessey and Oracle, The Zombies
81. Graceland, Paul Simon
82. Axis: Bold as Love, The Jimi Hendrix Experience
83. I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, Aretha Franklin
84. Lady Soul, Aretha Franklin
85. Born in the U.S.A., Bruce Springsteen
86. Let It Be, The Beatles
87. The Wall, Pink Floyd
88. At Folsom Prison, Johnny Cash
89. Dusty in Memphis, Dusty Springfield
90. Talking Book, Stevie Wonder
91. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Elton John
92. 20 Golden Greats, Buddy Holly
93. Sign ‘o’ the Times, Prince
94. Brew, Miles Davis
95. Green River, Creedence Clearwater Revival
96. Tommy, The Who
97. The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, Bob Dylan
98. This Year’s Model, Elvis Costello
99. There’s a Riot Goin’ On, Sly and the Family Stone
100. In the Wee Small Hours, Frank Sinatra
Back to RS 500 Songs!
Duration : 0:7:1