Motown had released two albums of Dr. From onwards, largely through the songwriting of Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, Motown acts sang about issues that mattered to black people as well as the hip psychedelic youth.
However, Gordy still released these records and they became lasting hits. You must know a few things. This gobbeldegook had been used as holding lyrics until Richards came up with the proper words; ever the perfectionist, however, Ross sang this nonsense beautifully. That way, its artists had closer ties to the company culture than those signed to another label who delivered their own material and masters.
For some acts, such as The Supremes, Motown effectively controlled their career, vetoing some bookings and directing them to better-paid or more prestigious gigs. This kind of relationship meant that some acts, such as The Temptations and Four Tops, remained with the label an inordinately long time, delivering hits down the decades.
Their names are synonymous with Motown, despite periods spent at other companies. Later, Philadelphia International and Tabu had similar interweaved relationships with their artists, though neither were as all-encompassing as Motown. He kept in touch with what it takes to make a hit. Above all else… Motown proved that a black-owned entertainment company could rise to the top of the tree, endure, prove itself superior to its rivals, make a lasting impact on popular culture, develop a unique corporate and artistic identity, and thrive in times of massive turmoil.
Discover how Motown broke racial barriers like no other record label. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Since you were using a two-track machine for the early records, there were no overdubs — you had to record the music and the vocals at the same time. On two tracks. And we would never be happy with the sound. It was a great record with feeling and soul.
So we put the record out, and it started selling, but I was unhappy with it. There was a great studio in Chicago, so I put the Miracles into that studio, and we recut the tune. I got the exact same tracks, the exact same everything, only I had strings on it. We had a beautiful recording. I was so happy and proud of that recording!
Now, when we first put it out, without strings — our original version — it sold 60, copies, which was incredible for us because we were new. Sixty thousand copies! We switched records and started shipping the one with the strings, and the record stopped selling.
It did not sell another copy. And that was such a lesson to me. So after that, we continued to produce songs in our own little studio. It was a little studio that had real wonderful acoustics and magical sound, but we just never fully recognized that at the time. We took it for granted. Every week you would hold a meeting with key executives at Motown to listen to the recordings made that week and to decide what you would release.
We had meetings each Friday, and we would evaluate all the records. Five, six, seven records, you know. A lot of stuff was being cut all week, and the one that would get released was the one that we liked best for the week. We would debate and fight over which ones to release. What were those meetings like? Those meetings were taped. I have the tapes. Gordy is talking. Lock the door. So we used to lock the door. The heads of the office had to be there five minutes before the meeting started.
Even though Mickey came in, he was supposed to be there five minutes early. He was three minutes early, so he got a fifty-dollar fine instead.
See, at Motown, no one had any questions about the direction we were going in, because I was the leader. I was very firm and very strict. I remember the days Smokey was knocking on the door. You earned a reputation for sending records you were unhappy with back to be reworked, re-recorded. But they went back in the studio and recut it. And at the beginning, they put in the little thing, ooh-ooh-ooh — that little bit. And they cut it fast.
So it was brighter, and then we put it out that way. It became known to millions of people around the world when it was recorded by the Beatles a few years later.
Many psychologists have studied that song and studied me and tried to figure out why I wrote it. People have had all kinds of different reasons to explain why I wrote the song. The truth of the matter is that I was broke at the time and I had a couple of girlfriends who said they loved me and so forth. So he did the song, and we released it. I listened to it and listened to it. You go through these changes where you think that your mind is playing tricks on you. And we did. Of course, he was very sleepy.
I wanted him to come down to the studio with the group to recut the song. He was very, very surprised and very confused. But he did get himself together and got the rest of the Miracles, and they were all grumbling like mad. And we recorded it again. What did you think when you heard the Beatles were recording Motown songs? They wanted to pay a cent and a half instead of two cents per song [for each album sold].
I had mixed emotions. I was honored that they wanted to do the songs, but to ask for a lesser rate. But three tunes! We were very arrogant about it. Maybe not arrogant but firm, because I thought that quality songs were quality songs.
At that time we felt the songs would help to make their second album a success. We said no until the last minute. Marvin Gaye was not only one of your biggest stars, he was also your brother-in-law for a time. Tell me about the first time you met him.
We were having a party at Hitsville. Marvin Gaye came with Harvey Fuqua [formerly of the Moonglows] and my two sisters. And I noticed him sitting in the studio, just messing around at the piano. It was a big party going on, but there was this guy at the piano. He wants to be a singer. He used to sing with the Moonglows. He played some jazzy-type Broadway things, and I could hear the mellowness in his voice, and it was really good. He really wanted to do ballad-type things, and after hearing his voice — the velvetness of his voice — I really wanted to do that kind of an album with him.
I thought Motown could branch out into this kind of music. How did you get him to do pop music? He was a very stubborn man, and he was determined to stick with the semijazz stuff he was doing. And it was a really nice little hit. So then we started really watching him. We wanted him to be direct. We right away hit with that, and he became the sex symbol — he became everything we wanted and more. I tried to convince him that talking about war and police brutality and all that stuff would hardly make him more popular than the romantic stuff.
What was it about Stevie Wonder that impressed you? When I first saw Stevie, I did not think that he was a great singer. So why did you sign him? Because he had other talents. He was 10 or 11 years old, and he was not anything that special with his voice, but his talent was great. His harmonica playing was phenomenal. But lucky for us, it changed for the better. 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.
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. 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. Dave Nantais introduces recordings of his favorite Motown songs.
David E. Nantais is an adjunct instructor of philosophy and religious studies at the University of Detroit Mercy. Your source for jobs, books, retreats, and much more. February 16, issue.
Nantais February 16, Hitsville, U. Ready for a Brand-New Beat? Make Me Wanna Holler Motown Records served an important role in the civil rights struggles of the s. Nantais David E. Show Comments 1. Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
Motown still has and will continue to have an influence on future generations. When the spirit moves me, and the scriptures demand it, I lead the little ones in a hymn or two from Curtis Mayfield: 'Amen'; or the Edwin Hawkins Singer's 'Oh Happy Day', or 'Let us go into the house of the lord.
0コメント