Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston – “It Takes Two,” Pop # 14, R&B # 4
By Joel Francis
“It Takes Two” was one of the last songs Kim Weston recorded for Motown. Its success established Marvin Gaye as a capable duet partner. Gaye was already one of Motown’s bigger stars, but his brief pairing with Weston and [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Funk Brothers’
Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston – “It Takes Two”
Posted in Motown, tagged Bruce Springsteen, Funk Brothers, It Takes Two, Kim Weston, Marvin Gaye, Rod Stewart, Tina Turner on July 20, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The Four Tops – “Standing in the Shadows of Love”
Posted in Motown, tagged Aerosmith, Four Tops, Funk Brothers, Hall and Oates, Hitsvil, Hitsville U.S.A., Holland, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Isaac Hayes, Jackson 5, Levi Stubbs, Michael Jackson on July 13, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The Four Tops – “Standing in the Shadows of Love,” Pop # 6, R&B 2
By Joel Francis
Holland-Dozier-Holland had so much fun and success with the arrangement of “Reach Out (I’ll Be There)” they decided to do it again as “Standing in the Shadows of Love.” Unlike most sequels, this one was just as good and [...]
The Temptations – “(I Know) I’m Losing You”
Posted in Motown, tagged Cornelius Grant, David Ruffin, Every Picture Tells a Story, Funk Brothers, Hitsville U.S.A., Holland-Dozier-Holland, Norman Whitfield, Rare Earth, Rod Stewart, soul music, the Faces, The Temptations on June 17, 2009 | 2 Comments »
The Temptations – “(I Know) I’m Losing You,” Pop # 8, R&B # 1
By Joel Francis
The list of Motown songs based around a guitar riff is a short one, but this masterpiece should be at the top of that one and several others. Producer Norman Whitfield wrote the song with Edward Holland of Holland-Dozier-Holland, but [...]
The Four Tops – “Reach Out (I’ll Be There)”
Posted in Motown, tagged Beatles, Diana Ross, Elton John, Four Tops, Funk Brothers, Gloria Gaynor, Hitsville U.S.A., Holland-Dozier-Holland, James Jamerson, Levi Stubbs, Michael Bolton, Michael McDonald, Motown vs Stax, Paul McCartney, Reach Out I'll Be There, Stax on June 10, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The Four Tops – “Reach Out (I’ll Be There),” Pop # 1, R&B # 1
By Joel Francis
The dramatic introduction to “Reach Out (I’ll Be There)” owes more than a little to Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound and was Motown’s most cinematic chart-topper to date. While the flute gets the signature melody, check out James Jamerson’s [...]
Temptations – “Beauty Is Only Skin Deep”
Posted in Motown, tagged Berry Gordy, Bruce Springsteen, David Ruffin, Diana Ross, Florence Ballard, Funk Brothers, Hitsville U.S.A., Holland-Dozier-Holland, James Jamerson, Jimmy Ruffin, Mary Wilson, Norman Whitfield, Paul Riser, Pistol Allen, Smokey Robinson, Supremes, Temptations, The Miracles on May 20, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Temptations – “Beauty Is Only Skin Deep,” Pop #3, R&B #1
By Joel Francis
After teaming to give the Tempts a No. 1 R&B hit with “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg,” Norman Whitfield and Eddie Holland paired again to deliver “Beauty Is Only Skin Deep,” which fared even better. The song was the Temptations’ third hit of [...]
The Supremes – “You Can’t Hurry Love”
Posted in Motown, tagged Brian Setzer, Buddy Miles, California Raisins, Diana Ross, Electric Flag, Funk Brothers, Genesis, Hitsville U.S.A., Holland-Dozier-Holland, James Jamerson, Jimi Hendrix, My Girl, Phil Collins, Rock This Town, soul music, Stray Cats, the Supremes, Whoopi Goldberg on May 13, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The Supremes – “You Can’t Hurry Love,” Pop #1, R&B #1
By Joel Francis
The bouncing bassline that opens this song is courtesy of James Jamerson, the same man who delivered the delightful and legendary three-note thump that introduces “My Girl.”
The intro to Holland-Dozier-Holland’s masterpiece “You Can’t Hurry Love” is a lesson in how to build a [...]
Raphael Saadiq sends a love letter to soul makers and Motown
Posted in Kansas City Star, Motown, band feature, tagged Back To Rockville, Boyz II Men, Funk Brothers, Jay-Z, Marvin Gaye, Motown, neo-soul, Philly soul, Q-Tip, Raphael Saadiq, Smokey Robinson, soul music, Stevie Wonder, The Sound Of Philadelphia, Tony! Toni! Tone! on March 6, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
(Above: Raphael Saadiq runs the “100 Yard Dash.”)
By Joel Francis
The Kansas City Star
Raphael Saadiq’s latest album, “The Way I See It,” is draped heavily in the sounds of Motown and Philly soul, but don’t call it a tribute album.
“Boyz II Men did a tribute; I wrote a bunch of songs,” [...]
Rock Hall Celebrates 50 Years of Motown
Posted in Motown, Music history, tagged Berry Gordy, Bobby Rogers, Diana Ross, Fox Theater, Funk Brothers, Hitsville U.S.A., James Jamerson, Joel Francis, Mary Wilson, Motown Turns 50, museum exhibit, Rick James, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Rock Hall, Stevie Wonder, The Miracles, the Supremes on January 9, 2009 | 6 Comments »
Above: Part of the new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame exhibit celebrating 50 years of Motown Records. The exhibit is open all year. (Photo courtesy of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.)
By Joel Francis
It may seem hard to believe, but “the sound of young America” is 50 years old.
To celebrate a half-century of [...]
Four Tops – “It’s the Same Old Song”
Posted in Motown, tagged Berry Gordy, Delroy Wilson, Four Tops, Funk Brothers, Hitsville U.S.A., Holland-Dozier-Holland, Joel Francis, KC and the Sunshine Band, soul music on December 26, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Four Tops – “It’s the Same Old Song,” Pop #5, R&B #2
By Joel Francis
There’s a good reason why “It’s the Same Old Song” sounds so much like the Four Tops’ previous hit, “I Can’t Help Myself:” both songs are built on the same chords, only in reverse order.
When “I Can’t Help Myself” hit No. 1 [...]
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