Underrated Motown songs?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Tamla Junkie, Jan 14, 2017.

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  1. motownmaniac

    motownmaniac Forum Resident

    Henry Lumpkin - I've Got A Notion

     
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  2. john hp

    john hp Forum Resident

    Location:
    Warwickshire, UK
    The Temptations - 'Fading Away'
     
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  3. Tamla Junkie

    Tamla Junkie Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Detroit, Michigan
    Just bought this on vinyl from Manship. Excellent song :righton:
     
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  4. MasterPo

    MasterPo Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Diana Ross & the Supremes. 'How long has that evening train been gone'. Great baseline.
     
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  5. Mr wiggles

    Mr wiggles Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edinburgh
    I'm really enjoying this thread.
    I've no idea if this song is on any of those labels but I promise it's underated. Sometimes when I listen to this I wonder why it's not considered the best song in the world. It's got everything. The execellent production that sets these songs apart. Great players and soulful singers straight from heaven.
    Here folks is my gift to you.
     
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  6. Tamla Junkie

    Tamla Junkie Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Detroit, Michigan
    This is rather nice (I've added it to my seemingly endless Discogs wanted list), but it isn't a Motown product.

    Still, I'm glad you shared it; perhaps we should start a more general thread on great but obscure soul from all non-Motown labels. You could fill VOLUMES with a list of all the great but little known non-Motown soul records...
     
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  7. sami

    sami Mono still rules

    Location:
    Down The Shore
    Always the first one that comes to mind. What a great song, and so refreshing in that it hasn't been hammered into the ground like so many.

     
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  8. Mike Campbell

    Mike Campbell Forum Resident

    Location:
    Minnesota, USA
    The Jackson's ------I want you back....(Love the bass line)
     
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  9. Manapua

    Manapua Forum Resident

    Location:
    Honolulu
    The Ones - You Haven't Seen My Love. Fantastic organ sounds.
    The Supremes - In & Out Of Love, Your Wonderful Sweet Sweet Love, Bridge Over Troubled Water. The first two are joyous slices of pop/soul. The third is a great cover done in the 70s.
    The Temptations - It's Summer. The second version, released as a single in the early 70s. Nice production.
    The Four Tops - Still Water (Peace). A companion to Still Water(L0ve) that is never played.
    Smokey & The Miracles - Special Occasion. Wonderful, effervescent pop with a great horn-driven production
    Diana Ross - I'm Still Waiting. Huge in the UK, unknown by most in the States. As good a ballad as Touch Me In The Morning.
     
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  10. Mike Campbell

    Mike Campbell Forum Resident

    Location:
    Minnesota, USA
    Money , That's what I want -----Barrett Strong

    Do you Love me ? The Contours
     
  11. Scope J

    Scope J Senior Member

    Location:
    Michigan
    The Supremes - Stone Love (the correct title)

     
  12. Tamla Junkie

    Tamla Junkie Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Detroit, Michigan
    Underrated but definitely known and cherished recordings in the collecting circles. :righton:
     
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  13. Mike Campbell

    Mike Campbell Forum Resident

    Location:
    Minnesota, USA
    I knew someone here would appreciate them....
     
  14. ILikeMusic

    ILikeMusic New Member

    Location:
    Chicago


    Not technically mowtown but I love this whole album
     
    Last edited: Jan 18, 2017
  15. lou

    lou Fast 'n Bulbous

    Location:
    Louisiana
    This sounds like a Supremes Holland-Dozier-Holland track! Very catchy!
     
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  16. SmallDarkCloud

    SmallDarkCloud Forum Resident

    Location:
    NYC


    I have a soft spot for "Flower Girl" - first heard it on a Smokey Robinson & The Miracles rarities set on Rhino Records. Psychedelic funk. Not James Jamerson on bass, but his teenage son.
     
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  17. zebop

    zebop Well Known Stranger


    I love this song.
     
  18. ILikeMusic

    ILikeMusic New Member

    Location:
    Chicago
    Whoa I like this that bass is fun.
     
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  19. zebop

    zebop Well Known Stranger

    Yes. I don't know who the bassist is on the Rita Wright song, it's great work.
     
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  20. lou

    lou Fast 'n Bulbous

    Location:
    Louisiana
    Speaking of Holland Dozier Holland, here's an underrated song that wasn't a hit (a disappointing 28 on Billboard) but ranks with their best songs and best productions:

     
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  21. Coaltrain

    Coaltrain Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bangkok, Thailand
    It's hard for me to say what Motown songs are underrated; I rate many, many of them highly. Below is some of the sweetest, most heavenly soul I know of.

    Bobby Taylor and Vancouvers: Does Your Mama Know about Me?, Malinda
    Smokey Robinson and the Miracles: Special Occasion, Ill Try Something New
    Smokey: Sweet Harmony
    Brenda Holloway: Just look What You've Done
    the Termptations: Don't look Back, Heavenly
     
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  22. Champagne Boot

    Champagne Boot Ain't nothin' gonna break my stride

    Location:
    Michigan
    Barrett Strong-Yes, No, Maybe So
    Carolyn Crawford-I'll Come Running
    Martha & the Vandellas-Wild One
    The Spinners-(She's Gonna Love Me) At Sundown
    Debbie Dean-Why Am I Lovin' You
    David Ruffin-Rode By the Place (Where We Used to Stay) (I could almost make a list of just David Ruffin's post-Tempts stuff)
    R. Dean Taylor-Gotta See Jane
     
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  23. Tamla Junkie

    Tamla Junkie Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Detroit, Michigan
    I've listened to enough of the raw backing tracks to believe that's Jamerson, but I'm not sure. It doesn't sound like a Babbit bass line to me.
    Jamerson understood the interplay between sound and silence better than any other bassist, and thus wasn't afraid to leave a rest large enough to drive a truck through. It usually worked. Babbit tried to fill the time more. The rests make me think Jamerson.
    It could be Babbit though; wouldn't be the first time I was wrong about a Motown bass line.
     
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  24. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    I always heard it as a very deliberate departure from the R&B market.

    One of my all-time favorites! And, the flipside of that 45 is "Come Spy With Me" recorded in Los Angeles. Smokey dislikes it, but I think it's a nice change from the usual stuff they did.

    I think the group thought so too, and why they moved to ABC/Dunhill in 1972. Motown just wouldn't give them the artistic freedom they wanted.

    And they were hits.
     
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  25. Champagne Boot

    Champagne Boot Ain't nothin' gonna break my stride

    Location:
    Michigan
    Yep. Both tunes were/are staples on oldies radio to this day for a reason--they both sold a gazillion copies and are ubiquitous examples of the genre. Not everything is a "hidden gem" appreciated only by us collectors just because it's old.
     
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