03-11-2019, 01:58 AM
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Re: A Tamla Motown Hot 100
At 9, Jimmy Ruffin - What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted (1966)
The tune was written by William Weatherspoon, Paul Riser, and James Dean, and the recording was produced by Weatherspoon and William "Mickey" Stevenson.
Composers Weatherspoon and Riser and lyricist Dean had originally written "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" with the intention of having The Spinners, then an act on Motown's V.I.P. label, record the tune. Jimmy Ruffin, older brother of Temptations lead singer David Ruffin, persuaded Dean to let him record the song, as its anguished lyric about a man lost in the misery of heartbreak resonated with the singer.
"What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, and at number six on the Billboard R&B Singles chart, as well as No. 8 on the UK Chart.
03-11-2019, 12:08 PM
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Re: A Tamla Motown Hot 100
At 8, Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through The Grapevine (1968)
The first recording of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" to be released was produced by Norman Whitfield for Gladys Knight & the Pips in September 1967 - it went to number two in the Billboard chart.
The Miracles first recorded the song on August 16, 1966 and included their version on their 1968 album, Special Occasion. The Marvin Gaye version, recorded in Spring 1967, and rejected as a single by Berry Gordy, was placed on Gaye's 1968 album In the Groove, where it gained the attention of radio disc jockeys. Berry Gordy finally agreed to its release as a single in October 1968, when it went to the top of the Billboard Pop Singles chart for seven weeks.
That reminds me - I've got some laundry waiting .....
Aside: For the 1985 Levi's 501 commercial "Launderette", featuring male model Nick Kamen, agency BBH and director Roger Lyons, owing to budgetary constraints, brought in Karl Jenkins and Mike Ratledge to recreate the sound of the Marvin Gaye original with Tony Jackson, a Barbadian background singer for Paul Young, handling vocals and P. P. Arnold on backing vocals.
That TV advertisement changed so many things .....
03-11-2019, 02:42 PM
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At 7, The Miracles - Tracks Of My Tears (1965)
"The Tracks of My Tears" was written by Miracles members Smokey Robinson (lead vocalist), Pete Moore (bass vocalist), and Marv Tarplin (guitarist).
The song was a number 2 hit on the Billboard R&B chart, and it reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. On initial release in the UK in 1965 it did not chart, but like several other Motown singles reissued there in 1969, it became a Top Ten hit in the summer, reaching No. 9, credited to "Smokey Robinson and the Miracles". This song is considered to be among the finest recordings of The Miracles, and it sold over one million records within two years, making it The Miracles' fourth million-selling record.
03-11-2019, 03:35 PM
128
Re: A Tamla Motown Hot 100
At 6, Barrett Strong - Money (That's What I Want)
"Money (That's What I Want)" is a song, written by Tamla founder Berry Gordy with Janie Bradford and recorded in 1959 by Barrett Strong, that became the first hit record for Gordy's Motown enterprise.
It was distributed nationally on Anna Records, which was was operated by Gwen Gordy, Anna Gordy and Roquel "Billy" Davis. Gwen and Anna's brother Berry Gordy had just established his Tamla label (soon Motown would follow) and licensed the song to the Anna label in 1960, which was distributed nationwide by Chicago-based Chess Records in order to meet demand
Money (That's What I Want) went on to be covered by many artists, including the Beatles in 1963 and the Flying Lizards in 1979.
Definitely one of my favourite songs, Tamla or other versions .....
03-11-2019, 03:44 PM
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Re: A Tamla Motown Hot 100
At 5, Stevie Wonder - Superstition (1973)
"Superstition" is a song by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder. It was released on October 24, 1972, as the lead single from his fifteenth studio album, Talking Book.
"Superstition" reached number one in the U.S. and number one on the soul singles chart. It was Wonder's first number-one single since "Fingertips, Pt. 2", and topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973. It peaked at number eleven in the UK Singles Chart in February 1973.
03-11-2019, 05:05 PM
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Re: A Tamla Motown Hot 100
At 4, The Temptations - Papa Was A Rolling Stone (1972)
"Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" is a song performed by Motown recording act the Undisputed Truth. It was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1971, and released as a single in May 1972. It peaked at number 63 on the Pop Charts and number 24 on the R&B Charts. The song was included on the Undisputed Truth's album Law of the Land (1973).
Later that year, Whitfield, who also produced the song, took "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" and remade it as a 12-minute record for the Temptations, which was a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and won three Grammy Awards in 1973. While the original Undisputed Truth version of the song has been largely forgotten, the Temptations' version of the song has been an enduring and influential soul classic.
Friction arose during the recording of "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" for a number of reasons. The Temptations did not like the fact that Whitfield's instrumentation had been getting more emphasis than their vocals on their songs at the time, and that they had to press Whitfield to get him to produce ballads for the group. Whitfield's treatment of the group eventually led to his dismissal as their producer.
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