Disc of the day
Heaven 17 - Penthouse And Pavement
From Sheffield, synth pop and funk to stick it to Thatcher. Currently being played live!
Features Disc of the day
Various Artists
A Cellarful Of Motown Vol.1
(Motown, 2002)
Thank Northern Soul for reviving Motown's cast-offs. A MOJO messageboarder polishes his backdrop.
Whilst rightly considered to have produced some of the greatest music of the 20th century, Motown has also been also remembered for its draconian, Fordist business model, and occasionally what came off the production line incurred accusations of monotony. Even the title of The Four Tops' 1965 hit The Same Old Song was perceived as an in-joke about the Motown songwriting process. But there was more to Motown than the big-hitters, and when the Northern Soul scene brought to light obscure gems like The Contours' A Little Misunderstanding and Frank Wilson's ecstatic Do I Love You (Indeed I Do), it drew attention to the wealth of material beneath the water line.
In 2002 Motown released this, the first (and arguably the best) volume of their rarities compilations. The music on these two discs remains a revelation, giving listeners an opportunity to sample a cross-section of songs that fell victim to Motown's heavy standardization. The label's quality control committee was ruthless when picking out material for release, to the extent that some of Motown's biggest hits - for instance, Marvin Gaye's version of I Heard it Through the Grapevine - nearly slipped through the net.
Here, the unearthed goodies include Gladys Knight's These Are The Pieces Of My Broken Heart, The Contours' Baby Hit And Run and J.J. Barnes (Tell Me) Ain't It The Truth - energetic, up-tempo tracks admittedly better suited to the dancefloor than the radio. Marvin Gaye's low-key I Wish I Liked You (As Much as I Love You), with its sweeping stings and choral arrangements, is one of the few down-tempo ballads on this collection but, guess what, it's beautiful. The odd song feels slightly undeveloped - Tammi Terrell's original version of Stevie Wonder's All I Do lacks the chorus that Stevie would add to his version on Hotter Than July - but that's a minor caveat.
The fact that all but one song on this collection had been left to gather dust sounds criminal. It's hard to imagine how material this strong could ever have been considered throwaway, but that says all you need to know about songwriting standards at '60s Motown. All in all, this collection is essential listening for anyone who considers themselves a connoisseur of rare soul.
Matthew Shearn
Posted by Ross_Bennett at 6:00 AM GMT 08/09/2009
Further Listening
Various Artists – Tamla Motown Gold: The Sound Of Young America (UMTV, 2001)
Various Artists – This is Northern Soul! The Motown Sound Volume 1 (Motown 2005)
Various Artists – The Best Northern Soul All-Nighter... Ever! (EMI/Virgin 2001)
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Heaven 17 - Penthouse And Pavement
From Sheffield, synth pop and funk to stick it to Thatcher. Currently being played live!
6:00 AM GMT 18/03/2010
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2:32 AM GMT 12/03/2010
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The Pop Group - Y
For connoisseurs of pop-as-rupture-in-the-space/time-continuum
6:00 AM GMT 11/03/2010
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