With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

Music reviews, gig reviews, fun trivia and extra added random stuff!

“I’m just about at the end of my rope, but I can’t stop trying, I can’t give up hope” December 15, 2011

Filed under: Christmas,Trivia — justwilliam1959 @ 12:02 am
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Smokey and the Miracles really tried their best to help out in the promotion of my ABC of Motown Advent Calendar

Have you been good? Will Santa bring you lots of goodies (I mean as in presents as opposed to Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie of course)? I hope you are getting excited anyway as we’re now on day 15 of my ABC of Motown Advent Calendar, yes folks it’s December 15th and it’s the letter O. the song is from one of my favourite Motown voices, Smokey Robinson. It comes from his days with the Miracles and it is “Ooo Baby Baby”

The song was written by Smokey and Pete Moore of the Miracles. The strings were arranged by Pete Moore. As is usual with almost all Motown hits it was the supremely talented Funk Brothers who provided the backing. “Ooo Baby Baby” reached number 16 in the US chart in 1965. A cover version of the song by Linda Ronstadt hit number 7 in the US in 1979. sadly it never charted in the UK. It has been covered by many other artists in addition to Ronstadt; including Todd Rundgren, Ella Fitzgerald and Shalamar who covered it as part of their “Uptown Festival” hit from 1977. That recording was actually a medley of classic Motown hits.

Smokey’s real name is William Robinson Jnr. His Uncle Claude gave him the nickname ‘Smokey Joe’ when Smokey was a boy. Smokey initially thought of it as his cowboy name, but as he got older his Uncle explained that as young Master Robinson was quite light-skinned it was a name to remind him of his roots. He dropped the Joe part of the nickname when he was a teenager. A couple of Smokey’s children also have interesting names too. There is a son called Berry, named after Motown President Berry Gordy. Smokey was Vice President of the label from 1961 until 1988. He also has a daughter called Tamla named after a label from the Motown portfolio. Those Motown fans from the UK will be very familiar with the amalgamated name the label took in Europe where it was known as Tamla Motown.

He also gets a mention in a couple of hit songs too. Firstly there is the sublime “Genius Of Love” from Talking Heads offshoot the Tom Tom Club in 1981. Most notably though he was the main man in ABC’s 1987 hit “When Smokey Sings”

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xghrir_the-miracles-ooh-baby-baby-hq_music

 

“Somethin’ you do bounces me off the ceiling” December 14, 2011

Filed under: News — justwilliam1959 @ 11:59 pm
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I would like to congratulate Tracey Emin on her elevation to Professor at the Royal Academy. Her title will be Professor of Drawing which to be fair sounds a bit simple doesn’t it? many people will remember her more for some her installations like ‘Unmade Bed’ but she clearly is a talented line drawer as well. Here is her line drawing to commemorate the 2012 Olympics. Fiona Rae was appointed Professor of Painting at the same time. Amazing the pair are the first female Professors at the Royal Academy since it began in 1768.

Tracy is still waiting for her Professors robes to arrive

The Royal Academy payroll system wasn't working quite the way it should!

Click here to read the full story on the BBC site. As I have said many times before, this is a music blog so let me finish by taking the opportunity to play out with a classic bubblegum hit from 1969; “Tracy” by the Cuff-Links. All vocals were provided by the former Carmine Granito who was better known as Ron Dante. He was a prolific session singer and also provided the vocals for cartoon band the Archies.

 

“Now girls you should know these things right off the back”

Filed under: Christmas,Trivia — justwilliam1959 @ 9:57 pm
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It’s December the 14th, are you getting excited about Yuletide yet? Have you been good? Does Santa know what you want for Christmas? I hope the answer is yes to all those questions. It does mean that we have arrived at day 14 on my ABC of Motown Advent Calendar. Would you like to know what is behind the flimsy cardboard shield today? I’m sure you do; well it is the letter N and the song in question is “Needle In A Haystack” by the Velvelettes.

The song was written by William Stevenson and Norman Whitfield. The song was produced by Whitfield and was the groups first big hit in 1964 when it reached number 45 in the US Chart. It was released on the VIP label which was part of the Motown family. The group consisted of Bertha Barbee McNeal and her cousin Norma Barbee, Mildred Gill Arbor and her sister Carolyn (aka Cal) and Cal’s friend Betty Kelly when they formed in 1961. Cal became the lead singer.

The follow-up single was “He Was Really Saying Something” later covered by the less talented (in my opinion at least) Bananarama in the 80s. Betty Kelly left the group later in 1964 to join Martha and the Vandellas. The Velvelettes biggest UK hit was “These Things Will Keep Me Loving You” which reached number 34 in 1971, two years after the group had disbanded.

 

“Talking ’bout Monroe and walking on Snow White” December 13, 2011

Filed under: News — justwilliam1959 @ 9:35 pm
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You may have heard recently that two of the 108 lost Doctor Who episodes have now been discovered, featuring William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton respectively. Well did you know that a former TV cameraman from Oxfordshire has discovered a very rare clip of David Bowie performing “The Jean Genie” on the BBCs Top Of The Pops?

John Henshall was the cameraman when Bowie and the Spiders recorded the clip on January 3rd 1973. It was broadcast the following day and hasn’t been seen since. Henshall had kept a copy because he had used a number of new techniques and some new equipment during the shoot. Notably the fish eye lens. Click here to read the story on the BBC.

The film will now be shown in full on BBC4 next year. Along with many other Bowie fans I am a little excited by this news. Enjoy this clip of the song taken from the 1973 US TV Special ‘The 1980 Floor Show’ while you wait for that elusive Top Of The Pops footage to air next year.

 

“The best things in life are free but you can keep ’em for the birds and bees”

Filed under: Christmas,Trivia — justwilliam1959 @ 12:05 am
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It’s December 13th and we’ve now passed the halfway mark in this years advent calendar as door flap number 13 needs to be opened. The delight behind the door today is a very rich one which is well worth cashing in! It’s the first ever Motown hit and probably one of the best songs ever that was written about money. It is the stupendous “Money (That’s What I Want)” by the incredibly talented Mr Barrett Strong.

The song was written by Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford and reached number 2 in the US R & B charts in 1960 after it’s release in August 1959. I was less than 8 months old back then. It was originally released on the Tamla label and the Anna label in the US. Both of these were part of Berry Gordy’s Motown stable. It has been covered by many artists from the Beatles to the Flying Lizards. But in my opinion none of the covers can match the electricity and power of Strong’s version. The Beatles actually played the song at their now infamous audition for Decca Records who turned them down. The Fab Four discovered the song, which was released on the London label in the UK, in Brian Epstein’s NEMS Record Store in Liverpool. The Flying Lizards version has also sound tracked a Taco Bell advert.

Barrett Strong went on to form an incredible song writing partnership with renowned Motown Producer Norman Whitfield. The pair wrote a string of classics for the Temptations (“Can’t Get Next To You”, “Psychedelic Shack”, “Ball Of Confusion” and “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” to name but a few), Edwin Starr (the stone cold classic; “War”) and Gladys Knight and the Pips and Marvin Gaye (both of whom recorded stunning hit versions of “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”). For me Barrett Strong is easily among the best lyricists of his generation. Sadly Norman Whitfield passed away in 2008.

In 1973 Barrett received a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song for the classic slow funk story song recorded by the Temptations; “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 2004. He is still going very strong (excuse the pun) and you can find some of his current music on iTunes. I would also like to thank Mr Strong for his comment on my December 3rd post about another Temptations song that he co-wrote with Norman Whitfield; “Cloud Nine” Click here to read that post.

 

“Walk around with a smile upon my face, in my mind you have taken up permanent space” December 12, 2011

Filed under: Christmas,Trivia — justwilliam1959 @ 6:47 am
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It’s time to rip off the flimsy cardboard door representing the 12th December on this years ABC of Motown Advent Calendar. We’re halfway there folks, it’s getting serious! So serious in fact that todays song is Jermaine Jackson’s hit “Let’s Get Serious”. Let’s wish him a happy belated birthday as he turned 57 yesterday.

The song reached number 9 in the US and number 8 in the UK in 1980. It was an US R & B number one. It was his highest charting Motown solo single in the UK. Although “Do What You Do” reached number 6 in the UK in 1984, but that was on the Arista label. “Let’s Get Serious” was written by Stevie Wonder and Lee Garrett. Stevie produced the song and his vocals also feature quite heavily on the song.

Jermaine’s first marriage took place in 1973 to Hazel Gordy the daughter of Motown supreme berry Gordy. This would seem to be the reason he remained at Motown when his brothers moved on. He eventually divorced in 1988. He converted to Islam the following year after a trip to Bahrain. He is also a big fan of the LA Dodgers baseball team.

 

“In old Temptations’ rain, I’m duckin’” December 11, 2011

Filed under: Christmas,Trivia — justwilliam1959 @ 7:10 am
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Hasn’t time flown? We’re already at 11th December and we’ve arrived at the letter K in my ABC of Motown Advent Calendar for 2011. We need to truck on for just a little while before Christmas so to help with that journey how about the marvellous “Keep On Truckin’” from the magnificent Mr Eddie Kendricks. The song was an US number one and a UK number 18 in 1973.

Eddie spent a several years with the Temptations and finally left in part because he was allegedly unhappy with the late 60s psychedelic direction the group was taking. The last Temptations hit single that he appeared on was the sublime “Just My Imagination”. It is also alleged that another 1971 hit for the Temptations “Superstar (Remember How You Got Where You Are)” was directed at Kendricks and another former Temptation; David Ruffin.

“Keep On Truckin'” was written by Leonard Caston, Jr, Anita Poree and Frank Wilson. (You may recall that Frank was featured in this Advent Calendar on December 4th. Had he lived he would have been 72 in six days. But sadly he succumbed to lung cancer aged just 52 in 1992.

 

“You see you’re my heart, you’re soul you’re my stone inspiration” December 10, 2011

Filed under: Christmas,Trivia — justwilliam1959 @ 7:10 am
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It’s December 10th and that Saint Nick dude is getting closer and appropriately enough todays song on the ABC of Motown Advent Calendar is about being close. It is one of my favourite songs from the Commodores and it’s called “Just To Be Close To You”. I only saw the Commodores live on one occasion and that was back in November 1973 at my first ever gig where they were supporting the Jackson 5.

When released in 1976 the song reached number 7 in the US Billboard chart but was a number 1 in the US R & B Chart. Sadly it could only limp to number 62 in the UK chart. Like many of the bands hits it was written by Lionel Richie. The band was originally called the Mystics and decided that they needed a new name. William King a founder member who is still with the band decided to open the dictionary at a random page and point a finger at a random word on that page. Obviously that word was commodore. King is quoted as saying ‘We lucked out, we almost became the commodes’

Whilst the band left Motown in 1986 Lionel Richie stayed and went on to even greater success, although personally I have always preferred the more rough and funky sound of the earlier Commodores material. The band is still around and continue to play live.

 

“I’m no longer just another face in a crowd” December 9, 2011

Filed under: Christmas,Trivia — justwilliam1959 @ 12:05 am
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Here we are at day 9 and therefore December 9th of my Christmas Advent Calendar. Today marks the second appearance of the fabulous Four Tops in my ABC Of Motown themed calendar for 2011. The song is “I’m In A Different World” and was written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and R Dean Taylor. Holland Dozier Holland had written most of the Four Tops biggest hits. This was the last Four Tops song that any of the HDH team had anything to do with.

It was recorded in 1968 shortly before Holland Dozier Holland left Motown over a dispute about royalties. They went on to form the Invictus label and had many hits with artists such as Freda Payne and Chairmen Of The Board. It only made number 51 in the US and just 27 in the UK charts.

The Four Tops were allegedly scheduled to board the Pan Am Flight 103 in December 1988. However they had a late recording session the night before and overslept. The flight was later brought down by a terrorist bomb over the Scottish town of Lockerbie. Strangely enough John Lydon and his wife Norah were also meant to be on that flight. They were delayed because Norah took a long while to pack.

 

“I just want to stop and thank you baby” December 8, 2011

Filed under: Christmas,Trivia — justwilliam1959 @ 12:02 am
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It’s December 8th and we’re at the letter H in this years ABC of Motown Christmas Advent calendar. Todays song is another Holland Dozier Holland classic, it’s “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” from the supremely talented and sadly departed silky voiced Motown crooner Mr Marvin Gaye. As with the majority of Motown hits the music was provided by the Funk Brothers. Backing vocals were provided by the lesser known Andantes who appeared on more Motown hits than anyone except the Funk Brothers. Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Louvain Demps were the ladies who made up the Andantes.

The song reached number 6 in the Billboard charts in the US and sadly only made number 49 in the UK when it came out in 1964. It has been covered by many people, perhaps most famously by James Taylor in 1975. That version reached number 5 in the US and included Carly Simon on backing vocals and David Sanborn on saxophone. Sanborn also provided sax on David Bowie’s “Young Americans” album in the same year.