A Taste of Motown : Hitsville USA

[@normanham6142]

Good to see Motown discussed. We did indeed grow up within a backdrop of classic soul hits mixed with rock, pop, R&B, all influenced in some way by the Blues. What a great era of music we were fortunate to grow with. Marvin Gaye took it all to another level with his ‘71 release of “What’s Going On”. It was Marvin’s first time heading the production. What a change from his prior hits. He smashed the standard mold and implemented new techniques and methods in the studio to produce a massive musical statement that described the era and sounded wonderful. A highly underrated album imo. Each song can stand on it’s own, but the album as a whole is how it should be appreciated. The way he segued most tracks right into the other is so smooth. For me, “What’s Going On” defined the period of my maturation into young adulthood. 50 years later it still resonates within me, and I still listen to it probably more than anything I own. And I’m a diehard Bluesman that was weaned on Soul & Rock and Roll. To anyone reading this, do your ears & soul a favor and listen to this album from beginning to end. Appreciate it for what it is- a true Masterpiece recording that remains timeless. His decision to record live the arrival of friends to a party he hosted and then included in the mix was genius. And the bass lines throughout are like Butta.

[@DodgerFanAD_23]

The sound of the guitar and bass, drums, keyboards and vibes really puts me in a great mood when listening to Motown.😍

[@big_burly_bro]

MoTown and Soul needs some more love in the VC. Thanks for shining a light on the genre.

[@RichStrickler]

We're about the same age. Motown is essential to our generation. The songs are so well structured and beautifully written. Awesome stuff. The Temptations are my favorites followed by The Four Tops. Those duets by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell are incredible. Nice video Mazzy.

[@Onteo1]

Being the same age, I too remember all of this music. The thing I’ve told my kids is that none of what we heard in the 60s was classified as anything other than music. Turn on the Am station and any of this was intermingled with The Beach Boys, Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel or any other hit at the time. Heck even Johnny Cash was played. I think it gave us a wider appreciation for all forms of music. I have a couple of those anthology records, but wasn’t aware of all that you showed. I loved the closing. Save the Children. Great video.

[@EightVinylLow]

Wonderful intro into the world of Motown and soul. Great video, Mazzy 🙌🏻

[@rickhager3288]

Wonderful video Mazzy - thank you! I also grew up listening to Motown. As you said, it was everywhere on AM radio. Love and appreciate all these artists, but your spotlight on them helps me to refocus on some that I haven't heard in a while. Great job and keep 'em coming!!!

[@GlenKellawayfromthebasement]

Mazzy..this is cool..For people of our age, Motown was like a soundtrack of our lives but we were so wrapped up in Beatles, the San Fran scene, etc, I don’t think we took the time to appreciate it..It really wasn’t until I started playing bass guitar and discovered James Jamerson who played on 90% of those records, that I had an epiphany and realized how freaking good this stuff was..great video...👍👍❤️❤️🍸🍸glen

[@BD_MEDIA.]

Well Done, Mazzy! Thank You for your video, and yes, Motown was a big part of my life also, growing up listening to my parent's collection and my aunts and uncles collections in the 70s as a kid!

[@wesleyrwennerstrom]

The Sound Of Young America, the catchphrase of Motown in the sixties. One of my favorite comps is the five lp Motown Story issued in the very early seventies. The narration and music are superb. There was a series of dvd's spotlighting most of the Motown stars with great tv appearances throughout. Highly recommended. My actual first concert happened on a family vacation to the west coast in 1972. When we stopped overnight in Las Vegas I somehow managed to talk my parents into seeing Diana Ross at Caesars Palace. In 2015 was able to see Stevie Wonder perform Songs In The Key Of Life start to finish. A night to remember. An album I still play a lot today. Always enjoy your take on music. Got your Beatles England book back in the 80's and still look through it to this day. Cheers.

[@adrianlyord5300]

Great job on this video! I simply love "The Motown Sound"! When I get a chance I want to see the Hitsville / Motown studio in Detroit. Motown had some great sounding records and I love the way they recorded the drums! Kudos to you Mazzy and keep on digging on the Motown sound!!!!

[@Markymarkvinylnut]

Thanks for your shout out for Luluc the other day Mazzy...a fabulous sounding album..much appreciated!

[@Original274]

I rank Motown amongst the greatest production company's of all time & the Supremes the greatest female group of all time. Motown created a magical sound, great writers/musicians & artists. My last Motown purchase - that HITSVILLE 11 cd boxset, in the shape of the Motown building...Great video Mazzy...

[@rocky-o]

i remember when those 'anthology' albums came out....great collections...saw the tops and the temps on a reunion tour back in the early 2000's....but my favorite motown group was always martha reeves and the vandellas...my two favorite songs were 'heatwave' and 'quicksand'.....the lady had some kind of power in her vocals....however, gladys knight was always my 'desire' to do a duet with....her song 'it shoulda' been me' is still one of my all-time favorite tracks....and of course, the j5 (go tito!)....and smokey was smokey....so pure, so impressive....anyone our age knows all this stuff whether they wanted to or not....and i hear so much amy winehouse in the supremes 'reflections'...i was actually more of a 'stax' fan, with the rawer sounds coming out of there, but no one could ever deny motown's place in music's history....be well my friend...stay cool...stay warmer...peace....rocky

[@RobertP_1960]

Wow...that was a nice long video..enjoyed every minute of it. Love Motown...my favorite song of all time is I Wish It Would Rain. Thanks for making these personalized videos.

[@tonylong525]

I think back fondly to my 8-track tape deck. It played a lot of Motown.

[@alandonald9008]

Love Motown and loved this video. I'd have Edwin Starr in there - he's so underrated. And the Isley Brothers. They did some great stuff on Motown

[@JNebs]

I had similar experiences with Motown. Also had 5 of those tri-fold or bi-fold anthology comps plus Marvelettes, Jr. Walker, etc. Wish I'd kept them even though they weren't great pressings. There's a fun connection to PNW rock in the form of Leaving Here (written by Holland-Dozier-Holland) which has been covered by many including The Sonics, Pearl Jam and others. When early Motown acts (such as Mary Wells) came to the PNW, local band The Dynamics (aka Jimmy Hanna & The Dynamics) would support them and picked up on the song Leaving Here and recorded it to some success. I'll tell you the rest of the story over a beer.

[@plumcrazyrt5741]

Nice video. I watched "Making of Motown" last night and played Motown all day today and finished with your Motown video this evening. Thanks for posting. Motown and classic soul is a large part of my collection.

[@christopherrigby2798]

Motown can be specialism, so many acts some who got off of the starting block and others that didn't a good many got popularized through the "Northern Soul" scene here (and here is the word The Golden Torch, one the most famous venues is but a bus ride away from here) so I'd say you set a good Primer up with the most popular acts people can explore more from. Anyone who loves funk or jazz needs the Junior Walker Anthology, darn well blew my mind. Over here until around late '81 everything was cut at Abbey Road and pressed at EMI outside of authorized imports which lead to some differences over the years in the Greatest Hits compilations and we fitted what was on three records to two on a number of the Anthologies sets that were issued. As a kid I adored the J5 still having the original 45s and later on the Commodores. Thanks for a great video, Mazzy.

[@mazzysmusic]

Motown had some of the best 45s ever ✌🏼

[@darlenegoodwin]

I grew up on the Motown sound and my parents had a number of singles they owned. I love the Supremes and the Jackson 5. RIP to Mary Wilson.

[@MrLovell1971]

Mazzy you’ve done damn good nice comps love the little samples . Mazzy your are a true “Music Man “ . 👍🙌😎

[@mazzysmusic]

Thank you Lovell. So much great music in the world.....

[@knockknock705]

There was a great documentary made about the Funk Brothers called Standing in the Shadows of Motown. Highly recommend it.

[@mazzysmusic]

I have seen it. So great 😎

[@flyingjeffsutherland3744]

For me, the Marvelettes have a consistently satisfying sound. The upbeat punchy simplicity has exactly what I always return for.

[@mazzysmusic]

Absolutely

[@chriss6302]

Highly enjoyable Mazzy, thanks. Edwin Starr ‘25 Miles’ is one of my favs & ‘War’ of course, funky in the vein of Stax. Trivia quiz: who was the only Blues artist signed to Motown/Gordy?

[@charlesparrish4487]

Two guys work in a record store, become friends because of a shared love of music, one of them starts a band that covers Motown Hits.......High Fidelity - I am looking forward to a future video in which Mazzy explains how he has reorganized his record collection autobiographically

[@nickvanleeuwen4207]

As a non native speaker of English I think topsy-turvy is my favourite word in English. Thx for using it, Mazzy. 👍👌

[@djtrishm]

Great Video Mazzy Thumbs up! Trish

[@plumcrazyrt5741]

I only have the Gladys Knight Anthology album but have all the Greatest Hits albums of these groups (in some cases vol. 2 and 3) release by Motown back in the 1960's. I really like comps so I will be searching these out when I am record hunting.

[@TRamone01]

Can't really experience the musical milieu of the sixties without Motown artists. It was radio and hits at least until Sgt Pepper. Much thanks for great intro to Motown.

[@JohnWilliams-dr6hi]

Nice one Mazzy. I remember going with my sister to see The Four Tops at a local theatre. That was the first band I ever saw. The next was Hawkwind in a pub called The Turkey., several years later I went largely for the naked dancer, Stacia, who looked pretty grimy close up.

[@arushilovesmusic]

WOW!! You just earned a new subscriber!!! Love the videos!! :D

[@afrose71]

Was listening to an older Fresh Air interview with the late Mary Wilson, and she said Diana Ross became the group's permanent lead singer because Barry Gordy thought her voice was more "marketable". Unfortunate that they didn't switch it up more often, but sales are sales. On the digital side, Universal's "20th Century Masters" series (1999-2003) has great-sounding Motown group collections -- best I've heard on CD.

[@knockknock705]

Diana Ross and Berry Gordy had a personal relationship believed to have started in 1965 and in 1971 Diana and Berry had a child together, Rhonda.

[@afrose71]

@@knockknock705 That too!

[@mazzysmusic]

I do have several of this CDs and a CD box set

[@perrymalcolm3802]

Hey Mazzie. If you’ve not seen it, do urself a big favor n KZbin the spoof of Bowie n Jagger doing DITS!! They drop the music n isolate the “vocals”! It was the biggest belly laugh I’d had in a few years. I have to replay it about once/year! 🤣🤣

[@ActuMoto]

Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye. That’s a trio!

[@mistery-ed7900]

I guess I was 6 when I got my first Motown/Tamla 45. Shop Around by The Miracles. Probably the next one would have been The Marvelettes Please Mr.Postman. Motown was the number 1 label for me before The Beatles. Got A Job was on End, the label of The Flamingos, The Chantels, Little Anthony and The Imperials etc.. Absolutely infectious music! After the death of Mary Wilson I binged on The Supremes for several days. Such great songs!

[@chrishickman1211]

Missed the great Rick James & the fantastic Teena Marie

[@MrStargazer66]

Hey - really good stuff all round! You promised us that you would play Smokey's "Tears Of A Clown" (my own favourite), but then played Tracks Of My Tears on this clip instead? I often mix these two tracks up myself... 8-)

[@VagueRANT100]

MOTOWN and to a lesser extent STAX were hugely popular in Australia!

[@trevordixon1427]

Had original vinyl in us these motown anths.were 3lp.but easily condensed.to 2lp in uk same no of tracks!!! Ta

[@trevordixon1427]

Got that marvin gaye when 1st out.uk was 2lp us was 3lp.same number of tracks on both...Great...

[@iblamesummers]

I want a pair of JBL L1000s after watching this.

[@kenvelickoff4275]

What Does it Take

[@mistery-ed7900]

A San Francisco memory... In 1973 I was walking in the Tenderloin and passed by a transvestite bar. Let's Get It On was pouring out the open doors. I looked inside and watched the trans girls with their partners dance. After all these years I can't hear that song not remember that scene.

[@mazzysmusic]

Oh yeah. Sounds like your average Saturday in the city. 😎

[@kenvelickoff4275]

Have you heard Was (Not Was) Papa Was a Rolling Stone

[@kenvelickoff4275]

Get a Job big hit, but Sha Na Na got their name from that song

[@kenvelickoff4275]

Four Tops, She Used to be My Girl

[@PeterCAUSE]

I was more Stax than Motown. Only The Temptations were my favorite from that label.I love the Temptations Marvin Gaye Let;s get it on was good .Other than that I was more Stax, Hi , Fame and Goldwax

[@mrg1911]

How about a show on STAX....

[@ActuMoto]

J5!

[@robburnett841]

Good overview but forget the comps and Beatles and Bowie ripping off Motown 😀 a top 10 album list to savour Marvin Gaye Whats Going On Marvin Gaye Lets Get It On Stevie Wonder Innervisions Stevie Wonder Fulfillingness First Finale The Temptations The Tempting Temptations The Four Tops - The Four Tops debut LP Smokey Robinson & Miracles Going to A Go Go The Originals Naturally Together Eddie Kendricks All By Myself The Isley Bros This Old Heart Of Mine

[@sspbrazil]

AM JAMS

[@j0n3b0ymusic]

Hi Norman! I commented on your soul video re the Temptations Psychedelic Soul cd, totally agree needs a vinyl release. Watching this one reminded me of these two excellent RSD Motown compilations - www.discogs.com/Various-Motown-Funk/release/10167720 and www.discogs.com/Various-Motown-Funk-Volume-2/release/11895847

[@mazzysmusic]

Agree on psychedelic souls needs a vinyl issue. Don’t know those comps you show here

[@j0n3b0ymusic]

@@mazzysmusic they were 2*LPs sets released for RSD 2017 and 2018 respectively but looks like they were U.K. only. Also on cds. Well worth picking up, they widen the psychedelic soul premise beyond the temptations.