The Undisputed Truth - Face To Face With The Truth (1972)

 

You have to have this.

Norman Whitfield at his very best - giving this his second string his full attention and reinventing some Motown classics in his own way as a result.  This is Motown as soul not pop but the benefit is obvious.  The man reinvented the label after Holland Dozier Holland defected in my view - not that he wasn't succesful beforehand.

 

The stand out here is the slow burn of "What's Going On" (worth it for the really crying guitar track alone)  - how can anyone do this within a year of MPG and still deliver a definitive version.  Brave or just darn mad? but so good.  Other songs are familiar in name but differ in arrangement "Take Me In Your Arms" beautiful; "Heaven and Hell Right Here On Earth" poignant; "What It Is" a funky workout; "Superstar" surpasses Norman's take with the Temps (and for me that's saying something special).

 

You've got to have this record

Marvin Gaye Live At The London Palladium (1977)

This is from the later dates added to the original tour of Sepember 1976.  I was lucky enough to attend the first gig at the Royal Albert Hall and so this has a special importance for me (see Review). This represents the last tour Marvin made in the UK.  It was just before his exile to Belgium and subsequent return to the top of the charts with "Sexual Healing" and his eventual return home to the USA - their were a couple of tours stateside after this.

The album runs the career of Marvin through his original solo hit; his duets period and the later, more mature "What's Going On" through "I Want You " albums.  The live set fills three of the four sides here with the the final side gien over to a full length version of the later hit "Got To Give It Up".

the full tracklisting is:-

1. Intro

2. All The Way 'round

3. Since I Had You

4. Come Get To This

5. Let's Get It On

6. Trouble Man

7. Medley #1

Ain't That Peculiar/Wonderful One/

Stubborn Kind Of Fellow/Pride and Joy/

Little Darling/Grapevine/Hitchhike/

You/Too Busy Thinking 'Bout May Baby/

How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)

8. Medley #2

Inner City Blues/God Is Love/What's Going On/Save The Children

9. Medley #3 (with Florence Lyles)

You're All I Need To Get By/Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing/

Your Precious Love/It Takes Two/Ain't No Mountain High Enough

10. Distant Lover

11. Closing Theme

12. Got To Give It Up (studio 11'.54")

It is a good live album, a good record of a long and varied career and with a whopping bonus of the studio track - a worthwhile find.

This was released as a double album in 1977 and

then as a single CD in 1986 (orginal number ZD 72213) - the art was scanned of the Cd

Eddie Kendricks - Eddie Kendricks (1973)

From The Lost Record Covers Club

Another early 70's Motown classic.  Kendricks made albums as a solo artist following his departure from the Temptations under the supervision of Frank Wilson (who was also looking after the Four Tops at this point).  "Keep On Truckin'" would establish Eddie in the UK and still is his signature track pop-wise here although later tracks captured the dance crowd..  This set also features "Each Day I Cry A Little" a song that builds in to a real soul classic (One of my favourite vocal performances by this ex-temp). "If You Let Me" was the lead single. Motown tried to cash in on the success of "Truckin'" by commissioning the very similar "Boogie Down" for the next single and building an album around it. 


Tamla Motown - STML 11245 (This is a US Tamla Copy - T 327L)

The Four Tops - Live! (1966)

From The Lost Record Covers Club

Only a few Motown artists survived the changing face of music as the 60's rolled into the 70's. Motown had a dogged determination to hold onto the old rather than move with the times, both musically and politically.  The Four Tops, however, enjoyed a career with the label spanning through the 60's and 70's and even rejoining the label in the late 80's.

This live set shows them at the height of their 60's fame riding the Motown sound at a show in Detroit's Roostertail club.  Backed by Earl Van Dyke and his band, they perfom many of their hits including "Reach Out"; "Baby, I Need Your Loving"; "It's The Same Old Song"; Ask The Lonely" and "I Can't Help Myself" between turning to nightclub favourites like "If I Had A Hammer" "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" and "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" (This Levi Stubbs makes his own, singing "..San Diego" before commenting " I like San Diego better!").  This second group of songs may put you off as they seem really old hat now but that doesn't factor in the Tops' performance which is forceful and free of Motown "slickness" - the group making everything soulful.  It's a great show and makes you wish you could have been there in that small sweaty club seeing these major stars about to break out of Detroit to worldwide acclaim. They even get local radio emcee Scott Regan (who also writes the sleeve notes here) involved.

This is a great record (in the wider sense) of the group doing what they did best - performing live.  Why this has never been issued by Motown and it's various owners on CD who have constantly given releases to less well deserved causes I have no idea.

Tamla Motown - (S)TML 11041 (original)/This reissue WL 72114

The First Motown on CD

From The Lost Record Covers Club

From The Lost Record Covers Club

From The Lost Record Covers Club

From The Lost Record Covers Club

From The Lost Record Covers Club

From The Lost Record Covers Club

These were the first CDs of Motown music ...ever.  For the full story of their production go to the First Motown on CD page at http://picknmixed.blogspot.com/

Kiki Dee - Kiki Dee (1974)

From The Lost Record Covers Club

MFP was known for making cheap knock off copies of the day's hits or MOR records.  Then all of a sudden in 1973/4 they started Sounds Superb a sub-label that would release budget compilations from the EMI and (here) Motown catalogues. 

Kiki Dee had been one of the first white english women (and i can't thnk of another one) signed to Motown in the late 60's.  She issued one album of staple Motown cover versions in 1970 under the supervision of Frank Wilson (yes him again).  It didn't do well but was recognised by UK Tamla Motown fans as a classic.  MFP chose this to be in the first batch of releases under the new label.  This was probably to cash in on Kiki's new found success at Elton John's Rocket Records where she had recorded such hits as "Amoureuse" "First Thing In The Morning" and "I've Got The Music In Me" much rockier than this but at last getting the recognition she deserved.

Covers of "My Whole World Ended"; "I Second That Emotion"; "I'll Try Something New" all worked well as did the stand out original "The Day Will Come Between Sunday And Monday" - great 1970 Motown in a real Tamla Motown tradition (fans will know what I mean).

These tracks have been reissued together with others that have been sitting on the shelf at the label since that time on a 2CD set.  it's worth checking out.

 

Music For Pleasure (Sounds Superb) - SPR 90030

Junior Walker And The Allstars - Moody Jr. (1971)

From The Lost Record Covers Club Yet another album success for a mainly singles act on Motown in the watershed year of 1971.  Junior Walker delivered a real set here with Clay McMurray, Harvey Fuqua and Gladys Knight lending their writing and production talents to the credits along with the man himself.  A few more tracks with more playing less singing from him but some great back up vocalists.  I recommend the title track and of course "Walk In The Night" I saw him live a number of times and he and the Allstars always put on a fast moving upbeat soul show complete with Junior trying to stay on stage (a James Brown speciality) and pulling away from the MC to go back and continue the show for the crowd - always went down a storm (even when you knew it was coming).  This isn't on CD although a number of tracks appear on (re)compilations from Motown. Tamla Motown - STML 11211 ps.  Harvey Fuqua - Walker's longtime collaborator and producer died July 2010.  A Post on his career can be found at Harvey Fuqua (1929 - 2010)

Eddie Kendricks - People...Hold On (1972)

From The Lost Record Covers Club

Eddie Kendricks was one of the stars of the Temptations classic line-up but left the group as Norman Whitfield moved them more towards psychedelic/symphonic soul and the band became only one ingredient of the whole production with lengthy instrumental sections coming to the fore.  He made a couple of solo albums prior to this as he was moved around styles by Motown trying to find the right one for his beautiful falsetto.  Ironically some of the tracks here are more contemporary.  With the underated Frank Wilson producing, there are some real good moments with the title track, "Date With The Rain", "Girl, You Need A Change Of Mind", "Eddie's Love" standing the test of time.  There is some filler material here and whilst those songs are not so strong I think they benefit from Eddie's vocal style and sound.  I'd recommend this.  It seems to be under the radar in the UK where he is best remembered for his Temptations tenure and the later "Keep On Trucking".

This has recently been released on in a CD set of three solo albums - which is worth it for the tracks here alone.


Tamla Motown - STML 11213 (although this is a US copy)

Various - The Motown Sound Volume 2 (1973)

From The Lost Record Covers Club

To my knowledge this series only had two volumes and both held some real gems.  This one includes songs from 1971 to 1973 which,  whilst most people point to the 60's, i see as a golden period for Motown.  This shows the new maturity of the artists, with tracks from Stevie Wonder's "Music of My Mind" Album; New sounds from ex-Temptations David Ruffin "Blood Donors Needed" and Eddie Kendricks "Girl You Need A Change Of Mind"; Syreeta "To Know You Is To Love You" and the first released songs of Valerie Simpson as a vocalist. The stand-out here has to be The Undisputed Truth's version of "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone" - a Whitfield classic.  This isn't available on CD but as with all Motown, every song will be avalailable on numerous compilations including Greatest Hits packages.

Tamla Motown - STML11237

Yvonne Fair - The Bitch Is Black (1975)





I first came across Yvonne Fair on the "Motown Sound Volume 1" compilation with "Stay A Little Longer" a great track and included on this, her only album from Motown to my knowledge.  The only thing is that track is soft, romantic and very (traditional) Motown like.  If you know that song and want more - you'll get more than you bargained for here.  This is raunchy, hard hitting soul, much more aligned with Sly Stone.  Of course it's produced by the master Norman Whitfield so you would expect nothing less in him in '75 when he was virtually single-handedly changing the labels sound to accomodate changing times.  The hit single is "It Should've Been Me" - which I always thought was very Millie Jackson like both in subject matter and delivery. Standouts "Let Your Hair Down" and "Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On" both appear on Temptations albums with "Funky Music" having it's definitive version by the late and great Edwin Starr. "Love Ain't No Toy" was later covered by Amii Stewart. I wouldn't call this a great set as such more a patched together collection of songs well performed (probably to capitalise on the single's surprise success).  There are outstanding highlights but there's also some padding - still a worthwhile purchase for collectors of 70's Motown.  This is now available on CD.

 

Tamla Motown - STML 12008

The Undisputed Truth - The Undisputed Truth (1972)

From The Lost Record Covers Club

As you can clearly see this cost me £12 to repurchase a LP that I had in my collection 35 years ago (cost £1.60) - the pain was it took an age to find - worth it though  -  this is Whitfield at the height of his powers.  Check out the psychedelic soul of "Ball Of Confusion" a great example of Whitfield/Strong pushing the boundaries.  You can also see the Sly Stone influence.

Tamla Motown - STML 11197