Can sombody describe what the "Motown Sound" is please!
Ironfeet
516 Posts
The other day a producer friend of mine texted me and asked me how the Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell album United was. I kindly replied back and said ???it???s good classic Motown sound?????? I guess my answer wasn???t good enough so he replied back and said ???Yeah but is it real raw soul or lovey dovey soul???. I said ???dude it???s that classic pre Marvin Gaye what???s going on LP sound that classic Motown sound, think of Supremes and Mary Wells?????? Then he replies back ???Come on dude answer the question, I know it???s hard for you just give a straight answer???.. Wasn???t??? that Classic Motown sound??? a good enough answer??? Shoot I thought it was a straight answer???? But I guess it wasn???t the answer he was looking for?
Now my question is how would you guys of answered that question???
Now my question is how would you guys of answered that question???
Comments
Well, quite. Moreover, as great as Motown was during that period, they never really specialised in "that real, raw soul".
Anyone who thinks there might be 'raw soul' on Motown needs an education.
there is certainly "raw" r&b on Motown: Sammy ward, the contours, Leo and the leopards...
^^^ a classic imo, but when motown moved to l.a. the sound changed completely. stevie and marvins 70s' releases were in a category all by themselves.
mary jane girls, the commodores, debarge and grover washington jr = not so much motown sound.
when the jacksons left motown and went to epic... i dont know what i like better, the holland dozier material or the gamble & huff stuff.
as for the initial thread post....sounds like the person asking the question has trouble with listening and finding out on their own.
like duh.
and don't forget the obvious: Junior Walker & the All-Stars.
there was a time in the eighties where any old soul music at all was described as "Motown"
you'd always hear some yuppie saying some goofy misinformed shit like "yeah, Aretha Franklin is my favorite Motown artist"
Hookup will reply to this in T minus 4 seconds....
Just because something is mixed specifically to sound good on an AM car radio doesn't make it "raw as hell." Even through an aged Motorola system, you can hear the studio sophistication of a sixties Motown hit. Nothing garagey 'bout that.
HA!
Yeah, this kinda a silly statement...never have really thought of the string section on a miracles record as that raw...don't listen to the supremes and say "that shit is like 20th Century Zoo"
Plaese to listen to Booker T "plum Nellie" or Eddie Kirk "the hawg" and say Motown is more raw...
HA!
Yeah, this kinda a silly statement...never have really thought of the string section on a miracles record as that raw...don't listen to the supremes and say "that shit is like 20th Century Zoo"
Plaese to listen to Booker T "plum Nellie" or Eddie Kirk "the hawg" and say Motown is more raw...
Bingo...
that's a good description...
and btw, Edwin Starr sound imo was raw too
But don't get it wrong - Motown wasn't KNOWN for rawness, and didn't go "hard" all the time. Junior Walker notwithstanding, they got their pop reputation for a reason. And even Junior's sound smoothed out after 1969.
On the other side of that, Stax could - and did - go smooth every now and then (the Dramatics, Carla Thomas, Mad Lads), but the Memphis Sound was not a "pop" sound. Even though it was popular, you couldn't call it "pop."
Yes to all this. I was also thinking about it in terms of recording sound.
I guess it will come down to the differences in definition. Are people equating 'raw' with 'grit'? I mean, it can be raw and slick, no?