Norman Whitfield RIP

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  • object width="425"1height="344"1param name="movie"1value=""1/param1param name="allowFullScreen"1value="true"1/param1embed src="" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425"1height="344"1/embed1/object1

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    Quote:/font1h,121b,121/font1Quote:/font1h,121b,121i swear to god, go grab that carwash album you have sitting on your shelf and put on the track Sunrise.b,121b,121h,121
    font class="post"1b,121b,121Sunrise was a secret weapon for years. b,121b,121h,121font class="post"1b,121b,121b,121Yep.b,121b,121RIP to a great who was a gateway and introduction to many.

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Check out THAT'S WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME from Rose Royce III to hear Whitfield's FUNKROCK banger.b,121b,121b/wb,121b,121object width="425"1height="344"1param name="movie"1value=""1/param1param name="allowFullScreen"1value="true"1/param1embed src="" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425"1height="344"1/embed1/object1

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    Quote:/font1h,121b,121/font1Quote:/font1h,121b,121One of my favorite producers ever. b,121b,121h,121
    font class="post"1b,121b,121b,121A genius producer, songwriter. Responsible for some of my favorite records.b,121b,121b,121 img src="http://helium.lunarpages.com/~funky4/pictures/temps_web.jpg"1 b,121b,121b,121b,121h,121font class="post"1b,121b,121b,121 a href="http://funky16corners.wordpress.com/"1target="_blank"1I just reposted the Pioneers version of 'Papa Was a Rollin' Stone' (the Temps as well) b,121b,121 img src="http://helium.lunarpages.com/~funky4/pictures/pioneers_sleeve.jpg"1

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    /font1
    Quote:/font1h,121b,121 introducing a level of relevance that was sorely needed into the label???s catalog. b,121b,121h,121
    font class="post"1 b,121b,121 img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/know.gif" alt="" 21b,121b,121b,121I'd really like to know the backstory to this.b,121b,121Did Gordy let him do his thing at the time cause he was busy in LA makin movies?b,121b,121Did Gordy realize that makin music for white teens wasnt gonna pass in in 72', and he let Whitfield do his thing?b,121b,121Did Marvin's What's Goin On- Drama, which sowed the seeds to Stevie's rebellion, lead to Gordy's open-mindedness to Whitfield's new ideas?b,121b,121There is a story there. After that Rick James came in a did his thang. But Gordy must have been so removed by then to micro-manage the label as he did in the 60's.b,121b,121What incident/song gave Whitfield "Carte Blanche"1to do his thang?b,121b,121Did he have to "fight"1Gordy to go Psych?

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    object width="425"1height="344"1param name="movie"1value=""1/param1param name="allowFullScreen"1value="true"1/param1embed src="" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425"1height="344"1/embed1/object1b,121b,121The J5 Get It Together had The Whitfield sound ALL thru it - interpreted by James Carmichael. An incredible album at a time when the J5 were losing a little heat.

  • RaystarRaystar 1,106 Posts
    /font1
    Quote:/font1h,121b,121Totally underrated Motown producer, every bit as good as Smokey or HDH. Rest in peace, bro. b,121b,121h,121
    font class="post"1b,121b,121it a game but he dont play... Detroittroittroittroittroittroittroit...

  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts
    /font1
    Quote:/font1h,121b,121b,121b,121I'd really like to know the backstory to this.b,121b,121Did Gordy let him do his thing at the time cause he was busy in LA makin movies?b,121b,121Did Gordy realize that makin music for white teens wasnt gonna pass in in 72', and he let Whitfield do his thing?b,121b,121 b,121b,121h,121
    font class="post"1b,121b,121b,121I just assume it's the usual story, in fact it's referenced in theb,121clip from the Temps movie you posted, that he had hits1and as long1asb,121there were hits1he could do what he wanted. His name is all over stuffb,121from '67 to '69 that was popular, and he was seen as the one to finallyb,121get Marvin Gaye's career off the ground. I'm sure there is something tob,121Gordy's absence helping Whitfeld expand his range and have a more freeb,121hand as the 70's went on, but the "out there" stuff he was doing in theb,121late 60's was allowed to happen because it was working and selling.b,121b,121How many Motown artists cut Cloud Nine? Like 10 of them?

  • /font1
    Quote:/font1h,121b,121 /font1Quote:/font1h,121b,121 introducing a level of relevance that was sorely needed into the label???s catalog. b,121b,121h,121
    font class="post"1 b,121b,121 img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/know.gif" alt="" 21b,121b,121b,121I'd really like to know the backstory to this.b,121b,121Did Gordy let him do his thing at the time cause he was busy in LA makin movies?b,121b,121Did Gordy realize that makin music for white teens wasnt gonna pass in in 72', and he let Whitfield do his thing?b,121b,121Did Marvin's What's Goin On- Drama, which sowed the seeds to Stevie's rebellion, lead to Gordy's open-mindedness to Whitfield's new ideas?b,121b,121h,121font class="post"1b,121b,121Whitfield introduced psychedelia to Motown long1before 1972/Stevie/Marvin/Berry making movies in LA.b,121b,121b,121/font1
    Quote:/font1h,121b,121What incident/song gave Whitfield "Carte Blanche"1to do his thang?b,121b,121Did he have to "fight"1Gordy to go Psych? b,121b,121h,121
    font class="post"1b,121b,121It was sort of "in the wind," so I'm sure Gordy was all for it. It was just that time. By 1968, the social problems of the world were too large to ignore, so Motown kinda broadened its' scope a little. It wasn't just Whitfield, either; Diana Ross & the Supremes'"Love Child" wasn't psychedelic, but it did explore controversial subject matter (illegitimate babies) that wasn't there before. And Whitfield was right beside them with "Cloud Nine."b,121b,121According to the Tempts' Otis Williams, when Sly's "Dance To The Music"1came out,1he casually suggested to Whitfield that this kind of psychedelic funk might be the way to go. Whitfield dismissed it as just another passing trend. The next time they came in to do the session, they were given "Cloud Nine," which as you know has an obvious Sly Stone debt. Williams called him out on it, Whitfield admitted he'd been wrong, and the Tempts' psychedelic phase was underway.

  • damnnn R.I.P..legends keep fallin'

  • /font1
    Quote:/font1h,121b,121b,121How many Motown artists cut Cloud Nine? Like 10 of them? b,121b,121h,121
    font class="post"1b,121b,121I'm partial to Edwin Starr's. img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hard2.gif" alt="" 21

  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts
    /font1
    Quote:/font1h,121b,121/font1Quote:/font1h,121b,121b,121How many Motown artists cut Cloud Nine? Like 10 of them? b,121b,121h,121
    font class="post"1b,121b,121I'm partial to Edwin Starr's. img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hard2.gif" alt="" 21 b,121b,121h,121font class="post"1b,121b,121Don't sleep on Marvin Gaye's, on one of his generally slept-onb,121LP's that was produced by Norman, "That's the Way Love Is"

  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts
    Speaking of which, here's the title track from thatb,121album, of course produced by NW himself:b,121b,121object width="425"1height="344"1param name="movie"1value=""1/param1param name="allowFullScreen"1value="true"1/param1embed src="" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425"1height="344"1/embed1/object1

  • JuniorJunior 4,853 Posts
    /font1
    Quote:/font1h,121b,121/font1Quote:/font1h,121b,121/font1Quote:/font1h,121b,121b,121How many Motown artists cut Cloud Nine? Like 10 of them? b,121b,121h,121
    font class="post"1b,121b,121I'm partial to Edwin Starr's. img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hard2.gif" alt="" 21 b,121b,121h,121font class="post"1b,121b,121Don't sleep on Marvin Gaye's, on one of his generally slept-onb,121LP's that was produced by Norman, "That's the Way Love Is" b,121b,121h,121font class="post"1b,121b,121Yeah I only heard this relatively recently when I picked up a copy. Great cover, title track is killer.

  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    Did you catch the big Tricky sample on it?

  • JuniorJunior 4,853 Posts
    Ha ha yeah - Aftermath is so ingrained in my brain that I did proper double take at hearing the original record. Then I felt embarrassed for not already knowing it.

  • /font1
    Quote:/font1h,121b,121/font1Quote:/font1h,121b,121/font1Quote:/font1h,121b,121b,121How many Motown artists cut Cloud Nine? Like 10 of them? b,121b,121h,121
    font class="post"1b,121b,121I'm partial to Edwin Starr's. img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hard2.gif" alt="" 21 b,121b,121h,121font class="post"1b,121b,121Don't sleep on Marvin Gaye's, on one of his generally slept-onb,121LP's that was produced by Norman, "That's the Way Love Is" b,121b,121h,121font class="post"1b,121b,121"That's the Way Love Is" is also on an earlier, and equally great, overlooked Marvin LP, "MPG"...wonder why they put it on two LPs just a year apart?
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