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Can sombody describe what the "Motown Sound" is please!

IronfeetIronfeet 516 Posts
edited October 2010 in Strut Central
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???

  Comments

  • neil_somethingneil_something 993 Posts
    How can someone be interested enough in Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell to want to buy that album, but never have heard "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"?
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Isnt Rick James Street Songs a Classic Motown album
  • high_chigh_c 1,384 Posts
    Motown Sound: Jose Feliciano, The Ones, Rockwell and I think the Four Tops.
  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    neil_something said:
    How can someone be interested enough in Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell to want to buy that album, but never have heard "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"?

    Well, quite. Moreover, as great as Motown was during that period, they never really specialised in "that real, raw soul".
  • HorseleechHorseleech 3,830 Posts
    "Classic Motown Sound" should be an understood description, especially as describing the 60's output.

    Anyone who thinks there might be 'raw soul' on Motown needs an education.
  • The_Hook_UpThe_Hook_Up 8,182 Posts
    Horseleech said:
    "Classic Motown Sound" should be an understood description, especially as describing the 60's output.

    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...
  • RAW_HAMBURGERRAW_HAMBURGER 1,438 Posts
    batmon said:
    Isnt Rick James Street Songs a Classic Motown album


    ^^^ 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.
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    The_Hook_Up said:
    Horseleech said:
    "Classic Motown Sound" should be an understood description, especially as describing the 60's output.

    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...

    and don't forget the obvious: Junior Walker & the All-Stars.
  • twoplytwoply Only Built 4 Manzanita Links 2,915 Posts
    I have a friend who describes any raw soul as being "Motown." I hate talking about music with him.
  • buttonbutton 1,475 Posts
    Fidelity wise, I think 60s motown is raw as hell. That stuff sounds almost like garage rock. STAX is like a plush sofa in comparison.
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    twoply said:
    I have a friend who describes any raw soul as being "Motown." I hate talking about music with him.

    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"
  • high_chigh_c 1,384 Posts
    button said:
    Fidelity wise, I think 60s motown is raw as hell. That stuff sounds almost like garage rock. STAX is like a plush sofa in comparison.

    Hookup will reply to this in T minus 4 seconds....
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    button said:
    Fidelity wise, I think 60s motown is raw as hell. That stuff sounds almost like garage rock. STAX is like a plush sofa in comparison.

    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.
  • The_Hook_UpThe_Hook_Up 8,182 Posts
    high_c said:
    button said:
    Fidelity wise, I think 60s motown is raw as hell. That stuff sounds almost like garage rock. STAX is like a plush sofa in comparison.

    Hookup will reply to this in T minus 4 seconds....

    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...
  • The_Hook_UpThe_Hook_Up 8,182 Posts
    high_c said:
    button said:
    Fidelity wise, I think 60s motown is raw as hell. That stuff sounds almost like garage rock. STAX is like a plush sofa in comparison.

    Hookup will reply to this in T minus 4 seconds....

    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...
  • funky16cornersfunky16corners 7,175 Posts
    pickwick33 said:
    The_Hook_Up said:
    Horseleech said:
    "Classic Motown Sound" should be an understood description, especially as describing the 60's output.

    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...

    and don't forget the obvious: Junior Walker & the All-Stars.


    Bingo...
  • ElectrodeElectrode Los Angeles 3,130 Posts
    4-on-the-snare with fills and swing kicks on the "and" of 3. One-note vibes. String orchestra backing that isn't too overpowering. That's how I would begin to describe it musically; a sound unique (I guess that's up for debate..) to the record label, Motown.

  • Strider79itStrider79it 1,176 Posts
    Electrode said:
    4-on-the-snare with fills and swing kicks on the "and" of 3. One-note vibes. String orchestra backing that isn't too overpowering. That's how I would begin to describe it musically; a sound unique (I guess that's up for debate..) to the record label, Motown.

    that's a good description...

    and btw, Edwin Starr sound imo was raw too
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    funky16corners said:
    pickwick33 said:
    The_Hook_Up said:
    Horseleech said:
    "Classic Motown Sound" should be an understood description, especially as describing the 60's output.

    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...

    and don't forget the obvious: Junior Walker & the All-Stars.


    Bingo...

    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."
  • buttonbutton 1,475 Posts
    When I hear STAX I hear raw, bluesy singers over warm bass and horns. When I hear Motown I hear different kinds of singers (smooth like Smokey, Diana, Marvin; rougher like Martha or David Ruffin), over sharp snares, piano, and handclaps. There's a starker sound to Motown that I guess I hear as a certain kind of rawness ingrained in the recordings, even when they were going for a sophisitcated studio sound. Not to mention, when you DJ a Motown 45 you've really gotta cool it on the treble sometimes. Not so much with STAX records of the same era, I've found. Although, Motown, obviously, is not "raw soul" in the way that term is traditionally used. Thats not what I'm trying to say.
  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    button said:
    When I hear STAX I hear raw, bluesy singers over warm bass and horns. When I hear Motown I hear different kinds of singers (smooth like Smokey, Diana, Marvin; rougher like Martha or David Ruffin), over sharp snares, piano, and handclaps. There's a starker sound to Motown that I guess I hear as a certain kind of rawness ingrained in the recordings, even when they were going for a sophisticated studio sound. Not to mention, when you DJ a Motown 45 you've really gotta cool it on the treble sometimes. Not so much with STAX records of the same era, I've found. Although, Motown, obviously, is not "raw soul" in the way that term is traditionally used.

    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?



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