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Motown - Recommended Listening?


Linus27
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My new project is very Motown influenced and has mentioned James Jamerson etc in conversations. Can anyone recommend some really good tracks, songs, CD's/DVD's etc I should listen to/get to really absorb the whole Motown vibe. I do have the Standing In The Shadows book which I will go through but anything else anyone can suggest to help get really into the Motown thing would be really appreciated.

Oh, and before anyone says Flats, don't ok :):):):)

Edited by Linus27
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[quote name='chris_b' post='1138539' date='Feb 23 2011, 01:37 PM']There is a lot of non Motown from that era that is just as good. For example, the Philly sound of the O'Jays, Harold Melvin, The Stylistics etc.[/quote]
+1

The Stax band were amazing and their sound not "disturbed" by all that furious tambourine jangling which is a characteristic of so many early Motown tracks

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[quote name='BottomE' post='1138559' date='Feb 23 2011, 01:48 PM']+1

The Stax band were amazing and their sound not "disturbed" by all that furious tambourine jangling which is a characteristic of so many early Motown tracks[/quote]
+1 on the Stax stuff and that will be the great Jack Ashford on tambourine (and also vibes).

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[quote name='dlloyd' post='1138531' date='Feb 23 2011, 01:34 PM']Tescos are doing the Motown Chartbusters series for about a fiver for the first four discs. Loads of classics on that.[/quote]

A great buy, essential stuff IMO.
Vol 3 (silver cover) is the absolute must have.

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[quote name='EssentialTension' post='1138565' date='Feb 23 2011, 01:53 PM']+1 on the Stax stuff and that will be the great Jack Ashford on tambourine (and also vibes).[/quote]

I have just seen his CV (Jack Ashford). Wow.

I was listening to Junior Walker the other night then took a look on YouTube:

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDd69AV1vWY"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDd69AV1vWY[/url]

The guys bass sounds like its gonna jump out and give you a good hiding. Love it. Also a nice post from the bass player.

"I was the bassist with Jr. but in this video I'm playing guitar. I met Jr when i was 17 and did not have a bass so he takes down to the music store in downtown South Bend, IN . We walk in and he tells Mack the owner. Hey, got one new guy with me and he needs a bass. He says walk around and pick out one. I'm like are you serious, any one i want ? Jr says yea ! So I grabbed that Jazz and walked out the door without paying one cent. My dream had come true LOL Allstar 1979-1995 Darryl B"

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Another fantastic compilation is [i]What It Is!: Funky Soul and Rare Grooves: From the Vaults of Atlantic, Atco and Warner Brothers Records: 1967-1977[/i]. It's not cheap but it's a marvellous collection.

[url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Funky-Soul-Rare-Grooves/dp/B000GIWS4W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298471137&sr=1-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Funky-Soul-Ra...1137&sr=1-1[/url]

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[quote name='EssentialTension' post='1138613' date='Feb 23 2011, 02:26 PM']Another fantastic compilation is [i]What It Is!: Funky Soul and Rare Grooves: From the Vaults of Atlantic, Atco and Warner Brothers Records: 1967-1977[/i]. It's not cheap but it's a marvellous collection.

[url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Funky-Soul-Rare-Grooves/dp/B000GIWS4W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298471137&sr=1-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Funky-Soul-Ra...1137&sr=1-1[/url][/quote]

I've got that too, totally recommended - loads of killer tracks on it. :)

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Thanks everyone, some great help for me.

What I am trying to do is get my head around and trying to understand the basics of what makes a Motown bassline but it seems to me it can be pretty open to anything depending on era and artist. It seems a lot of the early Motown is kind of groove or swing based with roots in Jazz and Blues. So a walking type bass line in places but not as obvious or full as a Jazz bass line. An example is Tears Of A Clown or Heatwave which are very swing orientated. Later on it seems to soften and go more pop/soul and reliant on the vocal. Some artists like Stevie Wonder and the Jackson 5 seem to go more towards funk feel.

Of course I could be talking total rubbish but from my brief listening today, this is what I seem to have noticed.

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[quote name='Linus27' post='1139077' date='Feb 23 2011, 08:08 PM']Thanks everyone, some great help for me.

What I am trying to do is get my head around and trying to understand the basics of what makes a Motown bassline but it seems to me it can be pretty open to anything depending on era and artist. It seems a lot of the early Motown is kind of groove or swing based with roots in Jazz and Blues. So a walking type bass line in places but not as obvious or full as a Jazz bass line. An example is Tears Of A Clown or Heatwave which are very swing orientated. Later on it seems to soften and go more pop/soul and reliant on the vocal. Some artists like Stevie Wonder and the Jackson 5 seem to go more towards funk feel.

Of course I could be talking total rubbish but from my brief listening today, this is what I seem to have noticed.[/quote]
It is quite varied as you say. Interestingly, the ones you pick on are not all the same bassist:

Heatwave - James Jamerson (on an upright IIRC)
Tears of a Clown - Bob Babbit
Jackson 5 e.g. I Want You Back - Wilton Felder

Early Stevie Wonder is usually Jamerson (e.g. I Was Made to Love Her - let's not get into the Carol Kaye thing) or Babbit (e.g. Signed Sealed Delivered) but later might even be a clavinet.

Edited by EssentialTension
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  • 2 weeks later...

If you're on Facebook, there's a few good pages, run by afficianados of Motown, Northern Soul etc that regularly post some interesting & less heard classics.
I like this one [url="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Soul-Motown-All-The-Way-With-DJ-Flo/117499104929628"]Soul-Motown All the Way with DJ Flo[/url]

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Not listening obviously, but Standing In The Shadows, the book about James Jamerson is brilliant. Some really great transcriptions and insights into his style and technique etc. Also includes a couple of CDs of his lines being played by a plethora of famous bass players. Kind of a homage to the great man all in all.

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