Ain't No Place Like Motown

I don't have a whole lot going on in my life right now, so I don't really have much to say. So instead of boring you all with the details of my struggles to understand Spanish at both of my jobs, or trying to procure employment for when the funding for my job runs out in late July, I will instead treat you to some MP3s, along with my deep, deep thoughts regarding a relatively obscure 40 year old song...

I have a sort of love-hate thing going with the land of my birth, but one thing about Detroit that I have always been proud of is Motown. What's not to be proud of? Some damn fine music came forth from Berry Gordy's musical assembly line, there's no denying that. Plus, you know, a black-owned, independent record label in the 1960's does quite a bit to assuage the liberal guilt that I carry around with me like some half-wit, emo Atlas.

The Temptations, The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight & The Pips, The Four Tops, The Marvelettes, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles... The list of artists that Motown featured is so extraordinary that occasionally perfectly good artists would find themselves lost in the steady stream of talent, with their recordings unreleased or under-promoted. Artists like Chris Clark, Brenda Holloway, and Kim Weston were shunted aside for other, higher profile artists. Thanks to the quality control department in place at Motown, all of these artists had enough material that was unreleased to have merited the release of two-disc anthologies in the U.K. -- obscure Motown tracks form the foundation of the Northern Soul scene, after all. But of all these artists, my favorites are...

The Velvelettes.

They are one of my very favorite of Motown's various girl groups. Part of this is because they began performing at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, which I attended for three years before I fled back to Detroit to complete my degree. More than that, though, is that they had (at least) two brilliant singles: "He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'" and "Needle in a Haystack". Considering that they released only six singles (and no albums) during their original tenure with Motown, that's a pretty good track record. Both of the songs were co-written and produced by Norman Whitfield, one of my favorite Motown auteurs. The group is less girly than The Supremes, and they sing better, to boot, led by the fabulous Carolyn Gill. The group finally released an album of Motown in 1998, with the group's original singles supplemented with unreleased material on The Very Best of The Velvelettes. Listening to it, you understand why The Velvelettes famously trounced The Supremes in a Battle of the Bands competition, what with songs like "Lonely Lonely Girl am I", "A Bird In The Hand (Is Worth Two In The Bush)," and "Let Love Live (A Little Bit Longer)." They reformed in 1984, touring the nostalgia circuit -- particularly in England, where they get a great deal more respect than they ever have in the States -- and word has it that they still got it.

I was first introduced to this particular song via Bananarama, who, along with Funboy Three, released a version of the song in 1982. As much as I like Bananarama, I have to say I prefer the original: the fairly forthright examination of the protagonist's sexual urges is refreshing compared to the excessive propriety that was the standard among girl groups of the time. Whatever it is that this stud is sayin', it's certainly having an effect on her physically. "Lady-like it may not be, but he moved me tremendously..." I have the feeling that she was going to be locking herself in the bathroom for a nice, long bath as soon as she gets inside -- a dirty, dirty bath, heh heh. You go, girl! The first version I'm posting here has been released on the group's UK-released Motown Anthology, and has less of an easy jazz vibe than the original. It also reveals the influence of The Supremes: the introduction could easily lead to "Where Did Our Love Go.". It sounds a bit like Norman Whitfield has them marching around the studio, doing military maneuvers. Suddenly I have an image of The Velvelettes done up in getups like S1W, complete with the sunglasses, berets, bouffants, and replica Uzis. That's good for a giggle, at least.

The Velvelettes: "He Was Really Sayin' Somethin' [Alternative Version]"

Motown had a habit of recycling hits throughout their stable of artists. Producers would have artists they worked with reinterpret previous hits -- the material was quality stuff, so why not return to that well again and again? Norman Whitfield particularly had a habit of this: "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" was a #1 hit for both Gladys Knight & The Pips and Marvin Gaye within the period of a year, after all, and was also recorded by Whitfield-produced artists like The Undisputed Truth and The Temptations. And after The Temptations had a hit with "Cloud Nine," the song was re-recorded by Gladys Knight & The Pips, Marvin Gaye, and Edwin Starr. It was just standard operating procedure at the record label.

Via the phenomenal music-sharing, Motown- and Disco-themed blog, Fullundie, which has a lot to do with my current wave of Motown-philia, I have a vinyl rip of a version by The Marvelettes, who had a Whitfield-helmed hit of their own with the stellar "Too Many Fish In The Sea." This one doesn't diverge too much from the original recording, although it is perhaps a bit clunkier. It's hard to improve on perfection.

The Marvelettes: "He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'"

As a bonus, I indulge in my love for New Wave by posting the Bananarama. This does a good job of keeping the breeziness of the original, while at the same time marrying it to the percussive, vaguely ethnic instrumentation that I associate with Funboy Three. Bananarama always got around their individual vocal deficiencies by taking a page from Chic, eschewing lead vocals for something more like background vocals on their own tracks. It works particularly well here, giving the whole affair an ethereal, almost spooky, mood. I like it a lot, still.

Bananarama: "He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'"

And finally, in the name of completeness, and for comparison's sake, the brilliant cool of the original recording:

The Velvelettes: "He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'"

Let it never be said that I am not a music geek.

Incidentally, Motown's original Detroit studios are located just around the corner from the Eagle, a bear bar. Amazing fun fact!