OST- TCB featuring Diana Ross and the Supremes With the Temptations

Here is a little gem I scored for $2. s we are celebrating Black History Month, I thought this would be a great two for one choice.  At the above price, this is steal.  I have been flying thru these posts as of late but why?  At the time of writing, it is not even Thanksgiving yet so it is not like I am against a deadline.  TV and work kind of make up my life now so it is not like a have a whole lot to report on.  I could go into more detail on the records but for some reason support of that idea is waning.  I just think that the sooner I finish this month, I can start working on next month.  What is my point?  None really. SO on with the post already.

This record is the soundtrack from the NBC Special TCB (Taking Care of Business).  Taped in September of 1968, the special pre-empted Laugh-in to debut in December of the same year.  According to Wikipedia, this was the first Rock and Roll type special to air on Network TV, (which back then was just plain TV).  

The Special which featured two of Motown’s biggest acts ( Diana Ross and the Supremes and the Temptations) surpassed all expectations, becoming the highest rated show in its time slot as well as the top rated variety show of 1968.  Featuring standards, show tunes, and Motown favorites, the soundtrack was equally successful,  It shot to #1 on both the Pop and RnB charts.

The cover to this was in pretty rough shape.   The album itself was a bit better.  Pretty good stuff.  Tunes by both groups as well as a few combo numbers.   For a sample, I liked the Intro numbers as well as “Sometime”, “Impossible Dream”, and the “Come See About Me/ My World Is Empty/ Baby Love” Medley.

However, I went with the grand medley of “A Taste of Honey/ Eleanor Rigby/ Do You Know The Way To San Jose/ Mrs Robinson/ Respect”.  Whew, that is a handful of tunes.  Both acts skillfully come together to perform these numbers.

Satisfactory record.

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles- Four In Blue

This month we are highlighting records for either Oscar Season or Black History month, with this one falling in the latter.  Here is one from one of the great acts of Motown Records, one of the first Motown artists for that matter.  I paid $4 for this, mostly for the song I am going to post.

This record , released on Motown subsidiary Tamla in 1969, was the vocal group’s last record of the 1960’s.  Despite having no singles, the album sold well and went to #78 on the Pop charts/ #3 on the RnB.  It features material written by lead member Smokey Robinson, various Motown writers, and other sources as well.  

Pretty decent album given the late period.  I liked “Tomorrow Is Another Day”, “California Soul”, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'”, and “My World Is Empty Without You”.  However, I am going with the reason I bought this, the cover of “Hey Jude”.

Satisfactory.

VA- Motown Chartbusters Vol 5

Here is the perfect record to end the month and perhaps my shortest post to date.  I bought this Motown sampler for $3.  It contains many of the folk that made Motown famous: Jackson 5, The Spinners, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye among others. Released in 1971.

Could have used any song but decided to showcase two for one with “River Deep- Mountain High”  featuring the combined talents of the Supremes and the Four Tops.  Again, it could have been any cut on this record.

Great little record.  Satisfactory.  See you next month.

The Temptations- Greatest Hits

Keeping with this week’s theme of records I bought that were different than there covers, I submit this, previously owned by one Rich Ortiz.  When I saw this album by a young Stevie Wonder for only a dollar, I flipped out.  When I saw the track listing and saw “Sunny”, ” Everybody’s Talking”, “I’ve Got To Be Me”, “Blowin’ In The Wind”, By The Time I Get To Phoenix” and “For Once In My Life”, I thought this was a major score and was really excited to listen to this record.

I also probably would have really enjoyed writing a post on Wonder.  I would have noted how remarkable he is and how he could have played it safe and continued this style of music into the 70’s, but instead he chose to reinvent himself and his music in that decade and beyond.  Would have been a fun post to write.

Well, instead of this record, I got the Temptation’s Greatest Hits, which is not a bad collection.  The Detroit vocal group who are perhaps most famous for :My Girl” were a smash hit in the 60’s and dominated the RnB charts of that period. Released on Gordy Records, a division of Motown.  All the classic hits from this legendary vocal group are here. And there is not a bad moment on here. This record, released in 1966 would go to #1 on the RnB Charts and #5 on the overall US charts.

For a sample, I could have gone with any song.  As with the more established artists whose albums I post on this blog, I like to do less known pieces of work but that is almost impossible on this record.  So I went with “Don’t Look Back”, a single released in 1966 that went to #15 on the RnB charts.

I really wanted to hear that Stevie Wonder album so I am actually quite disappointed with that . However, this is a really good album as well.  So this transaction washes out.  Satisfactory.

 

The Supremes- Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland

Keeping Black History Month going with this piece of work from the Supremes.  This came from Big Al’s collection of records.

A lot has been written about  the Supreme’s de facto leader, Diana Ross.  A considerable amount has also been written about Mary Wilson.  Not so much about Florence Ballard.  That is probably due to the fact that she died of  a heart attack in 1976, on the heels of a comeback.  A founding member of the Supremes, she was removed from the group in 1967 when she showed up drunk to a performance.  

This was not the first time nor the last time she would struggle with alcoholism. After a few solo efforts, Ballard would sink lower in the bottle as well as the state of poverty that normally accompanies it.  But Ballard was on her way to turning her life around before her death. She completed rehab, got on some solid financial footing, and was starting to sing again.  She was 32.

Fun fact of the day; the same housing projects which were home to the members of the Supremes, the Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects , was also home to Lily Tomlin.

This was the Supremes’ tenth record, released in 1967. It was pretty successful, going to #6 in the US and #1 on the US R&B chart.  The album is a collection of songs written by Motown’s chief song writing-production team; Lamont Dozier, and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland.  

The album is  a good collection of previously released songs by the Supremes as well as other H-D-H songs previously done by other artists such as the Four Tops and Marvin Gaye.  So in that way, this album is as much a celebration of both the singers as well as the writers.

Lot of really good moments on this album but I decided to go with Martha and the Vandellas’ hit, “Love Is Like  A Heat Wave” as this was highly inspirational to various (well, two) mod musicians in the UK.

Are you kidding me?  This is a top rated album for sure.

The Supremes- Sing Rodgers & Hart

DSCN4847 (800x783)This was $3.00.  I should have scheduled this week better as I have two show tune albums back to back.  I kind of went heavy on the Broadway albums this month.  I do not know why.  The tendency is to keep going with a theme when I am picking out records for the month.rodgers-hart-portrait-1

Although Richard Rodgers is best known for his work with Oscar Hammerstein, his initial work with lyricist Lorenz Hart is still pretty prolific.  The duo, who met in 1919 at Colombia University, penned over 500 songs and 28 musicals. Many of their songs have become standards.74275088

Whereas Hammerstein’s lyrics were optimistic, warm (sometime on the edge of corniness), and had a broader appeal, Hart’s work was more sophisticated , clever, and more of a New York slant.  Pal Joey was the duo’s crown achievement.  Hart suffered from both depression and alcoholism (because nothing fixes the blues like a depressant) which led to the duo’s split in 1943.  Hart died of pneumonia shortly there after at the age of 48.  Among their other achievements was their work on the 1937 play, I’d Rather Be Right, which starred the King of Broadway, George M Cohen as FDR.  James Cagney showcased it in the Cohen biopic (which is mostly fabrication), Yankee Doodle Dandy.  According to somewhere, Cohan had requested Cagney for the role.

This record, released by Motown in 1967, showcases the strength of Rodgers and Hart’s catalog.  With liner notes by Gene Kelly, this album includes a lot of the bigger numbers including “The Lady is a Tramp”, “Lover”, “Mountain Greenery”, “My Heart Stood Still”, “Falling in Love with Love”, and “Blue Moon”.  DSCN4848 (800x780)

The previous owner of this record did not care for this record much as the word “Stinks!” is written on the back.  Several titles are also scratched out.  I think this is unfair as I think that it is an excellent record.  The previous owner singled out “Lover”, “My Romance”, “My Heart Stood Still”, and “Falling in Love with Love” as the highlights.  supremes-the-51c6f2ab741a7

For a sample, I went with one of the scratched out numbers “This Can’t Be Love” from the Boys From Syracuse.

Satisfactory record.

Rare Earth-Ecology

DSCN1756This was a dollar.  The maintenance man in my apartment, who saw me with records the other day told me to look out for Rare Earth’s album, Ma.  Well, I am still looking for Ma but here is this.

RareEarthRare Earth was not the first white act signed to Motown but they were the first white act with hits.  Formed in Detroit as the Sundowners in 1960, they became the Rare Earth in 1968.  Motown signed them to a subsidiary that was dedicated to white rock acts, using their name as the label’s moniker. The band’s chief period was in the early seventies.  They managed to continue in various forms up to today.

Rare Earth’s Website

This album was their third.  It would chart at #15 in the US. Two singles, “the Temptation’s “(I Know) I’m Losing You” and “Born to Wander” would chart #7 an # 17 respectfully.  This album is pretty rocking.  Good guitar and percussion work.  The band does a decent cover of “Eleanor Rigby” as well.

I used “Number 1 Man” as the sample.  I felt it contains a good sample of this record.  Satisfactory Record.  Happy Saturday.

DSCN1757