“TAMLA MOTOWN – The Stories Behind The UK Singles” – A Review of the 2009 Paperback Book by TERRY WILSON.

Motown artists like Marvin Gaye, Eddie Kendricks, The Temptatons, The Supremes, The Marvelettes, Syreeta, Smokey Robinson, Tammi Terrell, The Undisputed Truth and more are featured as part of my "SOUNDS GOOD: Exceptional CD Remasters Soul, Funk & Jazz Fusion" Download Book available to buy on Amazon to either your PC or Mac (it will download the Kindle software to read the book for free to your toolbar). Click on the link below to go my Author's Page for this and other related publications:

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“…And The Lord God Looked Down On Motown in Detroit And Verily Thought…I Must Set Up A British Branch…”

Did you know that following the departure of his principal hit-writers Holland Dozier and Holland, Berry Gordy wanted to reinstate the Supremes as a number act after a year of dullard releases, so he locked all his remaining writers in a hotel room and told them they weren't coming out until they penned a winner for his wife. They promptly raided the hotel bar and got completely pissed in retaliation. But the following morning they threw out the number one hit "Love Child" anyway. Or that Stevie Wonder's manager sang his newly released "Higher Ground" single into his ear in 1973 as Stevie lay dying on a hospital bed having had a freak accident where a huge log crashed through his windscreen and into his skull - and it brought him back. Or did you know that the original version of Marvin Gaye's masterpiece "What's Going On" had a question mark removed from the end of the title - so that you didn't know whether he was asking a question or making a statement? Neither did I...

A book like this is a treasure trove of such juicy trivia, but it wouldn't amount to more than a long list of staid statistics if the rest of the text weren't imbibed with wit, affection and a genuine thirst for knowledge and understanding - on every single entry. Americans know that Brits are soul mad, but this book proves it like no other. There's stuff in here that even the guys who wrote the music don't know about!

First, in order to convey just how deep this work goes, let's get to the details.

It's a tall paperback with over 700 pages. The 72 singles from 1959 to mid 1965 issued on London (4), Fontana (4), Oriole (19) and Stateside (45) are all here - each given an individual essay on their release and history. Topping the essay over each single is other relevant info - Timing, Writers, Producers, Recording Date, UK Release Date, B-side, UK Chart Position, US catalogue number, US release date and finally the US chart position attained in both Billboard's Pop and R&B charts.

The two-word 'Tamla Motown' identity was started by Gordy specifically to deal with UK issues (it was either the single word 'Motown', 'Tamla' or 'Gordy' in the USA). Its first 7" single release came in March 1965 on TMG 501 - The Supremes' "Stop! In The Name Of Love". While it topped the charts in the States, it made Number 7 in the UK (the title was a remark made by a producer to his argumentative girlfriend). From this point on page 68, the releases stretch all the way to page 606 and the February 2006 release of Stevie Wonder's "From The Bottom Of My Heart" on TMG 1513. Every single one!

This is then followed by the ARTIST SUMMARY section - which gives you their releases at a glance - 1 for Jerry Butler and 9 for The Commodores and so forth - very handy. There's then a section on STATISTICS, FACTS and FEATS; followed by AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF TRACKS; followed by a section on MOTOWN EPs and 12" SINGLES. Then there's a section on the off-shoot labels, Rare Earth, Mo-West and Gaiee labels...and a COLLECTORS section dealing with label bags, different texts, matrix numbers etc. and finally a REFERENCES section that in itself goes on for pages.

Some entries are long - "Tears Of A Clown" by SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES (an instrumental first presented to Smokey by Stevie Wonder at a Christmas party), others are short because they deserve to be "A Little Bit For Sandy" by PAUL PETERSEN (a child actor originally on The Donna Reed Show) - it was produced by R DEAN TAYLOR and sank without a trace. The social consciousness period of Norman Whitfield's 1970s productions (Temptations, Undisputed Truth) I found fascinating and full of amazing info. In fact I can't imagine the thousands of hours it must have taken to assemble all this information, cross check every entry and then present the whole lot in an interesting way. His assessment of Marvin's "What's Going On" as a song that "says so little, yet means so much to so many people..." is both insightful and true.

I would say - however - that a very real down point is the complete lack of visuals. There should have been 10 or 12 pages of colour pictures, label variations, rare picture sleeves, early issues - but maybe on the next run.

Also, I went into 5 West End book stores and none had it for sale let alone knew of its existence - and Cherry Red books need to address that pronto - because it's criminal to see a book of this stature go unnoticed - reviewed online by some Irish nutter in a second-hand record shop in London. I would also prep a 'download' version for the net with better front artwork and a slew of picture pages from collectors with a far cheaper price to make it more accessible.

Those minor nitpicks aside, both Cherry Red and the author are to be congratulated for this wonderful tome.

I can tell you now with all confidence that even as Moses was parting the Red Sea with the sound of hooves and chariots in his shell-likes, he was secretly thinking, I can't wait for 2009 and Terry Wilson's detailed book about Tamla Motown in England...

To say I'm impressed folks is like saying the Sistine Chapel is an ok painting.

Well done to all concerned - and recommended the most.

“TAMLA MOTOWN – The Stories Behind The UK Singles” – A Review of the 2009 Paperback Book by TERRY WILSON.

“…And The Lord God Looked Down On Motown in Detroit And Verily Thought…I Must Set Up A British Branch…”

Did you know that following the departure of his principal hit-writers Holland Dozier and Holland, Berry Gordy wanted to reinstate the Supremes as a number act after a year of dullard releases, so he locked all his remaining writers in a hotel room and told them they weren't coming out until they penned a winner for his wife. They promptly raided the hotel bar and got completely pissed in retaliation. But the following morning they threw out the number one hit "Love Child" anyway. Or that Stevie Wonder's manager sang his newly released "Higher Ground" single into his ear in 1973 as Stevie lay dying on a hospital bed having had a freak accident where a huge log crashed through his windscreen and into his skull - and it brought him back. Or did you know that the original version of Marvin Gaye's masterpiece "What's Going On" had a question mark removed from the end of the title - so that you didn't know whether he was asking a question or making a statement? Neither did I...

A book like this is a treasure trove of such juicy trivia, but it wouldn't amount to more than a long list of staid statistics if the rest of the text weren't imbibed with wit, affection and a genuine thirst for knowledge and understanding - on every single entry. Americans know that Brits are soul mad, but this book proves it like no other. There's stuff in here that even the guys who wrote the music don't know about!

First, in order to convey just how deep this work goes, let's get to the details.

It's a tall paperback with over 700 pages. The 72 singles from 1959 to mid 1965 issued on London (4), Fontana (4), Oriole (19) and Stateside (45) are all here - each given an individual essay on their release and history. Topping the essay over each single is other relevant info - Timing, Writers, Producers, Recording Date, UK Release Date, B-side, UK Chart Position, US catalogue number, US release date and finally the US chart position attained in both Billboard's Pop and R&B charts.

The two-word 'Tamla Motown' identity was started by Gordy specifically to deal with UK issues (it was either the single word 'Motown', 'Tamla' or 'Gordy' in the USA). Its first 7" single release came in March 1965 on TMG 501 - The Supremes' "Stop! In The Name Of Love". While it topped the charts in the States, it made Number 7 in the UK (the title was a remark made by a producer to his argumentative girlfriend). From this point on page 68, the releases stretch all the way to page 606 and the February 2006 release of Stevie Wonder's "From The Bottom Of My Heart" on TMG 1513. Every single one!

This is then followed by the ARTIST SUMMARY section - which gives you their releases at a glance - 1 for Jerry Butler and 9 for The Commodores and so forth - very handy. There's then a section on STATISTICS, FACTS and FEATS; followed by AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF TRACKS; followed by a section on MOTOWN EPs and 12" SINGLES. Then there's a section on the off-shoot labels, Rare Earth, Mo-West and Gaiee labels...and a COLLECTORS section dealing with label bags, different texts, matrix numbers etc. and finally a REFERENCES section that in itself goes on for pages.

Some entries are long - "Tears Of A Clown" by SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES (an instrumental first presented to Smokey by Stevie Wonder at a Christmas party), others are short because they deserve to be "A Little Bit For Sandy" by PAUL PETERSEN (a child actor originally on The Donna Reed Show) - it was produced by R DEAN TAYLOR and sank without a trace. The social consciousness period of Norman Whitfield's 1970s productions (Temptations, Undisputed Truth) I found fascinating and full of amazing info. In fact I can't imagine the thousands of hours it must have taken to assemble all this information, cross check every entry and then present the whole lot in an interesting way. His assessment of Marvin's "What's Going On" as a song that "says so little, yet means so much to so many people..." is both insightful and true.

I would say - however - that a very real down point is the complete lack of visuals. There should have been 10 or 12 pages of colour pictures, label variations, rare picture sleeves, early issues - but maybe on the next run.

Also, I went into 5 West End book stores and none had it for sale let alone knew of its existence - and Cherry Red books need to address that pronto - because it's criminal to see a book of this stature go unnoticed - reviewed online by some Irish nutter in a second-hand record shop in London. I would also prep a 'download' version for the net with better front artwork and a slew of picture pages from collectors with a far cheaper price to make it more accessible.

Those minor nitpicks aside, both Cherry Red and the author are to be congratulated for this wonderful tome.

I can tell you now with all confidence that even as Moses was parting the Red Sea with the sound of hooves and chariots in his shell-likes, he was secretly thinking, I can't wait for 2009 and Terry Wilson's detailed book about Tamla Motown in England...

To say I'm impressed folks is like saying the Sistine Chapel is an ok painting.

Well done to all concerned - and recommended the most.

"The International". A Review of the 2008 film now on a 2009 BLU RAY.

"…There’s What People Are Given…And Then There’s The Truth…"

The movie opens with a close-up of Clive Owen's bedraggled and unshaven face staring intently on a dodgy transaction that's taking place in a car park in the pouring rain across the street from him.
As it cuts to his British colleague in a German car (played by an excellent Ian Burfield- his fate is depicted above) negotiating the release of dangerous information from a nervous businessman in the driver's seat, you are immediately aware of a number of things - the stunning picture quality, the clever story and the cool cast. "The International" is beautiful to look at on BLU RAY and it's what you'd expect from a film like this - a well-paced espionage Bourne-like thriller that's both entertaining and striving to say something (though not always achieving either).

Roughly based on true events that rocked the banking system in the 80s and 90s, "The International" has been given a contemporary upgrade by Director TOM TYKWER and Writer ERIC SINGER - and in light of the avalanche of less-than-honest activities surrounding the recent global meltdown, it doesn't look the least bit out of place. In fact "The International" looks like it's arrived just in time - and with a really good point to make. Is it really the terrorists we need to be scared of - or the shady filth in suits that finance them? And what are their ultimate motives?

Clive Owen and Naomi Watts play Louis Salinger and Eleanor Whitman, two investigators from either side of the pond with a similar burning goal - for years they've been trying to expose a European bank they believe to be the number one choice for 90% of the world's dirty money. Toppling governments, controlling populations - it's a cesspool of hurt for ordinary people everywhere - and has clients said to include 'everyone' from Hezbollah to the CIA. But when Salinger and Whitman try to get close to an 'insider' who could give them a case, that person and their entire family gets removed by a no-loose-ends professional - and the agents subsequent investigations into the dead bodies then gets bogged down in endless amounts of convenient red tape and police bureaucracy.

After a while it becomes obvious that it's time to take chances, live dangerously and go outside the law. And on the movie goes to Istanbul and a newspaper collage in the end credits that depressingly reads more like the truth rather than fiction...

As you can imagine the cast is huge and the locations many. Keeping with buildings - the pristine yet detached architecture peppering so many affluent cities around the world especially in their financial sectors is used as a sort of subtext - as Agent Salinger climbs the steps of yet another sleek but soulless headquarters, he's little David making his way towards a mighty Goliath and with no real certainty that he's going to wound the beast, let alone kill the piece of shit.

Owen is a great leading man if not too ludicrously handsome to be believable, while Watts is an actress of calm beauty and intelligence that most leading men would want to work with. Ulrich Thomas is superb as the intelligent yet clinically detached head of the shady bankers conglomerate that talk on laptops and meet in museums. Felix Silis and Jack McGee (the Chief in Rescue Me) turn up as low-level detectives in New York just doing their job with tenaciousness and heart, while Watts plays it straight throughout - a woman who is committed, but scared out of her wits for herself and her young family (the writing is thankfully too intelligent to set up the inevitable romance between her and the lead).

But the movie's secret weapon is Armin Mueller-Stahl. Stahl is the kind of actor who has monumental gravitas - he makes every sentence seem like an event - he's like a European Anthony Hopkins. Armin plays Wilhelm Wexler - a man who exudes old-world power and corruption stretching back a lifetime. But Salinger detects something else in Wexler's advanced years - here is a once-principled man who started out with ideals and dreams, but has ended up defending a nightmare that kills real people in the real world and with sickening passionless detachment. There's a brilliantly written face-to-face showdown between Owen and Mueller-Stahl - a meeting of two minds - both of whom are tired of being beaten to a pulp by a huge lie. Wilhelm wants redemption - a way of making his life count - and perhaps both men are smart enough to work out a way of mutual interest.

The BLU RAY has a commentary by the Director that's fantastically detailed; there's a very interesting "Making Of" feature which has location footage in Berlin, New York, Istanbul, Milan and even a deserted warehouse in Germany where the spectacular Guggenheim Museum set was built for a huge shoot out between Salinger and the assassin he's trying to keep alive - the excellent Irish actor Brian F. O'Byrne.

If I was to put up a failing - it would be that there's too much style over substance - and you just don't care enough for the characters to have the movie make a real impact on you. And some of the shoot-outs border on the silly rather than the believable - put in there to up the action quotient and provide enticing trailer fodder. Or perhaps its just that the subject matter is frankly too real for most of us...and it's outcome too depressing...

For all that "The International" is an impressive and entertaining thriller - not great - but definitely worth a punt.

And could someone please give Clive Owen ugly tablets - it only seems fair to the rest of us mere mortals...

"Forever: The Complete Motown Albums Volume 1" by THE MARVELETTES (May 2009 US Hip-O Select/Motown 3CD Set of Remasters - Limited Edition of 5000) - A Review by Mark Barry...

This Review Along With 100s Of Others Is Available in my

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Just Click Below To Purchase for £3.95

Thousands of E-Pages - All Details and In-Depth Reviews From Discs 

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"…When You Give More Than You Get…"

Released May 2009 as a 3CD non-numbered Limited Edition of 5000 - "Forever: The Complete Motown Albums Volume 1" by THE MARVELETTES is yet another superlative trawl through the Tamla Motown archives by the award-winning Hip-O Select label of the USA. And as it's been given a European release this time (Hip-O stuff is normally US-only and therefore a pricey import) which is rare.

Long-time label associate ELLEN FITTON has remastered the first generation master tapes with typically superb results. The fully featured 30-page booklet is a treat to look at and an informative read - while the 3-way gold card digipak lends the whole package an element of real class. 

The 87-tracks of "Forever: The Complete Motown Albums Volume 1" by THE MARVELETTES offers Soul fans a huge treasure trove of early Motown girl group music for a very reasonable price. So here's a detailed breakdown for Hip-O Select B-0011516-2 (Barcode 602517756052) - all catalogue numbers are USA (unless otherwise stated):

Disc 1 (78:41 minutes):

1. Angel

2. I Want A Guy

3. Please Mr. Postman

4. So Long Baby

5. I Know How It Feels

6. Way Over There

7. Happy days

8. You Don't Want Me No More

9. All The Love I Got

10. Whisper

11. Oh I Apologize

Tracks 1 to 11 are the debut LP "Please Mr. Postman" issued on Tamla 228 in November 1961

12. Mashed Potato Time

13. Love Letters

14. The One Who Really Loves You

15. Twistin’ The Night Away

16. Hey! Baby

17. Twistin’ Postman

18. Good Luck Charm

19. Slow Twistin’

20. Lover Please

21. Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)

Tracks 12 to 21 are the LP "Smash Hits Of '62" [aka "The Marvelettes Sing"] issued on Tamla 229 in April 1962

22. Playboy

23. Mix It Up

24. Beechwood 4-5789

25. I’m Hooked

26. I Think I Can Change You

27. Forever

28. Someday, Someway

29. Goddess Of Love

30. You Should Know

31. (I’ve Got To) Cry Over You

Tracks 22 to 31 are their 3rd album "Playboy" issued on Tamla 231 in July 1962

Disc 2 (74:01 minutes):

1. Strange I Know

2. I Forgot About You

3. Looking Up My Heart

4. Which Way Did He Go

5. Silly Boy

6. It’s Gonna Take A Whole Lot Of Doing (To Undo The Damage You’ve Done)

7. Smart Aleck

8. My Daddy Knows Best

9. Too Strong To Be Strung Along

10. Why Must You Go

Tracks 1 to 10 are the LP "The Marvelous Marvelettes" issued on Tamla 237 in February 1963

11. Beechwood 4-5789 (Live)

12. Strange I Know (Live)

13. Someday, Somehow (Live)

14. Locking Up My Heart (Live)

15. Twistin' Postman (Live)

16. Tossin' And Turnin' (Live)

17. So Long Baby (Live)

18. Playboy (Live)

Tracks 11 to 18 are the LP "On Stage: Recorded Live" issued on Tamla 243 in July 1963

Track 19 is "Strange I Know (Live)", a Previously Unreleased Unedited Version

Track 20 is "Medley: Please Mr. Postman/Playboy/Strange I Know/Someday, Someway" from the LP "Recorded Live: The Motortown Revue Vol.2" issued on Motown 615 in April 1964

Track 21 is "Tie A String Around Your Finger", a non-album track, the B-side to "My Daddy Knows Best" issued on Tamla 54082 in July 1963

Tracks 22 and 23 are "Too Hurt To Cry, Too Much In Love To Say Goodbye" b/w "Come On Home" - both are credited to THE DARNELLS and are non-album tracks issued on Gordy 7024 in November 1963

Track 24 is "Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers" issued in the UK only on Tamla Motown TMG 1000 in August 1975

Track 25 is "Knock On My Door", first issued on the compilation "Never Before Released Masters From Motown's Brightest Stars" on Motown in 1986

Tracks 26 and 27 are "On The Other Side Of Town" and "Because I Love Him", both are exclusive to the UK-only CD compilation "Essential Collection" issued by Sequel Records in 2000

Track 28 is "Little Girls Grow Up" first issued on the UK-only 2CD set "A Cellarful Of Motown, Vol.3" in 2007

Disc 3 (72:19 minutes):

1. Don’t Mess With Bill [Stereo]

2. You’re My Remedy [Stereo]

3. Locking Up My Heart [Stereo]

4. As Long As I Know He’s Mine [Stereo]

5. Too Many Fish In The Sea [Stereo]

6. Danger: Heartbreak Dead Ahead [Stereo]

7. Please Mr. Postman [Stereo]

8. Playboy [Stereo]

9. Strange I Know [Stereo]

10. Forever [Stereo]

11. Twistin' Postman [Stereo]

12. Beechwood 4-5789 [Stereo]

Tracks 1 to 12 are the album "Greatest Hits" [Stereo Version] issued on Tamla 253 in February 1966

Tracks 13 and 14 are "As Long As I Know He's Mine" b/w "He Won't Be True (Little Girl Blue)" - a non-album 7" single issued October 1963 on Tamla 54088

Track 15 is "He's A Good Guy (Yes he Is)" - a non-album track issued as the A of a 7" single in January 1964 on Tamla 54091

Tracks 16 and 17 are "You're My Remedy" b/w "A Little Bit Of Sympathy, A Little Bit Of Love" - a non-album 7" single issued June 1964 on Tamla 54097

Tracks 18 and 19 are "Too Many Fish In The Sea" b/w "I'll Keep On Holding on" - a non-album 7" single issued October 1964 on Tamla 54105

Tracks 20 and 21 are "I'll Keep On Holding On" b/w "No Time For Tears" - a non-album 7" single issued May 1965 on Tamla 54116

Tracks 22 and 23 are "Danger: Heartbreak Dead Ahead" b/w "Your Cheating Ways" - a non-album 7" single issued July 1965 on Tamla 54120

Tracks 24 and 25 are "Don't Mess With Bill" b/w "Anything You Wanna Do" - a non-album 7" single issued November 1965 on Tamla 54126

Track 26 is "I Should Have Known Better" - previously unreleased track first issued on the 1979 Natural resources US LP "From The Vaults"

Tracks 27 and 28 are "I Just Can't Let Him Down" and "Maybe I Dried My Tears (For The Last Time)" - previously unreleased tracks first appeared on the UK-only CD compilation "Essential Collection" on Sequel Records in 2000

One of the big surprises for me is the non-descript looking "Greatest Hits" set from early 1966 - all 13 tracks are in STEREO and barring some bad distortion at the beginning of the opening track "Don't Mess With Bill", the sound on the other 12 is really FABULOUS. "Danger: Heartbreak Ahead" in particular is now filled with that wonderful Sixties Motown joy. Another treat is the rare non-album B-side "Tie A String Around Your Finger" - as lovely a ballad as HDH have ever produced. And for British fans there's the £100+ single rarity "Finders Keepers, Losers Keepers" - recorded in 1964, but only released on a UK 45 on Tamla Motown TMG 1000 in 1975 when the whole Northern Soul club scene was in full flight in Britain. "Which Way Did He Go" from "The Marvelous Marvelettes" (their 1st LP in the UK) is another track that sounds truly fantastic.

I'd admit that the Live Album is not something I'll ever listen to again - and after 80 slices of non-stop upbeat 60t's sunshine - the whole thing can grate the nerves a bit...but I know there's gems on here that I'll be dipping into for years to come. "Limited Edition" is stamped on the rear of the digipak in gold - so get this while you can...

PS: Volume 2 will feature their sophisticated mid to late Sixties stuff and is to follow soon. And for those interested in the excellent Hip-O Select label - I've posted a list of 25 recommended purchases in Listmania. And see also my review of Terry Wilson's astonishing 2009 UK paperback "TAMLA MOTOWN - The Stories Behind The UK Singles" - over 700 pages of soul joy and info...