(DIR) Return Create A Forum - Home --------------------------------------------------------- Motown Treasures (HTM) https://motowntreasures.createaforum.com --------------------------------------------------------- ***************************************************** (DIR) Return to: Non Motown Discussion/Topics/Artists ***************************************************** #Post#: 9075-------------------------------------------------- The 'Sound-a-like' of Motown! By: humboldt Date: July 9, 2022, 2:00 pm --------------------------------------------------------- I was playing a few old favs the other day which upon my first hearing I was convinced that they were Motown recordings, but they weren't! (HTM) https://youtu.be/tqupS8x0i1c (HTM) https://youtu.be/CIql0mHyGW4 (HTM) https://youtu.be/J_KHCI_UgqQ I wonder if Motown sued? What songs can you come up with? #Post#: 9077-------------------------------------------------- Re: The 'Sound-a-like' of Motown! By: Roger Date: July 10, 2022, 3:53 am --------------------------------------------------------- Well there was Felice Taylor with her #11 1967 UK hit ... (HTM) https://youtu.be/vnpoyMn9OXA And Christine Cooper with her "Stop!/Back In My Arms" hybrid (HTM) https://youtu.be/iXNcckwxspE And Sandy Waddy's "Everything Is Everything" with it's "Ain't That Peculiar" refrain ... (HTM) https://youtu.be/wCL9KsLkP90 :) Roger #Post#: 9079-------------------------------------------------- Re: The 'Sound-a-like' of Motown! By: Roger Date: July 10, 2022, 6:24 am --------------------------------------------------------- [quote author=humboldt link=topic=1604.msg9075#msg9075 date=1657393210] I was playing a few old favs the other day which upon my first hearing I was convinced that they were Motown recordings, but they weren't! (HTM) https://youtu.be/tqupS8x0i1c (HTM) https://youtu.be/CIql0mHyGW4 (HTM) https://youtu.be/J_KHCI_UgqQ I wonder if Motown sued? What songs can you come up with? [/quote] That P.J. Proby track is really just a thinly disguised reworking of The Supremes "My World Is Empty Without You" ... (HTM) https://youtu.be/VOLwIAw1kH0 "My World Is Empty Without You" curiously never managed to chart nationally in The UK, which is strange as I'm sure it got a lot of radio play. Funnily, on the day that "My World Is Empty Without You" was released in The US (29th December 1965) the only Motown 45 in the National Chart was "I Hear A Symphony|" by The Supremes at the less than impressive #46 (unless we count Otis Redding's version of "My Girl" of course) .... (HTM) https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19651230/7501/ Yet in the higher reaches of the chart there were FOUR heavily Motown influenced tunes ... At #8 there was Len Barry's "Ask Any Girl" inspired "1,2,3" ... (HTM) https://youtu.be/v2rXHIngR-U At #9 The Toys had "Lovers Concerto" which prompted H-D-H to pen "I Hear A Symphony" in response ... (HTM) https://youtu.be/ZpMWQFMGJxM At #10 The Four Seasons had "Let's Hang On" ... (HTM) https://youtu.be/JI3zmE1AeOQ And at #11 was Fontella Bass's "Rescue Me" ... (HTM) https://youtu.be/lVjoidVU0Lk Roger #Post#: 9081-------------------------------------------------- Re: The 'Sound-a-like' of Motown! By: humboldt Date: July 10, 2022, 7:33 am --------------------------------------------------------- Yes thanks Roger, I'm sure that there are so many more like the Foundations - Build Me Up Buttercup. (HTM) https://youtu.be/KbfJM7eMnBM #Post#: 9084-------------------------------------------------- Re: The 'Sound-a-like' of Motown! By: Roger Date: July 10, 2022, 8:05 am --------------------------------------------------------- [quote author=humboldt link=topic=1604.msg9081#msg9081 date=1657456401] Yes thanks Roger, I'm sure that there are so many more like the Foundations - Build Me Up Buttercup. (HTM) https://youtu.be/KbfJM7eMnBM [/quote] Indeed ... and from the same era as "Buttercup" we have The Bandwagon with their "Breaking Down The Walls Of Heartache", complete with its "Itching In My Heart" styled beep-beeps!! .... :) ... (HTM) https://youtu.be/gHEXpC2zyRQ The Bandwagon later did their own version of "Let's Hang On", though it wasn't anywhere near as "Motownish" as The Four seasons original ... :) ... (HTM) https://youtu.be/qUNLcsNxJhU Roger #Post#: 9085-------------------------------------------------- Re: The 'Sound-a-like' of Motown! By: Roger Date: July 11, 2022, 5:26 am --------------------------------------------------------- Here are a few more from the '60s ... Billy Stewart's "Because I Love You" had a definite Motown vibe ... (HTM) https://youtu.be/cuco08WhBvI Bobby Womack's reworking of his "What Is This" on Minit/United Artists seemed to owe a lot to "Standing In The Shadows Of Love" ... (HTM) https://youtu.be/HEXSVmzd4lY Linda Jones "My Heart Needs A Break" had echoes of "Reflections" ... (HTM) https://youtu.be/NT_sV1rME20 And The Impressions "I Can't Satisfy" was so close to "This Old Heart Of Mine" that Motown did sue ... :) (HTM) https://youtu.be/IBAcg0ylt9I #Post#: 9086-------------------------------------------------- Re: The 'Sound-a-like' of Motown! By: humboldt Date: July 11, 2022, 4:40 pm --------------------------------------------------------- OMG! What was Curtis thinking when he wrote that! He was never going to get away with it. #Post#: 9098-------------------------------------------------- Re: The 'Sound-a-like' of Motown! By: Roger Date: July 14, 2022, 4:37 am --------------------------------------------------------- Here are a couple of curios from the '70s. Firstly here is James Brown with a track called "Never Can Say Goodbye" that appeared on his "There It Is" LP in 1972 ... It starts off sounding like he is going to do a version of the song that had recently been a big hit for The Jackson Five. It then sounds like he is going to do a medley version of The J5 song and "What's Going On" before he ends up doing a rap over a rather mournful backing track. The writer and producer credits claimed that Mr Brown was the sole author of course. :) (HTM) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyojPHmC-OI Secondly we have Gentlemen & Their Ladies with a song that got released at the beginning of '74 called "Party Bump". I remember buying the 45 when it got released in The UK on Contempo and playing it to death. Yet doesn't it sound suspiciously like a reworking of "Shotgun"? (HTM) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8e22YWe7wY Roger #Post#: 9109-------------------------------------------------- Re: The 'Sound-a-like' of Motown! By: Roger Date: July 18, 2022, 2:40 am --------------------------------------------------------- More '70s sounds ... with some Norman Whitfield/Tempts/Psycho-Soul soundalikes ... First off Creative Source's "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" themed reworking of Bill Withers' "Who Is He" ... (HTM) https://youtu.be/ktzCRtvrxz0 The full length version went totally NW ... :) ... (HTM) https://youtu.be/Jva58tiRg2Y Next up The Chi-lites with their "Are You My Woman" ... (HTM) https://youtu.be/jfRvy4VuXpE and their "Give More Power To The People", which even made The UK Top 40 ... (HTM) https://youtu.be/5fXN7jkJYlk :) Roger #Post#: 9126-------------------------------------------------- Re: The 'Sound-a-like' of Motown! By: humboldt Date: July 21, 2022, 8:16 pm --------------------------------------------------------- I always loved the intro to '(For God's Sake) Give More Power To The People', it's only Chi-Lites song that I like! (HTM) https://youtu.be/9e_nNYHveTU (HTM) https://youtu.be/dmpF1ucj9nE (HTM) https://youtu.be/UdzKwugJdjg and a more recent one (HTM) https://youtu.be/TjQYQ8Q8L8g ***************************************************** (DIR) Next Page