Harmony Pop & Soul/Soft Rock On Motown. Mowest MW-119 L
01 Which Train You Ridin'
02 Lean On Me
03 Doobedood'ndoobe, Doobedood'ndoobe
04 The Circle Again
05 Are You Ready
06 A House Is Not A Home
07 Poor Ol' Soul
08 Let Love Carry You Along
09 Since I Met You There's No Magic
10 You've Got A Friend / You're All I Need To Get By
Among the busiest studio and session musicians active, having appeared on numerous jazz and pop recordings. A smooth, fluid sound and the versatility to play in any setting have led George Bohannon to concentrate on working with others, but he's made a couple of albums as a leader also. His most recent was done in 1990 for the Grebob label. Bohannon's best was a 1962 release for the Workshop Jazz with pianist Kirk Lightsey and bassist Cecil McBee.
01 Bobbie (Cecil McBee)
Pianist Johnny Griffith can be heard on classic Motown sides, as well as on recordings from other Detroit-area labels. Like Motown's other pianists, Joe Hunter and Earl Van Dyke, Griffith's had an extensive musical background. He held musical degrees from Wayne State University and the University of Detroit. His musical influences included Oscar Peterson, Glenn Gould, and Bud Powell. Signed to Motown's Jazz Workshop label, he recorded the albums Detroit Jazz and The Right Side of Lefty Edwards. When the march of the Motown hits began, Griffith started playing on sessions for their R&B/pop acts. But rather than sign a work-for-hire contract with Motown like other musicians, Griffith remained a freelancer, doing other dates and sessions in New York and nearby Chicago.
01 I'll wind (you're blowing me no good)The Motown hits that Johnny Griffith played on include: Marvin Gaye's 'How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" (number four R&B, number six pop, early 1965), his celeste trills are heard on "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" (number one R&B for two weeks, number four pop, summer 1971), adding Wurlitzer electric piano on both Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (number one R&B/pop for seven weeks, late 1968) and the Temptations' "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" (number one R&B for eight weeks, summer 1966), organ on the Supremes' "Stop in the Name of Love" (number two R&B for four weeks, number one pop for two weeks, early 1965), and organ and shotgun effects on Junior Walker and the All Stars' "Shotgunn' (number one R&B for four weeks, number four pop, early 1965).
A solid entry from Edwin Starr's late 70s comeback into the clubs. A set that's miles from his harder soul for Motown, but which still has some pretty great vocals overall. Edwin's working here with Lamont Dozier, who helps bring his Detroit groove into smoother California territory and while the approach isn't as full-on as on Dozier's own records of the time, it's still pretty darn great overall, filled with just the right mellow soul touches to balance out some of the more uptempo grooves, and recorded in a way that never dampens the spirits of Starr's vocals. Titles include Jealous, Contact, I'm So Into You,'Storm Clouds On The Way, Don't Waste Your Time, and Working Song.
1 I'm So Into You
2 Jealous
3 Contact
4 Storm Clouds On The Way
5 Don't Waste Your Time
6 Music Brings Out The Beast In Me
7 Working Song
The group found modest success in the first half of the decade, often working as backup singers for recordings by artists such as Jimmy Ruffin ('What Becomes of the Brokenhearted', 1966) and David Ruffin ('My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)', 1969). The Originals found their biggest success under the guidance of Motown legend Marvin Gaye, who co-wrote and produced two of the group's biggest singles, Baby I'm For Real, and The Bells. Both songs became seminal soul music recordings, and both songs have since been covered. While the group went on to have more modest success in both the soul and disco fields near the end of the decade, including Down To Love Town, a #1 dance chart hit, the songs they made with Marvin Gaye are their most memorable notable.
After the death of Ty Hunter, on February 24, 1981, the group ceased all recordings and broke up about year later. Originals member Joe Stubbs passed away on February 5, 1998. C.P. Spencer followed on October 20, 2004 and then Freddie Gorman on June 13, 2006.
The Four Tops entered the '70s still among the dominant vocal ensembles. This release included a superb performance by Levi Stubbs and company on the title track, and many other equally well-sung numbers. Motown wasn't dominating the pop world anymore, but The Four Tops were one of the groups that were still doing a solid job with in the early '70s.
1 In These Changing Times
2 Just Seven Numbers (Can Straighten Out My Life)
3 Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head
4 Right Before My Eyes
5 I Almost Had Her (But She Got Away)
6 Try to Remember
7 Something's Tearing at the Edges of Time
8 Sing a Song of Yesterday
9 Medley: The Long and Winding Road/In These Changing Times
