Not everyone was ready for soul as a serious album music. If the kids wanted mature, grown-up albums with a message, he’d deliver the goods, with added soul that the progressive rockers could not match. They’d proved as much with Norman Whitfield’s increasingly heavyweight productions with The Temptations, Gladys Knight, Marvin Gaye and the rest. Listen to the best Motown songs on Apple Music and Spotify.Īt Motown, Berry Gordy, the label’s head honcho, was convinced that anything the rock bands could do, Motown’s artists could do better.
There were exceptions, but, for many fans, soul music simply meant three minutes of bliss. Soul music was generally lumped in the former category, with superb one-off hits sold in the shorter format, and albums often arriving as an afterthought if the single sold enough copies. When the 70s arrived, the difference was clear: a single flew for a few weeks but crashed a classic album might sell for years. The other was rock, meant to be taken seriously on increasingly ambitious and lavish albums. One was pop, bought on 7” singles and designed for quick consumption. Prompted by the success of The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, it divided into two loose-fitting categories. When you really get into it, however, you’ll find that Motown’s overlooked albums are need-to-know essentials every bit as strong as the classics everybody talks about.Īs the 60s headed towards the 70s, there was a profound change in music bought by “the kids”. Ever wondered about the amazing albums you’ve never heard, which the rock critics have barely noticed? There are many – and some were released by a legendary label known almost exclusively for releasing superb singles.
0 kommentar(er)
