Friday 16 January 2009

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance



As this week saw the 50th Anniversary of the founding of one of the most important dance record labels ever, it would be churlish not to post a couple of class dancers from the legend that is Motown.

First up is The Night by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons signed to Motown subsidiary Mowest in 1972 for what would be a disastrous few years and they parted company with the label in 1974, leaving behind this belter of a track which was supposed to be released in the states but was pulled. Like many other tracks before and after it was picked up by the Northern Soul scene here in the UK and became a Wigan Casino favorite.

Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons - The Nigh
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And for the main event, Frank Wilson's Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) the ultimate Northern Soul tune, number 1 in The Northern Soul Top 500 and the most expensive single of all time. Frank Wilson was an arranger/producer for Motown at the time he recorded Do I Love You and decided after discussions with Berry Gordy that that was indeed how he his career would progress. Berry then ordered the masters of the song with Wilson's vocals be destroyed and the song re-recorded by another Motown artist. One of the 2 copies was discovered in 1977 and has changed hands 4 times and the other turned up in Canada in 1999 and was sold for £15 000.

If you don't smile and feel the urge to dance when you hear this tune then, you sir/madam have no soul.

Frank Wilson - Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)

as an added bonus

Marvin Gaye - Sunny

5 comments:

beth said...

I LOVE 'The Night'.
Nothing insightful to say - just that.

It reminds me of one of the very few school discos I ever went to. Not that they played it, but that I wished they would.

Simon said...

What can I say? Just great.

I read a blog where somebody suggested a good way of celebrating Motown's 50th was to not listen to any Motown for a year so you could come back to it with fresh ears.

Bollocks to that! It's all fresh as a daisy to my ears, everytime I listen!

A great choice of music all week mate. Great start!

davyh said...

These records will define 'the weekend' for as long as weekends exist.

dickvandyke said...

Ferzackerly!

drew said...

Beth - Nothing more needs to be said.
I may steal that idea, tunes i wished they had played at the YMCA discos.