Motown Treasures

After a break of over 20 years Kev Robert's oft-quoted and occasionally maligned "Northern Soul 500" book has received a revamp and is now available ...



A copy arrived on my doorstep a few hours back, which came as a pleasant surprise as the fact that I had ordered a copy had slipped my mind.

Taking a quick look through it I can see that the actual "Top 500" chart has changed, though most of the entries also got a mention in the 2000 edition.

The big news for Motown fans is that Frank Wilson retains the #1 spot with his "Do I Love You" .... the even bigger news for Motown fans is that "The Night" by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons is listed at #2 (up from #181 twenty-two years back),  its surge in popularity probably going hand-in-hand with the gin revival of the past few years. 



I shall have to give the book a good thorough read,

Roger

I've now managed to read the book and do some analysis of the charts contained within it.

The book looks remarkably similar to the 2000 edition and follows the same format, with a Top 500 "Northern Soul" chart and a further listing of 100 "bubbling under"/"honourable mention" recordings.  Each record listed in the "Top 500" has a label scan of what is believed to be the first single release of the tune plus a few words giving snippets of information about it, the 100 "bubbling under"/"honourable mention" recordings are merely presented as a list.  My understanding is that both these lists refer to the most popular records played at the big "Northern Soul" events (especially All-Nighters and Weekenders) over the past twenty years or so and a lot of the more commercially successful records listed back in the 2000 edition have dropped out.  The biggest dropouts are Al Wilson's "The Snake" (#4 in 2000), "There's A Ghost In My House" (#20 in 2000) and Archie Bell's "Here I Go Again" (#21 in 2000).

In addition to these the book has another two lists of 500 records!!  The first lists the 500 "Rare Soul" vinyl records most sought after by collectors, the other lists the 500 records most likely to be heard at small-scale "Soul" events held in pubs etc. that are attended by more casual music fans who have little interest in "rarity" or "original labels".   The first list contains a lot of real obscurities and has no Motown entries at all (maybe everyone has finally given up looking for an original Frank Wilson?), the second list is dominated by Motown with seven of the first ten records listed being Motown recordings (#1 is "Heaven Must Have Sent You" and Frank Wilson is at #3) and contains some of the big Stax/Atlantic hits, most of the dropouts from the 2000 "Top 500", big Invictus hits, the likes of Sly Stone's "Dance To The Music", some '70s Disco/Soul etc. etc. with a smattering of Reggae and the more "Soul" orientated '60s Pop/Rock hits.   

I can see plenty of potential for confusion in the future with all of these competing lists.   

I've counted twenty eight Motown entries in The Top 500 as follows ... number, artist, title, Cat #, country of issue with the 2000 rating in brackets at the end.
 
  1: Frank Wilson - Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) - Soul 35019 - USA - (1)
  2: Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons - The Night - Mowest 3002 - UK - (181)
 20: Originals - Suspicion - Tamla Motown - UK - (239)
 26: Barbara McNair - You’re Gonna Love My Baby - Motown M 1087 - (USA - (26)
 41: Four Tops - Something About You - Motown M 1084  - USA - (NEW)
 49: Marvin Gaye - This Love Starved Heart Of Mine (Is Killing Me) - Tamla 42286-0288-7 - USA - (438)
 64: Spinners - I’ll Always Love You - Motown M 1078 - USA - (64)
 80: Contours - Just A Little Misunderstanding - Gordy G 7052 - USA - (211)
104: Gladys Knight & The Pips - If You Ever Get Your Hands On Love - Tamla Motown 535 056-3 - UK - (NEW)
109: Edwin Starr - Time - Gordy G-7097 - USA - (NEW)
125: Gladys Knight & The Pips - No One Could Love You More - Tamla Motown TMG 864 - UK - (NEW)
138: Marvelettes - I’ll Keep Holding On - Tamla T-54116 - USA - (475)
148: Junior Walker & The All Stars - I Ain’t Going Nowhere - Tamla Motown TMG 894 - UK - (BU #32)
186: Contours - Baby Hit & Run - Tamla Motown TMG 886 - UK - (62)
191: Brenda Holloway - When I'm Gone - Tamla T-54111 - USA - (NEW)
195: Brenda Holloway - Think It Over (Before You Break My Heart) A.K.A. "Reconsider" - Motown Acetate/Bootleg - USA - (195)
201: R Dean Taylor - Let's Go Somewhere - VIP 25027 - USA - (NEW)
249: Isley Brothers - Tell Me It’s Just A Rumour - Tamla Motown TMG 877 - UK - (464)
310: Miracles - Whole Lot Of Shakin' In My Heart (Since I Met You) - Tamla T-54134 - USA - (NEW)
318: Isley Brothers - My Love Is Your Love (Forever) - "Tamla Motown - 534 543-2" - UK - (BU #94)
324: Velvelettes - Lonely Lonely Girl Am I - VIP 25017 - USA - (NEW)
342: Brenda Holloway - Just Look What You've Done - Tamla T-54148 - USA - (NEW)
365: Monitors - Crying In The Night - Tamla Motown 536 954-4 - UK - (NEW)
377: Jimmy Ruffin - He Who Picks A Rose - Tamla Motown 535 056-3 - UK - (BU #27)
383: Martha Reeves - No One There - Tamla Motown TMG 843 - UK - (NEW)
389: Junior Walker & The All Stars - Tune Up - Soul S-35012  - USA - (389)
393: David Ruffin - Rode By The Place (Where We Used To Stay) - Motown M 1420F - USA - (NEW)
453: Kim Weston - I'm Still Loving You - Tamla TM-54110 - USA - (NEW)

And a further four Motown entries in the 100 "Bubbling under" list.
BU #12 - Barbara McNair - Baby A Go-Go - Tamla Motown 537 482-6 - UK - (NEW)
BU #18 - Billy Eckstine - I Wonder Why (Nobody Loves Me) - Motown M-1105 - USA - (NEW)
BU #53 - Monitors - Share A Little Love - Tamla Motown 537 482-6 - UK - (NEW)
BU #83 - Liz Lands - Midnight Johnny - Gordy G-7030  - USA - (NEW)

Then there are another five "Motown-Affiliated" releases in The Top 500.
112: J.J. Barnes - Please Let Me In - Ric-Tic RT-106 - USA - (172)
169: Al Kent - The Way You Been Acting Lately - Ric-Tic RT-123 - USA - (421)
221: Laura Lee - To Win Your Heart - Ric-Tic RT-111 - USA - (190)
406: Edwin Starr - I Have Faith In You - Ric-Tic RT-109 - USA - (406)
409: Marv Johnson - Come On And Stop - United Artists UA 617 - USA - (NEW)

Plus six "Jobete-song" releases in The Top 500.
 43: Connie Clark - My Sugar Baby - Joker 716 - USA - (43)
 85: Bobby Hutton - Lend A Hand - ABC 4206 - UK - (46)
206: Alice Clark - You Hit Me (Right Where It Hurt Me) - Warner Brothers - 7270 - USA - (206)
305: Tamala Lewis - You Won’t Say Nothing - Marton 45-1002 - USA - (305)
417: Sandra Philips - World Without Sunshine - Broadway 45-403 - USA - (BU #88)
499: Darrell Banks - Somebody (Somewhere) Needs You - Revilot - RV-203 - USA - (136)

And one "Jobete-song" release in the 100 "Bubbling under" list.
BU #54: Magnificents - My Heart Is Calling - Dee Gee 3008 - USA - (BU #54)

A lot of the "NEW" entries are records that were popular NS tunes in the '70s but didn't make the 2000 listing, others are previously unreleased items.

And for those wanting to know what has dropped out there are twelve lost Motown entries from the 2000 Top 500.
 20: R.Dean Taylor - There’s A Ghost In My House - V.I.P. 25042 - USA
192: Earl Van Dyke & The Motown Brass - Six by Six - Soul S-35028 - USA
404: Gladys Knight & The Pips - Just Walk In My Shoes - Soul S-35023 - USA
425: Supremes - He’s All I Got - Motown M-1094 - USA
439: Martha Reeves & The Vandellas - One Way Out - Gordy G-7062 - USA
453: Kim Weston - Helpless - Gordy G-7050 - USA
457: Commodores - The Zoo (The Human Zoo) - Mowest MW 5009F - USA
460: Velvelettes - These Things Will Keep Me Loving You - Soul S-35025 - USA
466: Barbara Randolph - I Got A Feeling - Soul S-35038 - USA
479: Edwin Starr - My Weakness Is You - Gordy G-7071 - USA
495: Spinners - Sweet Thing - Motown MT 1067 - USA
497: Gladys Knight & The Pips - Too Late For You & Me - Motown/Debutante CD - UK

And two Motown entries from the 2000 "Bubbling under" list.
BU #23: Marv Johnson - I Miss You Baby (How I Miss You) - Gordy G-7051 - USA
BU #48: Elgins - Heaven Must Have Sent You - VIP 25037 - USA

Six lost "Motown Affiliated" entries from the 2000 Top 500.            
104: San Remo Golden Strings - Festival Time - Ric-Tic RT-112 - USA
109: Edwin Starr - Agent Double O Soul - Ric-Tic RT-103 - USA
112: J.J. Barnes - Real Humdinger - Ric-Tic RT-110 - USA
205: Dramatics - Inky Dinky Wang Dang Do - Wingate WG-022 - USA
311: Al Kent - You've Got To Pay The Price - Ric-Tic RT 127 - USA
348: Tamiko Jones - Spellbound - Golden World GW-40 - USA

Two "Motown Affiliated" entries from the 2000 "Bubbling under" list.
BU #33: Edwin Starr - Backstreet - Ric-Tic RT-107 - USA
BU #63: Norma Jenkins - Airplane Song - Maltese MLT-107 - USA

Four lost "Jobete-song" entries from the 2000 Top 500.
125: Mary Love - You Turned My Bitter Into Sweet - Modern 45x1006 - USA
202: George Carrow - Angel Baby (Don’t You Ever Leave Me) - Columbia 4-44161 - USA
204: Shawn Robinson - My Dear Heart - Minit 32013 - USA
381: Sandy Wynns - A Touch Of Venus - Champion 14001 - USA

And One "Jobete-song" entry from the 2000 "Bubbling under" list.
BU #14: Paris - Sleepless Nights - Doc DOC-102 - USA

Fascinating!! 

Roger

Thanks Roger for taking the time to post all that. Made very interesting reading with some very strange entries! Of course as with all lists it's just one person's choice!

I'm pretty certain that Kev Roberts would disagree with you there John as, according to him, the lists were compiled with the assistance of the "Top" NS DJs who were asked to provide their recollections of what had been their most popular floorfillers over the decades.

Roger

It's still just an opinion which is no better that yours or mine. Like the Rolling Stone top 500 albums - just choices!

I'm pretty certain that Kev Roberts would disagree with you there John as, according to him, the lists were compiled with the assistance of the "Top" NS DJs who were asked to provide their recollections of what had been their most popular floorfillers over the decades.

Maybe all those best selling singles charts over the years were "just choices" as well?

Roger