By r (165.235.75.119 - 165.235.75.119) on Monday, August 19, 2002 - 08:03 pm:

HW, I read on one of the threads from this site, that a 4 CD compilation of the "Motor Town Revue" was in the works...has it happened? If not, are there any other sources for either CD or video of this material? (I know from participating in this forum that you are the one to ask)...any help you can give is greatly appreciated...

By Ritchie (62.254.0.7 - 62.254.0.7) on Monday, August 19, 2002 - 08:13 pm:

This box set is unfortunately on ice for the present time, so the originally suggested release date/s can be scrubbed. The original "Revue" albums have not been (legitimately) reissued on CD, to the best of my knowledge.

By HW (12.110.192.128 - 12.110.192.128) on Monday, August 19, 2002 - 08:16 pm:

this box set is on hold for a while,
see boards.motown.com

One of the original Motorotown Revue albums has been on CD, the one with Gladys, Blinky & Bobby Taylor. Came & went in an eyeblink.

There are no videos or DVDs, that side of it is owned by Berry Gordy's company

By Common (209.2.55.115 - 209.2.55.115) on Tuesday, August 20, 2002 - 03:21 pm:

Hello HW,

Do you think that Berry Gordy will ever release any of these videos out to the public? What a treat it would be for not only the older generations but for the younger generations so they could see how to REALLY entertain an audience. Plus it would be wonderful to see how things were back in the day. I hope he reconsiders & put out some videos. There are alot of fans out there scraping for any footage on any Motown artists & sometimes end up with the short end of the stick. :o)

Peace!

By r (165.235.75.119 - 165.235.75.119) on Tuesday, August 20, 2002 - 06:18 pm:

I second the comments by "Common"...I'm one of those scraping, and when I come across actual performance videos (as opposed to lip sync), I get real excited...hey, I'll even take the lip sync just for a chance to see these great performers...I'm sure there are enough people out there to make the release of that kind of material profitable (no matter how the sound/film quality comes out)...I was able, through a tip on this site, to find some good things from a web site called "The Video Beat"...my order was filled super fast too...seeing David Ruffin live is "off the chain"! Also, a couple of the "Hulaballoo shows, one with a live performance from the Marvelettes, another with the Miracles are available and are MUST SEE video...

By LeVan45789 (166.107.77.134 - 166.107.77.134) on Tuesday, August 20, 2002 - 06:19 pm:

Hi HW I was thinking the same thing. A dvd of the first Motortown Revue would be great as a added bonus with the box set I think.

By Common (209.2.55.113 - 209.2.55.113) on Tuesday, August 20, 2002 - 08:23 pm:

R,

I echo your sentiments about seeing these Motown artists live. I love the "live" performances rather than the lip syncing. It's been through the kindness of some folks that I've been able to see some great Tempts performances(you're right about David Ruffin, he's awesome! And can't forget Paul Williams either!). I've also found myself scouring around for such shows as Hullabaloo, Ed Sullivan, etc. Sometimes, they can be can be found on ebay, but you have to be careful because some of them may not be of the best quality. So I can't fathom why Berry Gordy is reluctant to release some of these never-before-seen concert footages!

Peace!

By P.J. (12.227.35.89 - 12.227.35.89) on Wednesday, August 21, 2002 - 04:01 am:

When Embassy (Productions?) of Detroit sponsored a Motown event in the late 1980's /very early 1990's, several of the former Motown artists made guest appearances & were available for signings: Velvelettes, Miracles, Mary Wilson, Marv Johnson etc. I can't remember the official title that they gave it. There at the site was a floor model television (pre-big-screen era) which played tapes of the Motortown Review, T.C.B., the Showtime productions of Marvin Gaye, Four Tops/Temptations, Michael Jackson throughout it all. I was only able to stay for the first day, however. I wish I could have stayed for the second

By Sue (205.188.195.33 - 205.188.195.33) on Wednesday, August 21, 2002 - 04:54 am:

Embassy Productions -- that would be the late Bill Baran's company. Bill was a great supporter of all things Motown. I tried to drag him onto the Internet but he never cottoned to it. He'd love this place though.

By John Lester (213.1.131.229 - 213.1.131.229) on Wednesday, August 21, 2002 - 06:11 am:

PJ

I went to that venue too...it was September 1990....it lasted two days and then there were the personal appearances in the evening. also there were Esther Edwards, Valadiers, Frances Nero, Vandellas (separate from Martha), Monitors, Hattie Littles, Maxine Powell, Sammy Ward, Contours, Ivy Jo Hunter.

It was eerie watching the Apollo concert with the Contours, Ros and Annette of the Vandellas in attendance. Interestingly, the act that created the most buzz was Wanda Rogers when she sung "Locking Up My Heart"

There were a few of us from Europe who came over especially for the event and to meet with our penfriends, some of whom we had never met.

A wonderful memory for me, it evens reminds me of the days when I had hair to comb!!!

By r (165.235.75.119 - 165.235.75.119) on Wednesday, August 21, 2002 - 01:47 pm:

Hey Common...try "mpimedia.com" for some of those Hulaballoo and Music Scene videos brand new...one of the Music Scene videos contains an outstanding performance of James Brown doing "Mother Popcorn"...definitly not Detroit, but soulful nonetheless!

By Livonia Ken (136.2.1.153 - 136.2.1.153) on Wednesday, August 21, 2002 - 05:06 pm:

Rhino will be releasing a series called "Ed Sullivan's Rock 'n' Roll Classics" on DVD in September. It is a repackaging of stuff from a Time-Life series, but it looks to be pretty good with a lot of Motown artists, Jackie Wilson, James Brown, Sly & the Family Stone, The Beatles, and lots of other good stuff.

As they are ES TV clips, depending on the time, they may range from live performances, to live singing to backing tracks, to plain miming, but it looks pretty comprehensive and may tide one over until someone decides to release more of the "real deal" stuff.

The Rhino press release with the complete list of performances is located at this link.

Regards,
Ken

By Common (209.2.55.114 - 209.2.55.114) on Wednesday, August 21, 2002 - 05:36 pm:

r,

Thanks for that site. Won't mind having a couple of James Brown performance clips. He's such a fierce & exhilarating performer.

I also noticed when I was going through the list from the Rhino website that Ken posted, that there's a Tempt clip that I've never heard of called "September In The Rain". I would love to see that. That DVD box set is loaded with lots of Motown performances.

BTW, Ken, from what you posted, do you think there's any way to contact Rhino via email to ask what type of clips are going to be on the DVD?

Peace!

By Livonia Ken (136.2.1.153 - 136.2.1.153) on Wednesday, August 21, 2002 - 06:13 pm:

Everything I know about it is from the press release, although they may have a "contact Rhino" link somewhere on their site. The Time-Life site still has information about their original video & DVD series of ES musical clips, but they do not have much more detail than the artists and songs, either. There are a number of duplicate artist/song combinations on the Rhino set. I don't know if they are different performances of the same song or just repeats across themed discs. I also don't know the breakdown on live vs. mimed clips.

Of course, if I kept typing all of the things I don't know, the forum's new server would get filled up quickly.

Regards,

Ken

By P.J. (12.227.35.89 - 12.227.35.89) on Wednesday, August 21, 2002 - 10:09 pm:

Xtown,
I remember 3 delightful, fun-loving guys who hung together at the Embassy production venue. Was one of them you? There were posters of the latest re-issue campaign hanging on the wall up high & we were allowed to sign our names and claim them. Did you get one?

By r (165.235.75.119 - 165.235.75.119) on Thursday, August 22, 2002 - 06:06 pm:

Thanks for that Ken...that's exactly what Common and I have been talking about. By the titles, it looks like this may be the same content that was already released on video, but maybe more comprehensive. Another site to check out is "The Video Beat". I purchased videotape of the Apollo Motor City Review from 1963 from that site. It is very nice, and kind of funny because a lot of the groups didn't have that many hits yet. The Supremes were kind of a minor act, even Martha and the Vandella's only performed "Come And Get These Memories", I don't think Dancin' In The Streets was out yet. Another video they had was "Ready Steady Go Salutes Motown", and another was a "Teen Town" episode dedicated to an interview with Berry Gordy, along with some semi live performances, and they also had "The T.A.M.I. Show", which is very live and very good.

By thecount (209.244.89.19 - 209.244.89.19) on Thursday, August 22, 2002 - 07:30 pm:

Hey R,glad you went to THE VIDEO BEAT.Hope you told them "THE COUNT "sent you.A few videos that for some reason pulled from there inventory,I was fortunate to get from a man who I met at "MIDNITE RECORDS" in N.Y.Recorde live at the "APOLLO" 1964.This is one of my favorites.Nice sound and Quallity being transfered from probably 8mil.
The line up in order:
THE COUNTERS open with "WHOLE LOTTA WOMEN"(there very first release)
THE SUPREMES:LET ME GO THE RIGHT WAY,(in top notch fasion)
MARVIN GAYE:"WHAT KIND OF FOOL AM I?"and his own hit single "STUBBORN KIND OF FELLOW"
THE MARVELETTES:STRANGE I KNOW and SOMEDAY SOMEWAY
LITTLE STEVIE WONDER:DONT YOU KNOW(my favorite STEVIE tune "HEY HARMONICA MAN")
MARY WELLS:TWO LOVERS,BYE BYE BABY.(MISS HIT MAKER)
THE MIRACLES:YOU'VE REALLY GOT A HOLD ON ME and WAY OVER THERE.the audience join in on these which I dont particuely care for.(WAY OVER THERE STILL ONE OF MY FAVORITE MIRACLES DOO-WOP SONGS.I do a fairly desent lead on that song when we do our DOO-WOP practice,but wont do in public.
I also have the sound trac to this Video,never opened,but I think I will to compare with the video for sound(RECORED LIVE AT THE APOLLO,Volume one of the "MOTOR TOWN REVUE"
Another pulled from the shelves I have is "RARE EARTH"
RECORDED LIVE AT:Jacksonville Florida
Miami,Florida,(Marine Stadium)
RARE EARTH:LIVE IN CHICAGO(THE CHICAGO CONCERT)
Steve "The Count"

By Ritchie (62.254.0.7 - 62.254.0.7) on Thursday, August 22, 2002 - 08:35 pm:

Yes, indeed - the Live At The Apollo is a tape I'd very much like to see - but there are not too many outlets for it over here.

FYI, it was shot/recorded at the Apollo in late 1962 at the end of the first Motor Town Revue tour, and the album was released (on Motown 609) in April of the following year.

By John Lester (213.122.203.197 - 213.122.203.197) on Thursday, August 22, 2002 - 08:36 pm:

PJ

How did you know I was xtown!!! Which I am....

Yes, I was one of the mad fans that was around from the time it opened until it closed. I know who did get the reissue display....I had to help carry it!!

By P.J. (12.227.35.89 - 12.227.35.89) on Thursday, August 22, 2002 - 10:50 pm:

John,
I read a number of Motown related boards You gave your identity away on one of them
Who got that display I thought whoever signed it got it