By VZN (68.90.143.12) on Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - 07:13 pm:

What would you say is your LEAST favorite Motown group? I admit, it's a hard choice, but surely you have your preferences. For me, my choice would be the Marvelettes. Granted, I like some of their songs, but most of them are just just too Girl-Groupy for me (Songs like "I'll Keep Holding On" and such are an exception). Please, for the Marvelettes' fans, don't take this as the start of a fight or anything, I'd just like to hear peoples' views.

By Vandelron (68.198.48.201) on Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - 10:43 pm:

Very tough--didnt like some songs by Marvelettes and Contours and Vandellas and Supremes ie My Daddy Knows Best,Do You Love Me,Honey Chile and Wild One,The Happening and Everybodys Got Right to Love(in order)tho loved them all tho I suppose the Contours the least.

By LadyMystique (216.37.229.14) on Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - 10:59 pm:

Hard question for me as I love all of them!

By Robb_K (66.81.176.144) on Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - 11:11 pm:

Rare Earth. They beat out The Messengers, Headliners, Abbey Tavern Singers, Joanne & Triangles, The Hornets, Dalton Boys and The Underdogs. The Hornets were pretty awful to my taste, but I disliked Rare Earth's sound even more.

By RD (65.54.98.20) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 12:00 am:

The Marvelettes are one of my favorite Motown groups thought I totally dislike a few of of their recordings, i.e. "Paper Boy," "He's a Good Guy Yes He Is" and "Smart Aleck."

Least favorite would have to be the Satintones. I heard so much about this group (Motown's first male vocal group, etc.) and when I finally heard their recordings (never heard them when they came out or ever on the radio) I was like...huh? I'm sure if given the right material I would think different about them, but the stuff they recorded left me cold. They were a doo wop group that wouldn't make my Top 100 list of Doo Wop Groups.

By TRI-PHI (68.5.143.49) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 01:09 am:

BUNNY PAUL
DEBBIE DEAN
EUGENE REMUS
JACKSON 5
CONNIE HAINES
TONY MARTIN
MICKEY WOODS (PLEASE MR. KENNEDY/LAME SONG)
LITTLE OTIS (I OUT DUKED THE DUKE/LAME SONG)

By Robb_K (66.81.16.103) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 01:27 am:

I thought this thread was "Least Favourite Motown GROUP? If we're going to list single artists and duets, there are several with awful performances. Mickey Woods did worse than "Please Mr. Kennedy". That was his "SMASH". Have you listened to "They Rode Through the Valley"? Paul Peterson did some pretty awful recording, as did Abdullah, Ray Oddis, Bob Kayli (I liked him as a person, but some of his songs were downright terrible), and Jake Haney and Nikiter Armstrong were awful.

By GOAT (64.228.135.106) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 02:20 pm:

Jackson 5
Smokey Robinson

I know I'll get grilled for Smokey, but he doesn't do anything for me.

By R&B (138.238.41.118) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 02:23 pm:

LEAST FAVORITE,UMMM..THE COMMADORES,DEBARGE,BOYZ TO MEN.

By RD (65.54.97.186) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 02:39 pm:

Goat, nobody should grill you. People either like or hate Smokey Robinson's singing. I happen to like it but I know many who become noticiably irritable if you dare play something buy him...cause they ain't trying, and don't want to, hear him sing anything.

By Dayo (81.136.164.4) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 03:00 pm:

I must defend the Marvelettes!!!

Their Sophisticated Soul album is one of the greatest Motown albums ever! Classic song after classic song.

I bought it for 10 shillings from the cut out rack in Woolworths around 1971. Sadly, I left an album by a certain Ms. Chris Clark in the rack (there were dozens).

Rgerets, I have a few... lol

By Mike Sku (64.9.11.62) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 03:39 pm:

I guess of all the groups that made it big commercially, I'd have to say Rare Earth, yet I still like some of their music. It's really tough to come up with anyone else.

By Gary (66.73.238.5) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 03:59 pm:

I wouldn't say I ever DISLIKED any Motown groups, but R. Dean Taylor, and the Jackson 5 come to mind as acts that I could not fully appreciate.

I agree with some previous comments regarding Smokey, Rare Earth and Boyz To Men. To each his own I guess.

By Nosey (66.153.113.238) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 04:13 pm:

Loved all the groups but sometimes Smokey's "Bert Lahr's Cowardly Lion's King of the Forestesque" sound, kinda grates my "nervoies". (Whew that was tough!)

Didn't like the Happening either by the Supremes. Didn't get played at no house party I ever went to!

By NYC Diva (158.57.45.226) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 04:24 pm:

R&B, why do you hate the Commodores? Is it because of Lionel?

By A Motown Historian (216.139.153.109) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 04:27 pm:

Mine would be Earth, Wind & Fire

By Livonia Ken (136.2.1.153) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 04:33 pm:

This thread is the SD forum's version of "Sophie's Choice". If only it had said "artist" instead of group, we could restore forum unity by all getting behind "Charlene". (I kid, Charlene fans, but only a little).

Regards,
Ken

By R&B (138.238.41.118) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 04:52 pm:

I WOULDN'T SAY HATE,BUT I'LL NEVER HAVE THIER GREATEST HITS IN MY COLLECTION,AND YES IT DOES HAVE TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT I'M NOT A LIONEL RICHIE FAN[HIS VOICE BOTHERS ME ALMOST AS MUCH AS LARRY GRAHAM'S..AUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!]

By Galactus (207.144.253.114) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 05:05 pm:

I'll put in another vote for Rare Earth as my least favorite.

Second least favorite actually might be the Diano Ross Supremes, but only because they are so overplayed on oldies stations. I still haven't gotten around to getting a quality Supremes anthology.

I don't care for Boyz 2 Men at all, but I don't think of them as a "classic" Motown group.

I love Smokey and the Jackson 5 and all the rest, though.

By Juicefree20 (68.161.48.203) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 07:03 pm:

Now LadyM, did you really like Irene "Granny" Ryan or Soupy Sales

By the way, why does the person with the IP 216.139.153.109 always turn up with different aliases? Just wondering?

By GOAT (64.228.147.10) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 07:32 pm:

Thanks RD.

I have tried and tried to listen to Smokey Robinson since a child and it just never grabbed me the way Marvin Gaye or Otis redding did.

By NYC Diva (67.31.84.137) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 09:05 pm:

LOL @ RD. When it comes to Lionel...I have a love/hate thing concerning him...I loved him when he was in the Commodores, pre-1977. In fact, I loved the Commodores, period. They were one of the best funk bands around and I still love listening to those tracks from back in the day. What I hated was that they had to go pop to get that mainstream appeal, but it was Motown's doing, so I guess I should not have expected anything different.

As for Lionel, I did like him as a soloist at one point, and I have to admit I had several of his records. But he just went too far to the other side, if you get what I mean. That was the point he began to irk my nerves. But deep down I wish he would "come back home", in more ways than one.

And yeah, I agree with you totally about Larry Graham. I think his voice is ANNOYING!! I hated "One In A Million" but everyone else I knew loved that song...the only decent song he made was "When We Get Married" and that was it for me.

By Juicefree20 (68.161.48.203) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 09:11 pm:

NYC Diva, I'm feeling you all the way. Home is a very warm place to be

Juice

By JoB (63.168.103.2) on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 02:21 am:

...wow, I thought I was the only one who felt that way about Larry Graham's voice :o)

By Spookey (198.81.26.103) on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 02:35 am:

Goat, that probely means you are an old and lonely man right now all by yourself if you didn't like Smokey's romantic ballads because all the girls did -- you'd be a ladiesman, but you ain't so, tuff!!

By GOAT (64.228.128.142) on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 11:55 am:

Ha! I got more shakes than a malt shop Spookey. I don't need to play Smokey to get the ladies feeling good. They do that with the natural charm ;)

By stephanie (69.138.239.31) on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 12:24 pm:

I like Smokeys records but he is so boring to watch without the other Miracles!! I guess my least favorite Motown group would have to be the Isley Brothers I LOVED them when they left Motown and then next in line well actually first is Charlene YUCK Id rather listen to Granny or Paul Peterson.
Stephanie

By roger (217.35.87.17) on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 01:29 pm:

Hello Everyone.

Nobody yet has mentioned THE HONEST MEN, who had one release on V.I.P. in 1969 called "Cherie". It even got released in the U.K. on Tamla-Motown.

I had a copy for a while, maybe I still do, if so it must be filed away under "records that are a waste of time listening to but worth hanging onto for their curiousity value".

THE HONEST MEN were a white (I presume) "West Coast" (probably) harmony act. I wouldn't say that it was a bad record, its just that if I want to listen to that sort of material it was done much better by acts like THE BEACH BOYS or THE ASSOCIATION, and I'd rather listen to them instead.

Dayo .. When I was living in Sheffield around 1970/71 I recall going into one of the Woolworths stores there and they had entire rackfulls of cut price Tamla-Motown L.P.s. Unfortunately I had little or no money on me at the time .. being an impoverished schoolboy. A week or so later I had some money but they had all gone!!

Roger

By NYC Diva (158.57.150.226) on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 01:32 pm:

I saw Smokey in concert back in the '80s...the man cannot dance to save his life but I didn't care. During this particular concert I went to, he was actually taking requests. I was in the front and shouted "Ooh Baby Baby". Smokey walked over to me, got on his knees, and sang that song to me! Talk about someone who couldn't think straight, LOL. From that day on I have loved Smokey. LOL

Stephanie, I also dislike Charlene.

By Davie Gordon (213.18.222.35) on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 02:44 pm:

The Honest Men were a Dutch group - Motown were
chancing their luck in licensing their single for the US market trying to cash in on the success of
other Dutch groups. Personally I don't count
Licensed-in stuff as being "Motown" - and I'd
rather forget all about the Honest Men, and the Cats for that matter, another Dutch band who had
an album on Rare Earth.

By lasunshine (63.155.200.175) on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 10:00 pm:

Boys II Men...Yuk. I really don't consider them a "real" Motown Act. Just basically, a bad act.

By Dayo (81.136.164.4) on Friday, March 26, 2004 - 04:00 am:

Roger - Those Woolworths cut outs are a kind of mini legend around here! And that thought has just inspired me to post another thread. Hope its not a chestnut....

By roger (217.35.87.17) on Friday, March 26, 2004 - 05:57 am:

Hello Again Everyone.

Thanks for the info on THE HONEST MEN Davie, I never realised they were Dutch, I'd always assumed that they had to be American. Why on earth EMI in Britain issued it on Tamla-Motown is an even greater mystery.


Dayo .. I've spotted your new thread .. I'm now thinking of what to post on it.

Roger

By Greg C. (165.247.38.29) on Friday, March 26, 2004 - 07:01 pm:

Tommy Good
LaBrenda Ben & The Beljeans (Horrible!)
Singin' Sammy Ward
Apollo ("Astro Disco" was one of the corniest songs I've ever heard!)
Mandre
Finis Henderson
On Edge (Hands down, ugliest girl group ever signed to Motown)
7669 (Strange girl group. minimal talent, cover of the CD had them naked riding motorbikes)
HerSanity (Their CD makes a great coaster!)
Satintones (Flat& off key!)
Lee & The Leopards
Hattie Littles (Awful!)
Henry Lumpkin

By RD (65.54.98.22) on Friday, March 26, 2004 - 11:50 pm:

I agree with you on the Satintones, Greg, their recordings truly suck. I would, however, like to hear the later ones they did that remain unreleased. But Sammy Ward and Hattie Littles were great singers that never got exposed. Ward because of circumstances and Littles probably because she was a tough southern raise woman who didn't take no shyt. Listen to Ian Levine's production of Ward singing "You Really Got A Hold Of Me," a song Smokey wrote for Ward but that Berry insisted he do himself with the Miracles; or, some of the cuts on Motown Blues by Ward. The only recording I ever heard by Tommy Good was damn awful.

By Motown_Angel (66.25.107.119) on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 01:27 am:

Good Evening,

I am a 13yr.old. I,myself, don't think any of the Motown groups are a least favorite group.Maybe cause I don't no most of em'. but i know its not THE TEMPTATIONS. If any one should say the temptations,they must have never em'.


Motown_Angel

By Motown_Angel (66.25.107.119) on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 01:29 am:

Good Evening,

I am a 13yr.old. I,myself, don't think any of the Motown groups are a least favorite group.Maybe cause I don't no most of em'. but i know its not THE TEMPTATIONS. If any one should say the temptations,they must have never heard em'.


Motown_Angel

By R&B (138.238.41.128) on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 01:50 pm:

MOTOWN ANGEL BLESS YOUR HEART,NONE WILL EVER SAY THAT THE TEMPTATIONS ARE A LEAST FAVORITE[AT LEAST NOT ANYONE WITH AN EAR FOR MUSIC]STICK AROUND MOTOWN ANGEL AND SOAK UP SOME MUSICAL KNOWLEDGE,WELCOME.

By Robb_K (66.81.197.62) on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 02:35 pm:

I guess different taste is what makes people around the World interesting. I love all the Hattie Littles recordings I've heard (especially "You Got Me Worried"-admittedly, it has not been released as yet, but I liked the A sides on her two Gordy singles. Sure, Henry Lumpkin isn't the best singer, but I think he did a good job on a few of his Motown cuts. I think Lee and The Leopards were pretty bad. I like Tommy Good. I think he did a good job on "Baby I Miss You". Of course, that was a great track. My mother could have had a hit with it. But I've heard some unreleased cuts by him, and I liked them too "She's A Living Doll" is also quite good to my taste. LaBrenda Ben isn't the greatest singer, either. But, I thought she did allright. The Satintone's Angel and some others could have been sung better. But, to me, they're nowhere near the worst of Motown. "My Beloved" by them, is one of my all-time favourite songs (and I've heard literally millions of them).

You're tellin' me you like The Hornets better than The Satintones????

By RD (65.54.98.167) on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 10:27 pm:

No opin on the Hornets Robb K cause I never heard them. The Hornets were really a little band led by Mike Valvano. I'm a doo wop fan and the Satintones (a doo wop group) don't even rate a spot in my Top 100 Doo Wop groups of all time. Their singing is flat and Motown's recording techniques weren't the best at the time. Motown, obviously didn't think too much of them either as they never included any of their songs in any of their various artists packages. Not one.

By Robb_K (66.81.31.43) on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 10:41 pm:

RD-I'll admit that the Satintones weren't in my top 100 doo-wop groups, either. But I can mention several Motown groups which I liked less (even without going into Motown's non-soul or fringe-soul genres): Lee & Leopards, Hit Pack, Freeman Brothers, Stylers. I guess no song by any of them has been placed on CD yet (unless it's a bootleg NS CD).

I didn't like the Honest Men's or Cats' Motown releases, despite my being half Dutch. I'd also pick the Satintones over Mike and The Modifiers (even though their cuts sound better to me than The Hornets'). I guess if I listened to some late '70s and '80s Motown groups, I'd find a new "least favourite Motown Group).

By RD (65.54.98.167) on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 10:47 pm:

Why y'all hating on Lee & the Leopards, I still have their Gordy 45 "Come Into My Palace." I love it, hokey bass singing and all. I'll take them over the Satintones. I think I was more disappointed in the Satintones then anything. Even the early Contours' tracks like "Funny" where they're doo wopping sounds better.

By Robb_K (66.81.200.80) on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 11:33 pm:

I like "Come Into My Palace" by Lee & Leopards. To my taste, it's even better than some Satintones' cuts. But, it's Lee & Leopards best with Motown, and I like several Satintones cuts better (My Beloved, Angel, My Kind of Love, Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart, Tomorrow and Always). Everything is relative. As I stated, neither Lee & Leopards, nor Satintones are my "least favourite Motown Group". Everybody looks for a different combination of attributes in their music. I like James Ellis' lead singing, and even if the rest of the group's harmonies include off-key singing, if the other elements are strong enough, the overall package for me is good enough to enjoy at some level (and certainly more than music sung in styles I don't like, or poorly written songs, or weak background music, or other containing other tainted factors).

By Juicefree20 (68.161.46.83) on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 01:13 am:

God bless you Motown Angel. It's good to see you here & I look forward to hearing your thoughts. You are quite correct, I don't think that you'll ever see the great Temptations on a list like this. Thanks for dropping in & please stop in more often. I appreciate your enthusiasm for the music of The Temptations. God bless you sweetheart!

Juice

By Juicefree20 (68.161.46.83) on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 01:16 am:

Hey Greg C, did you nlike Skip To My Lou? I thought that it was great. I don't know much about Finis' other songs.

By Juicefree20 (68.161.46.83) on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 01:20 am:

It's amazing how much of the artists like Lee & The Leopards & Mike & The Modifiers were unknown to us here in NYC. I never heard of many of these groups until a few years ago. I only heard about them through reissues & UK books on Motown. I wonder why that was the case?

By Robb_K (66.81.29.148) on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 01:55 am:

The Lee and The Leopards record wasn't pushed much by Motown. For distribution on the East Coast (and Nationally???) they leased it to Laurie Records. I haven't seen a lot of the Laurie issues over the years. But then, I was located in Chicago, and visited Detroit a lot; so we had the Detroit distribution (Gordy label). I don't think Mike (Valvano) and The Modifiers' records were pushed much either. Motown had a lot of cut-out records that were never intended to do anything. They concentrated their efforts on the artists and records they thought had a decent chance of doing something. I assume the Company used many cut-out records' productions as tax write-offs. The industry standard production cost write-off was surely higher than the actual cost of most of the cut-outs.

By DyvaNaye (152.163.253.70) on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 06:25 pm:

The Supremes...overrated compared to the Andantes and Water Sisters who could blow them out of the water....they made some good songs but...well...tiresome...

M/Vandellas - Marvellettes...heck yeah...

Oh the girl that Berry Gordy used to date...anglo saxon who could not sing...she made one good song she sounded like she talked through...

By Juicefree20 (151.205.175.122) on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 08:05 pm:

Now Dyva, you're not talking about Ms Chris Clark, are you?

Juice

By DyvaNaye (209.212.74.212) on Monday, March 29, 2004 - 02:14 pm:

ah, yeah....that would be her Juice :-)

DyvaNaye

By VZN (68.95.114.88) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 02:59 am:

Now it looks like I'm not the only 13-year-old here.

By Malcolm T (68.43.105.26) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 09:24 am:

I believe The Sunday Funnies and Power of Zeus were Motown acts also. Anyone know anything about them?

By lennytone (66.241.87.19) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 08:52 pm:

Lee & Leopards was played in New York, well New Jersey (WNJR). I bought it!

I think Granny from Beverly Hillbillies show was one of the worst Motown artists.

Lenny

By Mark Speck (199.183.107.42) on Thursday, April 08, 2004 - 10:33 pm:

Here's another vote for Rare Earth--I'm sure they're great guys, but I never cared for anything they did until that disco tune, "Warm Ride" (which the Rare Earth purists probably dislike, I'm sure!).

Also, Charlene--why did that record get reissued after it initially flopped and become the annoying gigantic hit that it was?

Best,

Mark

By STONEWALL (68.237.93.170) on Thursday, April 08, 2004 - 11:57 pm:

Unfortunately, "Who's your least favorite M-town artist?, although a question, it is a fractious one, negative and causes divisions. It's sort of like, "Which of your kids do U like the least?" -- and then post it on the internet.

Moreover, when most people read that someone's =least= favorite MOTOWN artist is The JACKSON 5 featuring MICHAEL JACKSON =or= DIANA ROSS & THE SUPREMES =or= SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES, it sounds like a Christian not liking JESUS! Or, if U want a non-religious analogy: a Yankees fan not liking New York.

For me, I don't have a "least favorite" M-town artist. They all have redeeming musical works, especially CARL BEAN!

By BankHouseDave (195.93.34.12) on Friday, April 09, 2004 - 10:04 am:

Is it me or did someone called A Motown Historian say their least favorite Motown band was Earth Wind & Fire?

By STONEWALL (68.237.93.170) on Friday, April 09, 2004 - 01:43 pm:

Great Motown question, B.H.D., butt believe-it-or-not, like FRANKIE VALLE and LESLEY GORE before them, EARTH, WIND & FIRE were actually signed with Motown for awhile; of course, long after all their big hits as in the exact case of the other two artists mentioned. Needless to say, tho I will anyway, "it didn't work out".

By Robb_K (204.108.65.10) on Friday, April 09, 2004 - 05:39 pm:

Nice to hear good words said about one of our Airwave artists (Carl Bean). Maybe someone also liked Art Posey? I hope he was no one's least favourite Motown artist!

By Mark Speck (199.183.105.158) on Friday, April 09, 2004 - 09:46 pm:

Art Posey, to be fair, did have a nice Northern record called "No More Heartaches", but that was on Scope.

Best,

Mark