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#8 R&B
“Hum Along and Dance” is another smash from the minds of the songwriting team Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield. It appeared on the Tempting Temptations 1970 hit LP “Psychedelic Shack.” (#1 R&B & #9 Pop).
The original tune was 3 minutes and 52 seconds long making it a very long song for the era. I consider this song the writing duo’s precursor to “Smiling Faces.”
Please listen and enjoy.
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#95 R&B
Rare Earth’s 5 minute and 19 second version of “Hum Along and Dance” comes from their 1973 release “MA.” Take a listen to this even longer version of this classic.
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The Jackson 5′s 8 minutes and 37 second version appeared on their 1973 LP “Get It Together.” “GIT” was the J5′s second album release of 1973 (September): they had released “Skywriter” earlier that year in March. Like the entire LP, “HAaD” was an awesome track — but even better is the 15 minute and 7 second extended version. This one is here for your listening pleasure: it was one of the bonus cuts on my “Joyful Jukebox Music” re-issue CD.
This version is tops IMHO!
Now that you have seen this vintage J5 performance of “HAaD” with the handsome Jackie Jackson doing Eddie Kendricks’ high tenor lead part, vote for your favorite here and now. Be sure to leave comments as to why you prefer one rendition over the other.
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I remember playing this Gordy 45 rpm over and over and over again on my grey and white record player. In fact I still have the record!
The day I first heard it was the day that I purchased the “Get Ready” Single, the last song Smokey Robinson wrote and produced for The Temptations. Of course before I played it I flipped it over to hear the B-Side: this was my habit because some of my most favorite songs were to be found on B-sides that often NEVER made it to LPs. Beside as a tween I didn’t always have LP money, but I always could scrounge up change to purchase a 45.
Anyway, I played “Fading Away,” the B-Side to “Getting Ready,” over and over and over again and just sat their swooning at Eddie’s voice imagining how it would be when I grew up and met and finally married him (ROTFLOL).
This sweet, sweet ballad was composed by three of Motown’ s own “Miracles” — Warren “Pete” Moore, Smokey Robinson and Robert “Bobby” Rogers.
Oh well it kept me off of the streets!
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This Motown cover is another of those on the one and only Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers Motown Album. I do enjoy the harmonizing at the hook that is different from the Temptations original, but all in all no one can do it like those Tempting Temptations.
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#3 R&B, #18 Pop
Composed by The Miracles’ members Warren “Pete” Moore and Smokey Robinson, “It’s Growing” comes from The Temptations’ second Motown LP — “The Temptations Sing Smokey.” This LP topped the R&B charts at #1 and was #35 on the Pop LP charts.
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Dennis Edwards joined the Contours in 1967 and sang lead on the group’s cover version of “It’s Growing.” This cover stayed buried in the “Motown Vault” until it surfaced on a British Budget compilation in the 70s. I first heard it on another British Motown compilation that I purchased decades later entitled “Tamla Motown Connoisseurs.”
“It’s Growing” was the second song that The Temptations released featuring group member David Ruffin. How ironic that Edwards sang lead on this Temptations’ cover song as a member of the Contours and would eventually replace David Ruffin in the Temptations!
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Originally hailing from Canada, Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers were Motown’s first hit interracial group. Their cover version of “It’s Growing” comes from their first and only Motown LP, pictured above.
You know the drill – time to vote for your favorite Motown rendition of “It’s Growing.” Which is your favorite? Leave comments and let us know why.
[Audio clip: view full post to listen] #1 R&B, #8 Pop This chart topper, co-written by producer Norman Whitfield, Eddie Holland and The Temptations guitar player Cornelius Grant, was another hit from the fabulous “Gettin’ Ready” Album. Not too much I can say about this song that hasn’t already been said except this is Classic [...]
Even though I am a huge Eddie Kendricks fan, “Get Ready” is not high on my list of Kendricks’ led Temptations songs. I think this is because the song has been so over- used (IMHO) when it comes to Motown references over these past decades. But this song is a perfect way to kick off [...]
[Audio clip: view full post to listen] #6 Pop Before there was the angelic youthful tenor of the pre-teen Michael Jackson, there was a teenager named Frankie Lymon. He sang lead on “Why Do Fools Fall in Love” propelling his group, The Teenagers, right on up the Pop charts! The young Frankie influenced everyone from [...]
[Audio clip: view full post to listen] #1 R&B, #11 Pop If you have been around OSML since the beginning you may remember that I blogged about this Orioles’ classic cover, “Crying In The Chapel,” back in 2008. And you may also recall that this song has a very special place in my heart so [...]
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