Martha Reeves and the Vandellas - Sugar & Spice - Ridin’ High

Alright brothers and sisters!

This one is going to be short.

And the next ones too.

The Mike has finally landed a plain, boring, 9 to 5 job. Don’t feel sad for me, everyone has to do his time. I’ll try to make it as short as possible, you can trust me on that.

But sadly, it means that I’ll have less time to post.

Less time to write in general (a little thought for my pal Michelcharles –I haven’t forgotten you, buddy, I just don’t have the time. But I kept your mails and I will respond as soon as possible – you almost reached the top of the list of all the mails that I had to write the last 2 months!).

But my job doesn't start until next monday. So, until then, I’ll try to post little things everyday until the end of the week. Sort of stuffing you for the “Hard & Cold Funhouse drought”.

 

 

Wow!

I just fucked things up quite completely.

I don’t have the boxes of my CDs with me. So I just tried to remember how things were instead of checking them out on allmusic.com. BIG mistake! And big mistakeS.

Wanna hear them? Alright: check this out:

1)      I inverted the 2 albums “Sugar & Spice” and “Ridin’High”

2)      I included 12 songs on the so-called “Sugar & Spice”, instead of 11 – I mean Ridin’High has only 11 songs.

3)      And I had wrote a really cool review. Or at least, I thought it was.

 

So here is what I am going to do:

-         I’ll leave things as it is.

-         And I’ll still leave the review. And I won't correct it so it won't be TOO confusing. Just remember : when I talk about "Sugar & Spice", it's the album that I - and only I - call Sugar & Spice. Which is in reality Ridin' High. And when I talk about Ridin' High, I mean  Sugar & Spice, except that what you're going to download is "Sugar & Spice", even if the file is called "Sugar & Spice". And when I talk about 12 songs of Sugar & Spice, what I am actually talking about is the 11 songs of Ridin' High and the 1st song of Sugar & Spice! Not too confusing, huh? And try not to laugh too hard. The music is there and available. That is what matters, right?

-         Because what is important is the music. And it is the music I’m talking about that matters. And I am still talking about the same songs.

- Just download everything and put everything in the right order. I would have more time, I'll make things right. But it's Martha & The Vandellas. I count on you all being motivated enough. I know I would ;)))

 

 

So I’ll start real hard: alright, this is it, folks!

All I was telling you about, the magic of Martha & The Vandellas, probably the greatest recordings of the Motown for the entire 60’s decade – alright, a tie with Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell duets.

THIS is what Motown is all about: “Honey Child”, the second song of the album Sugar & Spice. This song, this groove, the perfection of her voice, the incredible bass line, the delicacy of the horn section, the perfect harmonies in the back-up of the Vandellas. And it’s like that for the entire album.

Or almost. Fucking purists will argue that the 2 Dionne Warwick songs were an absurdity. It is SO not her field. Very big mistake. And I am one of them fucking purists. So I will have to agree.

But I’ll have to agree as well that the rest of the album – we’re talking of 10 songs out of 12 – are among the greatest things Motown ever recorded. So we’ll wince a little whenever those 2 stupid songs will play but we’ll be in heaven for the other 10 so we’ll play the album on and on and on.

 

Same period than the magnificent Sugar & Spice, Ridin’ High. The hits are a little less catchy and originals so it’s not exactly the same height. But, let’s not kid ourselves, it’s is RIGHT underneath. Another masterpiece for this incredible girl group. Such a great band that it is even hard to view it as a girl group. And you know HOW MUCH I love girl groups.

Anyway, good stuff included here: no hit. (another thing that I found out in my research). And yet, it is hard to believe. This collection tops so many of Motown’s well known hits. Check it out for yourself, you won’t believe it. But by all means, ENJOY!

 

 

Sugar & Spice 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ABH2ILCQ

 

Ridin’ High

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=Z0GT8YR4

 

Enjoy (anyway?)!

 

The Mike

Pussycat

After the “Martha” fiasco, let’s try not to mess things up too much here.

 

So I was really surprised that I created such a movement of yeye lovers. Wow! 5 comments. Instead of… usually none.

So it motivated me to post more yeye singers. I mean: the least I can do, if I am going to post yeye music, is to post some yeye music that I LIKE.

Because I wasn’t lying: I’m not very found of Jocelyne.

But by all means, I am fond of Pussycat.

Well not crazy fond of but fond of enough that I will have pleasure by playing this entire collection once… every 3 or 4 months. That kind of fond.

So enjoy this crazy collection of a girl of a “later period”. This is clearly the second half of the 60’s. There are some funny sounds, some interesting topics in the lyrics, there is definitely something. Even sometimes her voice. Not all the time, unfortunately, but often enough.

 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=AH80B150

 

Enjoy!

 

The Mike

Sophie

Ah, Sophie! THERE! Someone REALLY GOOD. A little unknown interesting yeye singer. The ideal of my musical snobbishness. Anyway, I won’t keep you for ever so you can discover her without too much information. I’ll just say this: this is an early singer (early 60’s) and she is very endearing to me for singing what she sings and the way she sings it. And the arragements are very endearing as well. Watchout for number 7 and number 9. That is all I will say.

Except of course: ENJOY!!!

 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=NRIPCVV2

 

The Mike.

Anniversaire Twilightzone!

Happy birthday Twilightzone !

A great blog which deserves a great present !

I wasn’t planning on posting anything today (normally, I should come back Wednesday) but when I read that it was RYP’s blog’s birthday, I thought it was THE perfect moment to post this wonderful compilation that I received for my birthday last year:

 

Rockin’ Bones!

 

4 CDs of 1950’s Punk & Rockabilly as the subtitle states it. And punk is not too strong a word, you’ll hear it!

I don’t have much time to write more but as the master would write it himself: gitit!

And long live Twilightzone, one of the great musical blog still alive around here!

 

Rockin’ Bones !

 

CD1

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=24EN1NMO

 

CD2

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=MZLQ0YRI

 

CD3

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YXU1IZ9S

 

CD4

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5IEHNH4P

 

Enjoy!

 

The Mike