Tommy Tainant
Diamond Member
60 years today. Imagine a world without Motown ?
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60 years today. Imagine a world without Motown ?
60 years today. Imagine a world without Motown ?
60 years today. Imagine a world without Motown ?
Why did Motown exist? Why Detroit? Was it because of car production and a healthy middle class that was raising the conscience of the community? I'd love to understand the social circumstances that created this, much like Seattle created so many rock stars from Hendrix to Nirvana.
I grew up on Motown, among a great variety of music my mother in particular exposed me to. MoTown is uniquely American, lead by Marvin Gaye in my opinion in terms of my own personal favourites from that era, but so many others obviously. Their influence was far reaching.
Yes, there was often a message behind the music, but to me, it was just soulful, funky expression. They were musicians, it was a craft. I think of Stevie Wonders and his creativity, the funky side of Motown if you will. Superstition influenced Led Zeppelin when they wrote Trampled Underfoot (about as big an endorsement of your talent as one might get, some cool photos of them all together in the 70s) and he did a great amount of work with others Motown artists behind the scene. The Temptations broad sound and style, Michael Jackson being heavily influenced by Diana Ross.
Indeed, Motown was important to music. I say, not as important as the less heralded blues artists who really influenced the youth in Britain in particular, and rock in America, (from the Beatles, to Rolling Stones, Zeppelin and others), but it was own genre on it's own, unique and creative.
In that vein this is one of my favorites.In the film Paul Gambaccini laments the fact that modern artists don't use their music to call for change. What's Going On has no modern equivalent.
Music was bigger and better back then and that makes me sound like someone I would hate.