Musc 200 1st Edition Lecture 22 Outline of Last Lecture I Surf Rock continued a Timbre b Stomp Boxes c Dick Dale II The Brill Building and Girl Groups a Phil Spector i Wall of Sound Outline of Current Lecture I Motown Introduction II Berry Gordy a Production Line Model b Integrated Production System III The Motown Production Process IV Motown Musical Arrangements Current Lecture Motown Can refer to 3 different things o An important and very successful record label in Detroit in the 60s o The style of music that came from Motown Records o The particular approach to production that Motown Records took Motown Records had a house band which backed the lead singer o This group of musicians played on all of the Motown hits but never achieved the same fame as the singers because they played for many of them Motown put African Americans in the center of the entertainment industry Berry Gordy These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute His family moved to Detroit as part of The Great Migration which allowed them to move into the emerging African American middle class Gordy tried several business ventures before opening Motown Records including working in an assembly line for car production and writing songs Gordy saw the process of producing a car and a record as very similar o Both had a hierarchy of control with only a few people at the top o Both had division of labor with people who specialized in certain things Gordy s goal was to use the production line model in his independent label Motown Records o Motown could be seen as an independent label modelled after what the major mainstream labels were doing Gordy saw that Detroit didn t have a local independent label for the flourishing R B scene there Motown became the biggest independent label of the 60s and was the largest African American run business in the country at this time o From 1961 71 Motown Records had over 100 Top 10 singles Gordy saw that African American music could sell to both a white and black audience if it was properly marketed o Would sell even better to whites if a touch of pop and mainstream was added o Gordy s plan was to sell to both audiences He knew that the majority of people were white and knew that if he could break into that market he would make a much larger profit Motown Records was built into an integrated production system an empire of sorts o Motown was a record label a publishing house owned the rights to their songs which meant that the royalties went straight to Motown had a recording studio a booking agency choreographers and etiquette trainers o The etiquette trainers designed the artists image and taught them to speak in a more mainstream mass media way for interviews All of the profits went into Motown because they didn t have to hire outside people to do a job The Motown Production Process A R team early on this was just Gordy himself would find a singer Singer was paired with a songwriter or a writer producer team to write songs that worked specifically with that singer s voice and talents Song was recorded o Rhythm tracks first to get the groove in place bass and drums o Next was the vocalist o Then the other instruments strings brass reeds etc Test pressing mix the levels for a rough draft and the producer would run it by Gordy If Gordy liked it it was finalized and finishing touches put on Quality Control was next Gordy would listen to the track on all types of stereo systems to make sure the song sounded good on everything not just the high quality studio speakers Artists were trained by choreographers to get them polished into professional stage acts o Often did package tours which promoted the artists and their hit songs as well as the Motown Record label itself When Motown just started up the label nurtured the artists o Cooperative and family like atmosphere o Gordy put everyone on a salary so they could quit their day jobs and focus on music Later on when Motown became more successful o Much more competitive between producers and also among singers If a producer s song was a hit then they could choose which artists they wanted to work with next If a song didn t do so well then they would get stuck with whoever was left o Power was concentrated with Gordy and a few top associates o Artists salaries didn t increase as their success and popularity grew o They got paid the same amount whether they were a nobody just starting out or had charting singles Many artists left Motown Records when Gordy refused to renegotiate their contracts Many artists were underpaid because Gordy didn t follow their contract By the end of the 60s the tensions in Motown were quite obvious Some sued the label many simply left over contract and creative differences They felt like they were being exploited Listening Please Mr Postman by The Marvelettes Background singers are doo wop girl group influenced Listening Money by Barrett Strong 12 bar blues R B influenced Piano and bass are Boogie Woogie like Stop time breaks Motown Arrangements Foundation root of the track guitar bass and drums Drums were straightforward gave groove played on the backbeats pretty simple Bass played active bass lines busy parts that were almost melodic or had bits of melody in them o The bass avoided playing on the backbeat o Bass and drums were complementary o Bass made the groove stay interesting The backbeat was supplemented by other instruments that would play staccato notes on the backbeat o Gave backbeat a punch and a kick o Usually guitar or trumpets o Staccato note short punchy cut off note Guitar or piano would play a melodic riff or series of chords Mix relative loudness or softness in a track o Drums and vocals were out front with the groove and hooks o Next loudest part was the bass o Then the piano and guitar o Then any other instruments Listening He was Really Saying Something by The Velvettes Trumpet staccato chords on backbeat Listening Two Lovers by Mary Well Guitars on backbeats Active bass lines are complicated Listening Leaving Here by Eddie Holland Riff orientated tunes played by the guitar Listening Baby Love by Diana Ross and The Supremes Listening Dancing in the Street by Martha and The Vandellas Illustrates the Motown mix