BEST MOTOWN ACT OF THE 1960s? (Edited to include The Supremes)

[NightTrain]

The Supremes:



The Four Tops:



Marvin Gaye:



Martha & The Vandellas:



The Marvelettes:



Smokey Robinson & The Miracles:



The Temptations:



Junior Walker & The All-Stars:



Mary Wells:



Stevie Wonder:

[GOPisEvil]

1. The 1960s? Gotta go with Smokey and the Miracles.

[dolo amber]

5. Pfft...go eat noodles

:P

Temptations all the way! :bounce:

[GOPisEvil]

8. No ziti for you!

:P

It's not like I think all the other acts SUCK or anything. :D

[Kahuna]

14. Amen, David Ruffin, ruled!!!!!

:bounce:

[blondeatlast]

16. And Smokey was a part of many of the other's successes, too, as

a producer and writer.

That's why I chose them, but frankly, if Night Train keeps putting up these killer polls I'm going to reach across my keyboard...

and bash my head into the monitor.

[tilsammans]

2. Make mine the Tops!

Lovin' Levi & Co.!

[mcscajun]

21. Four Tops it is!

for pure unadulterated soul. :)

But then, there was so much talent that came out of Motown...it's hard to pick just one act.

[LSdemocrat]

3. No Diana Ross and the Supremes?

[NightTrain]

11. Goddammit! I knew I was forgetting someone.

OK, I added the Supremes on edit.

My memory just ain't what it used to be. Getting old sucks, you know that? :eyes:

[Sandpiper]

4. Best Group Act: The Temptations

Best Solo Act: Marvin Gaye

[Kahuna]

13. Maybe so, maybe so. But IMHO, best lead voice, David Ruffin..

He does some powerful begging in, "You're all I Need."

When I look at that list is full of very powerful talent.

[SidDithers]

42. Wasn't that "Ain't to proud to beg?"...

I thought "You're all I need" was Marvin and Tammi Tyrell.

Or did The Temps do a version too?

Sid

[Kahuna]

46. Nope! Break out our Temps album. It's not, "You're All I Need."..

"It's, "All I need." Sorry. It starts,

(all) forgive the fool, my darling

David: Oh, this heart of mine, carries a heavy load
When I think about, how I've hurt you so.
After you've been, been so good to me,
I've been unfaithful Darling, I've caused you misery..
Something somethin.. tears.. Rolling down my face..
Tears that only you darlin, only you can erase...

Bridge..
And darling, allllll, all I need. Is just to hear you say you forgive, forgive me baby.. Allll, All I need is just to touch your hand, say you understand..

And so on...

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

6. The Supremes had more hits in a single year than any of these???

[Kahuna]

17. So? And when I listen to them now...

they sound kinda cheesy. :shrug:

Don't get me wrong. All little girls and a lot of big ones wanted to be a Supreme.

[ronnykmarshall]

19. Not in a single year.

But overall the Supremes had the most hits of this group.

They are second to the Beatles for #1 hits in the 1960's.

[mtnsnake]

39. They deserve credit, but I couldn't stand 99 out of a 100 of their songs

The Tempatations will always be tops!

[Kahuna]

7. I'll take the tall, tan and tempting, Temptations, for $1000.

:loveya:

[buddhamama]

9. Marvin Gaye

[Sporadicus]

10. Marvin Gaye

When he did 'What's Going On,' that sealed the deal for me. I've always admired socially relevant music.

[Kahuna]

15. Except that was in the 70s.....

:7

Truthfully though, I would probably give a tie (almost) to Gaye and the Temps.

[Sporadicus]

18. If All Else Fails

read the original post :silly:

[blondeatlast]

12. Night Train, you are a cold, cruel man.

Making us choose among eartly gods...

Nevertheless, I picked Smokey and the Miracles since Smokey bears responsibility for so many of the other's best work.

Without that, there is no choice to be made; those who weren't as famous were underrated.

[NightTrain]

30. You say that like it's a bad thing!

:evilgrin:

[ronnykmarshall]

20. Oh let me think ....

oh my what do I do?

THE SUPREMES!!!!

[kodi]

22. temps. best group of singers , 'ceptin' when smokey was singing alone

.

[IowaGuy]

23. Jr Walker...

voted for him just cuz this list suddenly reminded me I had not listened to any of their stuff in a while. Actually, at some point, I'm pretty much in the mood for any of these artists, coud have found a reason to vote for any one of them...it was a unique time in American music...

[TexasLady]

24. 'its a Motown Day!'

Every time it rained, my cousin and I used to gather all of our Motown music and drink, and talk and just have an all around awesome time. "Its a Motown Day!' we'd say at the first hint of rain.

I like all the groups too much to pick just one.

[geniph]

25. Try the Funk Brothers

the musicians who played the music on nearly every single solitary Motown hit of the 50s and 60s. They're still touring, too. I've seen them twice, and they are phenomenal.

Rent Standing In the Shadows of Motown to see what I mean.

[kitchen girl]

26. Marvin Gaye #1...

with The Four Tops coming in a close second. I'm kind of lukewarm on Motown myself. I've always been more of a Stax and Chess girl. :headbang:

[njdemocrat106]

27. I went with the Tempts!

I Know I'm Losing You, Ball of Confusion, I Can't Get Next to You, My Girl, all classics.

[argyl]

28. I went with Jr. Walker, sax so wailing he made Foreigner sound

good;he played on "Urgent." Actually I love them all. Whoever I'm listening to at the time.

[pink-o]

29. all white boomers love Motown

and I'm no exception! The first album I ever bought all by myself was the Supremes' Where did our Love Go (which also had Baby Love and Come See about Me on it.) and it cost me $1.99 in 1964. But like White Zin, I think we all outgrow the Supremes and move on to less syrupy stuff.

Smokey's stuff is just amazing. I know it's been played to death, but just check out the bassline on Tears of a Clown--awesome! And of course Marvin Gaye and early 70s Stevie just knock you out.

Bottom line: don't ask us to make these hard choices anymore! Ask us if we prefer Chuck Berry to Pat Boone and make our lives easy!!!:yourock:

[bobthedrummer]

31. What talent! I went with The Temptations in this one. n/t

[brentspeak]

32. Stevie Wonder was the best Motown artist of the 70's

But I'll pick the Temps as the best Motown act of the 60's.

[SidDithers]

44. I went with Stevie, but you're right. He was better as 70's than 60's.

Talking Book, Music of My Mind, Innervisions, and Fullfillingness' First Finale could arguably be the best 4 album stretch in music history.

Sid

Edit: Songs in the Key of Life was after Fullfillingness. Make that a 5 album stretch.

[Kahuna]

47. True. Stevie is the best of the seventies. But some of his early..

stuff was pretty amazing too. I would give Stevie the 60s nod after the Temps.

[Longgrain]

33. Hard but...

I'll go with Marvin Gaye with Smokie Robinson as a close second.

[KSAtheist]

34. Martin Fry was right.

Smokey ruled. It's too bad he cracked out.

[Rhiannon12866]

35. I voted for "The Temptations," but it was a tough choice

I like them all! Great post!:D

[dbt]

36. The MIGHTY Temptations!

Train, this whole poll is an exercise in picking the finest diamond, but you knew that going in, now didn't you?

The Temps only win by a couple of hundredths of a second, but I betcha every other Motown artist listed here would've voted for them.

Hey! When are you gonna do a STAX poll???

:bounce:
dbt

[NightTrain]

51. A Stax poll, you say?

What would be the point? It's safe to assume Otis Redding would win hands down!

[Dees]

37. There wouldn't have been a Motown sound

without the Funk Bros. They are the Wrecking Crew of R & B. The artists were great but the "sound" was all Funk Bros.

[NightTrain]

38. When Motown released the HITSVILLE U.S.A. boxed set...

...critic Greil Marcus called it, "James Jamerson's Greatest Hits, spread out over four CDs." :thumbsup:

For the uninitiated, James Jamerson played bass with the Funk Brothers; and he was the best damned bass player ever, IMHO! :headbang:

[SidDithers]

43. "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" tells the story...

You probably already know that, if you're talking about the Funk Bros., but it's a great rental, if you haven't already seen it.

Sid

[Dees]

45. Showtime2 is airing "SITSOM" all this month.

[joeybee12]

40. How could you NOT include the Supremes initially?

And how come they only have three votes?

[mtnsnake]

41. Tempatations forever!! And after the

Tempatations: Smokey Robinson..."Moooooore love, mooooooore joy...then a thousand night times could liiiiive by" or something like that ;)

Great thread!

[Kahuna]

48. The truth of the matter is, in the 60s, the new songs by each of these

artists were anticipated, enjoyed and cherised. Motown and the English Invasion during the sixties. It just doesn't get better than that. We had some really great sounds to enjoy. Not to mention the Mamas and the Papas and the Beach Boys, Sonny and Cher, Paul Revere and the Raiders and many more. Man we had it good. The younger generation has it good too. There is no rule that says they can't enjoy these same artists.

[argyl]

49. A great musical era. AM radio stations played so many different

types of music.One station would play rock, soul, country,and great crooners like Sinatra and Martin. As a teen in San Antonio I also heard a lot of great Tex-Mex artists such as Sunny and the Sunliners on the radio. Could even go to dances where you could hear descendants of German and Czech settlers play polkas.

[Kahuna]

50. Yep! I miss those days. Getting Frank and Tony on the same station..

with the Supremes, Beatles and the Singing Nuns.