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July 31, 2019 11:26 am  #1


Amazing Motown Documentary To Be Streamed In Canada

Do you know anyone in the GTA with Crave TV or one of those grey market satellite dishes that receives U.S. cable programming? If so, you may want to visit them on Saturday, August 24th. That’s when Showtime, one of the American pay stations, and the Bell streamer, are going to be showing what looks to be a fabulous documentary called “Hitsville: The Making of Motown.”
 
There have been a ton of Motown stories told over the years, but this is the first one that actually had the full backing of founder Berry Gordy, who also appears in the flick with Smokey Robinson and a host of famous names, some of whom are featured in the trailer below. That means access to a lot of vaulted material never previously seen before.
 
Here’s the Showtime description of the film.
 
“Documentary film that focuses on the period beginning with the birth of Motown in Detroit in 1958 until its relocation to Los Angeles in the early 1970s.
 
The film tracks the unique system that Gordy assembled that enabled Motown to become the most successful record label of all time.
 
The creation and initial success of Motown was achieved during a period of significant racial tensions in America and amid the burgeoning civil rights movement.”
 
This thing looks sensational based on the previews and it might be something to watch out for. And if you don't have access but know someone who does, well, don't be Too Proud To Beg. (See what I did there?)

"Hitsville" Tells The Official Story of Motown


 

 

August 2, 2019 12:20 am  #2


Re: Amazing Motown Documentary To Be Streamed In Canada

RadioActive wrote:

There have been a ton of Motown stories told over the years...

Standing In The Shadows Of Motown was one of the best, back in 2002. If you missed it, you don't have to wait, you can stream it now.
It's the story of Berry Gordy's hand-picked crew of 13, best known as the Funk Brothers, responsible for the
wonderful backing of all those Motown stars when the labels were based in Detroit.
Do yourself a favour during your summer time off. Check it out if you're looking for a some sunshine on a cloudy day.

 

August 2, 2019 7:27 am  #3


Re: Amazing Motown Documentary To Be Streamed In Canada

mike marshall wrote:

RadioActive wrote:

There have been a ton of Motown stories told over the years...

Standing In The Shadows Of Motown was one of the best, back in 2002. If you missed it, you don't have to wait, you can stream it now.
It's the story of Berry Gordy's hand-picked crew of 13, best known as the Funk Brothers, responsible for the
wonderful backing of all those Motown stars when the labels were based in Detroit.
Do yourself a favour during your summer time off. Check it out if you're looking for a some sunshine on a cloudy day.

I second that emotion! I've seen the film Mike mentions and it's every bit as good as he says. Well worth your time if you're a Motown fan.

     Thread Starter
 

August 25, 2019 12:56 pm  #4


Re: Amazing Motown Documentary To Be Streamed In Canada

OMG.
 
Wow.
 
That was incredible.
 
I was just given the chance to watch “Hitsville: The Making of Motown" documentary that aired on Showtime in the U.S. Saturday night and also debuted on CraveTV in Canada. What an amazing one hour and 45 minutes of television.
 
If it wasn’t enough that Neil Young made an appearance (he’d been signed to Motown as a member of the Mynah Birds) there were photos, recordings and performances long hidden away in the Motown vaults that came to light, including isolated instrumental tracks that appeared on numerous hits and a rather remarkable track-by-track deconstruction of how Marvin Gaye recorded his historic “What’s Going On” – and why founder Berry Gordy Jr. was so against releasing it.
 
This was the first project Gordy has ever truly collaborated on and it showed. If you loved Motown, I can’t recommend it highly enough.
 
Even the stories I thought I knew I really didn’t. Without being too spoilery, these were my highlights:
 
Shop Around By The Miracles
 
Motown’s first million seller almost didn’t happen. The record was actually released and being played on the radio when Gordy called Smokey Robinson up at 3 AM to say he was worried about it, and wanted to redo it. Robinson was skeptical, noting it was already on the charts and doing OK.
 
But Gordy believed it could be better and when Robinson said he’d talk to him about it in the morning, Gordy insisted it had to be done right away. So all the musicians gathered back at Hitsville at 3 AM to redo it, except the piano player, who never showed up. And that’s why Gordy himself is playing the keyboards on the tune that was eventually re-released.  
 
How Martha Reeves Got Her Chance
 
Most people are aware Martha Reeves started as a secretary at Motown. But how she got there – and into a studio – is fascinating. She kept auditioning and they kept turning her down until one day, the A&R guy told her to wait while he went to a meeting and asked her to answer a phone that was ringing on his desk.
 
He wound up being away for 4 hours and when he came back, she’d not only answered all the calls, but prioritized who he should get back to first. And that’s how she got the secretary gig.
 
As for her singing career, there was a union rule that no musicians were allowed to play during a recording session without a lead singer present. (They never explained why this was in place, but unions do strange things.) Of course, they routinely ignored the edict until one day a union rep showed up unexpectedly while the Funk Brothers were laying down some tracks by themselves in the studio.
 
They frantically started looking for a singer to be a stand-in and Reeves, on the hunt for her chance, said, “I’ll do it.” And she did. That fluke led to classics like "Heatwave" and "Dancing In The Streets." 
 
On Getting The Songs Played At CKLW
 
This one hurts but it’s apparently true. In the early Motown years, around 1963 or 1964, Motown's A&R guy was white. The record company was anxious to get the still-to-be-formed Big 8 to play their tunes to a Detroit audience. And whoever was in charge at the time told the rep, “I’m only putting these on the air because he’s white.”
 
What a terrible legacy that it is, especially because both CKLW and Motown wound up with something of a symbiotic relationship over the years. But it was the actual guy who told the story in the film, so I have to believe it. He was there.
 
I think this thing is on demand on Crave by now, so it can be viewed anytime. There are also multiple airings on Showtime for anyone reading from the U.S. It’s well worth your two hours, although it won’t seem like you’ve been watching it that long by the time it ends.

     Thread Starter
 

August 25, 2019 4:22 pm  #5


Re: Amazing Motown Documentary To Be Streamed In Canada

Thanks for the tip RA.  Watched it this afternoon thanks to you!

 

August 25, 2019 7:03 pm  #6


Re: Amazing Motown Documentary To Be Streamed In Canada

Did you find it as compelling as I did? Some of it was simply amazing. 

     Thread Starter
 

August 25, 2019 8:32 pm  #7


Re: Amazing Motown Documentary To Be Streamed In Canada

There was some really interesting stories and facts; which were new to me.  I always wondered who put together and brought the Funk Brothers to Motown.  Had the honour of being MC for their show at Massey Hall a number of years back.