by Robert Wilkinson
We begin our Saturday sessions celebrating the birthday of Tommy Moeller, as well as the birthday of the writer, performer, and producer of some of the greatest hits of the 20th century! That means today we dance to the music of one of the creators of the Motown sound. But first, a brief warmup set by the Unit 4+2!
Tommy Moeller (February 23, 1945) was a founding member and lead singer of the Unit 4 + 2, a band that had one giant hit and members who went on to create one of the biggest bands in the 70s. About the Unit 4+2, from wiki: “In 1962, Brian Parker, then the guitar player and songwriter with The Hunters, decided to form his own vocal harmony group. He asked his friend David 'Buster' Meikle to join him. They asked singer Tommy Moeller and Peter Moules, who were at school together, to join their group which they called Unit 4.
Unit 4 was later joined by Russ Ballard on guitar and Robert 'Bob' Henrit on drums (forming the + 2) for a six piece, four-part vocal harmony group. Moeller was lead singer and frontman, from the first show as the Unit 4 vocal group to the last show as Unit 4 + 2 as vocal group with instruments. Due to ill-health and a dislike of performing live, Brian Parker left the band, but remained involved as co-songwriter with Tommy Moeller for all of the band's original recordings…”
Of course, Russ Ballard and Bob Henrit went on to join Rod Argent and found Argent, one of the great bands of the 70s, and after that Bob went on to drum for the Kinks in the late 80s through the 90s. For your enjoyment, the very danceable Unit 4+2!
Here’s the Unit 4+2's biggest! Bob Henrit was the session drummer for the studio version. From 1965, (with the briefest nod to the drummer who doesn’t seem to be Bob), the Unit 4+2 lip synching the very bouncy “Concrete and Clay.”
From 1965, a ridiculous “live in the music instrument store” video of a song that isn’t quite ready for prime time, “Never Been in Love Like This Before”
From 1964, their first hit, which is clearly Brit proto-folk. "The Green Fields"Their second record, “Sorrow and Pain”
We’ll close this brief set with their version of the Bob Dylan standard performed live in 1968 on Beat Club, “You Ain’t Going Nowhere”
For the encore, Tommy’s live in Oz for this 2012 performance of “Heart of Mine”
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And now for the main act! William “Smokey” Robinson (February 19, 1940) is one of the iconic figures of Motown and soul music. Detroit all the way, a doo-wop artist from the beginning, Smokey Robinson has given us some amazing tunes over the decades! Today we get to dance and enjoy his musical talents! Every song below was written by our birthday Soul pioneer.
I always thought his rhymes were pretty cool, even if a bit stretched from time to time. Still, the rhythm and beat are infectious, and so enjoy yourself getting down dancing strong!
We begin with a great performance by the fabulous Temptations live in 1965 belting out their hit version of “The Way You Do The Things You Do”
From 1965, a live performance of the original Temps going a polished delivery of “My Girl.”
This one is a must see! It’s a video of the studio and tv remaster from the mid-60s of “My Girl” and “Get Ready” (the second clip is from Shivaree and part of the package.)
On Shivaree in 1966, the Temptations lip-synching Smokey’s “The Way You Do The Things You Do,” and again on the same show, same year, same clip as above, “Get Ready.”
From what looks to be 1966, this one’s live complete with some amazing dance moves! He’s a dynamic performance of “The Way You Do The Things You Do,”
More great dance moves! From Where the Action Is, the Temps at their peak! “Get Ready.”
Here’s another one he wrote for the Temps, “Since I Lost My Baby”
I found Mary Wells, live on Shindig, performing Smokey’s iconic “My Guy” which she took to #1 in 1964. Here's her studio version of Smokey’s “The One Who Really Loves You”
From Hullabaloo in 1965, the Marvelous Marvelettes in a live performance of “Don’t Mess With Bill.” Here’s another excellent delivery of “Don’t Mess With Bill.”
Here’s Marvin Gaye on Shindig with Tina Turner giving us Smokey’s “I’ll Be Doggone” (It begins with “Money,” and quickly moves into Doggone)
And from Hullabaloo in 1965, “Ain’t That Peculiar”
Continuing our celebration of the infinite danciness that just compels us to sheik ourbouties, we return to a live 1964 performance by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles sending up their 1959 breakthrough smash hit “Shop Around”
Here’s a 1 minute clip from Ready Steady Go” in 1965 of “Shop Around”
Leaping forward across the years, Smokey shows he still has it! “Shop Around”
From The Sound of Motown in London 1965, Smokey and the Miracles live doing the infinitely danceable “Mickey’s Monkey”
Live on Hullabaloo in 1966, Smokey cranking out a very live performance of “Going to a Go Go”
On Shindig in November 1964, Smokey Robinson and the original Miracles knocking out their huge hit “You Really Got A Hold On Me”
From late 1964, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles’ 11 minute set at the legendary TAMI Show in Santa Monica! Smokey Robinson and the Miracles – “That’s What Love is Made Of,” “You’ve Really Got A Hold on Me,” and “Mickey’s Monkey”
Now for a couple of slow ones to get us in a good space!
From Ready Steady Go in 1965, an outstanding performance by Smokey and his velvet voice laying down the groove of “Ooh Baby Baby”
Live in 1965 looking good and sounding smooth as silk, Smokey and the Miracles with their dance moves giving up “Tracks of my Tears”
Two great studio cuts! First, “A Fork in the Road” and now for the studio version of the classic Miracles tune, “That’s What Love Is Made Of”
Time to shake our hips to more live performances! From the late 60s, a live performance by Smokey and the Miracles doing a fairly funky version of their hit “I Second That Emotion”
This one’s actually live! From sometime in that period of his career, here’s Smokey and the miracles on tv performing “Tears of A Clown” (Unfortunately, as good as the bari sax player is, it’s just not the same as having a bassoon laying down the bottom notes!)
From The Andy Williams Show in 1970, lip-synching to their biggest hit! “Tears of A Clown”
Smokey and Kim Carnes live in 1985 giving us a duet of “More Love”
Also from 1985, Smokey and Diana Ross in a duet of “Missing You” (Not written by Smokey, but some great stage banter.)
This next one also was not written by Smokey, even though his recording went into the Top 10 in 1987. For your enjoyment, Smokey and Aretha Franklin in a live duet of “Just To See Her” And this 1979 gem from Soul Train is amazing! Smokey and Aretha teamed up to perform Smokey’s “Ooh Baby Baby”
Our last duet is a great live performance by Smokey with Stevie Wonder offering up “Tracks of My Tears”
Smokey in his prime in a live performance of “More Love”
Still in his prime, “Ooh Baby Baby”
We’ll close this tribute with Smokey at the Greek in 2014! Here’s his live performance of “The Way You Do The Things You Do, “Get Ready” and “My Girl”
We’ll finish his Greek set with one of his best! “Tears of A Clown.”
For our first encore, an entire 58 minute live performance! Smokey Robinson Live in Hyde Park 2013
Our second encore is from 7 years earlier in Las Vegas at the Desert Inn in the Summer of 2006. Here’s an hour and 24 of Smokey Robinson Live in Las Vegas 2006
Our third and final encore of this legend of Soul music is his entire 2 hour performance! Smokey Robinson Live at the Greek Theater Los Angeles 2008
Copyright © 2024 Robert Wilkinson
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