Motown standards

[Graham]

Our singer is going round the world for six months from the start of January, so the number of gigs I'll be doing will drop off substantially; as a result I'm looking for more dep work.

I'm familiar with most rock and modern pop songs that bands often play, but less sure about Motown/soul - what would you recommend I learn in a bid to be ready for these sorts of gigs? Cheers

[JTUK]

Wow...

Off the top of my head,
6354789
Ain't too proud to beg
Everything from the Commitments.
Proud Mary
River Deep
Tell me something good..

The list goes on and on...

See if you can google any major Soul revue band.
Check out Sam Cooke, Wilson Pickett, Otis, Donny Hathaway, Marvin G, Temptations.. and on and on again.
and that is just the guys...

It is a very big field..you might be better to go a seek out a band and get a set list off them

[Graham]

Yeah, that was why I wasn't really sure where to start, but I'll take a look at the ones you suggested

[scalpy]

Blues Brothers soundtrack.

[paul_5]

As many tunes as you can learn - even if you never gig them you'll be a better player for it.

[JapanAxe]

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1419885707' post='2643665']
As many tunes as you can learn - even if you never gig them you'll be a better player for it.
[/quote]

This.

[Geek99]

Midnight train to Georgia
Ain't no mountain high enough
Ain't too proud to beg

[mingsta]

And if you ain't already read it...grab yourself a copy of Standing in the Shadows of Motown (Hal Leonard publication). Lots of James jamerson''s best loved lines. While there were many other great bass players of that era, he is the man to study if you want to get a good feel for playing the genre.

[chris_b]

Type Motown into YouTube and start working through the list.

[lowdown]

Any deps I do, there is always a good chance that 'Dancing in the Streets'
and 'I can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)' turn up.

[Geek99]

There is a Hal Leonard book called Motown Bass that's worth a look. Has willie weeks on the cover

[merello]

Midnight Hour
My Girl
Do I Do
Sir Duke
Soul Man
Hold On I'm Coming.....stax I know but great fun to learn.

[kodiakblair]

Years back I read a column by Joe Hubbard and he recommended Motown Chartbusters Vol 3.

Being heavy into Punk at the time amazingly I took his advice
[b] [/b]

Motown Chartbusters Volume 3 Album No TML/STML11121 [list]
[*]"[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Heard_It_Through_The_Grapevine"]I Heard It Through The Grapevine[/url]" - Marvin Gaye #1
[*]"[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_Gonna_Make_You_Love_Me"]I'm Gonna Make You Love Me[/url]" - Diana Ross & The Supremes And The Temptations #3
[*]"[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Cherie_Amour_(song)"]My Cherie Amour[/url]" - Stevie Wonder #4
[*]"[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Old_Heart_Of_Mine_(Is_Weak_For_You)"]This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You)[/url]" - [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Isley_Brothers"]The Isley Brothers[/url] #3 (re-issue)
[*]"I'll Pick A Rose For My Rose" - [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marv_Johnson"]Marv Johnson[/url] #10
[*]"[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Matter_What_Sign_You_Are"]No Matter What Sign You Are[/url]" - Diana Ross & The Supremes #37
[*]"[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_in_a_Different_World"]I'm in a Different World[/url]" - The Four Tops #27
[*]"[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_In_The_Street"]Dancing In The Street[/url]" - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas #4 (re-issue)
[*]"[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Once_in_My_Life"]For Once in My Life[/url]" - Stevie Wonder #3
[*]"[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You%27re_All_I_Need_To_Get_By"]You're All I Need To Get By[/url]" - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell #19
[*]"[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_Ready_(The_Temptations_song)"]Get Ready[/url]" - The Temptations #10
[*]"Stop Her On The Sight (S.O.S)" - [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Starr"]Edwin Starr[/url] #11 (re-issue)
[*]"[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Child_(song)"]Love Child[/url]" - Diana Ross & The Supremes #15
[*]"[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behind_a_Painted_Smile"]Behind a Painted Smile[/url]" - The Isley Brothers #5
[*]"[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/(I%27m_a)_Road_Runner"](I'm a) Road Runner[/url]" - Jr. Walker & The All Stars #12
[*]"[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tracks_Of_My_Tears"]The Tracks Of My Tears[/url]" - [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smokey_Robinson"]Smokey Robinson[/url] & [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Miracles"]The Miracles[/url] #9
[/list]
What a track list Even better you can pick it up for under a fiver.

Cheers Joe

Edited December 31, 2014 by kodiakblair

[FuNkShUi]

Higher and higher
Sir duke
Soul Man
Long train running
In the midnight hour
Superstitious (if you can't already play it)
I feel good

As ChrisB said, get on YouTube and type in Motown classics. Hours of fun

[JTUK]

Looking at it from the other end.... we would want someone who
knew most of the songs so if we could only give them a busking gig,
they'd know all the busking songs... which means you might not have played
them before but you knew how they went..could hear what sort of changes were
coming..and would be ready for it, and all you'd need is that entry chord if
the change/interval was something not too 'hearable;'
And if that doesn't work for you, you need to be able to writwe your own notes
and transpose them quickly and acurately. You need to do this as singers change keys
and they may not be too forth coming in telling you.
You need to get and hear shapes and be able to play all sorts of songs all over the
fretboard so I wouldn't worry too much about how to play a song...but you'll need to be able to get
it quick.. you need to be able to transpose.
If you can't do this yet... that is a goal to aim for... you'll probably have to get gigs where
the band wants a rehearsal but this is outside most deps at our level as no one wants to spend the time
and maybe money to do this..?? Some deps want paying for rehearsal...

[Graham]

I know a few of these already, had a few Blues Brothers tracks on my practice list for a while, some more good suggestions coming though, thanks for those.

JTUK, you're probably right, getting more familiar with the material will help, I've got a compilation somewhere I'll move into the car.