Recently someone hipped me to the fact that my son's band had a new video posted on youtube and it's one of my favorite Motown cover arrangements by The Band.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_L5PyjjoA4

It got me to thinking about that particular song,Baby,Don't You Do It by Holland/Dozier/Holland as done by Marvin Gaye and how many bands have covered it. The Who,The Band,The Black Crowes,Small Faces and a few more probably.They all put their personal twist on it makes for some interesting comparisons.

Just think of all the great Motown songs over the years that have been covered. Some of my favorites are I Know I'm Losing You by Rod Stewart/Faces,I Heard It Through The Grapevine by CCR and Gladys Knight,How Sweet It Is by JT. What is it about those Motown songs and what's your favorite covers?

Ooo Baby Baby, Tracks of My Tears and Tears of a Clown by Smokey & The Miracles are my favs among dozens of Motown songs that I love. I can't think of covers at the moment, but check out Jamie Jamerson and/or Carol Kaye's bass lines on Tears of a Clown. Ground breaking.

Edit - Nice cover, especially considering Howard Johnson's horn section wasn't available.

I think I heard it through the grapevine

http://digitaldreamdoor.nutsie...st_songs-motown.html

Thanks for that list Boss. Wow! Did that bring back some memories!Lots of covers come to mind like the DC5 doing Do You Love Me and The Beatles,You Really Got A Hold On Me and Please Mr. Postman.The Brits must have loved Motown too.

Oh my goodness, I grew up listening to Mowtown music here in the inner city of Chicago, it always takes me back to when I was just a kid.

How about the Commitments doing Mustang Sally, Chain of fools, In the midnight hour and other favorites, man they really did a great job.

By the way CC your son is looking good on that bass and the band is sounding great!!!

Thanks Papi! Yeah,I forgot about The Commitments kind of bringing back a soul revival when that movie came out.I just saw it a few weeks ago after not seeing it for many years and it gets funnier as the years go by.Joey "The Lips" plays such a sweet part.A lot of that is Stax/Volt and Atlantic covers eh?

Motown was the soundtrack of folks lives in the 60's.Our local PBS had a Motown special on a few weeks ago and what really got me besides the obvious...great singers/dancers/performers with great material...was the arrangements and instrumentation. Just My Imagination is a masterpiece!

Jeff Beck doing "Superstition" -- SRV doing "Superstition" and Pete Huttlinger doing the same.

Jeff Beck covering "Cause We've Ended As Lovers".

Beck's version of Superstition is unusual because Stevie W. wrote it specifically for Beck, but then recorded it before Beck did. So Beck sort of did a cover of a tune that was written for him in the first place.

That's a cool story about Superstition redavide.

I heard Linda Ronstadt's version of Heat Wave the other day. Sounded real good. I think I still prefer the original but like both. She covered a few other Motown tunes too I think?

I remember when Linda covered Roy Orbison's Blue Bayou. I used to have an early 70's Dodge Duster and everytime she'd hit the big notes the dashboard would rattle. We used to sit around and wait for it to happen.

Linda did a fantastic remake of Smokey Robinson's "Ooo baby baby"

Ooo,that's right Papi. I knew there was one she slayed and I couldn't think of it....that's the one! She really covered a lot of styles with that instrument of hers,eh?

I thought of another Motown cover by The Band. Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever is the first song on CD disc 2 of Rock Of Ages reissue and Rick Danko's singing is so great on that.

Any discussion of Motown must give homage, pay props to The Funk Brothers. the movie "Standing in the Shadow of Motown" is an amazing film, and shows the history of a band that had more number one hits than the Beatles, Stones, Elvis combined. the intro riff into My Girl is pure genius. These guys- all major Detroit jazz cats- worked for union scale and never got the co-writing money that should have been theirs. Smokey, the Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas, marvin gaye all owe the Funk Brothers, big time. Great, great movie, even better than The Commitments, which I love. Those cats could lay a groove as deep as the Grand Canyon. I know this is heresy hereabouts, but Jamerson was as good as Pastorius. Jaco would have told you so himself. tom

Hey, lets not forget the Califonia Grapes and the great remake work they did!