Customer Reviews

The Motown Music Machine

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is essential reading for anyone who loves Motown, soul music, popular music, or anyone who is or wants to be involved in the music business. Harold Kieth Taylor gives an "op-ed" view and discusses the strengths and virtues of the hit factory that became famous for being "The Sound of Young America." Mr. Taylor incessantly sings the praises of Berry Gordy Jr. for his stringent quality control to the point of brown-nosing so much, that the reader might be inclined to think that they were intimately involved with each other! Quality control is what this book lacks: countless typographical errors, numerous errors in punctuation and grammar, varying shades of print ink, and referring to Atlantic Record's Ertegun brothers as the Ahmet brothers. The reader has to wonder if any editing or proof-reading was done. Berry Gordy Jr. would never ever have allowed anything so sloppy to be graced with the Motown name. [...]

When an employee of a major record label writes about their years with the company, it usually makes for engrossing reading.
Harold Keith Taylor's book does not disappoint, with its direct, analytical approach. Motown, founded by Berry Gordy Jr.
is felt my many to be modelled on the automotive industry, and
the processes used are described in much detail, including the
Coding System for identifying producers, recording engineers,
etc., the A-B comparison of different mixes, the strict standards set by the Quality Control Department, and the varying
methods used by producers, all done to stimulate an atmosphere
of healthy competition.
Readers are given a vivid inside picture of Motown, from the
author's very first recording session on Junior Walker's classic
track "Shotgun." Ideas are also put forward as to what made the
"Motown Sound" so unique, thereby making this book hard to put down.
It is unfortunate the edition contains a number of printing
errors, but these details should not put people off buying this excellent volume. An important reference book for all fans of
Motown. Highly recommended.

I found myself disappointed by the book. It's written by a former Motown engineer but instead of focusing on the details of the recording studio and getting the Motown sound he focuses on how amazing he thinks Gordy is and constantly compares Motown to Stax. In the final 2-3 page chapter of the book he does go into details of mics and mixing (Which earned it an extra star). A little more mixing room play-by-play and a little less music business school guest lecturer please!

I eagerly awaited the arrival of my copy but I shouldn't have been so enthusiastic. I love reading about/talking to people that were really there at the heart of the phenominon but this guy has written this book like a very bad school essay! In places it's very dissjointed - there are several spelling mistakes (why didn't he spell check it before sending it to the publisher?). A couple of the things are so badly written I think Stevie Wonder did the typing! Really, don't bother. I hate to give a bad review but it is what it is.

I found it a waste of money ... talk about 'filler' ... I found he stretches everything out to make this book as long as he can. If you boiled it down to what was useful and interesting it would have been one chapter. He certainly needed an editor ... or at least SOMEONE to read it through before being printed. Not sure why he kept downing Stax so much. It's not like they were a total flop !! As a true Motown lover I was disappointed in this one and it won't be getting a reread ....