Customer Reviews

Where Did Our Love Go?: The Rise & Fall of the Motown Sound

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One of my smartest purchasing decisions was to pick up this work by Nelson George in June 1986 when it was still in hard cover. I've never let it out of my sight since. Time has proven it the precursor of a deluge: `Dreamgirl,' & `Supreme Faith' by Mary Wilson (1986, 1990), `Temptations' by Otis Williams (1988), `To Be Loved,' by Berry Gordy (1994), `Inside My Life' by Smokey Robinson (1989), `Dancing In The Street' by Martha Reeves (1994), and `Between Each Line of Pain and Glory,' by Gladys Knight (1997), among others. I bought them all and I read them all. By far the worst, was the October 1993 work by Diana Ross, `Secrets of a Sparrow,' which was quickly named the worst non-fiction work of the year by People magazine. I couldn't argue with them.

`Where Did Our Love Go,' on the other hand, proves a truth we discovered in the day of the very music it chronicles: no amount of tepid covers surpasses a towering original. Perhaps because Mr. George was not an insider at Motown in the 60s, his history of the company is so objectively good. I've read it many times in over 16 years, and haven't found a date or factual mistake.

And it is balanced. The wonderful music of those glory days in Detroit is given the respect and affection it deserves, as well as the how-it-came-about details. Mr. George acknowledges as most of us do, that Motown's 60s sound is timeless, and is going to outlive Berry Gordy, the artists whose names appeared on the labels, and we baby-boomers who were weaned on it.

Yes, the who-struck-John stories of disappointment are delineated fairly too: the career declines and /or disappointments of folks like Martha Reeves, Gladys Knight, Chuck Jackson, Marvin Gaye and, especially Florence Ballard. But unlike the recollections of the authors listed above, `Where' is not told by a writer needing to come out smelling blameless or put-upon at the end.

All these years later, `Where Did Our Love Go,' by Nelson George remains the single most essential biography of Motown Records you can own. Buy it anyway you can manage to, even used - just don't ask to borrow mine. Beyond it, there are two companion works you should also seek out for some fair and detailed `inside' looks of Motown in those days: `Divided Soul,' David Ritz' account of Marvin Gaye's life, which appeared first in 1985, and might have been helped in its excellence by the fact that its subject was no longer around to censor it or `advise.' Finally, from 1989, J. Randy Taraborrelli's `Call Her Miss Ross,' could likely be a dozen times more factual and objective than the 1993 work of the former Supreme herself could ever be!

It has been awhile since I read this book so I have to rely on my memory somewhat of the book's contents. Yes, it is a very interesting book and as a Motown fan, I certainly enjoyed it. Sometimes, though, I wonder about some of Mr. George's comments (and if you are reading this Mr. George I mean no disrespect).

Did he really have to describe the talented Kim Weston as a "dark skined woman with a tendency to put on weight?" Was she really laughed at when she got on stage? To me, Kim Weston was one of Motowns most talented female singers. Couldn't the author have spent a little more space on her vocal talents?

He dismisses the Supremes post-Diana Ross career in a few sentences. Did he ever listen to any of those records? The post-Ross Supremes made some wonderful music which is just now being rediscovered.

He writes off white singer Chris Clark as a "not very gifted singer". From the few songs I have heard, she may not be a virtuoso, but she's not that bad! I know of some rabid Chris Clark fans who would challenge Nelson George on that point.

He spends a lot of time on certain subjects such as Motown's post-70's decline, but seems to spend very little time actually analyzing the music.

A writer, of course, has a right to his opinions and I think, in all fairness, he does a very good job with the book. My biggest complaint is that he seems a little cynical about Motown. I know that not all was happy beneath the wonderful music people heard, but there is still something in his attitude that bothers me a little. Sometimes he seems a little bit mocking in his tone. He wrote a later book about hip hop (a music style I don't care for) and seemed to treat the whole subject with more respect.

I'm probably being a little too analytical about this book.

Anyway, this is still a good book. Put on some Motown music and enjoy.

Although a little short on photos (it was obviously not the authors' intention to be another photo book), this is in many ways the best book for someone really interested in the subject of Motown to own,in that the author pulls no punches. Other books on this record company/hit machine of the 60s & 70s suffered from censorship by the record company's head and his people.

This book does not suffer that hinderance, and it allows us to read what really went on behind the scenes. It was not such a happy family with Berry Gordy Jr. as the paternal head as it is often depicted.

An excellent book, both readable and informative, and well worth getting hold of for all fans of the music who want to know what really went on as the records were made and the tours were run.

If you want a Cliff's Notes (202 page) version of the Motown Story this is a great read. But if a black music authority devotes 5 pages to Marvin Gaye's duets with Tammi Terrell (and 6 more to Flo's demise) one already knows this expensive paperback is not going to provide the Motown "nitty-gritty" I was hoping for.

Which for me - now the nostalgia factor is wearing off - requires seperating highly enjoyable generic Motown hit factory "products" from those iconic songs future generations will rank as all-time 60's classics. The one Motown song certain to be in this latter category is Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through The Grapevine". A note-perfect recording which never stales - and is never mentioned by Mr.George.

In his last chapter he removes Norman Whitfield from the Motown role of honor because - by 1983 - his wah-wah guitar sound had become a cliche! Why inaccurately denigrate this remarkable pioneer, who seamlessly fused human voices and rhythm instruments to create original non-formulaic songs - some up to 14 minutes long? A sophisticated musical form even the great Duke Ellington never fully mastered.

That some creative artists "burn-out" has no bearing on the art they created when in their prime. Isn't it obvious to everyone who's studied the entire Motown oeuvre that Norman was their only composer/producer to emerge as a bone-fide musical genius?

I knew nothing of Norman Whitfield's output when his Temptations and Undisputed Truth albums were first released. But what a discovery! Ten albums which remain unique achievements in pop music history. As enjoyable and relevant today as when first taped and mixed.

How Norman Whitfield "beat the system" to become a great American composer is yet to be disclosed in a book I hope will be written soon. Should "Universal" release ALL his Motown tracks in a 10 CD box this re-evaluation could take only a few weeks.

Part of the success of Motown lies in Berry Gordy's tight control over public relations. Put simply, he would not cooperate with reporters until and unless he knew, and approved of, the nature of their stories in advance. In "Where Did Our Love Go", Nelson George breaks the mold. This is an unauthorized biography of the Motown Record Corp. George managed to circumvent Gordy's media chokehold and, thereby, come up with a picture quite different from the common myths. This results in two marvelous types of revelations throughout this book: (1) The "dirt" on Motown; and (2) the good, joyful, and uplifting things that we never knew. Get this book!

For the time that it was written, I found this book to be my Motown bible. I still enjoy reading this book on Motown by someone who does not have an axe to grind with the company. Upon seeing the first review of this book, here at Amazon, I felt the need to respond. The reviewer mentioned that the author should have focused on Kim Weston's talents more than he did. Since 1986, Kim Weston has had a ton more recordings released by Motown then ever before. She never even had an album with Motown during her tenure. Her solo stuff released since 1986 could easily fill a box set. Her duets with Marvin Gaye could fill another two CD's. Had these recordings been available when the author had written his book, I would agree with the first reviewer. Her best recordings have only seen recent release. Kim Weston is probably the most talented woman to ever come out of Motown. Diana Ross had the luck and the hits but there was a stable full of women at Motown who were much more talented than she was. Also, the first reviewer mentions the talents(?) of Chris Clark. I love the whole Chris Clark persona and story. There are about four of Chris' recordings that I do love. However, if you listen to all of the Chris Clark recordings currently available on the Motown label (about three CD's worth) you'll question her talents, as the author also did. Mr. Gordy, in all of his arrogance once said, "Give me a singer who can sing three notes and I'll get a hit on her." I think he might have been thinking of Ms. Clark when he said it. By the way, he never got a hit on Chris Clark. This is an amazing book & a great introduction to Motown.

I don't want the gossip, I want the music. Nelson George gives that to us in this excellent book. Yeah, there are some cool insider/gossip tales here, but it doesn't overwhelm the reader.

We hear in detail about how Berry Gordy rose up from a humble existence to create the greatest recording company in the history of music. We read how Holland-Dozier-Holland crafted some of the greatest songs ever, and how the finest backup band, The Funk Brothers, put it all together behind some elite singers. George breaks it all down very well, doesn't pull punches, yet doesn't overreach. No bias here for against artists, producers, musicians, and singers: It's written like evenly across the board.

A must-read for not just soul music fans, but anyone interested in a great American story.

If you've ever wondered about what went on behind the scenes and about the history of Motown, this book will answer all of your questions and then some. It was meticulously and thoroughly researched, full of very revealing events and a real pleasure to read. I almost wish it didn't end. Highly recommended!

My first experience of the "Motown Sound" was listening to a BBC radio show devoted to the company when I was about 12 or 13.

The music has a rhythm and energy that I had seldom heard in the pop music of the early 1980's. I knew nothing about the artists. At such a young age the distinction between black and white music was not a factor. Then I heard a sound I had never heard before......within seconds I reached for the cassette player and pressed "record". I had captured a short part of a song I could not explain but found compelling, joyful and addictive.

The song was "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye.

That song made me force my Mother to buy me my first long playing vinyl album and since that day I have had an undying love for the music of Marvin Gaye. This love of Marvin's music extends to an early appreciation of the underrated yet classic album "Here, My Dear" which in 2007 received glorious "Expanded Edition" treatment.

Marvin Gaye always appeared to me as a sophisticate with a suave and cool exterior. I knew that he had been murdered by his own Father but the greater details about his life where of little consequence when his music seemed to tell me all I needed to know about the artist.

Recently I purchased from Amazon "Where Did Our Love Go?" by Nelson George and "Divided Soul" by David Ritz. I wanted to learn finally and authoritatively about about Motown and particularly about the life of Marvin Gaye.

I read "Where Did Our Love Go?" by Nelson George first and was a little disappointed. The book is very short considering the subject and many interesting facts are omitted. It is well-written but feels slightly rushed. I expected a more in-depth study of the label and its artists. Indeed the book begins with a discussion of the word "authoritative" and challenges the concept due to faulty memories and revisionist intentions. But a biography can be authoritative even if it contains slight errors or perpetuates certain myths. To be authoritative in the biography format is to cover all the bases with a wealth of research and present all of the available facts. In this case "Where Did Our Love Go?" by Nelson George fails simply due to the huge amount of material this biographer chooses to omit.

"Divided Soul" by David Ritz on the other hand is authoritative. David Ritz is confident enough to know or seek out his subject and the biography is a revelation. The disturbing elements in Gaye's character are explored in depth yet there is a sympathy for the man much like those around him had, even when he was behaving at his most belligerent. The paranoia Marvin suffered so greatly in his later life is clearly a result of his cocaine use. This drug has the power to induce extreme paranoia. Cocaine taken regularly, when a person is already mentally confused, fragile, depressed or disturbed only exasperates those conditions.

The lasting impact of this excellent biography are in two areas of Marvin's life. The first is illustrated by a picture of Marvin standing on stage in nothing but a small black "jock strap" with his trousers around his ankles. This "humiliating" image shows how Marvin perversely believed that this was what the audience wanted.

The second is the idea, believed by his family, that Marvin was in fact in control of his actions right up to the last and his murder was in fact a conceived and conscious plan to finally rid his Father from the family for good. This idea is made more palatable by the fact that Marvin gave his Father the gun that indeed finally killed him.

David Ritz's book is one of the best biographies I have read and it should been seen as the authoritative examination of Marvin Gaye's life. I am sure Marvin himself would have been very pleased with the revelatory, sometimes shocking yet wholly honest content of this excellent biography.

I found this book to be very informative on the music that I grew up with but it also revealed how Mr. Gordy has ruined the lives of talented but uneducated people.