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Post by Cadeho on Jun 26, 2002 0:27:19 GMT -5
Some people believe some songs credited to Eddie are actually sung by Al... does anyone have any songs that you think might be good examples of this? I offer the original "Camouflage" and "May I Have This Dance." This is based on comparing them with Al's part in "Isn't She Pretty." There really aren't but a handfull of songs anyway... but I'd like to know what you think. Too bad Al didn't get more obvious parts in the 3 years he was there.
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Post by Ivory Fair on Jun 26, 2002 0:40:22 GMT -5
Ok, help me out here first. Are you saying that it's Al who sings the lines, "no you don't rate, you ain't got just what it takes," and "she's a natural born doll now," on "Isn't She Pretty"? Hmmmm...........
Does comparing any of those songs to "Come On" help you at all? That's Al singing the "Ahhhhhhh!" at the beginning of that one, right?
Speaking of "Come On," does anyone know what the heck Blu was singing on his solo? All I can understand is, "in the morning when ____ ____ (birdies sang?) I wanna love you___ ___ and in the evenin' when the ____ _____ I wanna be there holdin' you tight!"
What's that song about anyway? Ha ha
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Post by Cadeho on Jun 26, 2002 0:55:56 GMT -5
Al does the almost like screaming high parts throughout the song.
After the rest of the guys sing "isn't she a doll" he sings "isn't she a doll now."
and after that he should be recognizable...
"she's pretty now... oh she's a natural born doll now"
it's almost like he and Paul are having a conversation in the song... "what you say?"
then with the Melvin part.. that is him as you pointed out, "no you don't rate" I think Eddie asks "Why?" and he answers, "you ain't got just what it takes..."
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Post by Cadeho on Jun 26, 2002 0:58:14 GMT -5
I have no clue what Melvin says in "Come On".. I have as much as you do. One thing about that song... why do the Andantes drown the guys out? And who are they? They're as obscure as the Funk Brothers used to be.
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Post by Ivory Fair on Jun 26, 2002 20:39:36 GMT -5
Cadeho, I'm sure there's vault in Motown somewhere and in that vault there is a box labled "never released Al Bryant Temptations leads." I'd love to hear them.
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Post by Cadeho on Jun 26, 2002 22:08:36 GMT -5
I'd love it too.. maybe there are some with Otis leads too! Let's urge Motown to purge their vaults of all Temptations unreleased songs.
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Post by Dbaby on Jun 26, 2002 22:45:19 GMT -5
Al needless to say isn't my favorite Temptation because he hurt Paul and that just isn't right. NO ONE hurts Paul on my time...... but, I was still like, 35 years from being born. But ANYWAY, getting on to my point now. I think that It's Eddie on the origional Camouflage. I havn't lisitened to it in a while, so, it may be that I just want to BELIEVE it's Eddie.
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Post by janebse on Jul 6, 2002 14:00:35 GMT -5
I feel sure it is Eddie on the first Camouflage. The differences between that and the second Camuflage show Eddie's maturing voice.
Otis has the lead on one song on the album "For Lovers." Otis helps with such complex harmonies that I think people are wrong to expect him to also sing leads. You just need different voices for different contributions.
Otis once said that he sang back tenor while Eddie and David sang front tenor. They asked him to sing front tenor on one song, and Otis was surprised, hesitant, and not too eager.
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Post by janebse on Jul 6, 2002 14:04:21 GMT -5
I just don't think there was anything distinctive about Al's voice. I think Motown has released just about everything that the Temptations sang. Eddie, Paul and David had distinctive voices, each with a different timbre.
Eddie's voice is much more sensual than David's. This does not mean that I do not like David's singing. Any sensual appeal David had was in his showmanship.
Paul was completely different. I think of him more as a soul singer.
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Post by janebse on Jul 6, 2002 14:05:06 GMT -5
I feel sure it is Eddie on the first Camouflage. The differences between that and the second Camuflage show Eddie's maturing voice.
Otis has the lead on one song on the album "For Lovers." Otis helps with such complex harmonies that I think people are wrong to expect him to also sing leads. You just need different voices for different contributions.
Otis once said that he sang back tenor while Eddie and David sang front tenor. They asked him to sing front tenor on one song, and Otis was surprised, hesitant, and not too eager.
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Post by DramaLJDiva on Jul 6, 2002 17:25:01 GMT -5
Hey Jane, I guess Otis has the type of voice that is essential to the harmonies, which is why he doesn't lead much. In some of the songs in which he leads, his voice doesn't sound strong enough to carry those leads. The funniest thing is...he doesn't match his voice! I just can't put that man and the voice together.
Maybe if Al had stayed with the group longer, we would his voice would have been recognized. But the only problem with that lineup is the fact that there was no raspy, Ruffin-style singer. Even though I believe that everyone in the group should lead, there should not be two guys with the same vocal range and style. There HAS TO BE one angelic first tenor, one smooth, earthy baritone, a raspy second-tenor baritone,a basso profundo, and a softer-voiced second tenor. I simply HATE, DESPISE, and LOATHE the fact that these so-called "guy groups" today have five guys with the SAME vocal range.
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Post by AKA THE FUF on Jul 6, 2002 23:31:46 GMT -5
Diva, check out O's range on This Guys In Love With You, on the Live in Londons Talk of the Town lp. Everybody has there own place in a group, Otis knows his. Just like everyone can't be a lead singer. By the way, Diva I enjoyed your Dramatics web site. Well done.
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Post by janebse on Jul 7, 2002 13:42:42 GMT -5
Diva,
I was a little disappointed with your last posr because I agree with absolutely everything you said, and there wasn't a point I could pick up on and discuss. But then it always gives me a warm feeling to have someone feel the same way that I do about the Tempts.
And now, AKA THE FUF
Where do I get the Talk of London lp you are talking about? If it'sonly on LP, I am out of luck. I threw the record player and LP's out a few years ago.
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Post by Ivory Fair on Jul 7, 2002 13:43:05 GMT -5
Jane, "back tenor" and "front tenor" are new terms for me. What do they mean? Diva, AMEN SISTAH GIRLFRIEND!!!!  I agree with you 100% about there needing to be diversity in a group's vocal range. I think (and I think this is what you were saying,) the reason why the original Tempts weren't as successful as the classic Tempts is that Al and Eddie's voices were too simmilar. Another example, the line-up with Ali and Theo. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE both of their voices, but when you listen to "For Lovers Only," it's often difficult to distinguish who's who (and I take a fair amount of pride in being able to distinguish the individual Tempts' voices from one another.) One of my favorite games to play while listening to "For Lovers" is "who's singing lead, Ali or Theo." That's why the current line-up was a refreshing change. Terry and Bo's voices are so different from one another that it provides a nice balance. And I also agree with you about current groups today having lack of vocal variety. It's no secret that I'm a closet fan of the boy-band "O-Town" (stop laughing at me Dbaby!) because I like their TV show. For those of you not familiar with them, they were another of Lou Perlman's products (he's the same guy who put together the Baskstreet Boys and N'Sync.) There came a time in the group's early evolution when they needed to replace a member and rather than choose one of the finalists for the group who had a BEAUTIFUL bass voice, they went with YET ANOTHER SECOND TENOR! Their reasoning was "his voice goes along better with the sound we're trying to have." What? Your sound is to have NO harmony!!!!!! Of course you have to understand, from my perspective, a vocal group with no bass singer would be akin to a football team with no quarterback. SACRALIDGE!!! .......... I got a little bit of flack when "Awesome" came out and I said that the new version of "A Love I Can See," was better than the original. I still hold to that, the original version had no bass singer (becaues the greatest bass singer of all-time was away in Alabama) and this one does! Compare the harmonies on the original version and the new version and you'll see what I mean. |
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Post by janebse on Jul 7, 2002 13:45:12 GMT -5
I've said this countless times, but the legendary groups, whether in music or sports, need to have different role players.
Magic Johnson once said a team of All-Stars doesn't work. Someone once asked him if it wouldn't be wonderful if he and Larry Bird were on the same team. Magic replied, "We were once, and we lost."
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