Tag Archives: Valerie Simpson

Marlena Shaw: The Spice Of Life

Leave a comment

In November 1969, “Cadet” label released “The Spice of Life”, the second Marlena Shaw studio album. It was recorded February – July 1969, at “Ter Mar Studios” in Chicago, Illinois, and was produced by Richard Evans and Charles Stepney.

Personnel:

  • Marlena Shaw – vocal
  • Richard Evans – arrangements
  • Charles Stepney – arrangements
  • Stu Black – engineer
  • Dave Purple – engineer
  • Jerry Griffin – design
  • Bob Crawford – photography
  • Bobby Miller – album supervision
  • Loonis McGlohon – liner notes
  • Ken Druker – executive producer

Track listing:

  1. Woman of the Ghetto – Bobby Miller, Marlena Shaw, Richard Evans
  2. Call it Stormy Monday – T-Bone Walker
  3. Where Can I Go? – Leo Fuld, Sigment Berland, Sonny Miller
  4. I’m Satisfied – Morris Dollison
  5. I Wish I Knew (How It Would Feel To Be Free) – Billy Taylor, Dick Dallas
  6. Liberation Conversation – Bobby Miller, Marlena Shaw
  7. California Soul – Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson
  8. Go Away Little Boy – Gerry Goffin, Carole King
  9. Looking Through the Eyes of Love – Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil
  10. Anyone Can Move a Mountain – Johnny Marks

Edwin Starr: War & Peace

Leave a comment

On August 7, 1970, “Motown” label released “War & Peace”, the second Edwin Starr studio album. It was recorded in 1970, and was produced by Edwin Star, Johnny Bristol, Harvey Fuqua, Henry Cosby, Norman Whitfield and Ivy Joe Hunter.

Personnel:

  • Edwin Starr – vocal
  • David De Pitte, Henry Cosby, Paul Riser, Wade Marcus, Willie Shorter – arrangements
  • Curtis McNair – art direction, design
  • Jim Hendin – photography
  • Tom Schlesinger – graphic supervision

Track listing:

  1. War – Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong
  2. Running Back and Forth – Richard “Popcorn” Wylie, Edwin Starr
  3. Adios Senorita – Sylvia Moy, Henry Cosby
  4. All Around the World – Tina Turner
  5. I Can’t Escape Your Memory – Ivy Hunter, Jack Alan Goga
  6. At Last (I Found Love) – Elgie Stover, Anna Gordy Gaye, Marvin Gaye
  7. I Just Wanted to Cry – Johnny Bristol, Edwin Starr
  8. Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head – Burt Bacharach, Hal David
  9. Time – Richard “Popcorn” Wylie, Edwin Starr
  10. California Soul – Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson
  11. I Can’t Replace My Old Love – Harvey Fugua, Arthur Scott, Vernon Williams
  12. She Should Have Been Home – Johnny Bristol, Doris McNeil

Aretha Franklin: Live At Fillmore West

Leave a comment

On May 19, 1971, “Atlantic” label released “Aretha Live at Fillmore West”, the third Aretha Franklin studio album. It was recorded in March 1971, at “Filmore West Concert Hall”, in San Francsico, and was produced by Jerry Wexler.

Personnel:

  • Aretha Franklin – vocals, Fender Rhodes
  • Cornell Dupree – guitar
  • Truman Thomas – piano
  • Ray Charles – piano
  • Billy Preston – organ
  • Jerry Jemmott – bass
  • Bernard Purdie – drums
  • Pancho Morales – congas
  • King Curtis – saxophone, orchestra leader
  • Memphis Horns – horns
  • Brenda Bryant, Margaret Branch, Pat Smith – backing vocals
  • Arif Mardin – horn arrangements
  • Larry Wilcox – horn arrangements
  • Tom Dowd – horn arrangements

Track listing:

  1. Respect – Otis Redding
  2. Love the One Youy’re With – Stephen Stills
  3. Bridge Over Troubled Water – Paul Simon
  4. Eleanor Rigby – John Lennon, Paul McCartney
  5. Make It with You – David Gates
  6. Don’t Play That Song – Ahmet Ertegun, Betty Nelson
  7. Dr. Feelgood – Aretha Franklin
  8. Spirit in the Dark – Aretha Franklin
  9. Spirit in the Dark (reprise with Ray Charles) – Aretha Franklin
  10. Reach Out and Touch – Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson

Dusty Springfield: Cameo

Leave a comment

On February 10, 1973, “ABC Dunhill Records” label released “Cameo”, the eighth Dusty Springfield studio album. It was recorded July – October 1972, at “ABC Studios” in Los Angeles, and was produced by Steve Barri, Brian Potter and Dennis Lambert.

Personnel:

  • Dusty Springfield – vocals
  • Ben Benay – guitar
  • Larry Carlton – guitar
  • David Cohen – guitar
  • Dennis Lambert – keyboards
  • Michael Lang – keyboards
  • Michael Omartian – keyboards, string, horn and flute arrangements
  • Wilton Felder – bass guitar
  • Carol Kaye – bass guitar
  • Wilton Felder – bass guitar
  • Carol Kaye – bass guitar
  • Hal Blaine – drums
  • Paul Humphrey – drums
  • Brian Potter – percussion
  • Victor Feldman – percussion
  • Clydie King – backing vocals
  • Venetta Fields – backing vocals
  • Sherlie Matthews – backing vocals
  • Myrna Matthews – backing vocals
  • Sid Sharp – concertmaster
  • Jimmie Haskell – string arrangements
  • Ruby Mazur – design
  • Joe Black – project coordinator

Track listing:

All tracks by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter, except where noted.

  1. Who Gets Your Love
  2. Breakin’ Up a Happy Home
  3. Easy Evil – Alan O’Day
  4. Mama’s Little Girl
  5. The Other Side of Life – David Gates
  6. Comin’ and Goin’
  7. I Just Wanna Be There – Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson
  8. Who Could Be Loving You Other Than Me? – Willie Hutchinson
  9. Tupelo Honey – Van Morrison
  10. Of All the Things
  11. Learn to Say Goodbye” (from the ABC Movie of the Week, Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole) – Hugo Montenegro, Bradford Craig

The Supremes & The Four Tops: Dynamite

Leave a comment

In December 1971, “Motown” label released “Dynamite”, the third and last album between Supremes (The) and Four Tops (The). It was recorded in 1971, and was produced by Johnny Bristol, Joe Hinton, Bobby Taylor and Frank Wilson.

Personnel:

  • The Supremes – Jean Terrell, Mary Wilson, Cindy Birdsong – vocals 
  • The Four Tops – Levi Stubbs, Duke Fakir, Obie Benson, Lawrence Payton – vocals
  • The Funk Brothers – instrumentation
  • David Van DePitte, Gene Page, H.B. Barnum, Robert White – arrangements
  • Curtis McNair – art direction
  • Warren Linn – illustration
  • Tom Schlesinger – graphics

Track listing:

  1. It’s Impossible – Armando Manzanero, Sid Wayne
  2. The Bigger You Love (The Harder You Fall) – Jerry Marcellino, Mel Larson
  3. Hello Stranger – Barbara Lewis
  4. Love the One You’re With – Stephen Stills
  5. Good Lovin’ Ain’t Easy to Come By – Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson
  6. Melodie – Deke Richards, Jerry Marcellino, Mel Larson
  7. If – David Gates
  8. If I Could Build My Whole World Around You – Harvey Fuqua, Johnny Bristol, Vernon Bullock
  9. Don’t Let Me Lose This Dream – Aretha Franklin, Ted White
  10. Do You Love Me Just a Little, Honey – Gladys Knight, Harvey Fuqua, Johnny Bristol, Vernon Bullock

Humble Pie: Performance Rockin’ The Filmore

Leave a comment

In November 1971, “A&M” label released “Performance Rockin’ the Fillmore”, the fifth Humble Pie album. It was recorded in May 1971, at the “Fillmore East” in New York City, and was produced by Steve Marriott, Peter Frampton, Greg Ridley and Jerry Shirley.

Personnel:

  • Steve Marriott – vocals, guitar, harmonica
  • Peter Frampton – vocals, guitar
  • Greg Ridley – vocals, bass guitar
  • Jerry Shirley – drums
  • Fedco Audio Labs – live recording
  • Eddie Kramer – engineer
  • David Palmer – engineer assistant
  • John Jansen, Andy Edlen, Buzzy and Tom – assistant

Track listing:

  1. Four Day Creep – Ida Cox
  2. I’m Ready – lyrics by Willie Dixon, music by Peter Frampton, Steve Marriott, Greg Ridley, Jerry Shirley
  3. Sonic Cold Fever – Peter Frampton, Steve Marriott, Greg Ridley, Jerry Shirley
  4. I Walk on Gilded Splinters – Dr John Creaux
  5. Rollin’ Stone – Muddy Waters, arranged by Peter Frampton, Steve Marriott, Greg Ridley, Jerry Shirley
  6. Hallelujah I Love Her So – Ray Charles
  7. I Don’t Need No Doctor – Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson, Jo Armstead

David Ruffin: Feelin’ Good

Leave a comment

In November 1969, “Motown” label released “Feelin’ Good”, the second David Ruffin album. It was recorded in 1969, and was produced by Terry “Buzzy” Johnson, Clay McMurray, Hank Cosby, Leonard Caston, Berry Gordy, Johnny Bristol, Ashford & Simpson, Al Kent, George Gord and Allen Story.

Personnel:

  • David Ruffin – vocal
  • David Van De Pitte, Henry Cosby, Paul Riser, Wade Marcus, Willie Shorter – arrangements
  • Randy Kling
  • Curtis McNair – design

Track listing:

  1. Loving You (Is Hurting Me) – Jeana Jackson, Leonard Caston
  2. Put a Little Love in Your Heart – Jackie DeShannon, Jimmy Holiday, Randy Myers
  3. I’m So Glad I Fell for You – Art Posey, Glenna Session
  4. Feeling Alright – Dave Mason
  5. I Could Never Be President – Bettye Crutcher, Homer Banks, Raymond Jackson
  6. I Pray Everyday You Won’t Regret Loving Me – Bubba Knight, Gladys Knight, Johnny Bristol
  7. What You Gave Me – Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson
  8. One More Hurt – Albert Hamilton, Norma Toney, William Garrett
  9. I Let Love Slip Away – Allen Story, Anna Gordy Gaye, Horgay Gordy
  10. I Don’t Know Why I Love You – Clay McMurray
  11. The Forgotten Man – Henry Cosby, Joe Hinton, Pam Sawyer
  12. The Letter – Al Cleveland, William Robinson, Terry Johnson

Diana Ross & The Supremes: Love Child

Leave a comment

On November 13, 1968, “Motown” label released “Love Child”, the fifteenth Diana Ross & the Supremes studio album. It was recorded February – October 1968, and was produced by Berry Gordy, Frank Wilson, R. Dean Taylor, Deke Richards, Henry Cosby, Smokey Robinson, Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson, Marv Johnson, George Gordy, Harvey Fuqua and Johnny Bristol.

Personnel:

  • Diana Ross – lead vocals
  • Mary Wilson – backing vocals
  • Cindy Birdsong – backing vocals
  • The Andantes – backing vocals
  • Nickolas Ashford – backing vocals
  • Valerie Simpson – backing vocals
  • The Funk Brothers – instrumentation
  • Detroit Symphony Orchestra – instrumentation
  • Los Angeles area session musicians – instrumentation

Track listing:

  1. Love Child – Pam Sawyer, R. Dean Taylor, Frank Wilson, Deke Richards
  2. Keep an Eye – Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson
  3. How Long Has That Evening Train Been Gone – Pam Sawyer, Frank Wilson
  4. Does Your Mama Know About Me – Tom Baird, Tommy Chong
  5. Honey Bee (Keep on Stinging Me) – Janie Bradford, Debbie Dean, Deke Richards
  6. Some Things You Never Get Used To – Nikolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson
  7. He’s My Sunny Boy – Smokey Robinson
  8. You’ve Been So Wonderful to Me – Anna Gordy Gaye, George Gordy, Allen Story
  9. (Don’t Break These) Chains of Love – George Beauchamp, Harvey Fuqua, Johnny Bristol
  10. You Ain’t Livin’ Till You’re Lovin’ – Nikolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson
  11. I’ll Set You Free – Gwen Fuqua, B. Gordy, Ivy Jo Hunter, Renee Tener
  12. Can’t Shake It Loose – Sidney Barnes, George Clinton, Joanne Jackson, Rose Marie McCoy

Diana Ross & The Supremes And The Temptations: Diana Ross & The Supremes Join The Temptations

Leave a comment

On November 6, 1968, “Motown” label released “Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations”, album by Diana Ross & the Supremes and the Temptations. It was recorded May – September 1968, and was produced by  Frank Wilson, Smokey Robinson, Al Cleveland, Henry Cosby, Terry “Buzzy” Johnson, Nickolas Ashford and Deke Richards.

Personnel:

  • Diana Ross & The Supremes – vocals
  • The Temptations – vocals
  • Mary Wilson, Cindy Birdsong, Dennis Edwards, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, Melvin Franklin, Otis Williams, The Andantes – backing vocals
  • The Funk Brothers – instrumentation
  • Detroit Symphony Orchestra – horns, strings
  • Los Angeles area session musicians – instrumentation

Track listing:

  1. Try It Baby – Berry Gordy
  2. I Second That Emotion – Smokey Robinson, Al Cleveland
  3. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson
  4. I’m Gonna Make You Love Me – Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, Jerry Ross
  5. This Guy’s in Love With You – Burt Bacharach, Hal David
  6. Funky Broadway – Arlester Christian
  7. I’ll Try Something New – Smokey Robinson
  8. A Place in the Sun – Ron Miller, Bryan Wells
  9. Sweet Inspiration – Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham
  10. Then – Smokey Robinson, Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore
  11. The Impossible Dream – Joe Darion, Mitch Leigh

The Miracles: Four In Blue

Leave a comment

On November 3, 1969, “Motown” label released “Four in Blue”, album by The Miracles. It was recorded in 1969, at “Hitsville USA” in Detroit, and was produced by Smokey Robinson.

Personnel:

  • Smokey Robinson – lead vocals
  • Claudette Robinson – backing vocals
  • Pete Moore – backing vocals
  • Bobby Rogers – backing vocals
  • Ronnie White – backing vocals
  • Marv Tarplin – guitar

Track listing:

  1. You Send Me (With Your Good Lovin’) – Al Cleveland, Terry “Buzzy” Johnson, Smokey Robinson
  2. Dreams Dreams – Smokey Robinson, Al Cleveland
  3. Tomorrow Is Another Day – Deke Richards, Beatrice Verdi
  4. Hey Jude – John Lennon, Paul McCartney
  5. California Soul – Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson
  6. A Legend in Its Own Time – Smokey Robinson
  7. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ – Barry Mann, Phil Spector, Cynthia Weil
  8. We Can Make It We Can – Nikolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson
  9. When Nobody Cares – Smokey Robinson
  10. Don’t Say You Love Me – Richard Morris
  11. Wish I Knew – Debbie Dean, Deke Richards
  12. My World Is Empty Without You – Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Eddie Holland