In the Snakepit - The facts and the friction

The facts and the friction. There is a Motown related anniversary that is not likely to figure in the anals of the current campaign, led by the Universal Corporation, to 'celebrate' the company's bi-centenary. In fact, this milestone is only a measly five years in the making. Yet, in many ways, it exposes how corporate ignorance, deference and indifference have been confronted by a small number of people who care passionately about the less commercial and popular aspects of the label's output. In this case, the incredible music produced by the backing musicians, on songs that didn't necessarily sell by the boatload or were ever released at all, at a time when these talented individuals had been all but ignored by history, the public and their record company. 'In the Snakepit' is a cd containing 20 relatively obscure backing tracks, photographs of the main players and a comprehensive and informative essay about the personnel who actually produced the unique 'Motown Sound.' It doesn't have a label, a number, a barcode or any details of songwriters, producers, arrangers or dates of release. It is a bootleg - an illicit, unsanctioned, unlicensed, unauthorised release. But, if you happen to be an admirer of this kind of music and want to hear more than the tiny number of titles that currently exist, its all there is. The tracks come from a variety of sources - quarter inch master tapes, unreleased material long dismissed as not commercially viable, stereo recordings that could be 'split' to isolate the backing only and, in two cases, songs that were electronically manipulated to remove the vocals. The circumstances surrounding its compilation, manufacture and distribution, and the range of reaction to its release provide a tantalising peep into the somewhat grimy world of corporate manoeuvring and executive posturing...

note from the soul source team - sorry but all Robs non-current articles are now clipped due to a future book release - watch out for news of that