I Never Thought-Major Lance

[Gotsoul]

From his Motown period, a nice one that more than likely got ignored and too bad because had someone pushed he could've had a hit.

[Louise]

Hi Gotsoul

I wouldn't say that it got ignored as came out on a album and got a release in the UK on Tamla Motown.

Great record by the way, written by Marvin Smith out of the Artistic's

Dave

[Roburt]

Some songs included on the Major's Motown LP (not the Chicago recorded stuff) were done under the supervision of Kent Washburn in LA.

The backing tracks for those cuts were originally recorded with Jamal Trice (?) singing lead but his romance with Gwen ended (& thus so did his Motown career). So the finished backing tracks were just recycled & used with Major (just about sums up Motown's commitment to that album).

"I Never Thought" formed the A side of the Major's only UK Motown 45, it's a track I used to play at MS nights (when I DJ'ed).

 

Edited March 19, 2016 by Roburt

[Roburt]

BTW, it was also included on this 1978 US Motown Sampler LP, so they must have been pushing the cut a bit .......

[Tlscapital]

I first bought the LP 'arriving' some 25 years ago. Always liked it since day 1. It must have had some sales in 1978 but indeed, the US album was floating around a lot as NOS/cut out. We can guess that Motown expected bigger things for these materials at one time. But it just didn't made it somehow.

One can understand that it didn't appeal to the Disco Queens, neither to the trad Motown fans, nor to the Northern kids in the UK since it didn't sound either Motown specifically, nor funk'n'disco nor even stomping... The "art sleeve" makes you wanna go 'hmmmm!'. So they put an old artist back in the studio who was used to resing his old materials until that day for British kids, with an unusual production team/work for Motown, in a sleeve that doesn't say what it is one bit with just the arty-flashy colors that where the order of the day. Only the very curious and open minded would pass over all of that. That is how I understand it at least. 

[Louise]

Curious and open minded soul fans,  now theres a rarity !

Dave

[Stateside]

Is also featured along with Do the Mess Around & Love Pains on the BBC Radioplay Music Library album "Forever My Love" along with tracks from Jimmy & David Ruffin

 

Kev

[Roburt]

1 hour ago, stateside said:

Is also featured along with Do the Mess Around & Love Pains on the BBC Radioplay Music Library album "Forever My Love" along with tracks from Jimmy & David Ruffin

Kev

Those BBC Radioplay LP's are great (the soul ones at least) AND hard to find these days .,..

[Sjclement]

Re. Above 

Is that the Val Simpson 'Sinner Man' on the Keep the Faith album?

[Roburt]

Not sure as I ain't got that one .... BUT the BBC did source a whole bunch of the tracks to form these LP's from Motown. I'm after the VA LP that contains a few (otherwise) unissued Gwen Owens 'Motown' tracks cut around 1973. ALSO the Rudy Love LP 'The Right Feeling' (though I have all those cuts electronically -- sent to me by Rudy). Again the Rudy Love cuts didn't escape anywhere else in the world (these were cut in Muscle Shoals but after 'Motown South' shut down).

[Kidinquisitive]

How My Love Goes was always the track from that LP that did it for me.

[Glynthornhill]

On 3/23/2016 at 05:41, kidinquisitive said:

How My Love Goes was always the track from that LP that did it for me.

Agreed and that is the track I have always played out. Many amazed when i tell em it's Major Lance ... Sleeping giant one day maybe....

[Guest johnny hart]

Glyn ,the joy of being turned on! Just dug out my " Now Arriving" and side 1 ,track 5.  "How My Love Goes" a Sleeping Giant ( Is that a Euphanism?) ,Wonderful! My guilty Pleasure  " Chicago Disco" Just takes me back to all   those silly adorable ,;  Matadors,  Monkey, Beat, Tunes .  ( b/side of single UK/ US ,not on US demos) LOL  Johnny.

[Seano]

Always used to put this on tape swops, great track and who'd have passed by on seeing a 45 on Motown by Major Lance? Had to be good news and good to see it getting a bit of a spotlight here.