Radio 4 Desert Island Discs - Berry Gordy

[Dean]

Not sure whether to post here or in media, but the show hasn't aired yet.

The next Desert Island Discs on Radio 4 will be Berry Gordy (I presume Jnr). I think this is the show that will be on Sunday 22 May 11.15 (repeated on Friday at 09.00 but also on iplayer after first broadcast)

Not seen anywhere else on the site, apologies if common knowledge and already informed on here. Dean.

[Smudger]

Can,t really see him picking many soul tracks except say Jackie Wilson but you never know ,

probably best chance Blues ,Doo Wop and Jazz

depends how egocentric he will be.

[De-to]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07bt72r

Edited May 16, 2016 by de-to

[Robbk]

• Most of us like songs from our late teens through early 20s, best. I'd guess he'd choose several songs from the1940s and early '50s. I'd expect a few big band cuts (maybe Count Basie or Duke Ellington, maybe a Billy Eckstine or Sarah Vaughn vocal. Maybe some city Blues (Jimmy Witherspoon? Dinah Washington). Maybe some Pop crooners (Bing Crosby, Doris Day?).
  
  One thing is sure: Neither "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)" by Frank Wilson, "Like A Nightmare" by The Andantes, nor "When I Needed You" by Little Iva (AKA Miss Ray), nor ANY Thelma record will be one of those 8, nor will any of the records released by Ed Wingate's companies!
  I think MY OWN PERSONAL 8 would be the following:
  
  "Up On The Roof" - Drifters  1962
  "Red Sails In The Sunset" - Five Keys  1952
  "I'm Yours" - Flamingos 1954
  "Liberation" - Afro Blues Quintet +1 1966
  "Grand Spanish Lady" - Royal Ravens  1964
  "My Girl" - Temptations 1964 (very late-I'll admit)
  "Young Boy" - Barbara Green 1964
  "Found True Love" Billy Butler & 4 Enchanters 1963
  
  Only ONE Motown cut - amazing! And NONE of my Motown Vault discoveries, nor any of our Airwave/Altair cuts! And no room for Blues, Gospel, Avant Garde Jazz, or one from the "Girls Group" genre!   I'd need at least a Top 1000 to take to a desert island to take all my favourites.

   

  You Northern Soulies would neither be Happy with Berry's nor MY 8 choices.  Even my own personal Top 1000 would include a heavy dose of 1951-54 R&B, 1949-1955 Chicago Blues, 1940s-'50s Gospel, late '50s-'60s Avant Garde Jazz, Afro-Latin Jazz, early '60s R&B/Soul transition, and early to mid '60s Soul, and early '60s Philles/Dimension style Girls Group style..

[Roburt]

My top 8 would have to include at least 2 x 60's Impressions tracks, a Billy Stewart, a Dells, Lorraine Ellison's "Stay With Me Baby", Artistics "I'm Gonna Miss You", Tommy Tate "School of Life" a 70's Curtis Mayfield .... jjeeessss I already got to 8 without any real MS cuts amongst em ... not an easy task this selecting just 8 top tunes.  

[Amsterdam Russ]

Shame they couldn't get his name right more than once! I'll bet the young trainee or intern tasked with putting up the info on the web had never hear of him before! 

[Dean]

What chance any Shrine titles!? 

Although may hazard a guess for one Diana Ross or Chris Clark? 

Edited May 17, 2016 by Dean
Afterthought

[Stateside]

Most probably choose a Charlie Parker track or even a Thelonius Monk. Maybe Diana Ross

 

Kev

[Guest]

as it's the BBC/ UK I'm sure he'll feel obliged to play a Beatles track...."Yesterday" would be my guess

[Robbk]

1 hour ago, Dean said:

What chance any Shrine titles!? 

Although may hazard a guess for one Diana Ross or Chris Clark? 

 

[Sjclement]

Lamont Dozier, was influenced by show tunes during his early years perhaps Berry might go the same way, I'm sure there'll be a Sinatra tune in there or may Sammy Davis jnr.

[Guest MBarrett]

This programme is obviously coinciding with Motown: The Musical hitting the London stage.

I therefore hazard a guess that Berry will use this opportunity for some unashamed publicity.

So at least 50% will be Motown tracks.

There again I may be hopelessly wrong. I often am.

[Robbk]

2 hours ago, MBarrett said:

This programme is obviously coinciding with Motown: The Musical hitting the London stage.

I therefore hazard a guess that Berry will use this opportunity for some unashamed publicity.

So at least 50% will be Motown tracks.

There again I may be hopelessly wrong. I often am.

I'll be very surprised if more than 2 are Motown cuts.

[Roburt]

He'll have to include one of the Supremes big hits (or a Diana solo effort).

[jam66]

11 hours ago, sjclement said:

Lamont Dozier, was influenced by show tunes during his early years perhaps Berry might go the same way, I'm sure there'll be a Sinatra tune in there or may Sammy Davis jnr.

Is it just me or does any one else find Sinatra absolutely appalling? What a horrible flat, toneless, tuneless voice that man had. Kudos to Nelson Riddle though.

 

The two gentlemen over there with the violin cases and broken noses...he went that way >>>>>>>>>>>>>fast.

[Guest MBarrett]

10 hours ago, RobbK said:

I'll be very surprised if more than 2 are Motown cuts.

You might be right Rob.

He may get his publicity for the stage show from the chat between records.

If 2 Motown tracks I suggest "Please Mr Postman" and something with Diana Ross.

I'm genuinely looking forward to hearing this programme.

 

[Roburt]

Berry eventually fell out with many of the people who helped him get Motown going, the artists, musicians, arrangers, producers, writers .... so I guess he'll stay well clear of some tracks that punters might think he would pick.  

[Guest MBarrett]

3 hours ago, jam66 said:

Is it just me or does any one else find Sinatra absolutely appalling?

Me too.

They say: "The finest ever interpreter of the popular song."

I say: "Bland, boring and emotionless."

I should add that I recently saw a 3-part documentary about Sinatra's life and career and I found it fascinating. Made me think that if I had followed his career from the very beginning I might have a different opinion of him.

 

[Smudger]

So here is Berry's list :-

1 Nat King Cole- Sweet Lorraine

2 Rachmaninoff - C # minor

3 Louis Jordan Aint nobody here but us chickens

4 Jackie Wilson To be loved

5 Smokey Robinson I'll try something new

6 Billy Holiday God bless the child

7 D Ross & Supremes I hear a symphony

8 Brandon Victor Dixon Can i close the door on love  (From Motown the musical)

Edited May 22, 2016 by smudger

[Ady Croasdell]

Thoughtful choices and looking at his life as well as his career

He chose the right version of God Bless The Child too

[Guest MBarrett]

I thought I was going to enjoy it and I really did.

I know he has taken some flak over the years and probably deserved it. But I thought on here he came over as a thoughtful, intelligent individual. Just an all round nice guy.

He got in his couple of Motown tracks (including DR) and his plug for the musical.

Miracles was an interesting pick. One of my faves. I think he said when Smokey came up with this tune he knew there were people out there who could write better songs than him. All very good humoured.

 

 

 

[Robbk]

Interesting that Berry said he turned down 95% of Smokey's songs when he was a young aspiring writer, but after hearing this, he new Smokey could be a writer - that THIS song was his first that Berry thought would be a hit.  That makes it sound like Smokey came to him with this song in late 1957 or early 1958, BEFORE  Berry produced Smokey's cuts for George Goldner's End Records in 1958 (starting with "Got a Job, and before "Bad Girl", "Way Over There" and "Shop Around").  If that's really so, why did he wait 3-4 years to produce it, if he thought it was a sure hit?  I listen to these old men and women telling their life story, and changing what happened, either because of bad memory or an agenda to make themselves look better, or someone else look worse, or just to simplify the story to make less information for the public to digest, given that they already know out the major events. 

I think Berry used the latter case here.  I'd bet the farm that Smokey didn't write "I'll Try Something New" in 1957 or '58, but that Smokey's early songs showed promise, which caused Berry to make the kid his right hand man, and that "I'll Try Something New" is his favourite song by Smokey, so Berry just cheated a bit, and combined the 2 stories.  But these long-time celebrities can't fool people who were there (like saying that Diana Ross "discovered" The Jackson Five", and celebrities leaving out important parts of their histories just because they think those stories or accounts will be dull to the public, and making it sound like they became big shots overnight.

[Guest MBarrett]

Don't know if it will work in all countries but here is link to the programme

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07bt72r

Even if there any "lapses of memory" in there he sounds pretty bright and alert for an 86 year old.

 

[Dean]

Funny reaction when asked - Are you a good husband!!!!!!

thought the portrayal of 'We were all friends at Motown' when referring to Diana Ross was over-gloss , or does he believe that? 

[Guest MBarrett]

59 minutes ago, Dean said:

Funny reaction when asked - Are you a good husband!!!!!!

 

That was odd. You would have thought his "people" would have been aware of the questions and barred that one.

But it seemed to totally put him on the spot.

Personally I thought it was unnecessary on a programme like DID. It wasn't like he had put himself up for a Paxman-style grilling.

I'm sounding like a real apologist for BG. Not really. Just the way I see it.

[Dean]

19 minutes ago, MBarrett said:

That was odd. You would have thought his "people" would have been aware of the questions and barred that one.

But it seemed to totally put him on the spot.

Personally I thought it was unnecessary on a programme like DID. It wasn't like he had put himself up for a Paxman-style grilling.

I'm sounding like a real apologist for BG. Not really. Just the way I see it.

Yes, similar thoughts. What in some way came over as well executed marketing for  the musical (although I did enjoy listening) was punctuated with that moment where Berry appeared to be genuinely thrown by the question. 

[Guest MBarrett]

The guest artists on Britain's Got talent tonight (I know, I know) were from the cast of Motown: the Musical.

I wouldn't go out of my way to see the whole musical but it did look as if it would be quite a fun evening.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

On 18 May 2016 at 10:20, MBarrett said:

On 18 May 2016 at 07:13, jam66 said:

Is it just me or does any one else find Sinatra absolutely appalling? What a horrible flat, toneless, tuneless voice that man had. Kudos to Nelson Riddle though.

 

The two gentlemen over there with the violin cases and broken noses...he went that way >>>>>>>>>>>>>fast.

Couldn't agree more!  I thought it was just me that despised his singing while everyone else is told how fantastic he is.  To me his voice is  flat and out of tune.  Always turn off the radio if a Sinatra record comes on.