Motown songs with Bob Babbitt ?

[narud]

Originally Posted by Dark Star

Inner City Blues (Make me Wanna Holler) - Marvin Gaye

his playing on this cut is some of the baddest **** ive heard.

[One Drop]

Originally Posted by JimK

"Scorpio" from Dennis Coffey's Evolution is not (technically) Motown. My LP sez Sussex Records.

True enough, well spotted.

[david fitch]

Recording at Motown became very busy and Jamerson could not do it all. Enter Bob Babbitt who was not James Jamerson but could play the Motown style. The Temptations producer Norman Whitfield and Jamerson did not always see eye to eye so Whitfield liked to use Babbitt on alot of his sessions. I know in later years at Motown Jamerson would not even show for some sessions so yes I believe they did have a backup Bass player on some. Motown had a number of other Bassist besides Babbitt who worked for the company.

[Ezbass]

Completely off topic, but did you know that BB was once a wrestler?

[JAUQO III-X]

Originally Posted by david fitch

Motown had a number of other Bassist besides Babbitt who worked for the company.

Here's one.

Tony Newton

http://www.novastarinteractive.com/T...n_Historic.htm

His bio

http://www.novastarinteractive.com/T...on_BassBio.htm



And Lets not forget the other bassist of Motown,


Clarence Isabell, Wilton Felder,Ron Brown,Carol Kaye,Eddie Watkins and Bill Pitman,James Garrett,Tweed Beard,Joe Williams,Michael Henderson,Joe James and Leroy Taylor.

[JTE]

Jamerson couldn't play all the sessions as they started getting bigger and bigger so Babbit started doing more. Plus there's the "back-up" scenario mentioned above. Jamerson played the first half or so (I don't know where it changes) of Gaye's "What's Goin' On" album, then Babbit did the rest of the tracks as they are arranged in the order recorded.

I do recall a Bob Babbit article where he recounts a time he and Jamerson were in a bar and a Motown record came on the jukebox. They both claimed that they'd done that song, and neither could recall for sure who did it.

jte

[david fitch]

The song was "Cool Jerk" in the bar. On the Whats Going On album Babbitt takes over on "Mercy,Mercy Me". If you really listen you can hear the change over.

[david fitch]

"Cool Jerk" is not a Motown song.

[Wasim]

Originally Posted by david fitch

The song was "Cool Jerk" in the bar. On the Whats Going On album Babbitt takes over on "Mercy,Mercy Me". If you really listen you can hear the change over.

Actually the story I heard had "Signed Sealed Delivered" as the song Babbitt and Jamerson heard in the bar. I think the story is recounted in an article on Bob's official site.

[JTE]

The article I read didn't menton any particular song title as the point of disagreement.

jte

[david fitch]

Cool Jerk was the song he mentioned in Bass Player Magazine,I can ask him but I am sure thats the song he mentioned.

[david fitch]

I just popped onto Bob's site and he does mention something about Jamerson thinking he played on Signed , Sealed, Delivered but that's not the bar story. I remember Bob saying Jamerson walked over to juke box in the bar and began pounding his chest when Cool Jerk came on yelling "Listen to that Bass,thats me" and Bob said " Sorry James thats me".

[david fitch]

I found the Bass Player issue,it is December 2002 with Jamersom on the cover. On page 88 (the last page ) is the artical by Bob Babbitt. Bob says the bar was accross the street from Golden World which would later become Motown Studio B. The song in question is "Cool Jerk".