What was the Motown "Wall of Sound"?

Cafe Society
1

I’ve heard this term used from time to time about Motown - the “Wall of Sound” (most recently by Smokey Robinson on Spectacle, hosted by Elvis Costello, which I’m finding very interesting, by the way).

So, what was the Wall of Sound concept? How was it done, why was it different from other pop recordings?

2

‘Wall of sound’ usually refers to a production style associated with Phil Spector, which sounds big and lush - like a wall of sound - because of doubling in the arrangement (more than one player playing the same thing at the same time), overdubbing/double tracking (a part being layered over itself multiple times), big orchestral elements in the arrangements, and finally the recording techniques themselves. Big reverb etc.

This is the first time I’ve heard of anyone talking about a Motown ‘wall of sound’, but one could easily draw parallels. Motown records made in the snakepit often used three guitars, acoustic and electric piano, multiple backing singers and overdubbed strings. Sometimes even two drum kits, and the (IMHO) crucial tamborine and congas. Even in arrangements for smaller bands, it’s often the unison lines that act to draw you in.

If you’re trying to hear it in your mind’s ear, imagine Abba or Beach Boy records. They’re often recorded in a simillar way, with multiple overdubs and lush, wide arrangements. When someone says ‘wall of sound’ to me in the studio, I know they’re describing that big, involving, enveloping sound.

If you’ve not seen it, check out the documentary ‘Standing on the shoulders of Motown’, which reunited the Funk Brothers (the musicians who played on most of those Motown records) to play together and talk about tracking the songs. Great stuff!

3

Some more detail.

4

Not Motown, but two great example’s of Spector’s Wall of Sound are here and here.

5

Back in the day, “The Wall of Sound” was Phil Specter’s trademark. For Motown, “The Motown Sound” said it all; here’s a good description:

Motown was the first black-owned record label to have cross-over hits. We could hear The Four Tops & The Supremes on KILT, along with the white rockers of the day. But there was nothing to prevent white kids from turning the dial up to KCOH, to hear slightly funkier stuff–like the output of our own Duke/PeacockRecords. And KIKK always had its fans–Yee Haw!

Motown tunes still sound pretty good to me.

6

It really produces an amazing effect. Something really innovating.

7

Slight hijack, sorry.

labdad, I’m curious. Do you know why the same song has different recording times? Might some of the collections have used different recordings from the same session, or do you think it’s just dead air at the front or the back?

8

Not being an expert or anything, but I’ve always thought that Springsteen’s Born to Run was a fine example of the Wall of Sound.

Or maybe the song is just busy. :wink:

9

Yes, I’ve read that he was consciously trying to re-create that Wall of Sound, and that he and others, like Southside Johny of the Asbury Jukes, were huge fans of Phil Spector’s.