The Velvelettes - Needle In A Haystack
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- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
- Basically, for everyone who ever loved Motown, this one just has it ALL. The right group, the right song, the right dresses, and the right performance. This song literally SCREAMS Motown, and justifies everything I ever tried to achieve with Motorcity Records. It all began for me while growing up. At fourteen years old, I discovered the joy of listening to The Velvelettes "Needle In A Haystack", not once, not twice, but probably twenty times a day. I knew every word, every nuance, of Cal Gill's amazingly plaintive vocal. The more obscure Motown groups fascinated me far more than the obvious ones. Which is why, when I started Motorcity, I sought out The Velvelettes and re-recorded my beloved favourite, this amazing classic, "Needle In A Haystack". And these Velvelettes were all four original girls. Not a substitution in sight. I continued to record them over the next few years, releasing their first ever album, something which, at the time, they had never achieved at Motown. There was also another wonderful song that I co-wrote with Ivy Jo Hunter, the legendary Motown songwriter, called "It Keeps Reminding Me (Of Happy Memories)", a song which summed up everything I tried to achieve with my Motorcity Reunion Project. When this video was filmed, on a hot August night in 1990, all four original members, Cal, Bertha, Norma, and Millie, were all on top form. When I recorded them on this classic in 1987, I tried to change it and make it more high energy, but lost the magic of the original groove, so I quickly remixed it and tried to capture that magic that made the original so special. I think this performance is also special, and I'm proud to be able to give Motown fans all over the world such an exceptional video to enjoy.
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Still sounding good after all these years!! That song is at least 53 years old. They still look good too!
I never tire of this song...The Velveletts sooooo good.
The one on the left was my 8th grade music teacher... wonderful
I wish she’d been my teach. Wow!😂
How did I never hear this song til tonight?? GREAT!!
Because the pop biz has always to sell new product to pay for its self-indulgent ways. So it buries past recordings, no matter how good they are, under a slather of cynically manufactured material in order to bamboozle each new generation of kids into handing over their $ for drek.
Ellen Lambert classic Motown floor filler - great stuff !
Andy Lockett . I've just seen the velvelettes singing needle in a haystack. it was 1971 when I first heard it at minehead butlins back in the days when discos were known as discotheques. all I knew of the music of the time was Slade, Dave Edmund's and t rex but musically for me that year was a real eye opener. another big song at the time was I'm gonna run away from you by Tami Lynn. good times and good music!
Wonderful memories came flooding back, thanks.....
I just don't get it. How can a handful of people get this good at something? It blows my mind. It's one thing to be a good painter or a good writer, but to work as a team and just nail it... wow! I love it!
This is SMOKING! The ladies are gorgeous of voice and looks.
This is one of the great pleasures of UA-cam!.
I feel honored to see and hear this.
Definitely one of my Desert Island discs! All time favourite. Cannot sit still while listening to this...Perfect Motown. Cannot be bettered.
Thanks for posting this. I agree entirely about the less prominent Motown groups. The Velvelettes have a more robust sound than the Supremes and for me are eminently better to listen to.
If your legs stay still during this your dead lol, wonderful old Northern Soul classic, happy days
One of the first tracks that really kick started my love of Soul music and from that to Northern Soul, enough said!
KEEP THE FAITH!!
Just great to hear this again - thanks for posting :)
They were at Motown and never got the attention as the other girl groups there. Shame on you Barry Gordy!
Bertha McNeal of the Velvelettes was my music teacher in Middle school in Kalamazoo Michigan, and I always had high reguards and repect for her. Shes a wonderful singer and performer !!
utter classic
Glad I found this. Love Motown and never heard this before. Great song and performance. Seeing the Ponchartrain Hotel banner and reading the synopsis brought back memories of wonderful music and Detroit City ..Thank You
I was a collector of this group in the mid 60's and still have their 45's. It's nice to see others appreciated them also, good job Ian.
what a great song they are so underated much better than the supremes it just gets you dancing and the whole place rockin brilliant soul music
Jackie Churchill Spot on! Most Motown girl groups are better than the Supremes, and d.ross, no comment! Flo B was the greatest ever Supreme by miles.
I'd like to go to one of their concerts, very polished.
its a classic and jivin to it is heaven lol
Mrs McNeal was my 7 th grade music teacher. She inspired me to write music, and there she is singing with her group.
This brings back the dancing memories in the 70`s for me .... Superb times !!
GREAT
How can you not dance to this... brilliant :o)
you are so bless
Yes
Amazing quality! After all these years still sounding sweet
Great! Never heard it till now.
Amazing that it was done so well in 1990 too.
fantastic
My aunt told me one of the velvelettes was her junior high school music teacher in Kalamazoo Michigan.
How great is that!!!!!!!!
DAMN! What a GREAT song....why the F can't anyone write music this good anymore????? You go ladies!!!
C C ilove this jam
C C indeed fyeah😀
because its fucking hard! no ones takes the time any more ajajaja
C C
L navigate? Fuck offllllllly ? ?
need in a haystack
love their dresses. i swear them dresses are back in fashion. the dresses goes with the song and dance routine
.
still makes me want to get up and dance
Brings back so many memories.Brilliant as it ever was
Super Velvelettes.
When the Velvelettes beat the Supremes in a Detroit competition that spelled big trouble for them at Motown. They never got the material, production or promotion they deserved. Berry Gordy gave all sorts of excuses as to why they didn't get an album, including change of personnel (only the Four Tops didn't have such changes). Diana Ross and Carolyn (Cal) Gill would room together on tours but seems there was no room for them together at Motown..
What happen to them? Weren't they on Motown like the other girl groups? Did they come out before the Marvlettes, Martha and the Vandellas or the Supremes? You dont hear about them when they talk about motown. Im glad you posted their music, thanks again.
Mary Wilson and Diana Ross would be jealous watching this! Or at least they should be. Nice performance.
I could listen to this for ever -- classic track
You're right - Motown in a nutshell.
Fabulous - spirit of the Sixties. Takes me right back!
ok who's tapping their feet, cause my house is rocking!
Thanks for the video. I'm blown away.
I was just listening to this on my MP4 as I walked on the beach near my house. What a great way to welcome summer (finally)
damn..when was this?.they still got it and looking good as well ..cant beat the motown era
that lady can sing!.. awesome!..
I overdeveloped my calf muscles dancing to this (among others) when I was a lass :)
what dance went along with this song?
Funny - he he - thaks
Memories of The Ritz Manchester all dayers. Ian I still have a photo of you looking up at me while I took the picture from the balcony.
These Girls are proof FLINT,MI
Saw these ladies on July 31, 2010 in NYC, and they were great! So much energy, and their voices still sound very good, especially the lead singer. It was great to hear this oldie again.
Whoever does not like this had no taste.
yep ! bang on the money ! what a poppin tune eh ? 64 on stateside here in the UK a classic reminder of the early to mid 60s in the "nighters" up west my personal fave by them is " he was really sayin something" but thats just my choice " needle" is just brilliant one of those that came along at the very cutting edge of the RnB boom that followed, many thanks for sharing ian you posted a classic ! regards dave
Sheven718 Lovely early morning song; whilst finishing my coffee
Everytime I see this video - and I have to admit it is my new GUILTY PLEASURE- I look at these ladies and am astounded at how energetic they are ... AND how GORGEOUS they are.
These are REAL SINGERS who are also REAL WOMEN! not maunfactured barbie dolls. I would marry any of them in a HEARTBEAT. Especially Millie - LOL
You did all that Ian?
Wow. We owe you (as welll as the Velvettes)
Amazing what never really comes out til decades later.
Thanks m8
A classic from back in the day. Motown at its best!!
I blast from the past brings on the great memory's from the past
You are more than welcome.
Thankyou for your support.
Great performance! Makes me want to sing and dance!
YASSSS Honey, still is fantastic to hear today as back in the 60`s, makes me shimmy and shake!!!
cant stop listening great beat when music was music nice one ladies
Don't understand how a song this good , could get dislikes.
Cos arseholes have computers too.
Lot's of vinegar Joe's out here who hate everything that even hints at feel good music, it seems :)
A great girl group and scatt"in too. Some people were asleep at Motown .
I just recently discovered this amazing epic song through the great DJ Tom Petty (on his "buried treasure" XM show...)- it is AWESOME! What a great song :) so vivacious, so soulful- and such truthful lyrics too....rockin'
thanks ian for getting thses songs😊😊😊😐😯😯😯☺☺😊😊😊
Back to my youth!
a great motown girl group, like other female artists at motown they were a casualty of berry gordys obsession with diana ross and never got the recognition they deserved
NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK BY THE VELVELETTLES IS A GREAT SONG SO ARE THE VELVELETTLES SO IS MARTHA REEVES &THE VANDELLAS AND DIANA ROSS &THE SUPEREMES ALL FANTASTIC
Great group!
Superb,what class.Thanks for posting this Ian.
P.s.whats happened to Sorens newsletters?ive emailed him but had no response !Cheers mate,Steve.
High kicks to this one,lol
So very fine and sweet soulful talents .
AS GOOD LIVE AS ON RECORD XX
Haven't this song in about 40+ years. What a treat and the ladies are jamming!!! Thank you for sharing!!!!!!!!
Meant to write, "haven't heard this song ..."
you better look before you leap, fantastic,
Thank you for sharing this video. I had never heard of the Velvelettes before seeing them on UA-cam. These women are extraordinary. They make it look easy, but I know thousands of hours of work went into their magical act.
A great performance. I wonder what happened to Annette McMillan. Does anybody know?
i wonder how many teenagers switched to the northern/motown scene after listening to this , yup one one the first motown records i bought , this and this old heart of mine , isley bros . mint post as per ian .
OMG! 14 Years old in my old school DISCO in Saint Edmund Arrowsmith! lmao this was my wigan casino. I love northern soul I just get such a huge lift from my "soul" forgive the punn. "What" by Judy street, ghost in my house... ect ect im nearly 50 now and i danced to this just now like i was 14 again.
met them @ pontins saturday afternoon had to do my top blagging searling was behind me he must thought i was a nut putting on a yank accent and being north walian ktf
Ha! Glad I found this....loved it and still do!!
me too
The audio in this video, although synced really well to the film, does not appear to be an actual live performance. I also know it is not the original recording of The Velvelettes' "Needle in a Haystack"on Motown's VIP label. So is the audio here from your Motorcity re-recording?
Whatever the source of the audio in this upload., it sounds very nice, really evocative of an era, as is the slightly old-school video, which appears more as a film-to-video transfer, at least to these eyes.
I suppose you have also heard and seen The Blossoms' cover of "Haystack" that Darlene Love and the girls performed on "Shindig!" Although I sometimes watched "Shindig!" when I was a young boy, the show was really broadcast past my bedtime in those years. So I saw "Hullabaloo" much more than "Shindig!" In fact, my first listen & viewing of The Blossoms performing "Haystack" was, I think, in that Alan Betrock documentary, "Girl Groups: The Story of a Sound" back in the 1980s.
But what do you think of The Blossoms' cover of the song? Of course, the song is a killer anyway, so would have to be a really inept group of singers not to thrill with the tune. I wish records like "Haystack" were still being made today.
Goldmine Canvey Island....omg love a song that jolts great memories....
Have you ever heard three girls now bang out a tune like these lovely staggers could listen to them all night. Class with a big big C
needle in a haystack, peaches & cream &Mama said are the three advice songs of rock & roll
Just heard it on the radio last weekend 14. October 2017 in the morning here on the Isle of Man. We all got up in the dining room dancing. Super song, super voices, super rythm. Love Motown.
my wee girl loves this song, does the clap perfect
they are doing it so right
Bring back Motown
Check through the 311 videos I have posted up here so far, and you might discover a few more too.
Brilliant
I had never heard of The Velvelettes till like 5 minutes ago. I play a game on Facebook called MusicPets, and my pet fetched this song. So,I came to YT to hear the complete song. And,I really like how this sounds. It has that 60s Motown sound! :)
ilove her voice
this is my jam
hot hot hot...you go girls!
ANISTAZI metal 94609
All the original Velvelettes are still alive, so it could only have been a later substitution. Sandra Tilley maybe ????
mohair was out then lol
Love this track, and agree its perhaps better than the maybe over produced supremes
They are indeed, although this footage was shot nearly eighteen years ago.
Classic MOTOWN! Saw these ladies when I was 14.
when this song comes on the dance contest starts no matter where your at brilliant