The Monitors
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1963-64) as The Fagins - John "Maurice" Fagin -- vocals - Sandra Fagin -- vocals - Warren Harris (RIP) -- bass vocals - Richard Street (RIP 2013) -- lead vocals
line up 2 (1964) as The Majestics - John "Maurice" Fagin -- vocals - Sandra Fagin -- vocals - Warren Harris (RIP) -- bass vocals - Richard Street (RIP 2013) -- lead vocals
line up 3 (1964-68) as The Monitors - Maurice Fagin -- vocals - Sandra Fagin -- vocals - Warren Harris (RIP) -- bass vocals - Richard Street (RIP 2013) -- lead vocals
line up 3 (1990) NEW- Beverly Carpenter -- vocals NEW - James Drayton -- vocals - Maurice Fagin -- vocals NEW - Laeh Harris -- vocals - Warren Harris (RIP) -- bass vocals NEW- Hershel Hunter (RIP) -- vocals NEW- Darrell Littlejohn --- vocals NEW - Maxine Wood -- vocals
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- The Distants (Richard Street) - The Fagins - The Majestics - The Peps - Richard Street - Richard Street and the Distants - The Temptations (Richard Street)
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Genre: soul Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Greetings! We're the Monitors Company: Soul Catalog:
SS714 Country/State: Detroit, Michigan Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: 1 Catalog ID: 2862 Price: $75.00 |
I'm routinely amazed to discover just how deep and talented the Motown recording roster was. Anyone listening to 1968's "Greetings! We're the Monitors" is likely to wonder how these guys were so overlooked. Had they been signed by any other label, it's hard to imagine them meeting with the same indifference that befell them on Motown.
After graduating high school in the late '50s Richard Street and buddy Arren Harris kicked around the Detroit music scene. Along with Melvin Franklin and Otis Williams, they'd been member of The Distants, who recorded a couple of 45s. Franklin and Williams subsequently teamed up with members of The Primes to form the fledging Temptations. Under the name Richard Street and the Distants and as a solo act Street released a couple of obscure singles including some material for Raynoma Lile's Thelma Records. Operated by Berry Gordy Jr.'s first wife, when Thelma Records closed shop, Street and buddy Harris joined The Peps. Meeting up with the husband and wife team of John and Sandra Fagin the quartet briefly worked as The Fagins, but by 1960 were performing as The Majestics. Over the next four years the group managed to release four singles for small, Detroit-based labels, including Robert West's Contour and Willie Ewing's Chex:
- 1960's 'Hard Times' b/w 'Teen Age Gossip' (Contour catalog number S 553) - 1962's 'Treat Me Like You Want To Be Treated' b/w 'Unhappy & Blue' (Chex catalog 1004) - 1962's 'Lonely Heart' b/w 'Gwendolyn' (Chex 1006) - 1963's 'Baby' b/w 'Teach me How To Limbo' (Chex catalog 1009)
left to right Richard Street - Sandra Fagin - Warrren Harris - Maurice Fagin
While working for Thelma Records, Street had stretched out into songwriting (he co-wrote The Contours 'Can You Do It') and production, including providing in-studio support to a young Norman Whitfield. When Whitfield decamped for Motown, Street followed him. The Majestics also shifted to Motown's V.I.P. label where they recorded a 1964 single:
- 1964's 'Hello Love' b/w 'The Further You Look the Less You See' (V.I.P. catalog number V.I.P.-25010).
'Hello Love' was actually a re-worked version of a tune Street and The Majestics had recorded for the Thelma label. V.I.P. cancelled release when they discovering there was a Los Angeles group operating as The Majestics. V.I.P. quickly renamed the group The Monitors. What followed over the next three years were a string of four obscure singles:
- 1965's 'Say You' b/w 'All For Someone' (V.I.P. catalog number V.I.P-25028) # 36 R&B - 1966's 'Greetings (This Is Uncle Sam)' b/w 'Number One In Your Hear' (V.I.P. catalog number V.I.P-25032) # 100 pop; # 21 R&B - 1966's 'Since I Lost You Girl' b/w 'Don't Put Off What You Can Do Today 'TIl Tomorrow" (V.I.P. catalog number V.I.P-25039) # 117 pop - 1968's 'Bring Back the Love' b/w 'The Further You Look, the Less You See' (V.I.P. catalog number V.I.P.-25046)
1968 saw The Monitors switched from Motown's V.I.P. subsidiary to the Soul label. Perhaps in effort to consolidate business opertaions, the company also saw fit to release an album; the old school titled - "Greetings! ... We're the Monitors". Musically it was an odd compilation of previously released tracks and previously unreleased studio numbers. Of the thirteen songs, six had served as previously issued V.I.P. "A" or "B" sides. Judging from the sound, most of the unreleased tracks appeared to have been rounded up from the Motown archives. That wasn't meant to imply these were throwaways.
So, there's a short review of the album on a well know review site that describes this collection with the following sentence: "A rather bland set, it's made memorable on by Richard Street's fine vocals." Obviously that's one person's opinion, but from my standpoint that opinion is wrong, wrong, wrong. Well, they got the Richard Street part right, but that was about it. Featuring material from some of Motown's best writers, the rest of the album had a lot going for it as well. In fact, to my ears about half of the album was simply great; the other 50% merely good. The only misstep was the pop oriented 'Baby Make Your Own Sweet Music' Judging by these performances Street was one of Motown's hidden gems. The man simply had a killer voice that was equally comfortable on ballads ('You Share the Blame') and more driving, dance floor ready tunes ('Time Is Passin' By'). Easy to see why The Temptations subsequently grabbed him. The rest of the group were also good, providing sterling support throughout the album. Check out their work on the opener 'Bring Back the Love', 'Since I Lost You', 'Save Yourself a Cup of Happiness', and Sandra Fagin's work on 'Say You'. If cornered, here are my picks for the top three performances:
1.) Time Is Passin' By 2.) Save Yourself a Cup of Happiness 3.) Bring Back the Love
Well worth picking up a copy since you can still find affordable copies.
"Greetings!
We're the Monitors" track listing: 1.) Bring Back the Love (James Deam - William Weatherspoon - Brian Holland - Jack Goga) - 2:56 rating: **** stars Unless you were tone deaf, or simply had no interested in music, even if you didn't know who The Monitors were, there's a good chance you'd recognize 'Bring Back the Love' as part of the Motown sound. That distinctive production sound was seldom as strong as on this blazing ballad. Moreover, Street seldom sounded as good and the Fagin-Harris backing harmonies were sweet, sweet, sweet. As mentioned, the song had previously been released as a single; their fourth and final release for V.I.P.:
- 1968's 'Bring Back the Love' b/w 'The Further You Look, the Less You See' (V.I.P. catalog number V.I.P.-25046) 2.) Share a Little Love with Me (Somebody) (Ivy Hunter - Colbert) - 2:26 rating: **** stars The guitar and bass lines on 'Share a Little Love with Me' were worth the price of admission. Hard to understand why this upbeat tune didn't get tapped as a single. 3.) Step By Step (Hand In Hand) (James Dean - William Weatherspoon) - 2:52 rating: **** stars Motown management wasn't particularly happy to release material reflecting socially relevant commentary. That makes 'Step By Step (Hand In Hand)' all the more interesting. You weren't going to mistake this for a Marvin Gaye track, but the group's upbeat, Gospel-tinged plea for cooperation was endearing. The drumming on this one was amazing. Shame the song faded out so early. This was also the first "new" track released as a single off the album:
- 1968's 'Step By Step (Hand In Hand)' b/w 'Time Is Passin' On' (Soul catalog number S 35049) 4.) The Further You Look, the Less You See (William Robinson - Norman Whitfield) - 2:17 rating: *** stars The ballad 'The Further You Look, the Less You See' had a very retro sound leading you to wonder if it was one of the earlier things the group had recorded for Motown. Ir certainly had an attractive Latin-tinged melody, if the lyrics were a touch sappy. 5.) Since I Lost You Girl (Harvey Fuqua - Johnny Bristol) - 2:32 rating: **** stars The ballad 'Since I Lost You' had a hook that was a mile wide. Hearing this one it's hard to wonder why Motown didn't make Richard Street a mega star. Another track that have previously been released as a single: - 1966's 'Since I Lost You Girl' b/w 'Don't Put Off What You Can Do Today 'TIl Tomorrow" (V.I.P. catalog number V.I.P-25039) 6.) Baby Make Your Own Sweet Music (Sandy Linzer - D. Randall) - 2:30 rating: ** stars 'Baby Make Your Own Sweet Music' was the album's most pop-oriented tunes. That's not to say it was particularly original, or even enjoyable. The album's closest thing to a flop ...
(side 2) 1.) Greetings (This Is Uncle Sam) (Bateman - Horn - Dunbar - The Valadiers) - 2:54 rating: *** stars Originally recorded and released by The Valadiers as a 1962 single, The Monitors version didn't stray too far from the original. There was a strong doo wop feeling to this one and with the anti-war lyrics, it was surprising Motown allowed it to be be released as their second single: - 1966's 'Greetings (This Is Uncle Sam)' b/w 'Number One In Your Hear' (V.I.P. catalog number V.I.P-25032) # 100 pop; # 21 R&B 2.) Time Is Passin' By (James Dean - William Weatherspoon) - 2:43 rating: ***** stars Perhaps the album's best performance, 'Time Is Passin' By' had everything you'd expect in a hit record - killer melody; cute lyric, criminally good hook; one of James Jamerson's best bass lines, and a can't-sit-still performance from Street and company. You had to wonder how this one escaped everyone's attention as a "B" side. 3.) Say You (Robert Stauton - Robert Dobyne - Charles Jones) - 2:30 rating: **** stars 'Say You' was tapped as their debut single for Motown/V.I.P. A year later The Temptations recorded the song (seemingly using the same backing track) for their "Gettin' Ready" album. While The Temps version is far better known, The Monitors' version was easily as good - maybe even better with the addition of Sandra Fagin's voice to the mix. - 1965's 'Say You' b/w 'All For Someone' (V.I.P. catalog number V.I.P-25028) # 36 R&B 4.) Number One In Your Heart (Clyde Wilson - Wilbert Jackson) - 2:50 rating: **** stars Anyone who doubted The Monitors could duke it out with better known Motown groups should check out the rollicking 'Number One In Your Heart'. Another tune where you were left to scratch your head and wonder why this was relegated to a "B" side. 5.) Save Yourself a Cup of Happiness (James Dean - William Weatherspoon) - 2:19 rating: **** stars Another album highlight, 'Save Yourself a Cup of Happiness' was the kind of track that would instantaneously fill a dance floor. I'm guessing the stunning bass line was from James Jamerson. 6.) You Share the Blame (William Robinson - Ronald White) - 2:47 rating: **** stars A silky smooth ballad, 'You Share the Blame' sounded like a Miracles track. Probably not a surprise since it was written by Smokey Robinson and Ronald White. Smoother and more sophisticated than some of the album's other tracks, I'm guessing this was a more recent effort. Lovely backing vocals.
Replacing Paul Williams, Street became a member of The Temptations in 1971.
Kind of a mystery, but in 1972 Buddah released a delicious pop-soul Monitors single:
- 1972's 'Fence Around Your Heart' b/w 'Have You Seen Her' (Buddah catalog number BDA 278)
Suffering a pulmonary embolism, Street died in February 2013. He was only 70.
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Genre: soul Rating: 2 stars ** Title: Grazing In the Grass Company: Motorcity Catalog:
MOTCLP 28 Country/State: Detroit, Michigan Grade (cover/record): NM/NM Comments: sealed copy Available: 1 Catalog ID: 2899 Price: $20.00 |
Frankly I've always wondered what the artistic, let alone financial case was for reforming The Monitors; let alone financing a sophomore album. I can only guess Motorcity President Ian Levine had some logic for doing it.
From a truth in advertising standpoint I guess this was a Monitors effort. Original Mentors John "Maurice" Fagin and Warren Harris were both aboard, through Sandra Fagin and former front man Richard Street was working with The Temptations and passed on the project. They were replaced by a slew of newcomers. The actual line up was somewhat confusing with the liner notes crediting Beverly Carpenter, James Drayton, Laeh Harris, Hershel Hunter, Darrell Littlejohn (Smokey Robinson's nephew), and Maxine Wood. The cover showed five members. The back cover photos appeared to show two different lineups.
To be honest, the Ian Levine produced "Grazing In the Grass" offered up a shallow shadow of the original Monitors album. Musically the collection offered up a surprisingly tepid collection of new material largely penned by Levine, Motown writer Sylvia Moy, and Steve Wagner. Exemplified by tracks like 'You Are My Destiny', the goal was clearly to recapture that classic Motown sound, with the addition of late-'80s production assists. The original tunes were rounded out by a series of poorly selected classic soul covers. The title track was okay, but apparently intended to cash in on Littlejohn's relationship to Smokey Robinson, the two Smokey Robinson and the Miracles covers were simply forgettable. To my ears, there were only two songs that were worth hearing more than a couple of times - both "new" songs, 'Rescue My Heart' and 'Brainstorm'. Still, if you were going to dip your toe into The Monitors catalog, go with the first album.
"Grazing
in the Grass" track listing: 1.) Grazing in the Grass (Hou - Elston) - 5:48 rating: ** stars The problem covering a well known hit is you were going to get compared to the original and when that was a classic (as in the case of The Friends of Distinction version), you were likely to come up short. Certainly nothing wrong with The Monitors cover which stayed true to the original arrangement, but why bother with anything other than the original version ? YouTube has a clip of the group lip synching a version of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU_k_ZxxNAY 2.) Cold As Ice (Ian Levine - Darrell Littlejohn) - 3:39 rating: *** stars Nah, it wasn't the Foreigner song ... Instead, this 'Cold As Ice' was a bouncy, dance ready slice of neo-soul. Beverly Carpenter was featured on lead vocals. 3.) Rescue My Heart (Ian Levin - Sylvia Moy - Steve Wagner) - 3:36 rating: **** stars The stuttering piano backing sounded like something off a Michael McDonald tune, but showcasing Littlejohn, elsewhere 'Rescue My Heart' stood as one of the album's most soulful and enjoyable performances. 4.) Through the Test of Time (Ian Levin - Sylvia Moy - Steve Wagner) - 5:11 rating: ** stars A jittery, patented-'80s arrangement simply couldn't save this song for the MOR pit. 5.) Brainstorm (Ian Levin - Sylvia Moy - Steve Wagner) - 4:35 rating: **** stars Okay, I'll admit even though it was a rather faceless slice of dance music, thanks to the sweet harmony vocals and goofy innocence, 'Brainstorm' was one of the album's guilty pleasures. It almost sounded like something you would have heard on an earlier Michael Jackson album. Puppy love sexy ...
(side 2) 1.) Going To a Go-Go (Moore - William Robinson - Rogers - Johnson) - 3:30 rating: ** stars Interesting if only from the perspective lead singer Littlejohn was Smokey's nephew. YouTube has a promotion clip for the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I09Qix8nFXM 2.) You Are My Destiny (Ian Levin - Sylvia Moy - Steve Wagner) - 4:28 rating: *** stars Up-tempo, if ultimately anonymous tune. Good example of Levine's ultimately unsuccessful attempt to recapture the special Motown sound. 3.) Tears of a Clown (Henry Cosby - William Robinson - Stevie Wonder) - 3:52 rating: ** stars Close your eyes and there's a good chance you wouldn't know this was a cover. 4.) Forever and Ever (Kastlekat - Warner - Chappell - Bristolking) - 3:47 rating: *** stars At least this one gave Beverly Carpenter a shot at the spotlight. The disco-tinged song wasn't any great shakes, but Carpenter had a nice voice and the sweet backing vocals almost saved the performances. 5.) Standing Still (Ian Levin - Sylvia Moy - Steve Wagner) - 3:58 rating: *** stars With a killer hook in the form of the refrain, 'Standing Still' was easily the album's best song. It would have been even better without the hideous spoken word segment that intruded towards the end of the song. The tune was tapped as a UK single.
- 1990's 'Standing Still' b/w 'Standing Still (instrumental)' (Motor City catalog 7MOTC 22) 6.) Day By Day (Axel Stordahl - Sammy Cahn - Paul Weston) - rating: * star Geez, maybe my copy was just flawed, but 'Day By Day' sounded horrible. Out of tune vocals, cluttered arrangement - simply awful.
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