that certain something about DON'T LEAVE ME THIS WAY ....

[remicks]

*****


what an exquisite disco masterpiece .....is this Thelma Houston's DON'T LEAVE ME THIS WAY ....



I love every nano-second of its composition .....the way it just seems to build and build in its emotion, never letting up until the very end ....

part of that increased emotional energy is due to what kicks in at the halfway point (approximately ) and then remains relentless throughout the remainder of the song .... (????)

its probably obvious ...


... but - let's see !! (tongue out & eyes rolling )

Any takers??


*****

[Disco Funk]

There's a clavinet that comes in on one channel, but it gets buried in the mix at certain points. However, the tambourine, probably played by Jack Ashford (it sounds like his style), is relentless and pretty loud throughout.

Disco Funk

[Cory Ander]

I've always felt that Houston's cover of "Don't Leave" shows how important arranging and production are to a particular song.....people tend to give Houston the credit while ignoring Hal Davis' obvious influence. In my opinion, the original version on Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' "Wake Up Everybody" album doesn't stand out at all among the album's other songs. You can say the same for what Giorgio Moroder did with "Last Dance". Transformed it into an almost completely different song. I've only played Paul Jabara's original twice and remember VERY little about it. I can hardly believe it's the same song. 6/21/2010

[BrunoRepublic]

I thought "Last Dance" was more of a Bob Esty effort than Giorgio Moroder.

Paul Jabara's version of the song is a ballad.

[remicks]

There's a clavinet that comes in on one channel, but it gets buried in the mix at certain points. However, the tambourine, probably played by Jack Ashford (it sounds like his style), is relentless and pretty loud throughout.

Disco Funk

This is why I'm madly in love with you DF .... not only do you know every dang answer .... but you know how to read my posts too.

You noticed I didn't say it was one certain thing that happens mid-way in this song that gives it that additional edge .... because yes indeed it is the combined one-two punch of the clavinet and the tambourine that come in together that give it that final ummph... its the clever addition of the two in unison that has so much effect.

But
as you point out , the presence of the clavinet kind of comes and goes throughout the remainder of the song whereas the tambourine comes in strong and stays right up front til the end....thus it is the "relentless" aspect of the two I am referring to and am more focused on.
And leave it to you to name who the heck is doing the tambourine playing ... Jack Ashford. (cool smile) And what tambourine slappin" --- he is really feelin' the song .
So infectious do I find the tambourine playing that I actually cue up DLMTW just to listen to its part !! (wide-eyed) (and reading that admission sort of cracks me up ! LOL )



There's one other song that stands out for me
where the tambourine gets the s**t beat out of it like that and that's on KEEP ON TRUCKIN"



also Jack Ashford??


*****

[Disco Funk]

That's probably him playing tambourine there, he's credited on the LP. He probably also played tambourine on the track below. You can also hear him all over the HDH productions during the early 70s, and the Dennis Coffey LPs. He doesn't just play the tambourine, he literally abuses it! :)



Disco Funk

[remicks]

*****

good one DF ! , can't get any more tambourine than that !!!

I always think of The Stones SATISFACTION as being heavily tambourined (and almost disco with that high-end sound it provides and the non-stop drum beat) ,but now really listening to it ... while it's heard entirely throughout, the tambourine playing is amazingly simple.



what is this song ... but a couple of guitars , bass, drums - and a tambourine ...?


__________________________

back to that certain something about DON'T LEAVE ME THIS WAY

is it my imagination .... or are most of the strings , the violins heard within ..... fake ???????? (eyes wide-opened)




*****

[Disco Funk]

*****

good one DF ! , can't get any more tambourine than that !!!

I always think of The Stones SATISFACTION as being heavily tambourined (and almost disco with that high-end sound it provides and the non-stop drum beat) ,but now really listening to it ... while it's heard entirely throughout, the tambourine playing is amazingly simple.



what is this song ... but a couple of guitars , bass, drums - and a tambourine ...?


__________________________

back to that certain something about DON'T LEAVE ME THIS WAY

is it my imagination .... or are most of the strings , the violins heard within ..... fake ???????? (eyes wide-opened)




*****

The stones were doing their Motown thing with Satisfaction, so the tambourine was probably inspired by the motor city too. I'm not too familiar with those early Motown tracks, did they feature Jack Ashford's tambourine?

Don't Leave Me This way definitely has strings. They sound like they were almost falling out of the mix, they're panned so far over to the left (at least in my headphones).

One problem with the original version is that it was just too stiff. Thelma Houston's version had changes in the arrangement, instruments coming in and out, the vibe changes throughout the song. Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes version was just the same groove from beginning to end, which is strange because philly tunes tended to be more flexible.

Disco Funk

[remicks]

Don't Leave Me This way definitely has strings. They sound like they were almost falling out of the mix, they're panned so far over to the left (at least in my headphones).

yes some seem real (the high-end screech certainly ) but are there some fake strings used too? Listen at :23 when they first come in there -- seems to be something mechanical about them .... (?).... the notes too long & at times tinny (???)
I'd prefer to be wrong
but certainly by this time the use of keyboard strings was not unheard of , ---- as can be found here - if I'm correct in what I'm hearing???? -(eyes rolling) -
back in 1974 (!!!!!) :

disco funk : One problem with the original version is that it was just too stiff. Thelma Houston's version had changes in the arrangement, instruments coming in and out, the vibe changes throughout the song. Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes version was just the same groove from beginning to end, which is strange because philly tunes tended to be more flexible.

Disco Funk

Cory Ander: I've always felt that Houston's cover of "Don't Leave" shows how important arranging and production are to a particular [COLOR=#41627E ! important][COLOR=#41627E ! important]song[/COLOR][/COLOR].....people tend to give Houston the credit while ignoring Hal Davis' obvious influence. In my opinion, the original version on Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' "Wake Up Everybody" album doesn't stand out at all among the album's other songs.

(wide-eyed X3)

sorry guys couldn't disagree more ....as to which version is better ... if it's not a neck-to-neck tie in the end .... both these versions take the lead in their own manner along the way.

Why do you say its the same groove from beginning to end ??? it starts out slow , picks up briefly, drops back to "slow" then picks up again, then slow ....
The first two- thirds of the song (as on you-tube below) is basically a Teddy Pendergrass solo until the earnestness intensifies by having the Bluenotes chime in - pleading again and again: please, please, don't go . The strings come and go , the organ is stronger toward the end and at 5:10 all that remains is the bass and drums ...

{just noticed this as well: where Teddy's version uses the accelerated high-hat for its conclusion , Hal Davis uses instead the tambourine }


besides there's nothing (IMO) more moving (IMO) than a man pleading his emotional fragility , as done again when KC woefully does the same & with the exact same sentiments .

the version not to be missed is on this :




@ eleven minutes !!

that's twice as much forlorn pleading than Thelma could muster !



*****

baby please

[PierreConstantin]

Sylvie Vartan did a French cover ("Ne pars pas comme ça") after Thelma Houston's version but more inspired at the end by the Blue Notes' version. The only version available is on her 1977 live album.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x86...comme-ca_music

[remicks]

****

When I say DON"T LEAVE THIS WAY 's parts speed up then slow down ... a better way to say it I think is - they heat up then cool down ...

anyway the Tom Moulton mix (even on repeat listenings - still too short at 11:00) is total non-stop joy. He adds a decidedly heavier thump to the whole thing and perhaps taking a cue from Thelma's version ... a persistent tambourine is heard 4/4 throughout.
The tambourine playing is very simple , like someone banging it against their hip (Tom Moulton??). In style - it's far less Jack Ashford , much more Mick Jagger .

Besides the limited vocal participation of the Blue Notes on this ..... there are females heard on back-up ... Sweethearts sounding .
And this becomes the closing teaser at the very end , adding to the song's climatic increase in energy .... Tom Moulton has separated their parts so that Teddy sings a line then the girls respond ... :

Ahhhh baby:

desire for you - desire for you , gotta do - gotta do , in my soul- in my soul , outta control - outta control, ... and then it


fades out ....



*****

I'm going to vote this Teddy Pendergrass' all-time best vocal performance .