Motown Monday ~ The Velvelettes ~ Stop Beating Around The Bush

Written by Harvey Fuqua
Recorded in 1964

Mildred Gill, Bertha Barbee, Carolyn Gill, Betty Kelley & Norma Barbee

This song sadly never was released until the 2001 CD The Very Best Of The Velvelettes in the UK release on Universal-Spectrum then on THE VELVELETTES MOTOWN ANTHOLOGY – UK release on Universal-Spectrum, 1st November, 2004. U.S. release Jan. 18, 2005

The reality is Berry Gordy never allowed this group an album and only released under 10 singles on Motown subsidiaries labels IPG, VIP and Soul. And in my opinion they were as good as any other female group that came out of Motown during the early-middle 1960s and pioneered the Motown sound.

Another reality is they were Hits in the UK long before they became them in the U.S.

This from their Official Website : Personal View from a friend.

In March 1999, the Velvelettes finally achieved recognition in the US with a Motown CD retrospective. “The Very Best of The Velvelettes” collected their complete singles output, and also had the added bonus of previously unissued tracks of similar vintage. “Let Love Live” and “Twilite Time” surprised most listeners, who found it hard to believe that these fabulous songs were never issued in the sixties.

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No surprise to me. Berry Gordy held a lot of groups and singers down for what ever reason. Very selfish and unfair.

It wasn’t until “Needle In A Haystack” that was released in 64 followed by “He Was Really Sayin’ Somethin'” that put them on the charts and got them their due. But God knows they recorded countless songs that included many unissued -unrealeased, with just one of them being “Stop Beating Around The Bush”.

Had it been it to would of been a hit. So check out these CDS with songs that should of all been released 40 years ago and you’ll realize that The Velvelletes were as worthy if not more to have been put on the Motown Label. Makes the saying better late than never a little bitter in this case though.

Us Detroiters knew this already and obviously the UK long ago. About time the whole world recognize it.

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Stevie Wonder on Harp

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All I can say is Berry Gordy was crazy. Some of the hits you hear and know that were hits for other female Motown Groups were first recorded by The Vevelettes as Demos. Make no mistake this group had more then enough talent.

This from just one born and raised Detroiter.

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All Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers.

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