This performance from the 1972 Ohio State Fair features the Osmonds doing a song that opened many of their shows in the early 1970s. Motown Special is a medley of songs of Motown.

Not only was it the opening song of their shows it was also the opening song of their self-titled first album released in 1970.

Songs of the medley include; Motown Special, My World Is Empty Without You and I’m Gonna Make You Love Me.

By the time of the 1972 Ohio State Fair performance they had changed the words slightly using Osmond Special instead of Motown Special.

Two clips of Edwin Starr singing his 1970 war protest song War. One is from the 70′s. Not sure when the second one is from, but it’s obviously much later than the first.

The song was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong. It was Edwin Starr’s most successful song as well as the most successful anti-war song. It reached the number 1 spot in 1970.

The song was also recorded by the Temptations, although their version was slightly less intense than Starr’s. Motown was debating whether or not to release the Temptations version as a single when Starr volunteered to re-record the song. Motown had been afraid that it could hurt the Temptation’s career.

Starr’s version was more in a James Brown inspired Soul-Shout and the song instead of hurting his career gave him a successful one.

Bruce Springsteen had the song as part of his concert and it was recorded as part of the Live/1975-85 album. Springsteen released his live version as a single and once again it was a big seller, reaching Number 8 on the charts.

“War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothin’!” The line is just as meaningful in 2009 as it was in 1970. It’s surprising that someone hasn’t re-recorded it. At least the Starr and the Springsteen versions are still being played.

If there was a theme song for the sexual freedom of the 1970s Let’s Get It On the 1973 hit by Marvin Gaye could easily be it. Marvin along with Ed Townsend wrote the song which was also the title of his followup to What’s Going On.

The song reach the top of the Billboard charts on September 8, 1973, staying there for two weeks. It is also one of the biggest selling singles released by Motown. It sold over two million copies in its first six weeks of release.

Even though Ed Townsend had originally wrote the song with more of a religious theme, Motown and Marvin Gaye changed it to one that as one critic called, the best overtly sensual music anyone in rock has ever made,”.

The Jackson 5ive series debuted on September 11, 1971 with the last episode showing on September 1, 1973 on ABC. Season 1 had 17 episodes with Season 2 adding another 6. Other than the music of the brothers none of them voiced the parts of their cartoon images.

Beginning on September 9, 1972 the Jackson Five was joined in cartoon land by the Osmonds. In this case the brothers voiced their cartoon images and were join by their younger brother Jimmy. 17 episodes were produced in their single series.

The Undisputed Truth was assembled by Motown producer Norman Whitfield as a means to experiment with his psychedelic soul production techniques. Joe Harris was the male lead singer, with Billie Rae Calvin and Brenda Joyce as additional leads and background vocals.

Smiling Faces Sometimes composed by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong was their biggest single release and reached as high as Number 3 in the summer of 1971.

The song was originally recorded by the Temptations and was on their 1971 Sky’s the Limit album, where the song ran over 12 minutes, most of which is comprised of extended instrumental passages by the Funk brothers.

The Motown Rock group Rare Earth also recorded a version on their 1973 album Ma.

“It was the 3rd of September, that day I’ll always remember, yes I will. ‘Cause that was the day that my daddy died.” These are the first lines from the 1972 Temptations hit, Papa was a Rolling Stone.

On the album, All Directions, producer Norman Whitfield, who along with Barrett Strong composed the song, created a nearly 12 minute version. The song was begins with long instrumental introduction done by the Motown session group the Funk Brothers. Between each of the three verses there was also extended instrumental passages.

The song reached Number 1 in December of 1972 and was the last big hit that the group had.

The Temptations were not the first artists to record the song. The Undisputed Truth recorded the song and released it in early 1972. Their version top out at Number 63. The Undisputed Truth biggest record Smiling Faces Sometimes had been recorded originally by the Temptations.

Like many the first time I heard the song was the single release by the Temptations, I don’t know if I have ever heard the version done by the Undisputed Truth. ‘Papa’ was a song with a real funky groove and one I enjoyed a lot. But once I heard the album version I really couldn’t enjoy the song any other way.

It really isn’t what one would call a Temptations song, very much different from the hits of the 60′s (My Girl, Ain’t Too Proud to Beg, The Way You Do the Things You Do), and not at all like their 1971 classic Just My Imagination, but one that helped define the music as produced for Motown by Norman Whitfield.

Along with the All Directions LP the full 12 minute version can be found on Psychedelic Soul