Martha Reeves And The Vandellas - Step Into My Shoes

[keithcop]

This fun song is perfect for Martha, and it's great to see the Vandellas up there too! Great production!

[Pruner15]

Martha Reeves had it over "Ms. Ross" a thousand times. Better range, better style, better EVERYTHING...and still does.

She has great stage presence and always looks likes she's having a great time. GO MARTHA !!!

[myke1958]

I loved her classic 60's work, but at some point she began to warble when she sang. Martha and Diana were two classic singers in their own right...they don't need to be compared.

[seannoriega1030]

Martha sang the hell out of this song.

[Hello3691]

I love this group to bad they got no attention in the 80's

[seannoriega1030]

The Grand Dame Diva is back..and she's displaying mor fire and verve than she has since 1974's We Meet Again. Amazing that these ladies have held it together like this.

[gayboylaca]

A very catchy song - great for Martha's voice. It is nice to see her performing with the original Vandella's in this video. Thanks to Ian Levine for getting this video recorded and posted.

[seannoriega1030]

..Listen to the notes she hits...her tone and pitch are more soulful than diane Ross could ever hope to have. Her voice is out of heaven.. The background singers in this video seem to be having a hard time staying on the right foot...But Martha's voice is a dream...I would love to get a recording of "your love makes it all worthwhile"..Arguably her greatest recording.

[JackMDT8888]

Met her in '73 or 74 here in the UK......she's lovely too........she was blown away how us white boys in the UK loved her stuff.........still got mycasino membership that she signed.......

[99monkee]

so good these guys are still going strong

[MotownMaster]

The Vandellas and Velvelettes are stiil going with their original members

[OliverPenn1]

THIS IS MARTHA REEVES AND THE ORIGINAL VANDELLAS! How incredible. Martha's voice is wonderful -- all of that gospel training still manifests itself in her grand vocals.

[supremeking1230]

It sounds like The Andantes singing the background vocals.

[MarvDETROIT]

Go Martha, Roz and Annette!

[shellyellyelly]

im an 11 year old....

so im into rock,(crushcrushcrush by paramore) or hiphop (girlfriend by bow wow ) pop ( with you by chris brown) country (so small by carrie underwood) rap (shake your money maker by ludacris featuring pharrell) and kids songs like (east northumbland high by hannah montanna)

but this music is pretty impressive, it's actually quite amazing, and yes you're probably thinking she doesn't know anything because I am only a 6th grader. so I am going to start listening to Motown

[IanLevine]

I'm genuinely excited and thrilled. A comment like this makes a meaning of all I'm doing. Click on my name and look through my 278 videos so far posted on YouTube, and discover a world that's hidden from the public, but much beloved by anyone with taste. Thankyou.

[motorcitymiguel]

You Go Little Girl!! You have good taste..

[gatasalvaje777]

wow...now i know, that the future isnt all bleak and dismal! this little girl has great taste :)

[taddyd1]

Ian, can you post some more Syreeta? Did you ever work with Ta Ta? Thanks for sharing your passion. I hung out with Martha several times and met her at her solo debut at Mr Kelley's in Chicago. She was super sweet to me, her adoring kid fan who had driven all the way from Des Moines to see her first solo show. Wish she'd complied and made your lp. She sounds good here, has something happened to her voice the last 5 yrs, she seems out of steam and wobbly voiced??

[tshawn1]

I saw Martha live in 2004 and 2006 and she was wonderful !She's quite smoking her voice sounded great !Martha's voice is a lot stronger now check her out !Shawn

[motown616]

good song its good for martha in the 80's.

revlend is fat thow. lois is good. this was not a no. 1 hit

[IanLevine]

I assume you mean Rosalind and Annette. Lois was not in the original Vandellas, she became a Vandella many many years later.

[tshawn1]

Dear Ian I just saw that you have a 3 DVD set coming out and I wanted to know if you knew about how much it would run as far as cost ?Shawn

[IanLevine]

It's coming out on Wienerworld and their website should tell you the price. It's 100 videos from Motorcity artists, on three discs, and is probably around fourteen quid for the whole lot.

[IanLevine]

I got the price way wrong. It's three discs, one hundred videos, and it's about twenty four quid for the set of three.

[waynebrasler]

Martha is the great Motown survivor. Somehow, someway through all the years and all she's been through she always bobbed up to the top--still talented, still intelligent, still living a meaningful life, still contributing to the community. Bringing Roslyn and Annette back into the fold was a stroke of genius; they fell right back into being Vandellas with style and spark.

[sensationsmag]

Here's the real question: will Martha & the Vandellas do a 50th Anniversary Tour in 2008?

[IanLevine]

The original Vandellas tour and perform with Pat Lewis. Knowing Martha as I do, I can't imagine she'd ever team up with them again after that. Which is a shame, but that's the way she is.

[parisrabone3]

what happened between them?

[IanLevine]

Lets just say that they're now performing separately.

[loveblind]

I love Martha's version of "You're All I Need To Get By" with the soulful G.C. Cameron, The photo they took for the single cover say enough right there!

[Heysexybtches]

ugggh I still cant find this song anywhere. Anyone know where I can find it?

[MarvD]

Those ladies hadn't lost a thing by that point (1989-90). Great song, great performance. It could have made the Adult Contemporary Charts.

[motorcitymiguel]

Ian Levine, you did a wonderful job on Martha + The Vandellas, you can hear Miss Rosline + Annette, Thank God. They were just as important a Martha. Thanks for acknowledging there talents also. The best to you.

[paultinsel]

the vandellas always sound so tight i  love them

[tshawn1]

Dear Mr.Levine I am was wondering if there is any video footage of Martha performing #1 are Angels In Disguise ?Shawn

[IanLevine]

I only wish there was, but there isn't.

[mpmikemp]

This is a better live than stuff from the 60's She really did not develop a "live" voice till much later. Her early live recordings were nothing compared to studio recordings where her voice was "fixed".

[tshawn1]

I have never heard Martha and she's happy wants to sing need fixng of any kind .Hell there is live Vocals of Martha from 62 doing "Come Get These Memories and she sounds just like record .Motown live in Paris is good example of Martha in early live performances .Shawn

[taddyd1]

WRONG! She did get better, I agree. Ready Steady Go is proof she was HOT from the git.

[maingee]

Well I love Martha & the Vandellas, but for me to say they sound better than they did (back in the 60's)would be a flat out lie. Martha's voice has faded and she is nowhere near as good as she once was.

[tshawn1]

I think she is as good if not better than she was in the 60's maybe you just can't appreciate Martha talent now !

[maingee]

I feel some people like yourself just don't wanna admit that Martha has lost her voice. I'm entitled to my opinion just as you are to yours. But I think Martha herself would admit she is not as good as her 60's days.

[Heysexybtches]

Is that actually Martha's voice? Im hearing this really cool extreme high pitched vibrato

[IanLevine]

She's singing it live on a TV show that we did. The vocal on the record itself sounds far superior.

[jocrews29]

Where can I find this recording? This song is very much like their hits Heatwave and Quicksand. I'd do about anything to have this on disc

[IanLevine]

Originally, in 1989, there were both a seven inch and twelve inch singles, and the twelve inch had a fabulous picture sleeve. Try E-Bay.

[tshawn1]

Yep thats Martha's voice !She really not putting as much into the song as she should but it was a good vocal in my opinion just not as good as she's capable of doing!

[seannoriega1030]

If you have had the pleasure of hearing Martha's 1974 release on Fantasy records entitled "We Meet Again", you will know that her voice is quite amazing and she is quite capable of reaching some very high notes. Her voice is exquisite, and I still think that of all the Motown singers, she is the most talented.

[Individuell83]

Sry but I liked her voice in the 60. more than in this video.

[dvlaries]

There's no way around it -- when singers are 'performing' the songs with all that dancing, they're getting winded, all the more so if middle-aged. But if they'd had to get in all that dancing in the studio too when they were making the records they wouldn't sound as good either. That's why seeing Motown acts on TV was a mixed pleasure even in the heyday; I'd have been just as happy if they sat in recliners and lip-synced the records. Music videos finally solved that problem.

[stv100]

Matha Reeves works so hard and I saw her 'live' in the UK several times with Roaslaine and Annette. She played a club in Leeds to an audience of about twenty (it had been raided the previous night) and did a great but breif set! She didn't mind chatting to me while the band warmed up'. Thanks Martha!

[pieroangelo1]

thank from old italian fan motown!!!

martha is the very queen !!!

[SmoothCinnamonX]

I love the "church sustahs" clapping to the rhythm at 3:30! LOL

[philco53]

GREAT RARE [UK] VIDEO OF: MARTHA, ROSALIND & ANNETTE. THE CLASSIC MOTOWN GROUP. MARTHA's VOICE IS IN TOP FORM IN 1989. THANK YOU IAN FOR THIS WONDERFUL VIDEO.

[Jobeterob]

Yes, Martha was her old self on this. Time marches on and none of the Motown stars really are totally like they were in their heyday. Martha has aged a bit more than most of the others.

[IanLevine]

As far as this video goes, which was 1989, so it's eighteen years ago, she still looks and sounds like classic Martha.

[blackcladlizard]

What show was this and who is the all male group sitting there?

[IanLevine]

It was a local show I put together in Detroit, and the male group is the Contours, who performed First I Look At The Purse.

[truegeechie]

I admire Martha for the contribution that she has made to music history, but I am surprised how much her singing voice has degraded over the years compared to others of her generation, Aretha Franklin, Patti Labelle and Diana Ross. Nevertheless I do appreciate the effort she put forth.

[tshawn1]

Sorry You feel Martha's voice has degraded most feel she's gotten better with time !Martha Reeves Rocks and her voice is just fine she's getting great reviews for her shows from Italy to Spain to Main !Shawn

[truegeechie]

I know it is impossible for our bodies and abilities to stay the same as we age. But when I view the clip of Martha singing heatwave with the Vandellas and this performance, it almost seems like a different person. She is still a great performer.

[seannoriega1030]

Her voice is probably one of the greatest to come through Motown. Ms. Ross' voice cannot hold a candle to Martha's. She is an institution

[cfscfs]

Great Motown sound on this one. Had no idea this video existed. Thanks for this Vandellas reunion. Special thanks to Ian for the informative overviews.

[SmoothCinnamonX]

Okay, I had a dream last night that this song was a comeback hit for Martha in the states and that it hit #30 on Billboard's Black Singles Chart in November '89. (!) Weird. I LoVE tHIIS SONG!!!!

[motorcitymiguel]

Thanks for this video, bought the record, first time seeing Martha, Miss Rosaline + Annette perform it, wonderful, be great for a new remix + updated production for us Motown + Dance lovers. Martha + The Vandellas look fabulous.

[SmoothCinnamonX]

Ian, thank you SO much for sharing this! I have never heard this song, but had heard of it, and IT IS SLAMMIN'! What a great hook! I love how the sistahs in the audience were just rocking to it ;o) Martha still sounded great in '89 - love her high tremelos! FAVORITED.