Darlene Love and Ronnie Spector - Christmas medley

[Dickneeds]

What show is the video from and when was it ?

[KRxN11]

This is royalty! Long live these two divas! Beautiful! Wish I could meet them in person!krxn11

[Jan9902]

nah that can't be darlene love!

[Canaboy12]

spector analzer: this is "bad-ass" , when was this made?

[chuckmall]

This must have been the 90s based on their hair!

[ChuChu353]

Ronnie Spector and Darlene Love: Rock &:Roll HOF!!!!!!!!

[hidoll22]

Ronnie dress is short

[chuckbuckbobuck]

@gymnastics--Oops! My mistake. I remember it being David Ruffin so it was the Temptations and not the Four Tops on the special. They started off the special in their pajamas waiting for Santa Claus to come--it was a nice segue into the show itself which was great. Sorry about the mistake gymnastix--no disrespect intended.

[ivyfield]

The ironic thing is, these classics had NOTHING to do with Motown but hey, that's American TV executive decisions for you!

[Vincent50]

Well I have to add that I recorded this Motown Christmas special in 1987. On the show was the Pointer Sisters, Ronnie, Darlene, Phillip Thomas, The Temptaions, Redd Fox, Lola Falana, Stephanie Mills, Run DMC, a black actress whose name I forgot, a singer whose voice was five ocataves high whose name escapes me, and a white female singer who sang Silver Bells so beautifully. I loved this show and this clip is from it.

[Sincopare]

@Vincent50 Thanks for sharing

[chuckbuckbobuck]

I remember this song from this Christmas special 20

+ years ago. To give you an idea how old this is--Phillip Michael Thomas was the MC. Yes Phillip Michael Thomas from Miami Vice so you can tell how old this special was based on that fact. Natalie Cole was in this show as well as the Four Tops--including David Ruffin who has long left us. Boy Ronnie looks great and this was the first time I saw her on a show as I was a very little kid when whe was at her peak of her career.

[gymnastix]

@chuckbuckbobuck David Ruffin was the lead singer of The Temptations, 'not' of The Four Tops.. Levy Stubbs was the lead singer of The Four Tops. Both are now deceased, as are all the original Temptations (unless you count Dennis Edwards, who came later), and another of the Tops, too..

[bolder2009]

@gymnastix Levi Stubbs

[Farinadog13]

@gymnastix Otis Williams of the original Temptations is still alive and performing with the latest line-up of the Temps. Also Duke Fakir of the original Four Tops.

[gymnastix]

@Farinadog13 @Farinadog13 I didn't state all the Tops were dead, only that I knew Levi Stubbs, the group's longtime frontman, had died, and "another" of the Tops had died before him, by whom I meant Lawrence Payton.

In between those two original Tops, Renaldo "Obie" Benson had also died, This leaves, as you wrote, only one surviving, original member, Abdul "Duke" Fakir.

[gymnastix]

@Farinadog13 Without Stubbs' distinctive voice, many woud say The Four Tops should have hung up their mikes. The same may be said of The Temptations, without David Ruffin and/or Eddie Kendricks. I thought Otis Williams had died. Sorry, my mistake.

[gymnastix]

@Farinadog13  But my bigger point is I think it a mistake for these vocal groups with few or no significant original members to continue. Such entities are merely cashing in on the legacies of other persons.

Can you imagine The Rolling Stones continuing without Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, but especially without Jagger?

[nitropost]

I agree but the Stones analogy is little loose, after all two of the original members have retired and one is dead.

[MisterDyinglySad]

@nitropost Who are the two retired Stones? Brian Jones is in fact dead and Bill Wyman is indeed retired. But Keith, Mick & Charlie soldier on.

[nitropost]

@MisterDyinglySad Did a very small search and guess what? You are right, I got sidetracked by an Aussie site that sent out a bullshit lie. Hey, glad that he is still trucking.

[gymnastix]

@Farinadog13 My advice to such groups--start a new group, but don't call the group to which you were hired as a "spare part" by the group's original name, not when there are less original than new members in the group.

[motown008ty]

To Phil Spector',,The old saying "what goes around comes around"is very pertinent in your case.

[markjanowiak1]

Ronnie still looks good. Haven't seen Darlene is ages - back when I worked at the village gate and she was @a competing venue!

[SuperScotch23]

clearly these two ladies are LEGENDS! This Is how you have a rockin' Christmas!

[KRxN11]

Two of the greatest voices of the 2oth century! Long live HRH Ronnie & HRH Darlene, Spector & Love, respectively! Thyanks for all the great music!!!krxn11

[RadioGuy1000]

What a shame the audio is so low..

[Sox575]

Fantastic! Although Ronnie looks like Bette Davis after her stroke; this must've been during her drug days. But her and Darlene sound great!

[myrnlynn1117]

I dont know why u think these ladies are Motown..They are Phil Spectors

wall of sound girls... That is where these records are from.. Phil Spectors

Christmas is one of the best rock Christmas cd's out ....Rated very high...

Remember Ronnie Spector, Phil Spector's wife...

[JohnnyMoonShooter]

@myrnlynn1117 EX-WIFE

[dalanbronnenberg]

Ronnie Specter was the first black girl I was ever knocked out over.

But Darlene is the voice of Motown

[THEKAYLAJONESSHOW]

@dalanbronnenberg Darlene Love had nothing to do with motown....she was based on the west coast....she was signed to Philles Records and she and The Blossoms actually sang most of The Crystal's songs.

[gymnastix]

@THEKAYLAJONESSHOW Not entirely true. Darlene Love had contracts with other entities before and following her association with Phil Spector.

Also, Love and her actual group, The Blossoms, did not record "most" of The Crystals hits. The Crystals recorded most of The Crystals hits.

[gymnastix]

@THEKAYLAJONESSHOW It was only that Love recorded a few of them, because she was geographically situated closer to Spector when he needed to quickly release "He's A Rebel," allegedly to beat out a mainstream version (of the Gene Pitney-written tune) recorded by Vicki Carr.

Spector also released "He's Sure The Boy I Love" under The Crystals moniker, even though were also Love's lead vocals on that record.

[gymnastix]

@THEKAYLAJONESSHOW But most of The Crystals other hits ("Da Doo Ron Ron," "Then He Kised Me," "Uptown," etc.) were actually recorded by The Crystals, albeit "Da Doo Ron Ron" was La La Brooks on leads, with back-ups by The Blossoms.

[gymnastix]

@THEKAYLAJONESSHOW The lead vocals of The Crystals' later hits ("Da Doo Ron Ron" "Then He Kissed Me," "I Wonder," "Little Boy") were by Brooks; earlier ones, such as "There's No Other (Like My Baby)"/"Oh Yeah. Maybe Baby," and "Uptown," with their Spanish Harlem musical influences (deliberately made by Spector to sound like "female Drifters" records), the lead vocals were by Barbara Alston, who, with Dolores "Dee Dee" Kennibrew, was an original Crystal.

[gymnastix]

@THEKAYLAJONESSHOW I know your larger point is Darlene Love (and Ronnie Spector) had nothing to do with Motown, that being a West Coast girl (in Love's case), and a New Yorker (in Ronnie Spector's), they had no association with the Detroit-based Motown label. That is correct.

[gymnastix]

@THEKAYLAJONESSHOW But it is not true that Love sang most of The Crystals hits. The legend that since Spector owned The Crystals name he could make whoever he wanted "The Crystals" was once to the detriment of Darlene Love, but has now worked against the actual Crystals, who did, in fact, record most of their songs themselves.

[gymnastix]

@THEKAYLAJONESSHOW Both Veronica ("Ronnie") Bennett Spector Greenfield and Darlene ("Love") Wright Peete Mitchell Allison are doing just fine now anyway, are raking in the dough from live shows and other ventures, both inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in their own rights.

[gymnastix]

@THEKAYLAJONESSHOW Both also eventually prevailed on royalties lawsuits against Phil Spector, although with the legendary producer in prison for second-degree murder, his trustees are stalling payments, forcing Darlene, Ronnie and their co-plaintiffs to continue litigation in order to secure their past dues.

[gymnastix]

@THEKAYLAJONESSHOW It would be nice to see The Crystals (or at least Alston, Kennibrew, and Brooks, if not also Mary Thomas, Merna Girard, and Patricia Wright) reunite, and have another, actual hit. They should hire Quincy Jones, or another producer of renown, to give them one.

And with today's better-informed business situation, a revived Crystals could earn more performance and recording royalties themselves, the "Spector" of denial no longer a threat to earned income on new recordings.

[CheckMate657879]

@dalanbronnenberg What do you mean Darlene Love is the "voice of Motown?" The Ronettes, the Crystals, the Blossoms, Darlene Love were NOT Motown artists.  They are merely guests on this Christmas Special. Sheesh!

[gymnastix]

@CheckMate657879 I know--"Sheesh!" But you must surely know by now most people don't know as much about pop and rock & roll history as those who are its most serious fans, persons such as you & I.

Also, as there was no "Philles Christmas" TV special, Darlene and Ronnie had to be "lumped" somewhere. So they put 'em on this special, as Motown the most famous black-identified record label (at least with white people).

[gymnastix]

@CheckMate657879 And, for the uneducated (not you, Checkmate657879), Philles is an amalgam of "Phil "and "Les" (for record producer Phil Specter, and his one-time partner and a mentor, Lester Sill).

Today, Philles exists only as a name for copyright purposes, no active recordings being produced with the name as a label, especially with its main man in prison. I think Philles may now actually be owned and/or distributed by Sony.

[playgirlc]

two of my favourite female voices :o)

[dluxd]

THANKGODDESS

[GlenQuagmireful]

Mind boggling,,,,Great. Congratulations to Darlene Love for election to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame! 

[LesbianVampireLover]

December 15th, Ronnie Spector will perform on Letterman. And the following week, we'll likely get to watch Darlene Love's annual performance! YES!!!!!

[corinacortez]

Anyone want to purchase the whole special of motown merry christmas on dvd? Please contact me.... Corina.cortez@ymail.com

[JADNJALEN]

@corinacortez how much for the dvd copy????

[GETOSUPASTAR]

omg, i just got chills... i remember we taped this special when it first aired back in '87 (i think?) and my mother and i would watch it EVERY year during the holidays... wow, the memories... umm... those were the days...

[46pedi]

Correct is MOTOWN MERRY CHRISTMAS! Fantastic show from 1987.

[46pedi]

From the MERRY MOTOWN CHRISTMAS TV show. Very great!!!