The Andantes - Lightning Never Strikes Twice video free download


17,106
Duration: 03:57
Uploaded: 2007/03/26

This particular song is a stomping piece of eighties High Energy by The Andantes. Louvain Demps is singing lead vocals, but most of our other recordings by The Andantes had Pat Lewis on lead. Jackie Hicks tended to be the organiser and what I would term as the lead member, but she never aspired to be the lead vocalist. The Andantes were Motown's famous backing girls. From the beginning of the sixties, right up to the early seventies, across about thirteen years, they managed to sing backing vocals on a staggering estimated twenty thousand songs. There were five members throughout the years, Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, Louvain Demps, Pat Lewis, and Ann Bogan. Their one single on the V.I.P. label, "Like A Nightmare", is one of the rarest and most sought after Motown singles of all time. When we came to Detroit in 1989, they hadn't sung together for several years, but we got four of them back togather again and recorded several songs, as well as them doing the backing vocals on everybody else's records. Their brilliance lies in their speed. They are able to work out an arrangement and lay it down within half an hour, meaning that we had a second studio on the go, and used it for just backing vocals. These were mainly supervised by Rick Gianatos, while I was doing the lead vocals in the main studio. They were knocking out twelve or fifteen sets of backing vocals in a day. Louvain came back specially to Detroit from Atlanta and the other three still live in Detroit. The Andantes appeared in England a few years ago, but Louvain was the only original member and she had Karen Pree doing lead vocals. Karen was a wonderful singer who we recorded for Motorcity ourselves, but certainly never with The Andantes. It somehow felt wrong to me. But Pat joined Louvain for the Motown concert in Pittsburgh, but surprisingly not for the UK Andantes appearance, which, if Jackie and Marlene weren't going to do it, felt wrong again. My favourite Andantes memory is when Mary Wells flew into Detroit to do a TV appearance for us and she re-recorded "My Guy", but refused to do so unless the Andantes were on backing vocals, just like the original, and she made such a fuss of them. Memories.

Comments

10 years ago

Ra Nu

My mother said they did work on Jr Walker's songs, and sometimes Marvin Gaye would join them a few recordings.

15 years ago

ragdemus

wow! their amazing!

15 years ago

deep71483

Exactly, very unique, very haunting.

15 years ago

deep71483

They have the most interesting voices.

15 years ago

swso2000

Do you really think 25 year old Diana Ross was that calculated. She wanted to be a star and she did what Berry told her to do and worked her ass off. I'm 36 and I can't imagine people being mad at what I did a decade ago. You are pissed at a 65 year old for something you think she did 40 years ago.

16 years ago

Dianese Howard

never knew who they Motown vocalists were: I always wondered who was doing the female vocals on the Motown records and also wondered why the harmony on Supremes was 3 part when there were only 2 Supremes doing backup -

16 years ago

MarvelettesDude

i wish Like a Nightmare was posted

16 years ago

italoman9

I got new for y'all. Listen closely, and they were also on several cuts of The Supremes' before Florence left, too...for example, many album cuts including several on the group's 1965 "Merry Christmas" album.

16 years ago

kurtsupreme

What do you mean that Mary and Cindy were not needed in the studio? Berry Gordy and Diane calculatedly used the Andantes and others to prepare for Diane's solo career. The purpose was so the public would disassociate Diane's voice from the ladies of the Supremes. You've been reading too much "Ross and Gordy propaganda.....you.....you... "Ross as a solo act" fan, you!!!!! The Supremes records without Mary and Flo didn't even sell except "love Child" and "Someday." The public wanted the trio.

16 years ago

poohbear9174

There were many post Flo Supreme records that did well that featured the Andantes; most notably Love Child, I'm Livin In Shame , I'm Gonna Make You Love Me and Floy Joy(w/Jean Terrell on lead)

16 years ago

jordan rigley

louvain is a legend.. met her recently.. I was star struck !!

16 years ago

Charles Thompson

Are these the same women who sang on the Four ops Records. The background vocals are pretty prominent on songs like Reach Out I'll Be There

16 years ago

IanLevine

That's Louvain Demps

16 years ago

Tavon Fenwick

The person doing lead has a cool voice

17 years ago

Wayne Brasler

The Andantes do all the background vocals on the Marvelettes albums "In Full Bloom" and "Return of the Marvelettes." They do a lot of overdubs in "Sophisticated Soul" and are heard on numerous Martha Reeves and the Vandellas recordings. They are heard on Diana Ross and the Supremes recordings post-Florence Ballard. But, notably, those records largely didn't sell as big as those with the Mary Wilson-Florence Ballard backgrounds, which were unique.

17 years ago

JonathanLGardner

OOOO I have managed to get the leads off of Forever Came Today and will post it if you like, just the instruments and The Andantes

17 years ago

Discoboy1974

Hi, I'm Søren from Denmark. I hope that people who like this music will join up to receive "Reaching For The Best - The IAN LEVINE Newsletter". I'm doing a regular e-mail newsletter for people who are fans of Ian Levine's music, just like myself. If you too are a genuine fan of his productions, and you love seeing these videos, then send me a message with your e-mail address and I'll add you to the list. It's all free, it's with Ian's full co-operation, so please join in!

17 years ago

paultinsel

they are great very tight vocals they ARE motown

18 years ago

stawberry19919

Cool! I actually like this song!

18 years ago

IanLevine

From left to right, Louvain Demps on lead, then Pat Lewis, Marlene Barrow, and Jackie Hicks, except in the shots where they're mirrored.

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