I wish the music sounded more…
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lameboy — 16 years ago(February 07, 2010 09:27 AM)
Dreamgirls is a Broadway musical, with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. Based upon the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Supremes, The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others, the musical follows the story of a young female singing trio from Chicago, Illinois called "The Dreams", who become music superstars.
Dreamgirls opened on December 20, 1981 at the Imperial Theatre, and was nominated for thirteen Tony Awards, including the Tony Award for Best Musical, and won six.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreamgirls
Anything can be a game as long as there's a loser. -
CurtisTaylorJr — 16 years ago(October 31, 2009 08:31 PM)
Not all 60s music was Motown, much of it was very different and the score of Dreamgirls focused more on that style. If I didn't bother reading the posts I reply too, I wouldn't have corrected your misinformation.
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MissBrookeDavis — 16 years ago(December 14, 2009 08:45 AM)
back in college an english professor of mine asked our class to watch this movie to study the transition of speech & language from the 60's onwards.
I have to say nothing changed much, only the music.
But deeeyyymmm the music in this movie.
Well in fairness, some of the songs were bearable to listen to but in my humble opinion j-hud's voice should have been toned down a bit. I get it that they might have been aiming for an Aretha imitation, but J-hud just didn't pull it off quite right. the girl can act & there's no doubt about that, but even though i can't belt out high notes like she can i certainly have an idea about what's pleasant to hear and what's not. everytime it was her turn to sing i remember keeping the volume waaay down.
Good movie, but I'm half-hearted about jennifer hudson's singing.- If a song could get me you *
JFoxy
- If a song could get me you *
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They-Call-Me-Steve — 16 years ago(January 29, 2010 06:49 PM)
Dreamgirls came out in 1981 (on Broadway I mean), therefor the songs were written before 1981.
That said, I do agree with the OP and with Pat ODay here for the most part. Though I didn't hate the movie (the acting and story were fine), most of the songs were kinda stinky and really didn't capture the feel of Motown music. Too Broadway sounding, which makes sense I guess, since that's really what they are. -
smeth — 15 years ago(April 18, 2010 09:10 AM)
I am in my 50s, I grew up during this time. I agree completely that the music doesn't sound like it came from the 60s. All of it sounds more like late 70s disco and R&B. Funny thing, the movie music tries to fix this, because the original stage arrangements from 1981 sound like pure 70s disco.
When someone writes music for a musical set in a different time, they have a choice of making the music contemporary or from the earlier period. I think in 1980, Henry Krieger decided to write music from 1980 so that it would sound fresh to the theater audiences.
Examples:
Hairspray (contemporary music)
Little Shop of Horrors (period music)
Years later, for a story
about the music industry of the 60s and early 70s
, the music sounds wrong to people who are familiar with the music. -
BallroomDaysAreOver — 15 years ago(May 17, 2010 09:21 AM)
My opinion: These are not bad songs, and the movie is good but not great.
Fact: They do not sound like authentic Motown.
I am watching the movie as I write this, and so far, the closest any of these songs have come to vintage Motown sound is (I think its called) "I Love You I Do" - It sounds like a Marvin Gaye cut from the
How Sweet It Is
album in 1965, despite the reversed gender role, of course. The very first song The Dreams sing at the talent show in the beginning sounds more like a Kent song. Kent was a much lesser-known black/soul label in the same era where Ike & Tina Turner did some of their early recordings. Motown had a very distinct sound that put it above labels like Kent and Soul City, and that distinction can be attributed almost entirely to two advantages that Motown had on other record labels: The Holland/Dozier/Holland songwriting team, and The Funk Brothers studio band. Neither had anything to do with the music in Dreamgirls, and it shows. NOT to take anything from the movie, because it is good, but it sounds very, very little like soul music from the sixties in general, much less the mighty Motown. -
MsBubbles — 15 years ago(January 29, 2011 06:58 PM)
Smeth - very well written. I agree. I'm watching this movie right now and realize the composers had no intention of making it sound like authentic 60s motown. It does certainly sound more like late 70s, which makes a lot of sense since that's probably when the songs were written.