Levi Stubbs...Tears

October 17, 2008 10:19 AM

Levi Stubbs. Tears.
posted by Webbster (42 comments total)

don't walk away
posted by philip-random at 10:28 AM on October 17, 2008

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posted by DaddyNewt at 10:29 AM on October 17, 2008

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posted by Sk4n at 10:30 AM on October 17, 2008

♪
posted by Smart Dalek at 10:32 AM on October 17, 2008

... and Little Shop of Horrors would not have been a tenth as great without his awesome and incredible performance as the voice of Audrey II.

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posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 10:33 AM on October 17, 2008 [2 favorites]

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posted by mwhybark at 10:34 AM on October 17, 2008

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posted by The Card Cheat at 10:34 AM on October 17, 2008

(and may I say, such an elegantly constructed post.)
posted by mwhybark at 10:35 AM on October 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

Bernadette
Baby, I Need Your Lovin'
Reach Out I'll Be There
posted by kirkaracha at 10:42 AM on October 17, 2008

Levi, you're in Rock and Soul Heaven. Sing it!
posted by doctorschlock at 10:51 AM on October 17, 2008

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posted by fixedgear at 10:57 AM on October 17, 2008

if i were a carpenter
posted by pyramid termite at 10:59 AM on October 17, 2008

It's the same old song, but with a different meaning since you've been gone.

RIP, Levi.
posted by scody at 11:22 AM on October 17, 2008

Levi and Aretha, one of his last performances.
posted by serazin at 11:30 AM on October 17, 2008 [8 favorites]

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posted by Sailormom at 11:31 AM on October 17, 2008

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posted by the_very_hungry_caterpillar at 11:38 AM on October 17, 2008

damn you serazin, for making me cry at work.
posted by gnutron at 11:41 AM on October 17, 2008

Bernadette l Get Ready l Baby I Need Your Lovin' l Reach Out I'll Be There

Levi Stubbs, thank you for countless hours over decades for life energizing, fun, shake my booty Motown dance music. Thanks for the joy. May you rest in peace.
posted by nickyskye at 11:42 AM on October 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

Reach Out (I'll Be There) (60's TV performance)
Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)
Are You Man Enough
Keeper of the Castle
Still Water (Love)
posted by LinusMines at 11:47 AM on October 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

serazin, I don't know whether to thank you for that clip or not, seeing that I'm now openly weeping at work!

on preview: *passes gnutron the kleenex*
posted by scody at 11:48 AM on October 17, 2008

damn...
posted by aiq at 12:15 PM on October 17, 2008

Thankfully, we still have Holland and Holland (and Lamont Dozier, too!) here to make it all okay for you.
posted by turaho at 12:30 PM on October 17, 2008

serazine, great link...that just opened me wide up. Dunno what was he was afflicted with but it was remarkable that even though he had to have the words whispered to him, his timing was frigging impeccable. And he filled out those major seventh chords beautifully too.

Man, when a cat has it, a cat really has it.
posted by salishsea at 12:38 PM on October 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

Shit. I already had a mix of old Motown playing when this post came up. The music's just become a little more bittersweet.
posted by ardgedee at 12:43 PM on October 17, 2008

Got to open for the Tops once and met the man. Class all the way.

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posted by bonefish at 1:11 PM on October 17, 2008

Came here for the Mother Brain reference.

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posted by jozxyqk at 1:38 PM on October 17, 2008

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posted by vibrotronica at 1:54 PM on October 17, 2008

Bernadette!
posted by shoepal at 2:08 PM on October 17, 2008

Oh, man. One of the great voices silenced.

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posted by jonmc at 3:29 PM on October 17, 2008

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posted by OolooKitty at 4:40 PM on October 17, 2008

Goddammit, Serazin... you got me too with that one. Hope my office mate here at work isn't noticing me wiping the tears of my face.

Also:

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posted by Hairy Lobster at 4:52 PM on October 17, 2008

oops, I thought the post read Levi Strauss who is very venerable and old.
posted by bodywithoutorgans at 6:36 PM on October 17, 2008

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posted by brandz at 7:44 PM on October 17, 2008

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posted by Wolof at 7:45 PM on October 17, 2008

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posted by Jofus at 12:26 AM on October 18, 2008

Renee
posted by philip-random at 1:08 AM on October 18, 2008

My Dad had a few Four Tops CDs when I was a kid, and he'd always put them on in the car. Great listening, and obviously as a child you never realise how great they were relative to everyone else - you just think that's some great music. So many amazing songs.
posted by djgh at 5:41 AM on October 18, 2008

one day they'll talk about giants like Stubbs the way we now talk of Beethoven and Bach
posted by matteo at 7:23 AM on October 18, 2008

Needs more Seven Rooms of Gloom.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 8:42 AM on October 18, 2008

For those who were moved by that late Stubbs video, I found the link on the really excellent blog Undercover Black Man.
posted by serazin at 10:20 AM on October 18, 2008

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posted by Mental Wimp at 3:44 PM on October 18, 2008

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posted by flapjax at midnite at 1:12 AM on October 19, 2008