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Miracle M5 (B), July 1961
B-side of Oh Mother Of Mine
(Written by Mickey Stevenson and Eddie Kendricks)
Both sides of the Temptations’ début single were co-written by Mickey Stevenson and members of the group; Otis Williams had helped to pen the A-side Oh Mother Of Mine, while here falsetto Eddie Kendricks collaborated with Stevenson to produce this dated Fifties R&B rocker.
It’s unquestionably the weaker of the two sides; where the band had sounded nearly perfect on the A-side, here the apparently unenthused Funk Brothers thrash out an utterly unengaging uptempo number which aims for “raucous” but ends up with “uneven”. The lyrics are again unintelligble, and the two-handed lead vocal (shared between Kendricks and Paul Williams, an arrangement which had worked reasonably well on the A-side) is dreadful, Williams mumbling and stumbling his way through a perfunctory would-be rock-out, Kendricks literally squealing as he aims to find the top of his not-yet-matured falsetto range.
If this unstructured, forgettable mess had been the A-side, it’s possible we’d never have heard of the Temptations again. One to miss, I’m afraid.
MOTOWN JUNKIES VERDICT
(I’ve had MY say, now it’s your turn. Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment, or click the thumbs at the bottom there. Dissent is encouraged!)
You’re reading Motown Junkies, an attempt to review every Motown A- and B-side ever released. Click on the “previous” and “next” buttons below to go back and forth through the catalogue, or visit the Master Index for a full list of reviews so far.
(Or maybe you’re only interested in The Temptations? Click for more.)
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| The Temptations “Oh Mother Of Mine” |
The Golden Harmoneers “I Am Bound” |
Motown Junkies 
Whew! Glad this wasn’t the first Temptations release either! And this is not the Funk Brothers at their best.
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Maybe the Marvelettes were referring to this record when on “My Daddy Knows Best” they sang “Romance without finance can be a nuisance”.
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It’s not even original- there’s a 1945 record on Savoy, (notable for the presence of Charlie Parker), by Tiny Grimes with the same title and sentiments.
Yes, the Marvelettes song (written by Berry Gordy) also cops this phrase….
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Just noticed that the blog looks diffrent! LOL. I like it Steve D. = )
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Hey again Gov (& Hi Damecia) Curious about what you think of the other side of this record “Oh Mother of Mine”. I personally think it is one of the worst things the Temptations ever released IMHO of course!
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Hi Grandpa Landini! How are you feeling? Um, “Oh Mother of Mine” is interesting to me because I love it in The Temptations mini series/movie, but I hate it as a stand alone record.
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Hi, Thanks for your inquiries about my health. Been a bit of a rough week – not been feeling the greatest. Hopefully I can rest up this weekend. Blessings to you!
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Here’s the real Romance without Finance:
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I guess the link expired but this is the title of a Tiny Grimes song with a young Charlie Parker on sax and it’s a great record all the way around. Kind of reminds me of First I Look at the Purse.
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