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Tamla T 101 (B), January 1959
B-side of Come To Me
(Written by Berry Gordy and Marv Johnson)
London American HLT 8856 (B), May 1959
B-side of Come To Me
(Released in the UK under license through London Records)
A slower, more contemplative number than its Historically Significant A-side Come To Me, this is much less energetic and done in a more straightforward and familiar doo-wop setting, but it’s also – for my money – a considerably better song.
Johnson’s high tenor, sung with some real emotion (something quite missing from Come To Me), as he begs his girlfriend for reassurance, plays well against the backing vocals, and his own pounding piano sets things off nicely.
Interesting to see that although this song was a co-write between Johnson and producer Berry Gordy (like Come To Me, which is usually referred to as a Johnson song “tidied up” and rewritten by Gordy), the credits have been flipped for the B-side, so Gordy’s name takes precedence. Long after Marv’s contract had been sold to United Artists, Johnson returned to Motown in the mid-Sixties (Whisper by then long forgotten) and arguably enjoyed more success as a writer than an artist; it’s no surprise to find his fingerprints on this earliest of Motown flips.
It sounds not unlike some of the slower ballads that the Miracles would cut for Motown in the coming years (and this is no bad thing at all); it’s quite simple (also not a bad thing) and probably wouldn’t have been a hit, but I find it infinitely more likeable than the A-side.
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.
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| Marv Johnson “Come To Me” |
Eddie Holland “Merry-Go-Round” |
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I totally agree with about this song! It’s way better than the A-side. I can actually remember the chorus and Johnson sounds great.
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I also agree that this is better than the b-side even though I love Come To Me. It’s so light and gentle just like Marv’s voice. The songs meaning is also adorable, and puts me in a good mood listening it. 7/10
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I would actually invert your ratings of the two sides of this 45. Whisper has better lyrics, a more recognizable melody and perhaps a better lead vocal, but Come to Me has a much more interesting chord progression (the tonic-avoiding intro is almost shockingly original for 1959) and – more importantly – a more forward-looking groove. While the first 45 I made my mother buy me (String Along by Ricky Nelson) had the I vi IV V doo-wop progression and I was on Cloud Nine when somebody showed me Heart & Soul on the piano, the doo-wop sequence got very old quickly. Unlike other hit-spawning progressions like the 12-bar blues, the La Bamba progression, the Hey Jude progression, or the infamous “Axis of Awesome” I V vi IV, I vi IV V just sounds dated to me. Oddly, Smokey’s I vi I vi holds up a lot better. Even the gospelly I IV I IV holds up better for me – I vi IV V is a real buzz-killer and I’m not sure why.
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I find “Whisper” way more compelling than “Come To Me”. This track is so haunting!
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I inherited a bunch of 45’s and ran across this record by Marv Johnson on the Tamala label not great shape but not bad either I can’t find it listed anywhere for sale so I was wondering if you could help me figure out what to sell it for …..thank you
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your description of the condition is not very accurate, but it it implies around vg. I suggest you look up record condition descriptions on the internet to determine an accurate grade. If the record turns out to be VG condition I would be tempted to auction it on eBay with a starting price of 25 dollars. If it is better than that eg VG+ or EX make the start price 40 to 50 dollars. You”ll probably get the best price for it that way.
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