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Tamla T 5501 (B), August 1959
B-side of Ich-i-bon #1
(Written by Johnny Ferro)
More decidedly un-Motown instrumental surf rock music from the first white act to appear on the label.
This is much less energetic, and rather more groovesome, than the A-side Ich-i-bon #1; it’s effectively just one steady blues-tinted groove kept up for two minutes, with a jamming twangy guitar solo over the top of it. Plus handclaps. Lots of handclaps.
In fact, this one makes a little bit more sense alongside the rest of the Motown catalogue, and it’s not completely impossible to put this alongside something like the Funk Brothers’ Snake Walk and understand they were both released by the same label. It’s still an oddity, though.
There were no more Motown singles for Nick & The Jaguars, and it would be over a year before another white act appeared on a Motown label (Debbie Dean, with Don’t Let Him Shop Around in February 1961, since you asked). Still, they remain an excellent answer for pub quiz trivia questions.
MOTOWN JUNKIES VERDICT
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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| Nick & The Jaguars “Ich-i-bon #1” |
The Miracles “Bad Girl” |
I was only able to hear :47 seconds of this track. And it fits more into that early Motown, that is why I like the A-side “Ich-I-Bon” better. It was totally unexpected from Motown, fun and entergetic. With that said, from the snippet that I heard this doesn’t sound like a bad song, yet it doesn’t sound great. That is why I agree with the verdict.
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This song on the other hand is very repetitive and is not hot. Not very listenable 2/10
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In 1959, Detroit was a hotbed of youthful (teen) garage Rock & Roll ins trumental bands. Most of those who managed to get a record released, were on tiny home-based labels. Most of them just had a few hundred records pressed up to sell at parties, and use to hand to DJs (wherever they had even the most loose connection)
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