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Miracle MIR 02 (B), February 1961
B-side of When I Needed You
(Written by Brian Holland, Robert Bateman and William Mitchell)
The flip of Raynoma Liles Gordy (“Miss Ray”)’s only Motown single is a strange affair; having turned in a charming if slightly technically-challenged lead vocal on the plug side, here she offers up a keyboard “solo” on a brief, thin instrumental. (I’m assuming the keyboard part is hers, there’s no indication in the liner notes as to who played what).
Anyway, supposedly this is meant to commemorate/capitalise on the dance craze “The Contintental”, whatever that was, but it doesn’t sound like dance music of any kind, it sounds like a loungecore jam session by the house band at some middle-class “jazz” club. The dominant instrument is a guitar (warm and full-bodied compared to the anaemic jangle of the rest of the track) which gets a tiny solo just after the two-minute mark before the whole thing fades out. Quite pretty, but entirely pointless.
Unlike the first single release on Miracle Records, Jimmy Ruffin’s Don’t Feel Sorry For Me, which was produced by Miss Ray herself, no producer is credited for either side of this single.
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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| Little Iva & Her Band “When I Needed You” |
The Contours “Whole Lotta Woman” |
Motown Junkies 
Who wouldn’t fidget to the fizzing one-note guitar leads over that definitive popcorn (Belgian or literal) backing? Gosh. A dj favourite of mine, and an easy 7.
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Only me, by the looks of it!
I’ll never get accustomed to seeing a wave of “disagree” votes for things I’d completely overlooked (usually it’s not the 1s and 2s that pick up lots of dissent, it’s the 3s and 4s, the ones I find eminently forgettable, which seem to bring all the fans out of the woodwork!) “Nowt so queer as folk”, as my grandad used to say. Or, put another way, I’m seemingly very out of touch with popular opinion… 🙂
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This definitely ain’t the Funk Brothers, but I still like this instrumental. Some vocals on top and this just might have been a hit record for some artist or group. I’d give this one 5 points.
I wouldn’t mind seeing what this Continental dance looked like (lol)
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The Continental was a line dance.
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Exactly:
The Continental Line Dance is a line dance that came out of the 1960s and is still popular today. A description follows:
Kick Left and Right
Start by standing with your feet together facing the center of the room. Kick your left foot up and clap your hands. Place your left foot beside your right. Kick your right foot up and clap your hands. Place your right foot beside your left.
Steps Left and Turn
Step to the left with your left foot, about a shoulder’s width from your right foot. Step to the left with your right foot and place your right foot behind your left. Step the left again with your left foot. Pivot on the ball of your left foot to the right so your right side is facing the center of the room.
Steps Right
Place your right foot about a shoulder’s width from your left foot. Step to the right with left foot and place it behind your right. Step to the right with your right foot again. Repeat the dance from the beginning starting with Section 1.
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Cool. Thanx for telling me guys. I just did the dance lol
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The instrumental is alright i feel it isn’t much to the song and has a very interesting sound to it and what the hell kind of dance is the Continental anyway lol 4/10
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As I recall, it was a kind of “walk” (step). Of course it never caught on. I think it was regional (and, surprisingly, to somewhere on The East Coast-rather than in Detroit). But, then, historically, Berry Gordy often tried to grab some sales from various trends started by other people.
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“supposedly this is meant to commemorate/capitalise on the dance craze “The Contintental”, whatever that was, ”
Watch at your peril:
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