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Motown M 1013 (B), January 1962
B-side of What Is A Man (Without A Woman)
(Written by Brian Holland, Robert Bateman, Smokey Robinson and Berry Gordy)
In contrast to the A-side, What Is A Man (Without A Woman), which was co-written by Lumpkin himself, this B-side features writing credits from no less than four of Motown’s premier songwriting talents, including label owner Berry Gordy Jr., who would spend 1962 gradually finding himself sidelined from the coalface of Motown’s day-to-day creative operations.
(Even his presence on this record’s label is misleading; the song wasn’t a new composition, having originally been written as a (superb) 1959 B-side for one of Marv Johnson’s early United Artists/Motown production crossover hits (You Got What It Takes, itself later covered on Motown by Barrett Strong.) The Miracles had since turned in a tidy version of Don’t Leave Me on their first LP, Hi! We’re the Miracles, which YouTube doesn’t seem to have a copy of. But I digress.)
Although Don’t Leave Me is a fine song, quite what all those songwriters thought about having their names attached to this version is anybody’s guess, because this is pretty uninspiring. (Not poor as such, it has some quite pretty moments – the brushed drums and backing vocals are endearing – but definitely lacking the charm of the previous versions of the song). As performed by Henry Lumpkin, it comes across thin, straightforward and forgettable, a generic R&B romp which might as well have come with a sticker marked “WARNING: Completely Average B-Side” plastered over the label.
(Having said that, Berry Gordy would have had the final say in whether to cut and release this, while Brian Holland and Robert Bateman produced the record and so must have approved – and actually, it sounds like Robert Bateman on the record singing bass anyway – but at some point, a conscious decision seems to have been made to throw away Smokey’s lovely arrangement and instead do something vaguely reminiscent of Lumpkin’s I’ve Got A Notion.)
Perhaps it’s simply a bad match of singer and material. Marv Johnson’s version of this song had been (uncharacteristically) sweet, all soft harmonies, flutes and ethereal, high-pitched strings, and featuring a pleading, heartfelt vocal by Johnson which hinted at depths he hadn’t previously showed even he knew he had. The song’s co-writer, sweet-voiced Smokey Robinson, did his best to emulate Johnson’s performance on the Miracles’ reasonably faithful cover, keeping most of the instrumentation, and it again worked pretty well. Henry Lumpkin’s version dumps the flutes, strings and other musical fol-de-rols, instead opting for a straight R&B attack, including Lumpkin’s scratchy, howling blues vocals.
It ends up uncomfortably wedged between the “soft” lyrics (about the narrator waking up from a bad dream in which the love of his life had walked out on him, lyrics which virtually call for a delivery with tears running down the face, as explicitly mentioned at 1:41) and Lumpkin’s “hard” performance, which changes the context of the song as a result of the rough-textured blues edge in Lumpkin’s voice (making it more of a demand than a plea) and strips it of a lot of its tender beauty (which Henry just can’t do, despite his best efforts).
For sure, it’s nowhere near as good as Johnson’s original, because it just doesn’t suit Henry Lumpkin – who tended to the hot blues end of the R&B spectrum, rather than the sweet soul end where both the original and the Miracles’ cover had come from – and while it’s not a disaster, it’s a clear case of The Wrong Song.
A disappointing waste of both a good song and a good vocalist, paired together wholly inappropriately and satisfying no-one.
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 Henry Lumpkin? Click for more.)
Henry Lumpkin “What Is A Man (Without A Woman)” |
Mary Wells “The One Who Really Loves You” |
Steve Robbins said:
Damn, I’d forgotten Marv’s label was red. Mine is worn down to the bone. When you run out of things to do, put together reviews on the early pre-Motown recordings.
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The Nixon Administration said:
At this rate, that should be happening some time around 2024.
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James Porter said:
…and here I am reading this in January of 2024. Reviews of the early pre-Motown recordings would be nice, but Nixon hasn’t gotten past 1966 with the regular Motown singles. I want to see what he sez about Captain Zap & the Motortown Cut-Ups first…
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Ricky said:
This song is amazing! One of Henry Lumpkin greatest tunes. Verdict: 6/10
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Robb Klein said:
I like Marv Johnson’s a LOT more. But this one is okay. I’d give it a 5.
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The Nixon Administration said:
Marv’s is a masterpiece, all the more sweet for being so unexpected – I’m not really a big Johnson fan, but if it fell within the remit of Motown Junkies, it’d get an 8 or 9 hands down. Lumpkin’s is just… there, I guess. A bad choice of song for his voice and style, though 3 does feel a bit harsh now.
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Robb Klein said:
You are correct that no less than 4 of Motown’s best writers co-wrote this song. It was actually 5: Smokey Robinson, Berry Gordy, and SonBryBert (which stands for Satintones (Son)Sonny Sanders and Bert, Robert Bateman, and Bry (Brian Holland).
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