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Gordy G 7003 (B), May 1962
B-side of Because I Love Her
(Written by Joe Hunter, Clarence Paul and Andre Williams)
Ah yes. This is much more like it.
The Valadiers were Motown’s first white vocal group, signed during the last days of the golden age of doo-wop, and only remembered for their first release, the #89 smash hit (Greetings) This Is Uncle Sam, later covered to far better effect by the Monitors. The A-side of this record, Because I Love Her, the group’s second Motown single, was an adequate, uninspiring cover of an old Eddie Holland song. Perhaps that lack of “oomph” was a result of taking the group out of their doo-wop comfort zone, though, because this – a straightforward late-Fifties doo-wop ballad with more strictly defined group harmony parts – is roughly twenty times better than the A-side, as well as being by far the best thing the Valadiers ever recorded.
That’s not to say it’s a great record, or anything, but it’s a fine go at making a great record. It’s alive, certainly, and it’s enjoyable to listen to.
Like all great doo-wop ballads, it’s a piano-led piece in 6/8 time, featuring arpeggios and based around a standard set of chords (often called the Fifties Progression), meaning that it initially sounds like a thousand other similar records off the street-corner production line. However, what sets this one apart is a clever arrangement – the basic skeleton masked by some warm, rich electric guitar and judicious use of horns – and a cracking chorus, courtesy of the first appearance on a Motown label of a writing credit for the great Clarence Paul. He’d go on to achieve fame and fortune writing and producing for the young Stevie Wonder, but this (co-produced by Paul with Andre Williams) was his Motown starting point.
Lyrically, this is a direct sequel to (Greetings) This Is Uncle Sam; having accepted his fate, our drafted narrator begs his girl to stay true to him While (He’s) Away – shades of Marvin Gaye’s sweet little vignette Soldier’s Plea – and, well, that’s pretty much it. But lead singer Stuart Avig sells it with something at least approaching passion, and the chorus blooms into life with a throaty, committed delivery quite unlike anything seen on Valadiers records in the past – Just keep my picture / On the wall / And oh, please, please don’t give it to no-one at all – which makes one overlook the poor scansion.
It’s still not particularly amazing, but it is a fine little pop record, and I stand by the assertion the Valadiers never bettered it.
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!)
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The Valadiers “Because I Love Her” |
Little Stevie Wonder “I Call It Pretty Music But The Old People Call It The Blues (Part 1)” |