Tags
Motown M 1052 (A), December 1963
b/w Brenda
(Written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Edward Holland Jr.)
There’s all kinds of irony here.
As 1963 drew to a close, Eddie Holland had all but given up on seeing another hit single as a performer, having released no less than six singles in an increasingly forlorn quest for a follow-up hit record to his 1961 smash Jamie; instead, he was settling into a remarkable second career as one-third of America’s hottest up-and-coming songwriting team, already responsible for more hits as a writer than he’d ever managed as a singer.
Then, suddenly, out of nowhere, Edward Holland Jr finally got his belated follow-up hit, with one of his most fondly-remembered Motown cuts. Coming less than two months after his previous effort, the commendable I’m On The Outside Looking In, this was only recorded at the end of November, but its quality was such that Motown rushed it to market in the space of a couple of weeks. (That scramble to the shops may explain why an old B-side, Brenda, was pressed into service again here.) Hitsville was awash with excitement over a new Eddie Holland record, for the first time since (If) Cleopatra Took A Chance back in May ’62.
Since then, of course, the role of Handsome Motown Male Solo Turn had been filled by one Marvin Gaye. The Eddie versus Marvin question had all but been resolved by the end of 1963, even if Gaye hadn’t quite become the superstar hitmaker Motown sought to portray him as (a laudable string of Top 40 hits, but scarcely enough to justify the Greatest Hits LP the label released a few months later). Indeed, the very notion of a battle between the two men to establish Motown’s top solo R&B performer was seems ludicrous to modern eyes, and so it’s important to remember that for a time Eddie actually had the upper hand – he’d had a good-size hit in Jamie, and the path had been far from clear.
Much has been made of this record’s coarse, energetic “gospel-blues” feel, as if this were Eddie’s attempt at a rougher take on Can I Get A Witness or Pride And Joy. In fact, it comes across to me as more like Eddie’s attempt at the Miracles’ Mickey’s Monkey; that Bo Diddley riff not only laid bare but positively floodlit in an attempt to get the hips of Holland’s fans moving again. Still, the comparisons with Marvin Gaye are there for all to hear; as a last stab at solo stardom from a man already guaranteed at least a mention in all future discussions of great songwriters, this is Eddie looking around at what his labelmates were managing to sell, and adjusting his style accordingly.
It’s said that Eddie hated performing, and viewed his singing career as a distraction, a masochistic self-appointed task to be plugged away at with grim determination. If that’s true, then this vivid, energetic number doesn’t let it show at all; Holland’s ever-noticeable mannered diction and slightly restrained delivery don’t exactly suit the ballsy attack provided by the band (the contrast between music and vocal is especially noticeable at the start, when a vibrant, twangy two-guitar riff part gives way to a series of primitive “orchestra hits” before Eddie comes in sounding as though he’s already short of breath), but his performance is plenty engaging and he gamely gives it a real shot (his exclamation of They’re getting TIRED-ah! is a genuine surprise, and the Awwww-YEAHs at the end deserve applause).
Meanwhile, the band performance is hair-raising, the mix now really coming together; even if this has little of the Motown Sound about it on first listen, subsequent investigation reveals the Funk Brothers getting to grips with nearly all the oft-discussed magic ingredients, as well as an all-round tight performance that heralds the sonic perfection these musicians would become world-famous for just a few months later. I don’t know if Earl Van Dyke had joined up yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was now running the show by this point in time – there’s a real sense of purpose to the band track here, a combination of urgency and discipline that results in an absolutely killer instrumental cut.
Lyrically, it’s a bit of a strange one – the subject of the song is, rather surprisingly, not Eddie himself but rather “the girls” of his town, and having seen the future in a dream, he’s on a mission to both educate and exhort us to treat said girls better before they start leaving en masse. It’s a confusing role for a singer – is he part of the gang who have been doing the “misusing” (he does explicitly say “we” a few times), or is he just a hectoring prophet of doom cajoling others to change their ways? It was certainly enough to confuse Motörhead, whose 1975 cover changes the chorus to a first-person gesture of exasperation. (Though it seems wrong to be talking about covers of Leaving Here – of which there are many – and not mention either Tommy Good, who we’ll come to later, or the stupendous organ-and-tambourine version by the Isley Brothers (8), to be found on their Motown Anthology, but which the Internet rather infuriatingly doesn’t seem to have readily available for your listening pleasure).
Ultimately, there’s not a great deal wrong with this original version, but I still find myself wishing it was Ronald Isley (or Marvin Gaye, for that matter) rather than Eddie Holland doing the song; Eddie’s performance is still a bit too reserved to really sell the song properly, and his message gets a bit confused as a result, leading to a perceived lack of star quality and an oddly unsatisfying hole at the centre of the record. Perhaps the greatest irony is that it’s Eddie Holland’s comeback hit which ends up underlining the fact he was no longer the best man to fill that hole.
A fine little record, blessed with a great band performance and considerably more spiky and energetic than might have been expected, but it’s hard not to wonder whether this could have been even better if someone else had sung 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!)
COVERWATCH
Motown Junkies has reviewed other Motown versions of this song:
- Tommy Good (July 1964)
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 Eddie Holland? Click for more.)
Liz Lands “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands” |
Patrice Holloway “Stevie” |
DISCOVERING MOTOWN |
---|
Like the blog? Listen to our radio show! |
Motown Junkies presents the finest Motown cuts, big hits and hard to find classics. Listen to all past episodes here. |
Dave L said:
Incredibly, this terrific HDH tune only got to No. 76 nationally on Billboard Pop in the U.S. But it’s also one of those Motown tunes I remember our chief Philadelphia DJs Hy Lit and Joe Niagra making sure us kids knew about. Billboard’s R&B 100 chart was suspended from 11/30/63 to 1/23/65, and “Leaving Here” is one of several Motown sides whose lasting popularity substantially exceeds their then-mediocre pop figure listing. (For further example, and to prove how insignificant chart numbers become with passing years, superior Motown b-sides such as The Miracles’ “Would I Love You” and Martha & the Vandellas’ “Third Finger Left Hand” never placed on Billboard’s Pop or Black listings. But just try and find yourself true Motown fans that don’t know or cherish them.)
It is ironic that Eddie’s records get better just as he’s needed more as a writer for others. This one, “Just Ain’t Enough Love” and “Candy To Me” are the only Holland records I have on original-label singles and I love them all.
LikeLike
Landini said:
This is a really cool song. Always thought the lyrics had a kind of Twilight Zone feeling (all the females leave a particular town). Of course, if this had been a TZone plot, Eddie would have woke up & found it really wasn’t a dream. Though this was a great song, it was probably a tad too “soulful” to crossover to pop. It is interesting how one or two degrees of “soul” in a record can determine pop success. Maybe if it had come out a couple of years later, when people’s ears were more accustomed to a Stax like sound it might have done better. Who knows?
LikeLike
Landini said:
Okay couldn’t resist this one: Rod Serling should appear at the end of the record & say “Yes, Mr. Holland woke up from his dream relieved to know he had just been dreaming. But wait he looked out his window & saw the last busload of women leaving his town forever.” LOL
LikeLike
144man said:
This record is so exciting. The driving rhythm doesn’t let up from beginning to end, and both the male and female backing singers, who seem to be segregated from each other in a symbolic battle of the sexes, are perfect. One of my all-time favorite Motown records. Easily 10/10.
LikeLike
MotownFan1962 said:
Who are the backing vocalsts? Sounds like Martha and the Vandellas and The Temptations to me, but I know I could be wrong.
LikeLike
MotownFan1962 said:
I’m now pretty sure the female backing vocalists are The Andantes, but I’m still clueless as to who the male backing vocalists are. It could be Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier, The Four Tops, or both. I’m not quite sure.
LikeLike
Robb Klein said:
The male backing voices don’t sound like The Four Tops, unless it’s only 3 of them, without Levi. But why would Levi not be with them? Have you considered that they might be The Love-Tones? They were still working for Motown in December of 1963. I don’t hear Lamont Dozier’s very distinctive voice.
LikeLike
MotownFan1962 said:
That is possible. They do kind of sound like The Love-Tones. It could also be The Temptations.
LikeLike
Robb Klein said:
Just as for The Four Tops and Lamont Dozier, I don’t hear the distinctive voices of Eddie Kendricks or Paul Williams. I really doubt that The temptations are singing on this one.
LikeLike
MotownFan1962 said:
On “You Lost the Sweetest Boy” (made the same year as “Leaving Here”, the Temptations sing backing vocals (with The Supremes, but I digress), and they sound a lot like the male vocalists on “Leaving Here”. There are also points on “Not Now, I’ll Tell You Later” where they sound like the mystery men. You may not hear Eddie or Paul, buI think I hear Otis or Al Bryant.
LikeLike
Robb Klein said:
Well, you could be right. Many times before 1965, producers needed background singers badly, and so just grabbed whoever happened to be in the building at the time. Many times they were just ad-hoc collections of stray individuals from different groups. Whole groups didn’t always go everywhere together. They might have been Otis Williams, Al Bryant one Love-Tone and Brian Holland. They might also have been Herman Griffin, Edward Earling, Mickey McCullers and Pete Moore. Unless we find written documentation on this cut, or the word of someone we KNOW was there, AND whose memory we can trust, we will NEVER know, and only be speculating.
LikeLike
MotownFan1962 said:
Okay, but for my sanity’s sake, I’ll just assume it’s The Andantes and The Temptations on background on this one. When someone who knows comes along and tells us, I hope I’m here to get the news first hand.
LikeLike
Motownlover Jan said:
Incredibly what you write about every Motown single. I’m enjoying so much and looking forward to the next one. Thanks
LikeLike
Michael said:
Give this one a “9,” easily. One of the most “urgent” Motown sides of all time, it rocks from start to finish.
LikeLike
Bob Harlow said:
From the great guitar /drum intro to the fade one smokin’ record..one of my all time Motown faves..for me it’s a 10!
LikeLike
The Nixon Administration said:
Unlike my last run-in with Eddie Holland’s fans (“It’s Not Too Late”, whose agree-disagree votes are still perched tantalisingly at 0-12), with this one I *did* expect a lot of disagreement. I think it’s good, but not great; a very fine first step back into commercial relevance as a performer, but I’ve never seen it as the career high point so many commentators apparently do. Horses for courses, etc. 🙂 Keep up the comments, folks!
LikeLike
bogart4017 said:
While this is a “Motown” record it still has more of a DEtroit feel, you know. Most records that came out of that town before Motown Records was firmly esconded were pretty rough-sounding and sometimes ameteurish. This cut keeps a little polish of Motown and the funk of “Chit Chat Lounge”.
LikeLike
Chris Roberts said:
I agree a voice like Ron Isley would have taken this song to another level. It’s got the riff of a possible hit. The Rationals from Detroit/Ann Arbor did a great version and I saw them do it live in concert in 66.
LikeLike
Eric Kidder said:
Growing up in the USA’s Pacific Northwest in the 1960s, the only version of “Leaving Here” I knew for years was the regional-hit cover version by Seattle’s Jimmy Hanna & the Dynamics. it was a big radio hit in most PNW radio markets; the group was already well-established in the region from previous records and constant gigging. Hanna’s voice had an appealing blue-eyed soul feel for the song, and the band cooked. When I finally heard the Holland and Good versions sometime in the 1980s, I was unable to convince myself that either was better than Hanna’s cover. (Which, by the way, was picked up Atlantic Records for national release, though it failed to generate much interest outside the PNW).
LikeLike