Tags
UNRELEASED: scheduled for VIP 25005 (A), February 1964
b/w Poor Girl
(Written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Edward Holland Jr. and R Dean Taylor)
Pasty-looking, pullover-wearing white Canadian singer-songwriter R(ichard) Dean Taylor is perhaps one of the more incongruous characters to populate the Motown Story, but he’s an important one all the same, a smart and classy writer with an ear for a killer tune and a knack for interesting lyrical ideas. He was also a vital sounding board (and allegedly sometimes rather more than that) for the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting partnership, who team up with him for the first time here.
Possessed of a decent singing voice and some ability with a guitar, Taylor always had his eye on a performing career as well as a profitable songwriting portfolio. He would carve out an idiosyncratic niche at Hitsville over the next eight years, racking up some fine singles as an artist but only getting his just rewards right towards the end of his Motown stint.
That we first get to meet R. Dean in these surroundings – Motown’s abortive second deliberate attempt to cash in on Beatlemania, following the Hornets’ dismal Give Me A Kiss – is a weird quirk of history. This isn’t a Beatles pastiche like the Hornets’ record; rather, it’s a likeable bit of whitebread R&B with rocakbilly overtones and gently amusing, possibly even self-mocking lyrics.
Here, R. Dean isn’t yet the stronger singer he’ll later become, but the tune is jaunty and undeniably catchy, and the band turn in a (by now) customarily strong performance to back him up as he delivers his exasperated diatribe against the British Invasion – something which must have struck a chord with parents and boyfriends alike in those Beatle-crazed first months of 1964.
What power does he hold
That makes your heart beat faster?
You know this craze could be
A national disaster!
You know that I’d do almost anything for you;
But if you want me to look like that, well –
Lady bug, you and I are through!
It all means that once again, a Motown novelty ends up stronger than the sum of its limited parts. Not all that much more, admittedly – R. Dean himself is the weakest link here, his diction and delivery lacking strength and confidence – but it’s far from horrific.
Motown’s ear for this sort of thing was improving all the time, resulting in less atrocities year on year. That they didn’t actually end up releasing this is actually almost something of a pity; this is silly, silly stuff alright, but it’s definitely not awful.
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 R. Dean Taylor? Click for more.)
 |
 |
| Lee Alan “Set Me Free” |
R. Dean Taylor “Poor Girl” |
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. |
Motown Junkies 
I think this one’s better than you give it credit for. It’d be at least a 6 in my book, possibly a 7. I think this one is a lot of fun. The band is great, the tune is catchy, and Taylor does a good acting job, sounding like one of the many, many men who were annoyed and bitter as their daughters and girlfriends swooned over the Beatles.
LikeLike
Must agree vwith Matt W. Always enjoyed this fun song, very catchy. A six for sure.
LikeLike
I’m in agreement with Matt W. and Michael about its 6 or 7 rating. This record has such a strong band-track and infectious tune that R. Dean Taylor could have been singing “Charlie Had A Pigeon” and I still would have liked it.
This was one of only two previously unreleased tracks appearing on “The Essential Collection”. The other, “Just Like In the Movies”, is such a strong pop song that it really deserved to have been a hit for somebody.
LikeLike
Once again, I seem to have misjudged the popular mood with this one!
Wasn’t there some controversy about this being included on the Essential Collection in the first place? R. Dean is quoted in the liner notes to TCMS 4 as saying “I can’t believe they put that on there – it was meant to be a demo”, or something along those lines (I’m away from my books at the moment), and I remember a kerfuffle on SDF a while back.
LikeLike
This is the police give yourself up! Oops, we’ll have to wait a few more years for that one!
LikeLike
I can’t wait for GOTTA SEE JANE!!! Love it Love it Love it
I know that the Northern Soul folks treat his “Ghost In My House” song like it is some sort of holy grail!
LikeLike
It’s a classic! A throwback to the days of rockabilly. Memories of Elvis and Carl Perkins. This gets an 8 out of 10 from me.
LikeLike
Always been an R. Dean Taylor fan and I have all of his records except one 45, I believe. It’s called “Cheerleader”, apparently released only as a 7″ promo. Does any R. Dean fan out there know anything about this release? It was allegedly done on R. Dean’s own Jane label (5013) around 1978. I appreciate your help.
LikeLike