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Gordy 7030 (A), March 1964
b/w Keep Me
(Written by Berry Gordy, Richard Street and Thelma Coleman Gordy)
A decided attempt on Berry Gordy’s part to reposition quasi-operatic, Marge Simpson-haired vocalist Liz Lands – hitherto best-known for shrieking, warbling gospel numbers and unexpectedly brilliant Presidential tributes – as an R&B/pop crossover artiste.
The reasoning is easy enough to deduce – by 1964, Motown was moving into a new phase, its eyes now on the pop charts, rather than the blues and gospel cuts that had helped pay the bills a few years before. Liz, with her supposed five octave range, was a luxury that couldn’t be carried forever; she wasn’t selling any records, and so she would have to get with the program if she wanted to stay.
To that end, Gordy co-wrote Liz a shuffling R&B workout, took on production duties himself, and paired her with the Temptations (who had recently scored a big hit with The Way You Do The Things You Do and so were credited on the label) and the Andantes (who hadn’t, and so weren’t) on backing vocals. He even did it all again when he wasn’t satisfied with the first attempt.
The result, sadly, met with only limited success artistically, and none at all commercially, and that was the end of Liz Lands’ career as a Motown artist.
Berry, his ex-wife Thelma and future Temptation Richard Street provide a good, solid song, while there’s a positively crackling band performance filled with thump and clatter – handclaps, tambourine, horns and guitar building to veritable Himalayan peaks of groovitude. The shuffling gait of the intro, ominous piano giving way to a strummed, clipped guitar riff of surprising harshness, metronomic tambourine way up in the mix, is absolutely riveting.
But at the centre of all this irresistibly strong groove is a frustrated opera singer who can’t quite let go of the notion she’s somehow slumming it by singing Gordy instead of Offenbach. Lands starts out smoky and tough, giving a contemplative, brooding delivery as she beseeches the titular Johnny to keep his distance, and it sounds great. But as the record goes on, the showing off of that astonishing range begins, and – as with practically every other Liz Lands Motown cut I’ve ever heard – she ends up just shrieking uncontrollably all over the register until the record’s all but ruined as anything other than an exercise in wholly wasted potential.
(Back in the mists of time, when I wrote about Popcorn Wylie’s I’ll Still Be Around, long-term readers may recall I mentioned a handful of Motown records featuring fantastic ideas not fully realised. That was one of them; this is another.)
It’s not an easy song to carry off – Connie Haines’ version, as featured on A Cellarful of Motown: Volume 2 (but not Youtube, annoyingly), is similarly hampered by its vocalist’s attempts to introduce her own style (jazz-lite stylings rather than operatic pretensions) – but it’s still a real shame that this isn’t as good as it could have been.
The band deserved better, and it’s thanks to their sterling efforts that this is still essential listening for Motown fanatics even with Liz’ ill-judged hollering all over it. They would get ample chances to shine in the future, unlike the lead singer; although we’re not quite finished with Liz Lands just yet, this was her final Motown release.
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 Liz Lands? Click for more.)
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| The Andantes “If You Were Mine” |
Liz Lands “Keep Me” |
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Motown Junkies 
I like this one a bit more than you do, but my major hang-up, rather than Lands’ vocal performance, is the fact that it sounds too much like the Drifters’ “On Broadway.”
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This is one of those times when I’ll seem genuinely stupid, but that hadn’t even occurred to me until you mentioned it just then. Now that’s all I can hear in it…
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I noticed the resemblance to On Broadway, too, but it took me a minute to figure it out. Not the only time on this set will one song resemble someone (non-Motown) else’s work. I like this one better (I’d give it a couple more points) and can put up pretty easily with Lands’ vocal since she’s technically good if a bit, um, overwrought. Her vocal reminds me of the OTT vocal of Lorraine Ellison’s on Stay With Me, done at some other label 😉
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Another bang-on-the-money observation. Readers, you’re doing me proud tonight!
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In a shoe on the other foot scenario does anyone think the Drifters “One Way Love” sounds like an attempt at Motown by the Drifters? Love that song by the way.
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Yep….as recorded by the Temptations with Otis singing lead.
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The Connie Haines version is sublime. What’s wrong with a vocalist introducing their own vocal styling? Isn’t that what they are supposed to have?
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At least Lands doesn’t go totally range-crazy until the very end of the song. Also gotta agree with mmdean about “Stay With Me,” though neither is anywhere near as speaker-blowingly horrific as the late Linda Jones on “For Your Precious Love” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY7fZ95XfMY).
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I finally heard this. Yeah I notice the “On Broadway” feel to it. Some Motown records could remind you of other songs but weren’t out & out copies. In Tammi Terrell’s “I Can’t Believe You Love Me” there’s a bit of a “Going Out Of My Head” vibe. On a sort of related subject, some people say that they hear parts of old standards in the intros to several Motown & other soul songs. Examples : The opening to “My Guy” has a faint “Canadian Sunset” sound to it. From the Chicago sound, in Jackie Ross’ “Selfish One” you can possibly hear a bit of “Tenderly”. Some people say that this was the session musicians throwing in their jazz credentials.
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Thanx for introducing me to “I Can’t Believe That You Love Me.” It does remind me of “Goin Out of My Head” and “My Girl.” Good song!
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Strange…I just don’t see the similarity to “On Broadway”. To me the song with a stronger resemblance is the Lewis Sisters’ “He’s An Oddball” on V.I.P.
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To clarify, I mean “He’s an Oddball” has a stronger resemblance to “On Broadway”, not to “Midnight Johnny”.
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The melody only comes close to On Broadway at about 0:34, but the chords and the rhythm they’re played in are almost identical. In other words, what they sing doesn’t sound like On Broadway, but if you sing On Broadway along with the track, it fits.
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I take back what I said above. At long last, I now see the resemblance to “On Broadway”.
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Another great analysis from you. I never heard this record (or even knew about it) until I bought the 1964 singles set. Recognized the “On Broadway” chords from the start but the Drifters track is one of my all-time favorite records. But I really like the atmosphere on Midnight Johnny. With the heavy reverb and misterioso mood, It almost sounds like something that could have emerged from Lee Perry’s Black Ark (with a different rhythm of course).
It’s interesting that Gordy produced this himself. One of the things I noticed going through these sets is that by this time, his productions had really started to sound dated. Compare Marvin’s Try It Baby to Can I Get A Witness and the Gordy produced track sounds almost old hat. Smokey and H-D-H were pointing toward the future and he knew it. But I think this record might have even sounded retro when it was released in 1964 and placed against My Guy, Wonderful One and Live Wire.
Don’t get me wrong, I like this record. Probably a lot more than you. I’d give it a 7. But wouldn’t you think if he wanted to keep Liz Lands on the roster he would have turned the production reins over to someone who was hitting the charts with their work?
One more brief comment. A friend and I put on concerts of avant-garde jazz music (yeah, the kind of music people hate). And there’s a trumpet player who plays for us quite a bit. Talking to him we found we were about the same age (late 50s) and we met on Motown. He told me a great story. He said on Saturdays, his dad would take him to a record store in Harlem and he’d get to spend his $2 allowance on records. One day (ca 1965), they had a bin with a pile of records they were clearing out for a dime apiece. And in that bin were a bunch of records on the Motown / Tamla / Gordy labels he’d never heard of. So he picked up about 10, which he still has to this day.. And he said one of his prize possession is a copy of “Midnight Johnny”.
.
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The 4 for $1.00, 3 for $1.00, 10¢ bins and thrift stores and junk stores is how I most of my rare and “cut-out” Motown 45s. Many of them were never really available for retail purchase in the record shops. Or, for those that were, no one knew about them, as there was no marketing. I did ask the desk personnel to tell me whenever a new Motown, Tamla, Miracle, Gordy, Mel-O-dy, Workshop Jazz, Divinity, Soul, VIP and Inferno record arrived at the shops.
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How was it determined that a 45 would only make it to the 10 cent bins as opposed to going to records stores? Excuse my ignorance. I was born in the early 80’s. Whats a cut out 45?
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A cut-out 45 is one that was given serious production quality, but for various reasons was given no marketing push – basically dropped from caring about whether it was sold. So, it was not picked up not only by a national distributor, but also not by regional or local distributors, and never given a regular starting pressing plant run. Maybe only one box of 50 or 100 was pressed up and the regular first pressing run of 500 or 1,000 was cancelled, or just never ordered because the company was concentrating on getting their distributors and DJs to push other records in their catalogues, or they had no cash money to press up ANY records at that time, and that record got lost in the shuffle against better productions, later, when the company finally had the money. As for how the records were chosen for which bins, – it was simple….. Generally, it went by condition of the record, overused groove wear, and torn or dirtied labels pushed them down in price, and, otherwise guessed popularity. IF they had had some airplay, originally, they would command the higher prices, and otherwise, they would would be placed in the highest-cost bargain bin, at half-price of a new 45 (e.g. when 45s were 59¢, they’d be in the 3 or 4 for a $1.00 bin, or when they were 98¢, they were in the 50¢ bins. They’d keep moving down to lower cost bins if they wouldn’t sell after several months.
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I like the lyrics to the song and I love the music itself. I don’t care for Liz version that much because The Temptations seem to outshine her on her own record. The shrilling at the end is a bit much too. I much prefer Connie Haines version, it’s much sexier and the backing vocals don’t overpower her.
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Sad news: this page is trending because reports are emerging that Liz Lands has passed away. If true, Motown Junkies extends its condolences to her family and friends.
I think this one is probably Liz’ best loved record – but not by me. Her enduring contributions to the Motown legacy, for me at any rate, would be the excellent Keep Me, the astonishing May What He Lived For Live (which still makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end), and her glass-shattering high note on Mary Wells’ Oh Little Boy. Outstanding records one and all.
RIP Liz.
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I like the song. But I like best her song dancing on the ceiling the best on hale records.
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You have the correct word for this one: Ominious. I has a finger-snapping grove but it doesnt feel like you should be dancing to it, you know?
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I dance to it lol
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Lol—what it meant was the vocal performance makes it seem like a gospel song while the track sounds secular. So there exists that push-pull that makes you nod your head but keeps you off the dance floor because at that time kids got whipped for trying to dance to gospel music.
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Oh wow people couldn’t dance to gospel music? That’s insane.
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Don’t misunderstand though. Back then gospel music was verrrrrrry sacred and serious even though the Soul Strirrers and the 5 Blind Boys and all of those groups were rocking out, you couldnt just jump up and do the mashed potatos, you know?
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Lol yeah I know what you mean.
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I think this is a terrific record, and Liz Lands makes a fine accounting for herself. Her voice does not go out of control at all and hits the one high note at just the right place, a place where plenty of other singers could only wish they had the ability to duplicate what Liz contributes to fine fade. As for its sounding like “On Broadway,” I’ll add this: If Rudy and the Drifters had the Andantes singing along with them, “On Broadway” would be a better record. I give this one “8” johnnies.
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Abbott – been enjoying your reading your comments and obvious knowledge. But I do have to disagree with you about the Drifters On Broadway. Nothing beats it. The best thing in the Drifters’ Rudy Lewis era. Probably the weakest thing about it is the much vaunted Phil Spector guitar solo.
But I really love Midnight Johnny quite a bit, too. I notice up above about 5 years ago I said I’d rate it a 7. Today I’d up it to 8. But for me, the Drifters is still a 10.
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Dissent is welcome here too.
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Well I’ve only known about Liz Lands for 2 weeks and I think she’s got a great voice and pulls this (and the B side Keep Me) off superbly. I’d rate this an 8. Now I’ve got these two songs on my motown all-time-great playlist. Thanks for your wonderful site!
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