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Tamla T 54101 (A), September 1964
b/w Walk On The Wild Side
(Written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Edward Holland Jr.)
Unexpected excellence – the best kind of excellence.
There’s a kind of standard trajectory that your average cheap and cheerful showbiz biography should follow, with several well-defined segments each falling into distinct categories. There are the early days – the hints of future greatness, the struggles to get by in an uncaring world, culminating in the satisfying sugar hit of that inevitable valedictory breakthrough to the big time. This bit’s usually the most fun, and if we’re writing a “showbiz biography” of Motown here, then the first three and a half volumes of The Complete Motown Singles have led us thus far.
But then there’s the next standard segment: the heady, famous years. This bit, despite covering all the well-known touchstones, tends to be the least memorable, both because those touchstones are so well-known already, and also because it’s hard to keep the excitement up. When Motown were struggling to keep the lights on, a top 30 R&B hit felt like something to write home about, and we can share vicariously in that success. Here, in Motown’s mid-Sixties Golden Age, when the hits are coming so thick and fast (and good) that the company is only months away from issuing a memo stating they will only release Top Ten product on any artist, that same top 30 R&B hit would be a catastrophic flop. The more money that rolls in, the more Motown becomes a hard-nosed money-making machine; meanwhile, all the perils of fame and fortune in America – egos, tantrums, backstabbing, drugs, dodgy backstage dealings, dodgy hangers-on, people thrown on the scrap heap – start to rear their heads.
And yet more than any other record label, Motown kept the façade of the glory days and happy families up for a remarkably long time, great writers, artists and producers conjuring up so many incredible hits, and following them up with even better hits, and never running out of steam, and never letting the mask slip to show the jaded, grubby side… it really is remarkable. We know, thanks to a combination of investigative research and outright muckraking over the last 40 years, that all was not rosy in the Motown garden. We know there were some distinctly unhappy endings, that some pivotal characters were written out of the Motown story, that almost every single person we’ll talk about here on Motown Junkies ended up getting screwed over in one way or another. And yet somehow, none of it matters, because the music’s so good. We won’t get to the later standard phases – the inevitable decline, the wilderness years, and the heartwarming comeback – for a long, long time yet.
“Yes, fine, but what has any of this got to do with Marvin Gaye?”, you’re probably asking.
Those early days, from Berry Gordy’s first uncertain steps right through to the start of 1964 with so many acts on the cusp of greatness, felt like a kind of voyage of discovery here on Motown Junkies. As time goes by, as we get into the Golden Age, there are so many big records I can’t wait to write about – but there are, by definition, less surprises in store. From here through the end of the Golden Age in 1967 (shut up), and then through to the end of the almost-every-bit-as-good turn-of-the-decade spell I’m calling their “Silver Age” in 1972, there are very, very few singles remaining from big-ticket, big-name Motown acts that I don’t recognise just from their titles.
But this is one of them.
Talking about Marvin Gaye’s first single was a baffling and educational experience; talking about Marvin Gaye’s big breakthrough fifth single was a rush; talking about Marvin Gaye’s stupendous eighth single was almost as much fun as listening to it. Here, on Marvin’s twelfth single, not one of his big hits, not widely known, coming at a point in his career not often covered by the big anthology collections, there’s a real danger of a wheelspinning “placeholder” entry in the catalogue – both in terms of the record itself and my review of it. Far too easy to go “this is alright, not brilliant, not awful… what’s the next one, something we know? 5/10”.
So I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to put this on and for it to turn out to be brilliant, right up there with the best records Marvin has put out so far.
Hearing a great record by an artist you don’t know? Lots of fun. Hearing the new record by an artist you love, and loving it? Great. But hearing a new record strike up, loving it, and then realising it’s by an artist you love? That’s the absolute greatest. Unexpected excellence – the best kind of excellence.
After a couple of underwhelming efforts, Marvin was returned to the care of the Holland-Dozier-Holland team, whose stock had risen substantially since their last pairing. But for the rematch, HDH didn’t turn in another R&B pop jewel. Instead, this is a drilling, one-chord dance rocker, wth no chorus to speak of except the Andantes (making their début on a Marvin Gaye 45) chanting the title phrase. That description probably doesn’t make it sound too promising, but it’s easily Marvin’s best since Can I Get A Witness, a great big twelve-pack of snarling super-cool fun.
More than one critic has noticed the influence of Stax and in particular Otis Redding on Gaye’s delivery here, Marvin positioned for the first time as an unsmiling R&B tough guy (he’d played the role of a total git on his last outing, Try It Baby, but that’s a completely different thing). It suits him to a tee; he gives a performance full of soul, for want of a better word, a perfect blend of sweetness and sandpaper, his vocal style and strength coming on leaps and bounds.
According to the liner notes to The Complete Motown Singles: Volume 4, this was earmarked for the Supremes. Er… what? Leaving aside the fact this absolutely wouldn’t have worked for them (it’s soaked in testosterone – esteemed contributor Dave L referred to an earlier Marvin 7″ as having a metaphorical pair of testicles attached, a description which surely fits here), it’s a perfect fit for Marvin, who revels in digging things out of the song its writers could only have dreamed of. Eddie Holland, who wrote the deceptively simple lyric, is quoted in those liner notes picking Baby Don’t You Do It as one of his favourites from a body of work that belongs in the Smithsonian, and I don’t take that kind of endorsement lightly.
Marvin’s narrator is on the verge of a breakdown; he’s already tried everything to save his relationship, gone further than he thought possible, and now it transpires even that isn’t enough, so he lays out this most desperate of desperate pleas for her not to throw it away or he might end up do something really drastic. But I’ve TRIED to do my best / Girl, I’ve TRIED to do my best…, he keeps repeating, and it’s electrifying. When he gives it both barrels at 1:40, as the instrumentation peels off and he’s left with just the drums and bongos –
Go down to the river, and there I’ll be
I’m gonna jump in, babe, if you don’t see about me
Open up your eyes! Can’t you see I love you?!
Open up your heart, now! Can’t you see I need you?
I’m no good without you!
Can’t go on without you!
Life’s no good without you!
What I gonna do without you?
– he sounds like he’s doing Hamlet. (Which, incidentally – how great would that have been?) It’s just a remarkable performance, Marvin’s best so far and the first of his Motown 45s to hint at the dark seam of Tortured Artist bubbling under the surface which would later catapult him to critical adoration.
The combination of music and vocal is electrifying. It has such a remarkable “live” feel that you’d swear everyone was in the room together, rather than laying down their seperate tracks days apart; Marvin feeds off the music more than any record so far, the ballsy track clearly shaping his gritty, all-in vocal (which is why this talk of the Supremes baffles me!), but equally it sounds as though the band are in turn feeding off Marvin’s megawatt smouldering, because they’re on fire.
This could have been the greatest 12″ mix of the Sixties, if such things had existed back then; it’s taut, stripped-down, stripped back, minimalist, with the bass churning up the speakers in great thudding waves and the drums pounding away and the bongos rippling and the backing vocals chanting and the riveting horns and guitars blaring over the top to create an actual wall of sound that Marvin keeps on climbing even as the musicians trowel on more bricks… I wish it was twice as long, and that doesn’t happen very often. But the point is, it never stops, and you get the feeling it won’t stop until someone physically pulls out the plug.
I don’t know why I’d never heard this before, or why it wasn’t a bigger hit (it grazed the pop Top 30 before disappearing out of sight, and was never released in Britain at all). Apparently it’s well-known in covers by the Who (discerning chaps, clearly), but this was new to me. That thrill of finding something so outstanding buried in an avalanche of other things that I already knew were outstanding… that’s one of the great joys of writing this stuff, and one of the reasons I love doing it, I suppose.
But enough about me, let’s get back to Marvin. This is a quite remarkable record, rough and loud and crackling with energy, out of step with everything Motown was doing at the time and yet pointing a clear path to Marvin’s future. It’s also brilliant.
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 Marvin Gaye? Click for more.)
Oma Heard “Mr. Lonely Heart” |
Marvin Gaye “Walk On The Wild Side” |
DISCOVERING MOTOWN |
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The Nixon Administration said:
Incidentally, if anyone wants to hear lots of other covers of this (though not Barbara Randolph’s as far as I can see), here’s a link which didn’t exist when I started writing this post!:
http://thelandofathousanddances.com/2012/04/05/beat-that-baby-dont-you-do-it/
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Damecia said:
Cool link! I listened to all the covers. Some of them good, some not so good, but none beat Marivn’s version.
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144man said:
There’s a great version by Stevie Wonder on the “I Was Made to Love Her” LP.
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Bob Harlow said:
One of Marvin Gaye’s best ever! Agree with Nixon ,Gaye’s best since “Can I Get A Witness”.
This fantastic record managed to get to the Top 20 in my home area,Los Angeles in late October of 1964. At that time , “Baby Love”, “Dancing In The Street” and” Baby I Need Your Loving” were getting all the air play. “Baby Don’t You Do It” got squeezed out ..too many great Motown records released at one time.
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Damecia said:
Agree! Too many good Motown records were out at the time…that wasn’t a bad thing though. (LOL).
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MichaelS said:
I’ve always thought this was one of Marvin’s best recordings. It should have charted much higher than it did. No other version touches it. A rating of at least “9” is well deserved
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Damecia said:
Agree!
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144man said:
My favourite Marvin Gaye record to date. A great sound overall, and a special mention for Eddie Holland’s lyrics which are almost “stream of consciosness”. 10/10
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Damecia said:
Fantastic way to describe the lyrical content!
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144man said:
…and it would have been even better if I’d spelt “consciousness” correctly!!!
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Damecia said:
(LOL) = )
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Dave L said:
This is an example of why, despite having the song on numerous (and even mono) albums, I was still making ongoing efforts in the 70s to fill in holes in my Motown 45’s collection too. You simply had to have the original single too. By then, I knew they’d have to last me the rest of a lifetime, so styli got changed religiously, and never were they played with more than two grams pressure. I can’t take them with me but I want them for as long as I’m staring down at flowers and not up at roots.
Marvin with the Andantes sounds so good and, working together, they’re going to create many more Golden Age evergreens. This record succeeds also, because it puts Marvin in such an honest setting for him. He’s a 25 year old man, dealing with all the contractions and obstacle courses love throws at every fellow and woman of that age. There can be no doubt with this one, that he’s lived what he’s singing.
I love it along with you, Nixon, your review is a gem, and I concur with the grade.
🙂
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Ron Leonard said:
I agree with Bob Harlow, this was a great effort since ” Can I Get A Witness” however, Holland Dozier Holland were already winning with “Baby Love” and ” Baby I Need Your Loving” ..” Baby Don’t You Do It” did have more of the defining sound that was ” The Motown Sound”..
I really enjoyed Marvin’s album, “The Moods Of Marvin Gaye”, which comes out a little later..I’m trying to remember how many singles came off that..
“Ain’t That Peculiar”, “I’ll Be Doggone”, ” One More Heartache”, ” Little Darlin’ (I Need You)”, “Your Unchanging Love”..I also liked, ” You Been Along Time Coming” a flipside..This is truley a “Golden Era”
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Dave L said:
(in order) I’ll Be Doggone, Ain’t That Peculiar, One More Heartache, Take This Heart Of Mine, Hey Diddle Diddle ( I believe an intended A-side, but overtaken by…) Little Darling I Need You, then an over 10 month wait for any Gaye solo single and Your Unchanging Love was also pulled out of it.
The LP could have -and probably should have- carried Pretty Little Baby, but you had to wait till the autumn of ’67 for that to appear on Greatest Hits, Vol. 2. In fact, Pretty LIttle Baby was the only track on Greatest Hits 2 that hadn’t already shown on How Sweet It Is or Moods.
Marvin got to shoehorn two standards into Moods, Night Life and One For My Baby, which must have pleased him, and given that the album was so top-heavy with hits, more fans probably heard these than anything on When I’m Alone I Cry, Hello Broadway and Nat King Cole.
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Rhine Ruder said:
hard to believe you haven’t heard this Marvin Gaye classic before it was recorded by the Band who later recorded the Four Tops “loving you is sweeter than ever” both Dylan and the Band had quite a respect for Motown and that leads me to believe that Dylan really did call Smokey Robinson a one of the greatest poets of popular song.
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The Nixon Administration said:
Well, Al Abrams admits making that quote up 🙂 But Dylan’s never come out and disagreed, and while I’ve always considered Smokey a greater tunesmith than a lyricist (see earlier Miracles entries), he wouldn’t have been too far wide of the mark.
But no, I’d never heard this before TCMS 4, and when it first struck up on my iPod, it took me a few moments to realise hang on, that’s Marvin Gaye!
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Landini said:
Hey Fellas,
First off, Mr. Ruder, good on ya for mentioning the Band’s (who I love!) version of this classic & their version of “Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever”. The latter song happens to be one of my favorite Motown/4 Tops’ songs of all time! By the way, to add another wrinkle to this whole ball of wax, Marvin Gaye did a version of “Loving You is Sweeter” as well. And Stevie Wonder co-wrote it and he also did a version of “Don’t Do It”. Re. the Dylan quote, Dylan later said he meant to say Arthur Rimbaud (who was neither alive nor American) rather than Smokey. Who knows?
Back to the song, this is a pretty cool one. Stevie Wonder’s version is good too.
Back to the Band for a minute – Their “Moondog Matinee” is one of the best oldies revival albums of all time! Those dudes knew their R&B! Forget Hall & Oates, the Band is one of the best blue eyed soul groups of all time! Okay I’ll stop!
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Kevin Moore said:
Very strange. This song – and even the arrangement – are as familiar to my ear as Baby I Need Your Lovin’ or Heat Wave, but I had no idea whatsoever that it was by Marvin & HDH! Until now, the only version I’d heard was The Band’s (slower, but still essentially faithful) cover. I never considered that they hadn’t written it! In any case, the original is fantastic – at least a 9/10 – and I find it very strange that it apparently never became a million seller in its original incarnation.
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Damecia said:
Well written review Mr. Nixon!
This record is a delightful, unexpected surprise and it deserves the 9/10. This is defintely a song that gets you on the floor, but what makes it so great is that it is more than a dance record. Marvin’s delivery is gritty & great. The genius of HDH and the Funk Brothers together is on full display here. Wonderful lyrics and instrumentation.
I can understand why this would’ve have been originally a Supremes song. I can also picture a great version of this coming from the girls. Diana singing from her lower register could have pulled this off.
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The Nixon Administration said:
Female versions seem to be in short supply, but Barbara Randolph turned in a late-Sixties adaptation which is an interesting experience:
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Damecia said:
Never heard of Barbara Randolph, but this cover is lacking something. IMO if Mary Wilson would have song lead this is what the song would’ve sounded like. (LOL). Thanx for posting!
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bogart4017 said:
Never heard of Barbara Randolph? Gack!!!
Try “I Got A Feeling”. It must be on youtube somewhere.
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Damecia said:
Okie dokie!
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MichaelS said:
Thank you, Mr. Nixon, for posting Barbara Randolph’s version of “Baby Don’t You Do It.” This is one that I hadn’t heard before; quite an interesting production and one of the better covers out there.
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Mary Plant said:
Thanks Nixon! I remember the Marvin Gaye single, so it must have gotten airplay in Philadelphia (Dave L’s memory is younger than mine – hope you can confirm!) Beautiful review – and I agree – the song is well worth a nine. You can hear it on youtube – it made good listening as I was readinghte review.
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Dave L said:
Yes indeed, Mary: on WIBG, WDAS and WHAT -all AM stations- this Gaye record did not go neglected. One of the reasons it’s not known as well, I’m sure, is because it’s immedately followed in two months by a true Gaye “signature song,” one that goes higher on the pop chart than he’s been yet, much the way multitudes more know “Dancing In The Street” than “In My Lonely Room,” though all four songs are imbued with the sturdiest Motown ‘magic.’
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bogart4017 said:
While the airplay on this was tremendous i don’t think the sales were what they were suppose to be. I purchased it myself strictly on name strength and i still don’t feel it was one of his strongest efforts but according to the above comments i may be slightly outnumbered. Ok, extra points just because you can Jerk to it.
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Don't Mess With Will said:
This is probably my favorite Marvin and HDH collaboration and definitely a 10 for me. The sheer energy of this song makes it impossible for me to sit still while listening. I love the driving, slowly mounting band track: first drums, then Marvin, then Andantes, then guitar, then horns and sax bursting forth like a sunrise! And underneath it all that hypnotic pounded double-time piano that keeps my attention even though the song just stays on the same two chords. Then there’s the simple but powerful lyrics and Marvin’s amazing delivery. I’ve listened to this song so many times that I wait to yell “HA!” along with Marvin!
Barbara Randolph’s version is a great update of the song in the rougher, funkier context of the late sixties. I can hear her savoring each lyric. Also like her take on “Can I Get a Witness.”
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The Nixon Administration said:
I know, right? The Motown catalogue is full of great uptempo tracks, but this is one of the ones where, if I’m out and about and listening on shuffle, I just get a big smile as soon as it strikes up, and I find myself almost unconsciously dancing down the street. And it feels like it could happily go on forever.
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144man said:
I just want to say one more time how much I love this record.
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tomovox said:
HDH were masters at creating these songs that were like the Greatest Mind Benders ever. This one reminds me of Eddie Holland’s “Just Aint Enough Love”; that song is just one note over and over and over and over. But with that one note, HDH somehow managed to build one of the most hypnotic and tension-building things ever. There is a bass that is doggedly stuck, plucking one note through the whole darn thing (and another bass just below the surface playing lower notes, just to play tricks with your perception). “Just Ain’t Enough Love” seems to build one’s blood pressure in much the same way “Baby Don’t You Do It”.
“Baby Don’t You Do It” also features instruments playing either one-note refrains or two-chord movements, which along with the no-turns, no-frills production creates an odd sort of pulse-racing tension in the body. You keep thinking, something has to give, there HAS to be some kind of middle-eight bridge to create a diversion, and yet it never comes. On Eddie’s “Just Ain’t Enough Love”, the Andantes provide an oddly, other-worldly, Stepford Wives-like, trance-inducing vocal line while Eddie Holland supplies the emotional release needed to make make this tightrope walk work. The same thing occurs here on “Baby Don’t You Do It.” The chants of the Andantes provides a sort of Very Soulful Kafkaesque counterpart to Marvin’s controlled-but-frenzied delivery. And that’s what makes this all work so well. The contrast between a non-stop, endless one-note soundscape and an extremely passionate lead vocalist.
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