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Motown M 1073 (A), January 1965
b/w Where Did You Go
(Written by Mickey Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter)
Tamla Motown TMG 507 (A), March 1965
b/w Where Did You Go
(Released in the UK under license through EMI/Tamla Motown)
And so in to 1965 we go. But before we get started, I’d like to make a quick announcement: Motown Junkies won the Best Music & Entertainment Blog category at this year’s Wales Blog Awards. Thank you to all the readers (and artists!) who make this place what it is.
WE’VE REALISED THERE’S NO GOING BACK
1965, or Motown Year Seven, was a watershed for the company. No longer the plucky upstart scrabbling for cash, Motown – with seven Number One singles now under its belt, five of them in the last year – had grown into a genuine player in the American entertainment industry, a serious contender already some way into shedding the “black-owned” qualifier. They had money and they had stars; and in part thanks to their status as the most visibly successful black business in the country, they had power, both through their connections to agents, venues and radio outlets the white industry couldn’t touch, and through their ability to pressure other indie labels (black and white – but especially black) out of the picture with distributors and pressing plants.
But all of that brought its own new pressures: for the first time, success was expected at Motown, both from within and without. Before 1964, hits were the exception rather than the rule, and a top act might go for months without charting; a record hitting the Top Ten was cause for the champagne to flow. After 1964, the stakes were higher, Motown now playing at the high roller tables; now, if a record went Top Ten, the natural question was to ask whether it might kick on to Number One. Meanwhile, whoever you were, with a few exceptions, you were expected to pull your weight and shift plenty of units; too many flops and you’d be out.
The “Hitsville USA” sign plastered above the little Detroit townhouse that served as Motown’s studio, HQ and nerve centre had been cause for much amusement, derision and bonding among observers, outsiders and artists while the company was getting its act together. Now that sign’s bold claim was actually coming true, the atmosphere around the place seemed to change. The former photography studio, with its fug of smoke and chilli, and kids running around, and paperwork everywhere, and wires sticking out of walls, and people you knew from high school or prison just hanging out and gossiping on the steps or in the corridors… all of that was disappearing forever, and what was starting to emerge instead, of all things, was a business.
The Four Tops, veterans of the scene, having served a ten-year apprenticeship of endless gigs and no hits before finding their true place at Motown, would have been less thrown by all of this than some of their greener labelmates. This record, the Tops’ third Motown seven-inch, was taken – like the two before it – from sessions for the group’s (excellent) first album, Four Tops, which came out at the end of January ’65. They knew they had plenty of good stuff lined up, and they also had the advantage of having the newly-influential Holland-Dozier-Holland team in their corner.
Even then, the Tops weren’t completely untouched by the upheaval, the upward shifting of recalibrated expectations. This song, very much out of step with everything they’d done to date, was apparently originally intended for Tommy Good, a handsome white boy Motown had tried to astroturf into the big time with a fake grassroots campaign to promote his catchy début single, Baby I Miss You, and launch him as a new hearthrob star. A vast catalogue of new songs was recorded on Tommy (most of the material surfacing on his recent Motown Collection CD), in the expectation of a long and rewarding career. But it wasn’t to be. Baby I Miss You didn’t sell, and Motown no longer had to be patient in such cases; the label were now in a position where they could literally throw away thousands of dollars’ worth of studio time and cancel any future releases, shoving Tommy out of the door and beckoning the next hopeful from the ever-present crowd.
The band track for Ask The Lonely, a massive torch song complete with overdubs from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s string section, was reposessed before Tommy even got a chance to record any vocals over it (the version credited to him on the Motown Sings Motown Treasures compilation sounds nothing like him, and Tommy himself has said it’s not him). It was given to the first artist on the list with an album to record, which happened to be the Four Tops.
Talk about lucky breaks (except for poor Tommy, of course), as there’s nobody more appropriate that could have picked this up. The curious situation where a group who had been virtually the Holland-Dozier-Holland team’s pet project since arriving at Motown ended up releasing a single written and produced by someone else – a situation which HDH were reportedly none too happy to see unfold – only arose because this was simply too good to be left on the LP. It’s something of a departure for the group, but departure or not, this has “single” written all over it right from the first note.
The Tops’ Motown début, Baby I Need Your Loving, is a magnificent record, and deserved to be an even bigger hit. Their follow-up, Without The One You Love, is a mess, a cackhanded attempt to recapture the magic of their big breakthrough that entirely misses the point. So it’s perhaps not surprising that Motown, looking for a third single to boost sales of the forthcoming LP, went in a slightly different direction, especially when Quality Control had something of this, er, quality jumping out at them from the tape.
As with both the Tops’ previous Motown 45s, this one goes straight in swinging for the fences, opening with a massive, would-be anthemic chorus. Is it a success? Does it genuinely rock you back on your heels like Baby I Need Your Loving, or is it an over-ambitious damp squib like Without The One You Love? Predictably, it’s somewhere in between.
BIG ENOUGH TO GO IT ALONE
For the longest time, I didn’t really care for this, because I didn’t like the song. Oh, I can appreciate it as a good record, just as Quality Control must have done, because it’s buzzing with energy and the care that went into its construction is obvious – it sounds great. The massive strings are a cut above anything we’ve heard so far, not just from the Tops but on any Motown single to date – even the Temptations’ My Girl, with its famous string section hook, didn’t make use of this kind of complete orchestral sound. The Four Tops’ harmonies again blend beautifully with the Andantes, the often-uncredited Motown house backing singers, who appear here in full-on choral opera mode. And, oh, Levi Stubbs, I could listen to you barking out lead vocals like this forever.
But the song they’re singing… I don’t know. Hindsight, so often a curse when writing these things, reminds me the Tops would disappear down a sticky MOR rabbit hole at the end of the Sixties. Oh, they’d do good things with hokey, whitebread material, because there’s always the hint of easy listening lurking under the surface in a lot of the Tops’ Golden Age records – being able to access it just enough without slipping down that slope was one of the things that made them special. When covering, say, It’s All In The Game, or a pop hit from the Left Banke, for instance, those records only work at all because they amplified tendencies that were already there to exploit. Exploit well, too, but the move towards daytime white radio territory came at a price; the underground seam of cheese that the Tops had been so carefully, sensitively mining throughout their careers was suddenly exposed in something approaching an open-cast dairy, and from there it’s too easy to work back and find it in their earlier records. Earlier records like this one.
As a result of all of that – which I freely acknowledge is my fault, not the Tops’ – this song, which sails very close to the wind on that particular score, sets off all kinds of triggers which I associate with (for instance) Marvin Gaye’s series of show tune LPs, or Diana Ross and the Supremes sing Funny Girl, or Tony Martin. A bid to be “classy”, grown-up, respectable, establishment, something I instinctively react against whenever I hear it. You could call it a kind of snobbery on my part, I suppose; it’s the one time when my usual broad church approach, my “what’s good is good no matter who made it” philosophy, my dislike for the tyranny of genres, slips a bit.
I thought this merited further investigation, and lo, I investigated. For you, dear reader. For you. And I think I’ve finally understood it.
THE LONELIEST ONE IS ME
After winning the award, a lot of people have asked me a really simple question, and one for which I struggled to find a ready answer. What made me do this blog?
Oh, I could give reasons aplenty, most of them much repeated here already. Nobody else was doing it. Someone had to stand up for the “little people”, give Cornell Blakely and Connie Van Dyke the same platform as the Temptations. There’s nowhere else on the Internet that gathers this stuff together and tries to tell people what these records are actually like. And so on. Which is fair enough, except it doesn’t answer the question: why? Sure, it’s good to have a site like this exist, but why did I start doing it?
And thanks to the Four Tops, well, now I know.
If I bust out a clichéd phrase here – something like “it’s as much fun for me writing this stuff as it is for anyone reading it” – you’ll have to forgive me, because it’s true. I do this because, having all of this great music at my fingertips, I want to get the most out of it for myself. I want to explore each and every side in detail, leave no 45 unturned, give everything a fair chance, listen to everything over and over and over again, make sure I miss nothing. I want to hear what other people think about every last one of these sides. I want to go back to the “monuments” and listen with fresh ears. I want to open my eyes. I want to enjoy the music, and for some reason I enjoy music best when I’m writing about it, or telling people about it, or just talking about it, because once I get to talking about music, I physically can’t shut up.
So that’s why I’m here. And coming back to Ask The Lonely, a song I’d previously dismissed for stylistic reasons, with something approaching a clean sheet of paper, I was reminded of all of that.
YET AGAIN, THE ACTUAL REVIEW IS TO BE FOUND STUFFED DOWN AT THE END OF THE PAGE
Five things I now love about Ask The Lonely which originally washed over me because I couldn’t get over the MOR alarms going off in my head. In no particular order:
- Levi Stubbs approaches this record like a turbocharged Billy Eckstine, which turns out to be the best possible tack he could take (indeed, it’s no surprise to find out Mr B himself cut a version of this, which we’ll be meeting in a few years’ time). He always provides value for money, does Levi, but he’s spectacularly good here, recognising the song’s inherently hokey nature (of which more in a moment) and adapting to it in sublime fashion, an almost exactly 50/50 mix of the crooner’s art and the soulster’s power and emotional pain.
- The song is actually a brilliant marriage of two different songs, spliced together by its writers in the most remarkable fashion – the gritty drive of the verses, underpinned by guitar and drums bubbling over with confidence, a ticking time signature that somehow encourages finger-clicking, and the soaring 50,000 megawatt tea dance of that chorus, the Andantes bouncing right up to the very top of their range to soften out the sound. The chorus doesn’t belong here, and yet it’s been grafted on with such exquisite skill that I didn’t notice until about the 20th run-through.
- Those backing vocals are incredible. I’m not talking about the operatic soprano when the chorus gets to “Lonely!”, which is the song’s most notable feature on first listens, and which could shatter glass, and which therefore naturally draws the listener’s focus. No, I mean the backing vocals in the verses, which have a beautiful, angelic quality to go with the beautiful, unexpected melody; the Tops and the Andantes’ voices alternately blending and then taking harmony lines alone, now just the boys, now just the girls, it’s wonderful. Levi even leaves the girls to get on with it for an entire verse just past halfway (at 1:49), and it’s like a tiny oasis of calm among a raging storm of massive orchestration, quite beautifully judged.
- I don’t just mean musically, either – I mean conceptually, too. Levi, worried he’s not getting his point across effectively, keeps telling us, the listener, to “ask the lonely” – essentially, “if you don’t believe me, ask someone else who’s been hurt” – and that lovely Andantes vocal break comes after he sing-shouts “They’ll tell you!”, followed by twenty seconds of ghostly, sweeping harmonies. Effectively, the Andantes are playing the part of the “lonely”, a wordless representation of everyone who’s ever had their heart broken, everyone who’s pining for someone they can’t have, everyone who feels Levi’s pain. The narrator, just as he did in Baby I Need Your Loving, calls on unworldly powers to help him make his point, in this case a corporeal cloud of sorrow, the sighs of the lovelorn gathered together and made real. Quite a trick, that.
- And isn’t this just a beautiful song generally? The structure of the record puts Levi’s narrator in a difficult place which I originally took to be self-pity (and I wasn’t entirely wrong), and it’s definitely a song of pain, but pain expressed through fraternal advice bleeding into self-pity. “Don’t make the same mistakes I did”, Levi advises us, starting off broad and general, trying to help, but quickly it becomes more about him than us. And yet he manages to pull it off, selling grandiose lines in a grandiose setting without coming over as unsympathetic. Of all Motown’s big-ticket acts, it’s literally only the Four Tops who could have made this work – I can imagine some horrific covers of this song. But thanks to Levi, we feel his pain, and the pain of all those wounded souls he’s brought along to underline it. Again, quite an achievement.
AND SPEAKING OF ACHIEVEMENTS
This has gone from being one of my least favourite Four Tops singles to something I can’t stop listening to, which is no mean feat. It’s actually held up the progress of the blog, because I’ve not been able to move on. But it gets better each time I listen to it. (It’s also reminded me of a fundamental rule I should really have learned by now, which is never to underestimate the Four Tops. Perhaps when I get to their 1969 cuts, I’ll find similar things to love there too.)
But this. This is lovely. If I still don’t entirely trust that massive, sweeping chorus, it’s a record that’s nonetheless been creeping up and up and up in my estimation, to the point where I thought I’d better finish writing this before the song barged its way any further up the scale.
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 the Four Tops? Click for more.)
The Merced Blue Notes “Thompin’ “ |
The Four Tops “Where Did You Go” |
DISCOVERING MOTOWN |
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Motown Junkies presents the finest Motown cuts, big hits and hard to find classics. Listen to all past episodes here. |
The Nixon Administration said:
Another long one today, I’m afraid, but hopefully the reasons are clear.
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The Nixon Administration said:
I talked (a lot!) about this site and the award on our Radio Cardiff show on Saturday morning:
The whole show is good, but the blog award chat bit starts at 45:25.
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gregory said:
Congrats on your award !!!! It shows that there are more and more people that appreciate and become regular fans of this blog and that it all becomes worth while !!! especially even tho’ It has been out a few years that , The more people hear about us the more it becomes really Appreciated. A HIT!!!! NUMBER 1 In My BOOK!!!!
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The Nixon Administration said:
Aw, thanks Gregory, it’s much appreciated. As I said to 144man, it’s really an award for everyone who comments here and contributes to all the great debates and discussions we have; I’m incredibly proud to be a part of it.
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144man said:
Congratulations on your much deserved award.
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The Nixon Administration said:
Thank you! And I do mean thank you, as one of the most respected and valued contributors here – as I said in the intro, it’s not just me that makes this place what it is (can you imagine what the blog would be like if, as per the default settings, comments were disabled?!), and I’m sure the judges took note of that.
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MotownFan1962 said:
Congratulations! Sorry if I’m a little late. I didn’t find out till now.
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John Plant said:
A gloriously long one, calling forth a mighty Amen, both for the beautiful digressions and the deep substance of your critique. Like you, I was slow to warm to this vibrant song; Motown was supposed to be the alternate universe to the Verdi/Mahler/Puccini planet where I was spending most of my listening time, and I wanted more Heat Wave. This is certainly the most operatic Motown single I know, more so than anything by Liz Lands… Here, perhaps, is a parallel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKAL092-pM4 And where would Italian opera OR Motown be without an occasional wallow in self-pity? Particularly by voices this powerful – and yet in both cases it’s not just unremitting intensity – both Levi and Placido (not to mention Stevenson/Hunter and Ciléa) take us to a pretty torrid place, but once there they manage to subtly control the floodgates of emotion so that some brutally powerful feelings get expressed with just the right nuance – we’re not only overwhelmed, but we learn the geography of pain/loneliness in precisely magnified detail…I share your MOR alarms, and I suspect that not even Levi can wholly rescue Walk Away Renee (though he certainly gives it a good shot). The difference is perhaps that this song has a fire in its belly that no MOR kitsch could match. By the way, a p.s. to the fascinating James Brown digression of mndean and landini – the great JB certainly had more than a touch of opera in his makeup – I’m thinking of ‘It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s world…’ I remember him singling out the strings for a bow after performing this at the Apollo – must have been in 1966 or thereabouts – MOR is a million miles from passion like that. Your love of Motown inspires us all, Steve. Excelsior!
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Landini said:
Wow, you really hit upon something my friend! Yes, JB certainly had some opera in him – I mean the whole cape routine. In the book which I read, I did find an interesting comment from Marva Whitney, one of his singers. She said JB had her sing in a much higher range than she was used to – a very wild, insane singing style which became her signature sound. I have vague memories of JB & Marva performing on the Mike Douglas show of all places in the late 60s. FYI – I absolutely love the 4 Tops version of “Walk Away Renee”. They totally blow away the Left Banke’s version IMHO!
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Damecia said:
Grandpa Landini what’s your favorite JB song?
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Landini said:
Hmmmmmm…. Maybe “Good Good Lovin” or “Think” (different song from the one by Aretha). Both of these are early JB productions (pre-“Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” era). Back then he was using more Latin like rhythms in his songs. I like JB but in small doses. It is kind of funny, my mom worked with a black lady in the late 60s who actually didn’t care for JB. Her co-worker said something to the effect of “All that man does is scream!” LOL! My mom was a junior high school history teacher & I think she used one of JB’s records for a project with her students. Mom was cool!
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Damecia said:
Lol that is funny. I know alot of ppl black, white & latino who think James couldn’t sing, but I think otherwise. My favorite 2 JB songs would be “Prisoner of Love” of “Paid the Cost to be The Boss.” I love his version (IMO the best there is to date) of “Prisoner” mostly for his top-notch vocal performance. Not only is it clear, but you feel every word. I love “Paid the Cost to Be The Boss” b
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Robb Klein said:
I can understand why a lot of people would think that JB couldn’t sing very well if they only heard his Polydor and very late King records. I don’t consider “Sex Machine”, “I Got Ants In My Pants” and most of his Funk records, singing. But, anyone who’s heard him sing his original recordings of “Please, Please, Please”, “Try Me”, “It’s A Man’s, Man’s World”, and various standards wouldn’t really say that. I’m a bigger fan of sweet singing that hard edged singing. Nat King Cole was my favourite singer. But, even I admit that James Brown was a great singer, and I have over 40 of his singles (no Polydor), a few EPs, and a couple albums (all Federal and a few on King).
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Damecia said:
I agree with the funk records statement you made. There really wasn’t any vocal gymnastic going on on them. How well do you like Nat’s daughter Natalie?
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Robb Klein said:
Natalie Cole is a super singer. That proves that it’s good for a budding singing career to get some training and pointers from your professional-singing parent. But, she also inherited her father’s beautiful, smooth voice.
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Damecia said:
Yes that would be the smart thing to do. I love her song “Annie Mae” she comes on the track sooo smooth. I figured you would like her.
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Damecia said:
because it is sooo bad ass lol. From the opening notes to JB saying he’s a “bad mutha” and later saying he’s “headed for the turn around.” Great stuff! “Sex Machine” would be my 3rd favorite.
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John Plant said:
For me James Brown is the Shakespeare of soul – he takes you into the storm and brings you back alive. My favourites? Part 2 of Get It Together; Ain’t That a Groove; Money Won’t Change You; Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag; There Was a Time; It’s a Man’s Man’s World…
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Damecia said:
I don’t think I’ve ever heard JB describe better. Nice John! = )
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Damecia said:
Great parallel John!
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Robb Klein said:
I remember James Brown performing the sweet standard ballad, “September Song”, on TV in 1966. It gave me shivers. That’s one of my favourite ballads, my favourite version being the Sollie McElroy Flamingos’ version from 1953 (they are also my favourite singing group of all time). Mr. Dynamite did a credible job (although, I think it was a bit much for him to add “Good Gawd!” to the “official” lyrics. Ha! Ha! I don’t know if I would characterise his version as “operatic”. But it certainly was emotional (if not also a little “hammy”).
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Landini said:
Hi Robb… That must have been quite a performance. In looking over JB’s discography I notice that he did quite a few standards as album filler. I remember when JB came on the TV in 68 after ML King was shot. Mr. Brown can definitely be credited with helping quell the rioting. Was bad in some places but could have been worse.
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Damecia said:
Hammy is the exact word I would use to describe JB’s performance, but it wouldn’t be a JB performance if it wasn’t right? Lol
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Nick in Pasadena said:
Great review. I recall having a similar reaction the first time I heard this, with its overpowering production. My God, they’re trying too hard! But it didn’t take long for it to burrow its way under my skin, and now it’s one of my two or three fave Tops songs. I would even tick this up a notch to a “9”.
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Blank Frank said:
I agree with you Nick, but I think only Levi Stubbs could pull this one off. I can’t imagine anyone else doing justice to this song.
Nixon, great review! About your statements about why you started the blog, maybe part of it was to create a community of like-minded Motown Junkies.
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The Nixon Administration said:
It actually wasn’t – not even subconsciously, I didn’t think anyone would want to read this stuff! – but it’s been by far the best of all the unintended happenings and I made sure during my acceptance “speech” (i.e. fumbling, blinded-by-spotlights stream-of-consciousness babble) to thank all the readers (and especially those who leave comments) for making the blog what it is.
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Sonic eric said:
Fantastic review. I can’t help but thank you for this fascinating essay. One of my first motown thrills discovering it sung by the Jackson 5 on Motown superstars sings Motown superstars version (a record I bought in a flee market near Paris).
Just a notch below the great trilogy though(Reach out, Bernadette, Standing). A 8 for me.
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Damecia said:
Whoah! There’s a recording of J5 singing this…I’m going to Youtube it now!
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ExGuyParis said:
Probably my favorite review so far. Why do you do this? Simple answer: you (like all of us) LOVE Motown! We love that you are doing this.
I like the way you dig below the MOR possibility and respect the incredible power of this lead vocal and the truly incredible back-up singing.A huge thanks.
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Charles said:
The version credited to Tommy Good was actually sung by co-writer Ivy Jo Hunter as a demo.
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The Nixon Administration said:
Right, of course. It’s obvious now I know that, but I couldn’t for the life of me place the voice. Thanks!
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John Winstanley said:
I didn’t know that! The man’s a genius. I suspect there are plenty of Ivy Jo demo’s in the vault that should be put out on CD. I always thought “Do I Love You” was a demo for Chris Clark which would explain why the record was withdrawn. “Ask the Lonley” was never my favourite Four Tops records but I now rank it in the top 3 and possibly the best. I’d give it a 10. Can’t fault the vocals or orchestration, pure magic.
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Dave L said:
Somewhere in Nelson George’s Where Did Our Love Go, he calls “Dancing In The Street” William Stevenson’s “most important on-record contribution to Motown.” That’s not untrue, but “Ask The Lonely” deserves to stand right next to it.
When it comes to romantic disillusionment from a male perspective, Stevenson built as perfect a platform for Levi’s personality and style of delivery as “A Fork In The Road” is for Smokey and “Since I Love My Baby” is for David. If the first two 45s hadn’t fully done it, by “Lonely” every Tops fan was on notice that each new single to come would be a record of substantial musical gravity.
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Robb Klein said:
I generally agree with what you said. But, to me this is a classic, and my favourite Four Tops song. And, I think it is perfect. I would give it a 10, without hesitation. I like Ivy Jo’s version very much, as well. A fantastic song.
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Landini said:
Yeah Robb, I also really love this one. To me it is just a perfect record, though I’ll accept the 8 rating. Nix menitoned cover versions. Barbara Lewis did a pretty good version. Have you heard it? Also the Intruders did a song called “Baby I’m So Lonely” which basically rips off the instrumental opening to this song, though I still like the song.
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Robb Klein said:
Yes, I’ve heard Barbara Lewis’ REMAKE version (a “cover” comes out while the original is still on its original run, to “cover it up”, stealing sales from it). That was on her Enterprise Records’ album, also recorded in Detroit (with many Motown musicians). It also included The Miracles’ “Oh Be My love”. She did a good job. The recording quality and instrumentals are good, but not up to Motown’s standards (but then very, very few non-Motown recordings are( maybe a few Thelma’s, a couple Golden World/Ric Tics and a couple oddball Detroit small label recordings (“My World is On Fire” by Jimmy Mack coming to mind).
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The Nixon Administration said:
“Yes, I’ve heard Barbara Lewis’ REMAKE version (a “cover” comes out while the original is still on its original run, to “cover it up”, stealing sales from it).”
Ohh, you’re not going to like the exciting new feature I have planned for tonight.
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Damecia said:
You guys may shoot me, but I think Barbara’s version of ” Oh Be My Love” is better than The Mircales. Lol
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Landini said:
Hi Robb, Not feeling great today but thought I’d drop in on my buddies at Motown Junkies. Hey, I think you said you liked the team of Stevenson-Hunter. I finally got “Temptin Temptations” CD & heard W-H’s “Born To Love You”. Wow! What a great song. Do you like it? Just curious. Sorry to digress on a 4 Tops blog but I was also listening to “I Gotta Know Now” from “Temptin” written by Whitfield/Holland. I notice a bit of a similarity with that song & “I Gotta Let You Go” by Martha/Vandellas. I just listened to both songs & they are similar (thought not carbon copies) & noticed that Whitfield wrote the Vandellas tunes. So that might explain it. Cheers!
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Mary Plant said:
I have to say that Temptin Temptations is probably tied w/ With a Lot of Soul for my favorite Temptations album and I totally love Born to Love You. Don’t know if it was ever a single, but I hope it was, so we can read all the wonderful commentary that it would generate. Landini, I hope you’ll be feeling better very soon indeed.
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The Nixon Administration said:
And so say all of us.
Re: “Born To Love You” – it wasn’t ever a 45, I’m afraid, not even the Isleys and Jacksons’ remakes. However, when we talked about The Way You Do The Things You Do, in the comments section the esteemed Dave L. picked out a number of his favourite Tempts non-single tracks, including “Born To Love You”, and a mini-discussion ensued – go check it out! 🙂
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Robb Klein said:
I found my issue of “Born To Love You” by The Temptations on a 45. It is a white DJ copy, with “The Impossible Dream” on the “B” side. It’s number is G-71-A and G-71B. I’ve always assumed that it was a special DJ release, as Motown was wont to do, from time to time. But, now that you have mentioned that it was NEVER released as a 45, I assume that it was NOT on “Motown Singles Year-By-Year”, as were the special Marvin Gaye and Brenda Holloway DJ releases.
So, I looked at the run-out groove track area. There is NO stamp for the mastering company (such as Sheldon, Bell Sound, or Nashville Matrix, as well as no recogniseable pressing plant code. ALL the Gordy records from that period had a stamped icon from the mastering service. They were usually pressed in The East by RCA (Pennsylvania) (mastered at Bell Sound), The Midwest by RCA Indianapolis(mastered in Chicago), and Monarch Pressing plant in L.A (mastered by Alcore). There are pressing plant code numbers, but no letter series to identify them. There is 50011 and 50012 as the cut pressing numbers (but that could come from a myriad of pressing plants near the end of the ’60s and through to the mid 1970s). I think it may well be an early to mid 1970s bootleg for the Motown collectors market, or, possibly also for the Northern Soul market.
Have you heard of such a bootleg, Nix?
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John Plant said:
Ahem, Mary, your own brother was part of that discussion! But let me say it again: Here stands a man with your future in his hands! Goosebumps, tears, shivers, and shakes! Let everyone say Amen! What a song! And an Amen to Mary’s (and everybody’s) good wishes, Landini, our thoughts are with you.
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Landini said:
Thank you friends!
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Mary Plant said:
I went back & looked at the entry yesterday, found that it was way too long to read without getting fired, so printed it out to read at leisure this weekend – FOURTEEN pages!
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Damecia said:
Lol = )
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Robb Klein said:
I have “Born to Love You” by The Temptations on a special white DJ 45, with a Christmas song on the other side (from November of 1967). I don’t think it ever came out on store stock. It didn’t have a regular Gordy 45 number. I think it was just to promote their albums (one Christmas album and one regular (secular) album? I think “Silent Night” was the flip.
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Robb Klein said:
Hi Landini,
Yes, I like “Born To Love You” by The Temptations. There are precious few Temptations’ songs that I don’t like a lot. They were at least tied for being the best all-around Motown group. Stevenson/Hunter were a great team. But, I also like Smokey, HDH, Whitfield/Holland, Whitfield/Strong. Fuqua/Bristol, Dean Weatherspoon, Bateman/Holland/Gorman, Cosby/Moy/Wonder, Gordy/Davis/Gordy, Gordon/Wilson and the other Motown writers (Broadnax, Penzabene, etc).
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Landini said:
And how about that Beatrice Verdi? Apparently, Ms. Verdi recorded a gospel album in the early 80s. I never heard it but read about it in a Christian magazine. That same magazine also made a reference to Cindy Birdsong — that she had signed on with a Gospel label as a solo artist. Wonder if she ever made any recordings for that label?
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Dave L said:
🙂 Congratulations on the win too, much deserved. Funny, if I met you in person, I’m not sure I’d ask you why you do this blog. One does not take apart a watch that’s working to see what makes it ‘go’; you might not be able to put it back together. I’m just heartened that such deep love of Motown has found a young and vigorous person, one who was not there when this material was brand new, obviously not intimidated by the multi-year investment of yourself and with an astounding mastery of the English language.
So far, every review has given the typical Motown evergreens the thoughtful and detailed appreciation they have long-deserved and, on occasion, the now and then stinker too has been given the verbal middle finger it’s had coming also.
Approximately 13 years now of Internet familiarity in my case, and I can think of no instance when I’ve been happier to find a message board on any topic than this one. And we’re only now at the front door of Motown’s greatest year.
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Chris Hewitson said:
In Britain, this track wasn’t released until that amazing ‘slew’ of wonderful music that launched the Tamla Motown label in March 1965. This release came along at the same time as Stop!, It’s Growing, Ooo Baby Baby, Nowhere to Run and Kiss Me Baby: the newest releases by the Motown acts then on tour in Britain on the Motortown Review (see my comments after the review of Always In My Heart). For me, a 15 year old at school with Saturday job income of 18s 6d, a Single at 7s 6d was already quite a chunk of money plus there were albums to be purchased on the new label. And, unbelievably there were other artists whose records we teenage Motown fanatics bought as well. I don’t know about other people, but for me, as the 4Tops at this stage weren’t a well known quantity. Thus at this time their Single didn’t get a look in due to budget constraints – and in any case their earlier releases were beginning to appear on Motown collections, so I assumed I’d catch up eventually (although that all changed with I Can’t Help Myself when the Tops moved into the ‘must have immediately’ category).
Thus, I didn’t come to Ask the Lonely until very much later and when I did, I didn’t remember that it was an A side and assumed it was a B side, a slot it retained in my mind for many years. Because of this presumed ‘second choice’ status of the song, my personal perspective on Ask The Lonely was that it was a ‘hidden gem’; not A-side material, but a profoundly felt soul ballad in which lyrics and music were perfectly matched to deliver possibly the most (certainly one of the most) anguished tracks ever produced by Motown.
I wonder whether it’s the open emotional rawness and the public desperation and despair that make one cringe away at first hearing. What do you do? What can you do for this stranger who is telling you such personal things? It’s too intimate. On his own admission, this man is beyond help and you know there’s nothing you can say or do at that moment to assist him in his pain. Further hearings, of course, allow you to listen to the overall effect of Ask The Lonely as a performance and as you listen over and over again, you know you don’t have to respond to the wounded cry but can respond instead to the fabulous production. Then it hits you like opera; its a blow in the polar plexus. You’ll never ever hear Ask The Lonely as mere background music, it will always haunt you.
At the beginning of 1965, I wouldn’t have given it an 8. Even now giving it an 8 means putting it up among highest of the most wonderful Motown music that’s about to come through the years 1965 – 1970. In that context I’d probably want to put it down a little. But standing on its own merits, yes, a magnificent 8 or even a 9, why not?
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Damecia said:
wow great commentary! = )
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mndean said:
Nixon, I’m not as bothered as you by the MOR aspects, since I’m old enough to remember James Brown doing “Prisoner Of Love”, strings and all, and liking it. Maybe it’s just an age difference. A 9 is where I’d place it.
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Landini said:
Oh wow MNDEAN! “Prisoner of Love” by JB. Now that is a great one! FYI – I just tried to read the latest bio of James Brown called “The One – Life & Music of James Brown”. Didn’t really care for it. Too much tabloid nonsense & very little about JB’s actual music. And a discography? NOT! An analysis about why JB released so many singles (more than other artists)? NOT! An explanation about the effect of disco on JB’s music? NOT! Reviews of his albums? NOT!!!!!! Anyway… as you can see I didn’t like the book. Oh well I’m hard to please! LOL!
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Robb Klein said:
I can tell you why James Brown had so many singles released (at least why he had so many released on King Records). He was a part owner in King near the end of their operating period (starting in 1964-through the late ’60s). His production company was also the main production unit for King at that time. So, he had a vested interest in releasing his own singles, as well as those of the other artists he produced. He had a fair amount of releases on Federal, but not an inordinate amount, considering that he and his group were good sellers. The same was true of his stay at Polydor.
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Landini said:
Robb, Thanks buddy for the info. Makes sense! One thing I learned from the James Brown book is that Tammi Terrell was invited by Bob Hope to be part of his USO tour. She apparently declined because of commitments to JB. I thought that was interesting.
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Damecia said:
That is interesting. I’ve read a couple of times from diffrent sources that JB used to physically & verbally abused Tammi
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Robb Klein said:
My parents were on an airplane ride from London to Los Angeles during the early 1970s, and James Brown was in their cabin on that trip. The first class cabin is very small. So, they heard everything he said. They told me that he was very rude, and every other word that came out of his mouth was either a swear word or scatalogical. I’ve heard this about him from several other people.
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Damecia said:
Wow, I can believe this. My grandmother used to work at various hotels in the 70 downtown Atlanta and she told me how rude and nasty (meaning their rooms) they were.
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bogart4017 said:
It wasn’t JB doing the releasing. It was Syd Nathan owner of King Records. James wrote in his autobiography about how he felt he was competing against himself with the singles being released on top of each other like that. In the year 1966 alone there were 6 Lps released including a christmas Lp. Thats a lot of trips to the record store for one artist.
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Dave L said:
By the way, there are a lot of misprinted labels of this Motown record as far as the running time is concerned. 2:57 is wrong and so is my copy, which is one of the many that says “2:27.” The actual running time is more like 2:44.
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The Nixon Administration said:
Motown, along with many other American labels at the time, would quite often deliberately falsify running time label information. I’ve read this was done for three reasons: some DJs liked to have songs of a particular duration (either two and a half or three minutes) to fit into their playlists; getting the correct running time to the label copy people was an administrative pain in the arse (much easier to just make it up); and unless you had a stopwatch, you probably wouldn’t instinctively be able to tell the difference or notice an extra fifteen seconds here or there.
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gregory said:
Yes! you are correct here! most often d.j.’s would often have to put a certain amount of advert spots ‘ in a hour and often public service spots also and lets not forget about approx. around 8 or ten minutes for auto traffic weather and news and on the AM band that cut down on the song time that most stations would want to play . Most stations but not all put a limit to not over 3 minutes hence on some time on the label it would read 2:59 while on the FM Band they would play the Longer times especially beginning in about 1968-9 and started to be common place in the early 1970s and from then on !!! then afterwards you started to see longer running times on the AM band as well!!!
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Dave L said:
One of the most famous instances, and right around this very time, is Phil Spector putting 3:05 on “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” when it really runs 3:45.
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Randy Brown said:
And, with Top 40 timed to the nanosecond, I’ll bet you DJs and program directors tore their teeth out wondering where they lost those 40 seconds each hour.
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Richard said:
This has nothing to do with the review of the Four Tops – Ask the Lonely, although it is one of my favourite singles by them, it grew on me also and took years for me to realize just how good it is. Congratulations on your award, much deserved.
Just wanted to tell you that my daughter who is 30 years old got married on the weekend and my choice for father/daughter dance was “My Girl” by the Temptations.
The guests loved it and I looked around the room to see everyone, including her twenty something year old friends singing along. Long live the Motown Sound!!!
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The Nixon Administration said:
Thanks Richard, and congratulations 🙂
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Landini said:
Richard, Congratulations! That must have been a wonderful time. Nix, congratulatioins on your award sir!
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treborij said:
Another long, worthwhile review.
I’m surprised by the reluctance of a number of people to embrace this song. I actually remember the first time I heard it and I loved it. While I thought Without The One You Love was OK, it didn’t hit me like Baby I Need Your Loving which I thought was one of the greatest records at that time. (I still do.) But when I heard Ask The Lonely, it struck me as the real follow up to the first hit. It had everything I was looking for in a Four Tops record. I never really heard it as a borderline MOR style song (but then i was a 11-12 year old kid with a not particularly discerning ear). But i still don’t hear it. Maybe I’m missing something. But I know i still love it and get lost in it whenever I put it on. And I was so disappointed when it peaked only in the 20s. I’d give it a 9
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The Nixon Administration said:
Thanks Treborij.
One thing I don’t think I mentioned during the review – this recording, somewhat unbelievably, actually predates “Without The One You Love”, being chosen from the available LP session tapes by Motown after that second single stiffed.
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144man said:
I’ve never considered “Ask The Lonely” to be MOR influenced, and I still don’t hear it. I don’t get the “two different songs grafted together” either.
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The Nixon Administration said:
Hello! I can’t comment on the MOR thing as I think that’s probably wholly subjective, but the “two songs” bit only struck me after a few listens: the “Just ask the lone-ly” choral part is in a different metre (and in places, a different *key*) to the rest of the song, requiring the whole thing to effectively come to a halt when switching back and forth (very cleverly disguised by the off-time guitar riff which continually disrupts the beat “flow” of the verses).
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Mark V said:
That’s an intriguing sidelight to this review. The grafting of song segments (attaching a hook or even a chorus to a promising verse) would lend itself to the process we know took place with many Motown composers, who many times were working against the clock. Several sources have noted that the Holland-Dozier-Holland team sometimes would use this approach. The more skillful the songwriter(s), the more effective the results!
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144man said:
Maybe “Standing in the Shadows of Love” is the result of this approach.
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Mark V said:
There’s a quote in Nelson George’s book “Where Did Our Love Go?” regarding Holland-Dozier-Holland’s methods. They would record a basic track (rhythm section, horns, strings) and edit the track into a musical sequence they thought would work best. Then Eddie Holland would write lyrics to fit. No doubt this is a generalization. But maybe that explains why “Standing in the Shadows of Love” starts out immediately with the title hook, whereas “Reach Out I’ll Be There” follows a more standard sequence of verse, title hook, and chorus.
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144man said:
I always liked HDH’s unpredictability in their song-structure.
Also where everyone else is hearing “MOR”, I’m just hearing “60’s pop”.
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Landini said:
Hi Friends, I wasn’t sure where to put this, but I just heard that Frank Wilson, veteran Motown producer/composer, etc has died. Let’s keep Frank’s wife, Bunny & his loved ones in our prayers. I never met Frank myself, but know some people who knew him in Christian Ministry circles. I saw this on the Soulful Detroit Forum. If you want more info, please google Frank Wilson. RIP – Mr. Wilson.
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Mark V said:
He was responsible for some of the greatest Motown records ever released. Whenever I saw his name on an LP label or in a review, I was anxious to hear the song. RIP, Frank.
Landini, may I add my good wishes to you.
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Landini said:
Thank you friend
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Randy Brown said:
Mark V and others, I’m afraid I’ll have to dissent with your assessments of Frank Wilson’s contributions to Motown. Among other things, he was responsible for the Tempts’ all-time worst hit single, “All I Need” (obviously a Tops track for which Stubbs must have missed the vocal session). And much of his other stuff just doesn’t grab me. For the most part he inherited several acts who were left high-and-dry by H-D-H’s strike and departure, and didn’t do as well with them. Finally, I just can’t understand the obsession with his “Do I Love You” record.
That said, may he rest in peace, and condolences to his loved ones.
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Mark V said:
As Steve says, this is a site that welcomes dissent, and I’m all for it. Points taken.
I’d like to mention just the following cuts that reflect what I feel is Wilson’s combination of elegance and spirituality, a combination that I feel made him unique at Motown:
“There’s a Place We’d Like to Know,” The Originals; “I’ve Got to Find it,” Brenda Holloway; “Love It Came to Me This Time,” the Supremes, and “(It’s the Way) Nature Planned It,” the Four Tops.
FYI, I don’t appreciate “Do I Love You” much either. For a better example of Wilson’s vocals, you might try “Ain’t Gonna Tell You” on the compliation “Cellarful of Motown, Volume 4.”
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The Nixon Administration said:
I think all you “Do I Love You” naysayers are nuts, but that’s a topic for another day…! What I will say is that, as Motown’s valued secret weapon, Wilson excelled at being brought off the bench to plug a gap here, revive a flagging career there; he’s the songwriting and producing equivalent of a pinch hitter or a relief pitcher, and any baseball fan will tell you how many games those guys win you, no matter if it’s other people who get put on the front of magazines and cereal boxes.
Marvin Gaye’s “Chained”, the three LPs he did with the 70s Supremes, Eddie Kendricks, “Love Child”… I even like the aforementioned “All I Need” a great deal. Me, I *heart* Frank Wilson.
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MotownFan1962 said:
What about “Stoned Love”, “Still Water (Love)”, or the Supremes’ version of “Bridge Over Troubled Water”?
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Ron Leonard said:
Again, another stellar review! This Four Tops song, “Ask The Lonely”, I did NOT hear on the radio during its run in early 1965..I first heard this when I purchased the ” Four Tops Greatest Hits”, the one with Red Letters and a Silver background which I believe came out in 1967.
The version I love is the longer fade where Levi sings quietly ” I’m the lonliest you’ve seen” and the background Tops and Adantes with their “ooooohs”..
The strings and the Adantes I’am still awed by today..Stevenson and Hunter were on their game!!
The B side of this ‘Where Did You Go” is also another peice of Motown Magic that I still love and always will!! Thank you for this thread.
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Damecia said:
Again Congrats Steve D. on the blog!
Why haven’t I heard this song before?!? This song is BRILLANT! IMO this should be a 10/10.
Levi, Levi, Levi…the man’s vocal presence & tone is unmatched. I fell in love with the song from the opening notes. In fact, I can’t stop listening to the song just like Steve D.
I was going to list all of my favorite things about the song, but Steve D has captured all of my feeling in this well written review. I only wish he had given the 2 points! Lol
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The Nixon Administration said:
Thanks Damecia! 🙂 If I’d waited a few more days the score might have carried on nudging up. I read some old handwritten notes I’d made in preparation for this entry about fifteen months ago, and (as I said above) it seems I held it in much lower regard back then – I notice I’d scribbled “5?” at the end…
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144man said:
Most 4 Tops’ records get better with repeated plays.
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Randy Brown said:
First, congrats to Mister Nixon for his award!!
My favorite feature of “Ask” is how Stubbs doesn’t go to the top of his range until the final lines: “…a story to hard TO believe/They’ll tell you the loneliest ONE…is me…I’m the LONELIEST one, you’ll see.” If I’m not in tears before then, those lines will get me there.
This and “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted?” are the two most desolate, heartbreaking songs in Motown’s catalog, and practially in all of soul music.
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treborij said:
<>
You are so right. The one thing that’s above these two for me, however is Baby I Need Your Lovin”, After all these years, it still gets to me.
Also, as far as What Becomes…. stay away from the Robson & Jerome version. It’s totally neuetered of any emotional content.
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The Nixon Administration said:
In fact, “stay away from the Robson & Jerome version” is a useful bit of life advice in general, no matter what the situation.
I mean, COME ON, what the hell.
Those wankers somehow sold ten million albums in Britain in the Nineties. Some R&J fans even bought their records first, and *then* bought CD players to listen to them. NEVER FORGET, NEVER FORGIVE.
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Randy Brown said:
It seemed that in the late 80s white artists were hell-bent on doing soundalike covers of soul classics…f’rinstance, the Chi-Lites’ “Oh, Girl” and Harold Melvin/Blue Notes’ “If You Don’t Know Me By Now.” In America, they had a tailor-made outlet on adult contemporary radio, which loved to play such records, but avoided black artists who sounded TOO black – that’s why Whitney Houston and Pariah Carey were so big. (And no, there’s no accidental mis-spelling in that sentence.) DO NOT get me started on Michael Bolton’s annihilation of “When a Man Loves a Woman,” one of the few records that make me turn homicidal.
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treborij said:
Nixon – I think there’a a bit of a sadistic streak in you (You are the one who introduced me to the “joys” of R&J)…..Of course I had to watch this….well at least the first 24 seconds (bailed before they even got to the chorus). Cruel cruel cruel……..
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David Wilson said:
Of course you know who was responsible for Robson & Jerome?… SIMON COWELL!!!!!
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David L. said:
I think I was just on your blog a couple of days ago re-reading your “My Girl” critique and others when ,today,lo and behold you’ve reviewed “Ask the Lonely” and already there is a dozen or more responses. This goes to show how great your blog is and how important it is to those of us who are completely out of our minds about Motown. Thank you so much for giving me the platform for discussing my obsession with the Detroit Sound. ” Ask the Lonely” “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted” and ‘Since I Lost My Baby” are the most soulful songs that came out of Motown. I just re-watched “Standing In The Shadows Of Motown” and someone in it had commented that Deputy Dog could have recorded any of the Funk Bros. backed songs and had a hit. I disagree and the afore mentioned songs,especially “Ask the Lonely”, prove my point. Sometimes the vocal perforrmances ascend all else. Congratulations, and here’s to some more awards!
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Randy Brown said:
The person who said that obviously was blissfully unaware of “Custer’s Last Man”…
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Robb Klein said:
Only a few of “The Funk Brothers” were with Motown when “Custer’s Last Man” was recorded.
But the point being made is valid enough. The Funk Brothers’ backing tracks on The Messengers’ “California Soul” was fantastic, yet The Messengers’ record sold naught, and the Blinky & Edwin Starr version sold a lot more with a much, much better vocal, and a much weaker instrumental.
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MotownFan1962 said:
Best. Four Tops song. Ever. I give it a 15 out of 10. No explanation needed.
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Damecia said:
Agree! Agree!
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Robb Klein said:
It’s my favourite Four Tops song, too!
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The Nixon Administration said:
Well, you say that, but a little bit of explanation wouldn’t go amiss, really 🙂
To wit: Why does this one stand out as the best of the best for you, and not, say, Reach Out, or Baby I Need Your Loving, or Bernadette, or Sugar Pie Honey Bunch, or, I don’t know (rummages through list) Tea House in China Town or something…? I’d be interested to know, anyway.
(Also, if you do reply to this, we’ll break the 100 comment barrier for what I think is the first time in Motown Junkies history, so, um, there’s that.)
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Robb Klein said:
I probably like this one best because it has the best combination of good song writing, great instrumental, melody, emotion from Levi, group harmony and background vocal quality. It’s really difficult for me to dissect a song into its parts to determine why I like it at a given amount. I like recordings because of the way they sound as a composite. I can only compare them for degree of “like” by assessing their “value” to me. And that can only be done by thinking about which of the two I’d rather have had never existed (or, conversely, which one I’d rather not lose forever). I like it better, because it’s harder to live without (or it has brought me more pleasure). I generally like Stevenson-Hunter songs better than Holland-Dozier-Holland songs. I like “Baby, I Need Your Loving” a lot, but neither “Reach out” nor “I Can’t Help Myself”, nor even the unusual “Tea House In China Town” would likely make my top 1000 Motown recordings. In fact, I probably like their version of “Pennies From Heaven”, on Riverside Records, better than those 3 songs. I think I like Tommy Goods “Ask The Lonely” (or is it really Ivy Hunter’s) better than The Four Tops’ “Reach Out”. It’s not just the singer, It’s the combination of the song, itself, the instrumental quality, the singer’s singing, and how it all fits together (production and producer’s vision). How’s this for our 100th?
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MotownFan1962 said:
Sorry to be late, but I might as well explain (better late than never).
In simplest terms, I’m a sucker for a pretty tune with good harmonies and a loud, soulful (but still in tune) lead vocal. I can only hope to be half the vocalist Mr. Stubbs was. I admire a lot of Motown’s male vocalists (including Marvin Gaye, David Ruffin, Shorty Long, Paul Williams) for their great vocal strength (volume-wise, emotion-wise, and ability to keep control and stay in tune), the sheer confidence in their voices.
Happy 105th comment! 🙂
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MotownFan1962 said:
P. S. “Ask the Lonely” stands out in particular for me because of it’s near-operatic qualities. Goes to show the many influences of Motown. As you’ve said before, there is no one “Motown Sound”. Plus, it’s relaxing.
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I LOVE THE SUPREMES AND TEMPTATONS said:
I remember first hearing this song last yr and wow…everything from the somber lyrics to…Levi’s gut retching vocals…to the four tops and the andantes heavenly harmonies
I mean it boggles my mind why this song didn’t hit number one…not on the pop charts or the r&b charts…it doesn’t make sense?
Anyway the thing that hits this song close to me is the lyric…when you feel that you can make it all alone remember that no one it big enough to go at it alone….simple…but touching
And this maybe crazy but another part in this song I like is when levi goes and they will tell you…and the four tops and the andantes start harmonizing…I just love that for some reason…
10/10 hands down
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Damecia said:
My feelings exactly!
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bogart4017 said:
What can i tell you? This is soul singing against a pop musical bed and IT WORKS! You know its bad when even the lonely will tell you that “the loneliest one is me…” Check the Fantastic Four’s take-off in this called “Just The Lonely”.
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Damecia said:
Exactly! lol
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jyx95k said:
Magnificent record. I’ve never thought of it as a ‘pop’ song. There’s so much soul in that lead vocal it obliterates any other considerations.
Saddened me when Levi passed that there was so little about him in the press, I mean the man was one of the strongest singers ever to have entered a recording studio. Pure class.
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Peter Shaky wonder said:
Just as you, I had this Four tops tune buried down the list somewhere when I thought of all my favorites. But as time went by and I heard it more and more and began to take it apart as you have here in this blog, I have come to appreciate the true genius of all the components to this song that now make it one of my all-time favorites. As so many critics have said about great singers before, Levi could have sung the phone book and still have been great. As a white teenager in the 1960s from a Boston suburb, MOTOWN music was my clear favorite, even if it wasn’t fashionable to relish it quite that much in my neighborhood. I did not mind their move to remakes of hits such as Walk Away Renee’, because Levi’s interpretation of other people’s songs was always unique. It is a shame that such a wonderful voice was silenced and that he had to endure 8 years of listening to Duke and the new guys take over for him, before he died. The Four Tops are and were the greatest of the MOTOWN groups in my mind. Their a capella version of this song is one of the finest tracks ever. Thank you for posting this blog. I am 100% with you…….
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ExGuyParis said:
I’m so glad you listened a few more times before giving your rating. For me, a soaring 10. Why?
The stereo is quite amazing. For the first few seconds it seems the right speaker isn’t on, but then the strings arrive.
This lead vocal is one of the most soulful things I have ever heard.
The syncopated counter-point harmonies by the three Four Tops and the Andantes is absolutely remarkable.
This is a song I love to listen to on the Motown Original Karaoke CD. The “without lead vocals” one highlights the amazing stuff being delivered by the musicians and the back-up singers. The instrumentation is amazingly lush. I love the piano.
The split vocals/instrumental version makes the vocal mastery evident.
And most remarkable of all, the a cappella version highlights even more strongly the superb artistry of the voices, and the searing lead vocal.
This song has always lifted me to a higher plane. It’s kind of magical for me. At the risk of sounding incredibly hokey, I’ll state that it hammers my soul.
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Adam Webster said:
Who were the backup singers on the four topsAsk the lonely?
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The Nixon Administration said:
The Andantes (Louvain Demps, Marlene Hicks, Jackie Barrow), Motown’s usual female backing voices – their blend of harmonies with the Tops constitute some of Motown’s most beautiful work.
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MotownFan1962 said:
* Jackie Hicks and Marlene Barrow
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benjaminblue said:
When I first heard this song — on the B-side of The Four Tops Live — I didn’t pay much attention to it; it just didn’t grab me much, and I was always impatient, listening hard to my favorite cuts on the album and letting the others sort of drift past me.
But several years later, after certain other songs, including Gladys Knight’s I Don’t Want To Do Wrong and Aretha’s Ain’t No Way, conditioned me for ballads, I heard this song on a car radio when driving home, way past midnight, in a very black night on an all-but-empty highway. Whether it reflected my then-current mood or the onset of maturity, it truly touched and excited me, and it was only afterward that I purchased The Four Tops first album. (While I somewhat liked The Four Tops, I had only their Reach Out and Live albums during their big hit-making years, and that had kept me satisfied.) Now, though, it’s one of my favorite Tops’ songs, along with I Can’t Escape Your Memory, a non-H-D-H song that fits with Seven Rooms Of Gloom, and much of the Reach Out album.
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David Wilson said:
This for me has to be one of the Four Tops best recordings. I have loved it from the first time I heard it as a 13 yr old back in the 70’s. The sound, the backing, the bass. Levi- it all fits perfectly and it breaks the mould of their repetitive uptempo ‘hit’ formula. Similar inn vein to Kim Weston’s A Little More Love, another fave of mine. I never tire of listening to ‘Ask’- It is one of my Motown top 100. In a strange tenuous kind of way it reminds me of In My Room by the Beach Boys. It’s 10/10 from me.
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David Lax said:
The first time I heard this song, was actually when it was released in 1965. I was 12 years old. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I remember begging my mother for the 47 cents to buy the 45rpm record. She finally relented and gave me the money. I rode my bike 2 miles each way to the closest record store and bought it. I think within a week, I had already worn it out.. listening to it over and over again. Back then 45’s were mostly done in mono, and this record was no exception. It wasn’t until a few years later that I got the LP stereo version of it.. Radio stations of the time were also AM and played in mono. When I heard this in stereo for the first time I was blown away. The opening of the song before any vocals even begin, told me this is gonna be very special. The strings in syncopation with the bass line and guitar was just amazing. Then the Andantes came in with their heavenly voices, with that high soprano (Louvain Demps) singing without effort to reach those unbelievable notes, just about knocked me over. Levi then comes in and begins the song, with a voice like no other, first almost understated, but as the song builds and really gets into itself.. he just lets go.. The background vocals continuing to build on the structure of the song. The dissonant harmony of the oohs and ahhs against the melody is perfect. By the end of the song you can feel and hear in Levi’s voice the depth of his sorrow and pain for lost love that may never return. To me, this is one of motown’s best.. and certainly in my opinion the best work the 4 tops ever did. Not taking away from their other songs… But this one stands high above the rest. To this day, Whenever I make a CD for myself this song has to be on it.
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Kevin Moore said:
The review is definitely a 10/10 – I might dock the song to 7/10 for not having a bridge, but then probably raise it back to 8/10 for the performance and the use of “slash chord” (chords with something other than the root in the bass). You say it’s 50% MOR, but I’d lower it to 25% MOR because pre-rock American songbook songwriting (i.e., MOR), while it has 7th 9th and 13th chords and tons of modulations, simply doesn’t have chords that don’t have the root in the bass. It’s as if R&R and R&B – sharing your revulsion with MOR – threw out the whole harmonic palette and replaced it with triads and blues – creating a visceral aggressiveness that rendered MOR music to the Holiday Inn lounge. Only after quite a few years of this did people like HDH start adding the harmonic complexity back in – but they added it in a way that didn’t sound MOR – that retained the core primal energy of rock and r&b.
If you listen to this particular one with modern ears, the slash chords actually sound a bit dated – like a paisley shirt – but in early 1965 this was shockingly original. I only wish there was more to the song harmonically. Of course I realize that all of this results from looking at the song through the prism of harmony – I get that there are certain aspects of the arrangement and especially the lyrics that add to the MOR flavor. All told – the review greatly increased my enjoyment of this one and I look forward to having it grow on me further.
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Kevin Moore said:
This is also the best example yet of why it would be so great to move (or duplicate) those PREV/NEXT buttons at the top and the bottom (below the comments). When a massive review gets 90 comments, finding those buttons in the middle is (as the Velvelettes might say) like finding a needle in a haystack.
Of course, this assumes that each review is coded such that you could make one change and have it change the location of the buttons on all the reviews. If you had to do it for each one manually I’d much rather have you write more reviews!
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Robb Klein said:
No WONDER I had so much trouble trying to maximise the use of each cassette tape! Record companies just MADE UP the song lengths! They should have spent time in the stocks and the pillory for that, and stretched on the rack for good measure!
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Greg Kipp said:
Testing, Testing, 1,2,3…… I would rate this a TEN. One of Levi’s most stellar vocal performances. Just absolutely LOVE it!!!
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144man said:
“Two very strong ballads here from the Four Tops’ new LP. Both are ballads in the vein of their previous hit records, and both sides are equally good. 4/5; 4/5”
[Dave Godin, Hitsville U.S.A. 2, 1965]
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R. Sanchez said:
Absolutely , one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard! I don’t know technical jargon, but this one tugs at the heart and soul so well that I hope I never have to ask the lonely
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Landini said:
Agree! I love this song.
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Tim said:
This is Levi’s greatest vocal
So beautiful always ranks in my top 5 Four Top songs
And the Adantes are magnificent never sounded any better
And then you have Jk on bass
Glad you took a second look but it is a 10 in my books
The only time Levi sounded this smooth was on I Belive in You and me
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Iwantyou1976 said:
This is tied for my fav four tops songs and probably the best vocal performance I ever heard on a recording. Levi can do no things no other singer can. HIs voice is strong without even trying
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