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Motown M 1073 (B), January 1965
B-side of Ask The Lonely
(Written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Edward Holland Jr.)
Tamla Motown TMG 507 (B), March 1965
B-side of Ask The Lonely
(Released in the UK under license through EMI/Tamla Motown)
Much of what I said about the A-side, the lovely Ask The Lonely, goes for this flip as well: there’s the same big production, the same out-of-time, quasi-operatic chorus, the same flirtation with the ghosts of easy listening.
What’s missing, though, is the topside’s slow-release brilliance; this is good and all, but it’s never great.
Like Ask The Lonely, Where Did You Go was fished out of the sessions for the Tops’ dĂ©but LP, Four Tops, released later in the month. Unlike Ask The Lonely, this one was crafted by the group’s usual writer-producers, the Holland-Dozier-Holland team, but – crucially – it was recorded after Ask The Lonely was in the can.
Holland-Dozier-Holland, as a trio, possessed three great attributes which led them to world-conquering success. Firstly, they were great tunesmiths, capable of coming up with strange and unexpected (and often beautiful) chord progressions and melodies unlike any of their contemporaries. Secondly, they were great recyclers, never shy about re-using ideas from one song if they could be deployed to good effect in another. And thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, they listened to everything going on around them, absorbed (some would say appropriated) the best ideas that floated past, and put together their own take on those sounds. We’ve already seen their magpie tendencies on display here on Motown Junkies, and so – knowing that the trio were apparently somewhat peeved to discover the Tops, their pet project, were to have a new single written and produced by (gasp!) someone else – it’s legitimate to wonder if Where Did You Go isn’t in some way a response to the A-side.
Because there’s plenty of evidence of all three of the great HDH hallmarks here. I talked about great tunes, and Where Did You Go is no exception; there’s plenty of imagination on display on this, even if the overall effect isn’t as astonishing as some of the better HDH/Tops collaborations. I talked about recycling; the basic underlying structure of the song, the rhythm bed and the verse movement upon which everything else is built, are lifted directly from the Tops’ breakthrough hit, Baby I Need Your Loving. And of course, there’s more than a suggestion of the trio’s adopt/adapt/improve philosophy at work. If it’s not exactly vintage Holland-Dozier-Holland, well, there’s an argument to say it’s still classic. (Rather than “a classic”).
It’s hard to talk about Holland-Dozier-Holland in 1965 without mentioning their other big songwriting gig, and in many ways, Where Did You Go is similar to a generic Supremes B-side from this most successful of Motown years. It’s very pretty, it has the sound – yet again, the male Tops and female Andantes blend their voices in a unique mix that serves to perfectly set off lead singer Levi Stubbs’ distinctive vocals, part gruff bark and part sweet soul sensation (he’s excellent here again, though this almost goes without saying by now). It even has a nice tune, with some unexpected moves; the central refrain of Where did you go?, a refrain – like on the A-side – offset from the main time signature of the rest of the song, is positively haunting. But it’s not a great song. Rather, it’s just a nice record to listen to, a little something sweet to break up repeat plays of the topside.
Which is hardly a crime, of course. Largely unheralded on the Four Tops album, it’s ripe for rediscovery, a rare opportunity to hear the newly-minted, cusp-of-greatness Tops doing a song you haven’t heard thousands of times already. And it’s always great to hear something “new” with this sound; unlike the Supremes, there isn’t a near-inexhaustible supply of Four Tops offcuts, which perhaps explains why eager fans have grabbed this with both hands.
There’s almost nothing wrong with it – we’ve talked about the musical mix, the quality of the vocals, and lyrically it’s good too – straightforward but admirably direct, posing the simple titular question and demanding an explanation, both literally and rhetorically. It’s just lacking that final spark, that something extra which would take the song into the realms of greatness, rather than it being pleasing but ultimately inconsequential. Of course, I suppose when something’s this pleasing, it hardly matters.
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 Four Tops “Ask The Lonely” |
The Downbeats “Do You Know What I’m Talkin’ About” |
DISCOVERING MOTOWN |
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Dave L said:
It’s possible that I heard more Tops b-sides on AM Philadelphia radio then even Supremes, and this is one of the first I remember. I Got A Feeling and I Like Everything About You may as well have been A-sides for all the rotation I remember, but certainly Sad Souvenirs, Your Love is Amazing, Since You’ve Gone and I’ll Turn To Stone are in the group too.
It’s gonna be fun reading this year. There’s not a lot of limp Motown sides in 1965.
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Mickey The Twistin' Playboy said:
I didn’t like this track until it was released on CD back in the 80s. I’ve grown to like it.
Rating: 7/10
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Dave L said:
I’m impressed too that you wrangled an original 1965 pressing for the label scans of 1073. You can immediately tell an original because is will not yet have the encircled trademark ‘R’ above the ‘N’ in “Motown.” This is true of the script Gordy also; the ‘R’ appearing after the script ‘y’ in the word on discs pressed mid-1966 or later.
My “Ask The Lonely” does have it, probably pressed around 1970. Not as good, but still better than having to settle for a Yesteryear version without the original b-side.
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Ed Pauli said:
ONe clue you have an original is the RCA matrix SK4M
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Rob Green Nashville TN said:
Got to be one of my favorite Tops songs, love the background interplay (searching where is my baby, searching…) just beautiful and the strings are just elegant. In fact the whole effect is one of grandeur and elegance interplayed with sad desperation from Levi.
Their Four Tops Motown 622 album is one I often give to young people who are just discovering Motown, they all love it.
I gotta go higher than 6 on this one, I go back to it again and again.
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Ron Leonard said:
Rob, I too love this song. I infact didn’t actually hear “Where Did You Go” until I purchased The Four Tops, their first album in the early 70’s. Alot of these Motown songs I found on my own because I loved “The Motown Sound” Yes, this song for me is a gem..no, it’s not their best however, it does have parts that are great. The strings and backup, “Only your warm embrace..can fill this empty place” Also, the piano key change, reminds me of “Baby I Need Your Loving” and the flowing backup with thier ” Searching” and Levi pleading! HDH had a formula and for me it helped changed the way I heard the music..I had to listen to each part as its own entity to REALLY enjoy the final package! Motown was a blessing!!
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Landini said:
This is a nice little song. I definitely hear the “Baby I Need Your Loving” influence here. Levi & his gents are going to get on quite a roll soon!
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Damecia said:
This is my first time hearing this song and my first thought was.”Gee, this sounds like “Baby I Need Your Loving” long lost cousin.” Low and behold I am not alone! Lol.
I have to agree with popular opinion on this one. It’s not bad, but lacks enough originality to be considered.great. It does make for a great B side.for an amazing A side.
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bogart4017 said:
This more llike 8/10. Sounds wonderful, not great. A b-side or Lp cut, but not an a-side. I simply cannot figure out what is missing to push this over the top (no pun intended).
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jyx95k said:
I didn’t realise this song was the ‘b’ side of the immortal ‘Ask The Lonely’. Never having had the 45 I just assumed it was a standout album track.
Love this track. Great great record.
The stereo mix has a terrible dropout near the end, but that can never spoil it.
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Kevin Moore said:
“the topside’s slow-release brilliance”
well put – my first reaction was – as you say – that this is similar in approach to the A-side – my second reaction was that it has a vastly superior harmonic structure and a very nice bridge – but my third reaction was that it somehow wasn’t quite as intense
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Robb Klein said:
This is a great “B” side. It’s good enough for a “7”. It’s much better than the average R&B or Pop song (“5”), and about as good as the average Motown recording (“7”).
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Nick said:
I’m honestly not so into the A-side, which very clearly lacks the H-D-H magic touch. I’ve always thought it just sounds like a very typical if passionately sung ballad. This one has a lot more appeal to me. It’s like a more awkward and exotic version of “Baby I Need Your Loving,” The only thing that dings this one for me is the odd transition out of the chorus which doesn’t work and is the primary thing holding this song back from perfection. I adore everything else about it. But hey, it’s hard to complain about a secondhand knockoff of arguably the greatest song ever written which still captures much of the same magical feel and passion. It may not have those perfect hooks, but I can’t give this anything less than an 8/10 relative to Motown standards.
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Ken said:
One of the many joys of this sterling site – being introduced to previously unknown Motown gems. Had never heard (or even heard of) this one till reading the Motown Junkies review. Now I love it. An unexpected addition to my list of Four Tops favourites
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144man said:
One of my favourite 4 Tops B-sides.
Lovely haunting melody, and a great couplet in “Only your warm embrace can fill this empty place”. Track spoiled only by a weakish and predictable instrumental break.
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nafalmat said:
Can’t agree with that comment! I think the instrumental break, although perhaps predictable, is gorgeous, but then I’m an absolute sucker for string arrangements where they are appropriate, and I think they are appropriate here.
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therealdavesing said:
Man a 6 is wayyy too low. Levi’s vocal performance is a 10 on this. This and the A side prove to me that Levi is the greatest vocalist I ever heard (any genre, any era)
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