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Tamla T 54116 (A), May 1965
b/w No Time For Tears
(Written by Mickey Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter)
Tamla Motown TMG 518 (A), June 1965
b/w No Time For Tears
(Released in the UK under license through EMI / Tamla Motown)
The mid-Sixties was Motown’s Golden Age, the label leading the radio fightback against the British Invasion and racking up hit after hit after hit as the money rolled in – but the Marvelettes, Motown’s first great group, didn’t share in that success, didn’t reap any of the benefit. While other Motown artists flooded the charts, the Marvelettes saw themselves falling down the pecking order. By the time of I’ll Keep Holding On, their first release since October 1964, they were having to face up to the fact that they’d long since been supplanted as one of Motown’s big-ticket acts.
In many ways, it was their bad fortune to have hit the top first time out with Please Mister Postman, right at the start of their careers. It meant they belonged to an earlier era of Motown, an era before the Temptations, Four Tops or Supremes were known to audiences, a black and white sort of time in every sense; even though they’d been very young when they broke through, fresh out of school with their entire musical lives ahead of them and younger than so many of their labelmates, by 1965 the Marvelettes were a name from the past.
Ironic, then, that here, with their first single in seven months, they should prove themselves to be right on the cutting edge of the Motown sound, taking their cues from both Martha & the Vandellas and (especially) the Velvelettes, turning in a sleek, storming, unsmiling stomper of a dance record. It’s a single that makes a mockery of the Motown pecking order; if Motown’s decision to throw the whole label’s weight behind the Supremes, to the neglect of its other female groups, is completely understandable from a commercial point of view, it’s still surely the case that records like I’ll Keep Holding On deserved more promotion, more love. Showbiz, as ever, is a harsh place to grow up.
This is the most “grown-up” Marvelettes record we’ve yet encountered here on Motown Junkies, and that’s largely because the girls have physically grown up so much since we last met them. Wanda Young, now firmly established as lead singer having unseated original lead Gladys Horton, was twenty-one, and her voice is a million miles away from the shrill schoolgirl we heard on tracks like So Long Baby, her sexy mezzo-soprano still developing but showing enough here to prove Smokey Robinson knew what he was doing when he singled her out as a future star. They still weren’t the finished article quite yet, but this is a great snapshot of a group in transition, and unlike the last two Marvelettes singles – You’re My Remedy and Too Many Fish In The Sea, both similarly transitional – this one is closer to where we’re going than where we’ve been.
Few Golden Age Motown groups – few pop groups at all, really – have gone through such a complete and remarkable change in such a short space of time. Because the Marvelettes lacked both direction from a “mentor” writer/producer, and support from the label, these years are a strange experience, and the only way to track them is via their singles. Following 1963’s The Marvelous Marvelettes, Motown for a period gave up pushing LPs of the group’s material; other than compilations and live sets, there was no Marvelettes album in 1964, no Marvelettes album in 1965, no Marvelettes album in 1966. When the group finally emerged again with a new studio LP – 1967’s The Marvelettes, universally known as “the pink album” and generally considered one of the strongest LPs in Motown’s catalogue – they were like a whole new signing, to the point some fans consider the two phases of the group’s activity (neatly divided, thanks to the huge gap between albums, into two superb CD box sets, Forever and Forever More, faithfully cataloguing both phases of the girls’ careers) to be the work of two different groups.
(Which isn’t necessarily too far off the mark; by 1967, not only had the one-time five-piece Marvelettes collapsed to a trio, with a different lead singer, their harmonies were also quite often augmented – or replaced altogether – on their own records by Motown’s house backing singers the Andantes. Of course, they were by no means the only Motown group where this substitution took place.)
That transitional period probably cost the Marvelettes the chance to compete, commercially, with their labelmates, or to have a late-Sixties chart revival to go with their exceptional late-period records, but they certainly didn’t spend it hibernating. Rather, they became one of Motown’s most consistently excellent groups, turning in a string of excellent singles. Singles like this one.
I’ll Keep Holding On is a great example of Motown’s internal politics, the rush to be first with a new idea, the fights in Quality Control, the constant one-upmanship. Originally recorded in a totally different demo version, the song was completely re-done in the more direct, physical but intricately-constructed style of Nowhere To Run and Lonely Lonely Girl Am I once its writer-producers Mickey Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter heard what their rivals were doing via the acetates floating around the corridors of Hitsville, and spotted their opportunity to join the musical arms race. Stevenson went so far as to travel to New York, where the Marvelettes were on tour, and get the group to lay down a new vocal track in an emergency recording session so as to have the record ready for that week’s QC meeting.
When you put it on, you immediately understand why Mickey was so animated. This sounds nothing like anything the Marvelettes have done so far, but at the same time it suits them surprisingly well, Wanda – who’s never been asked to do anything like this before – negotiating the tune’s tricky twists and turns with panache, a good mix of full-throat power and semi-spoken cool. (I wonder, I wonder… what would Mary Wells have made of this?) Plus, the lyrics fall into the fine Marvelettes tradition of being psychologically fascinating, Wanda playing a character as complex as any she’d yet faced, a kind of proactive update on her self-effacing narrator from Forever.
If the Marvelettes come out second best in this instance to the Vandellas and Velvelettes, better records which have somewhat stolen the thunder of I’ll Keep Holding On, there’s still plenty of magic here; the cooing backing vocal stings which help carry the tune, for instance, or the terrifyingly catchy hook of the Waiting, watching, looking-for-a-CHANCE breakdown. It’s a cracker and no mistake, a surprising new record from a suddenly-rejuvenated and suddenly-contemporary group who’d been in danger of getting lost in the shuffle.
Oh, sure, there’s a nagging feeling throughout all of this that they’re still not quite ready, a reminder that despite all the growing-up they’ve done, these are still those same Inkster schoolgirls who, with self-deprecating humour, had first named themselves the Casinyets (“because we can’t sing yet”): the vocals are often the weak link on Marvelettes records, and that’s still the case here, albeit to a far lesser extent than in the past.
But it’s still a great new direction, a statement of intent which may not have returned them to the top of the charts but should hopefully have served notice to everyone at Motown that they weren’t to be forgotten. What I like best about it, besides its being so catchy and punchy and fun, is that it feels effortless, like so many of the very best Motown records do; the Marvelettes were growing up alongside Motown itself, and it’s reassuring to find they were still able to mix it right at the forefront, to match whatever their peers were doing.
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 Marvelettes? Click for more.)
The Velvelettes “I’m The Exception To The Rule” |
The Marvelettes “No Time For Tears” |
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MotownFan1962 said:
This is definitely one of The Marvelettes’ best singles. I must agree that it does sound like something Martha and the Vandellas or The Velvelettes might record (my first thought when I first listened to it was, “Sounds like a Vandellas song.” And I had to listen to it over and over and over again, it was so good! I feel like listening to it right now! It’s easy to see why Wanda Young became lead for The Marvelettes; she’s sort of like a combination of two other great Motown leaders. She looks like Diana Ross and sounds like Carolyn Gill.
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Damecia said:
Agree! On my first listen the first thing I thought about was Martha and the Vandellas.
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Dave L said:
Holding, and the next one, Danger, are important Marvelettes records because they show that before Smokey soothed Wanda down for Don’t Mess With Bill -and all those that followed- she could throw down as good Martha, Gladys and Cal, without having to access that annoying falsetto, which I don’t think we’re going to hear again on an a-side. For sure, this is a solid eight; I remember wasting no time hurrying to buy it. 🙂
And it isn’t just corporate indifference that’s going to hurt the Marvelettes. At this point in Marc Taylor’s biography of the group, is when Katherine, frankly, starts giving the warts and all picture.
Although all five original group members (six, if you choose to count Georgia Dobbins) knew of one another within the parameters of their small Inkster MI neighborhood, they were not close childhood friends. When the group was a quintet and a quartet, there were enough heads for a majority opinion to settle little disagreements. But once down to a trio -not unlike the Supremes- the differences in their personalities loomed larger.
According to Katherine, once Wanda started singing all the leads on a-sides, the attention “went to her head” and she started getting “cocky,” saying things like the group didn’t really have hits till she started singing lead. Of course, that’s bullshit. Gladys, according to Katherine, stands this as long as she can before finally being forced to defend herself, which then situates Katherine in the unsought position of playing peacemaker. And too, the temptations of mood-altering substances, pointedly in Wanda’s case, are soon to get a foothold.
And unlike with the Supremes where Berry Gordy was always there to snuff even the smallest fires, the Marvelettes were left to fend for themselves, considered “Gladys’s group,” even after Wanda was doing most of the leads.
Many many deathlessly good Marvelettes records, definitely including this one, are yet to come, but the seeds of the group’s disbandment in 1970, according to the book, start getting planted in 1965.
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Damecia said:
I agree with everything you said in paragraph 1 Dave. Can’t wait for Don’t Mess With Bill
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Rhine Ruder said:
this is where the marvelous marvelettes get good for me. wanda young’s voice is so smooth and sophisticated. i am always amazed how she can slide all around, over, under and sideways and yet what comes out of her mouth is so perfect. it’s too bad their image remained in the past while their singles, beginning here, were so perfect for their time. the fact that the marvelettes can’t shake this earlier self is a company publicity problem, not a marvelettes problem. this starts an entire series of work as good, or better than anybody at motown. let’s just start the 10’s here! wanda and the andantes deserve so much more than motown gave them.
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Robb Klein said:
This ts at least tied for my favourite Marvelettes’ cut. And, not surprisingly, it’s a Stevenson/Hunter song. I’d give it at least a 9.
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Damecia said:
Agree Rhine the publicity problem could’ve been handle much better by Motown.
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The Nixon Administration said:
Apologies for the late reply, but of all the excellent and thought-provoking comments you’ve made throughout the entire site, Rhine Ruder, this is the one I most agree with.
“the fact that the marvelettes can’t shake this earlier self is a company publicity problem, not a marvelettes problem. this starts an entire series of work as good, or better than anybody at motown”
I wish I could have put it so succinctly, but yes, that’s exactly it.
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Sonic eric said:
I discovered this magnificent single thanks to The Detroit Cobras and I very often think this was their finest hour. A glorious ten !
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John Plant said:
I can live with this marvelous song sharing an ‘8’ with ‘Dancing in the Streets…’ What I particularly love is the sense of churning perpetual motion in the background vocals – yes, perhaps like the Vandellas in ‘Heat Wave’ but more nervously subversive, like a subliminal current of emotion which is bound to explode sooner or later. It’s a great song, and splendid preparation for the next…. less than a 10 only in that it is not on the same Elysian level as ‘Don’t Mess With Bill’ and ‘Hunter’ — but irreplaceable nonetheless.
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Robb Klein said:
I like it as much as “Don’t Mess With Bill” and “Hunter”. I also like “That’s How Heartaches Are Made” as much, as well as “I Should Have Known Better”. I think they are worth 9s, except “Bill” and “Hunter” which I would place at “8”.
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Mark V said:
I like your description of Wanda’s persona here: she’s sly, slick, and wicked. I think it’s that last quality that makes “Holding On” so different and gives the song its power. She’s grown-up and almost sinister, and the music backs her up all the way, from the relentless introduction from Benny Benjamin to the trombonists, trumpeters, and saxophonists who build a magnificent wash of emotion behind the singers.
It may be no accident that this is one of the few entries in the Complete Motown Singles albums that lists virtually all the musicians by name.
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treborij said:
This is one of my three favorite Marvelettes records. (The others are coming.) I will almost always put this on a Motown comp because it’s one that a lot of people have never heard. When this came out I was crazy for it. Knew it was going to be a number 1. Every week I’d go down to the local record store and follow it’s progress on Billboard. I was devastated when it only got to the mid-30s and petered out. (I took these things personally back then.)
But I still think this is one of the greatest Marvelettes records ever. Love Wanda’s vocals, love the Vandellas-like backing, love the drive of the band, the horn chart
…there’s nothing I don’t like about this record. And this record is one of the reasons I think Mickey Stevenson is one of the greatest Motown producers. it’s got everything I look for in a Motown record in spades. And, of course that makes it a 10 for me.
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Damecia said:
Another review for “the girl’s who put Motown on the map” = ). I love Wanda’s voice she has to be in my top 5 of favorite Motown female singers. This is a fun and catchy song that has a lot of soul and coolness, all the things that make Wanda a great singer. I love how her singing is sorta endless it’s almost as she never stops singing, as if the entire song is 1 huge run-on sentence lol. But this is a good and interesting thing. As Wanda says in this song “Sho ’nuff” lol I agree with the rating.
Btw nice mini analysis Steve D. = )
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Mickey The Twistin' Playboy said:
You hit it all, Damecia! I’ll add it’s a song worthy of greater classic recognition… I give it a 9/10 at every listen.
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Damecia said:
Thanx Mickey = )
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Landini said:
Wow! Great record. This sounds like something the Northern Soul crowd would like. As great as this record is, I wonder if it wasn’t a huge crossover hit because it was just a tad too “R&B-ish” for your average Top 40 listener. Agree with folks that it sounds like a Vandellas number. Off topic, slightly, I just read the Mary Wells bio (from the library). It is an easy read – I read it in one evening. Thought it was pretty good, but of course very, very sad. I don’t know enough about Miss Wells to pick out the inaccurate info but I have no doubt it is there. (old obsessive compulsive me did pick out one small item – the second British Beatles album was called “With the Beatles” not “Meet the Beatles”! That was the title of their first US Capitol Records album! LOL) It was encouraging to know that people like Brenda Holloway & Martha Reeves continued to try to be her friend. From everything I have read about Brenda Holloway she sounds like a very nice, decent person. Would love to see a bio on her and/or an Unsung.
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Damecia said:
Yes would love an Unsung!
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The Nixon Administration said:
+1 on the Unsung wish. And you’re right about the soulie crowd – this and “Danger…” are probably the Marvelettes’ biggest Northern tunes, though there are plenty of candidates.
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I LOVE THE SUPREMES AND TEMPTATONS said:
Darn…how did I miss this song…I listened to it for the first time
Excellent song…that doesn’t get the recognition it deserved
The hook is strong(which makes a song to me)..not to mention it’s sorta of dark but still pop/soul feel…good lyrics too…
Also i’m not fond of Wanda’s vocals but on this she gives a strong solid performance…I also like the andantes contribution
I’m also guessing with the Supremes ever growing popularity this song didn’t get the promotion it deserved…
It does sound a little too much like Dancing in the street but maybe cause it has the same producers?…
Anyway it’s a solid song
8/10
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Jack Anthony said:
As you stated, the Andantes probably sang on the record as they did on most if not all of the Marvelettes records when Wanda became lead singer. I just wonder, when the Marvelettes performed live were they able to duplicate the sound of the record on stage since the Andantes did not perform live with the artists? I don’t understand if the Marvelettes were professional singers why did they need the Andantes to sing with them or in place of them on the recordings? After all, the Marvelettes are going to have sing the song without the Andantes on all live performances. There does not seem to exist a live performance of any Marvelettes song made after 1963 that is not lipsynched so it is hard to determine if Katherine and Gladys were able to duplicate the sound of Wanda led songs on stage without the Andantes. I don’t believe this question is addressed in the biography book on the Marvelletes.
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Robb Klein said:
From what I’ve read, The Andantes sang behind the stage curtains to “sweeten” the singing of many artists in personal appearances (at lest those in Detroit and nearby).
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therealdavesing said:
Katherine and Gladys are on this one. As well the Andantes. Bill is the first single A side to only feature Wanda and the Andantes
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bogart4017 said:
I remember being kinda disappointed when the song didnt do “what it was suppose to do” and i couldnt get anyone interested in it. I just kinda left it alone for a while…..then i turned the record over! Ahhhhh….theres the magic!!
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Kevin Moore said:
I hear a subtle but distinct harmonic, tempo, groove connection between this (May 1965) and the Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” (June 1965).
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Landini said:
By jove I think you’re right !!!
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144man said:
“To my knowledge, this is the first time that Gladys has not taken the lead vocal, and here we have Wanda giving a sterling vocal on a medium paced number in a solid groove which keeps up an insistent chanting with tambourine and sharp trumpets punctuating Wanda’s performance. 4/5
“Subdued flip is wistful rather than sad showing again that that the Marvelettes are still one of the finest femme groups going! A very interesting and worthy record. 3/5”
[Dave Godin, Hitsville USA 6, 1965]
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