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Tamla T 54120 (A), July 1965
b/w Your Cheating Ways
(Written by Ivy Jo Hunter, Clarence Paul and Mickey Stevenson)
Tamla Motown TMG 535 (A), October 1965
b/w Your Cheating Ways
(Released in the UK under license through EMI / Tamla Motown)
Spare a thought for the Marvelettes, Motown’s first great group, their mid-Sixties release schedule now perfectly synchronised with that of the Supremes. Commercial oblivion awaits anyone who shares that fate; Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead, another fine uptempo single, limped into the charts and failed to trouble the top 60. To not be queens of the castle any more was one thing – first the Vandellas, and then the Supremes, had long since usurped that crown – but to find yourself slipping down the label’s list of priorities, to find yourself in what Gladys Knight self-mockingly called Motown’s “peon crowd”? It can’t have been fun.
Maybe the Marvelettes were sustained by the knowledge that they were still really, really good. They’d been quick to pick up on what Norman Whitfield and the Velvelettes had been doing at the tail end of the previous year. They adapted quickly to the “new” Motown sound that had been spreading through the studio and across the airwaves, a louder, more kicking sound, with a driving, physical beat, more intimidating than what had gone before: dainty piano and vibes sacrificed on the altar of harshly-bashed tambourine; less pop, more R&B.
Always underrated in terms of their ability to use complex, interweaving vocal arrangements, here the Marvelettes show they’re no strangers when it comes to taking cues from the other Motown acts at the arse-kicking end of the spectrum (the Velvelettes, the Vandellas, Kim Weston, all at the forefront of this tougher new sound.) Scheduling it back-to-back with the Supremes’ Nothing But Heartaches, we can add that it suits the Marvelettes better. For the first time, the comparison comes out in favour of Motown’s original dream girls – score one for the ladies from Inkster.
SPIRIT OF MOTOWN ’65
Which isn’t to say that this is an absolute all-time great in itself, or anything. Not for me, anyway.
(People love this, don’t they? So this is going to be another one of those reviews where I annoy everyone. Hear me out.)
One of the fun things about doing this blog has been the discovery, if that’s the right word, of the reason the fabled “Motown Sound” is so hard to pin down in terms of an actual nuts-and-bolts description. It’s not because such a thing doesn’t exist; rather, it’s because the Motown Sound, as a reflection of what was going on in the studio during any given period, kept changing with the times. Between 1959 and 1972, the musicians in the Snakepit were, if not the exact same men, then at least an unbroken succession of the same men, taking inspiration from each other’s latest ideas; the producers were, if not the same men and women, then an unbroken succession of the same men and women, taking inspiration from each other’s latest ideas; the writers were, if not the same etc etc etc. The result of that, obviously enough in hindsight, is a series of “clusters” of what lazier critics might call soundalikes, records sharing the same DNA arriving in clumps in the release schedules. It’s not really right to talk of “the Motown Sound”, but rather of a series of “Motown Sounds”. And in the summer of 1965, the prevailing Motown Sound was, well, this.
The problem – for me writing about it, I mean, rather than any kind of objective ‘problem’ for the genii at Hitsville – is that whenever a given Motown Sound is ascending, the stakes get raised accordingly; if this had been the Marvelettes’ first jaunt into doing something in that Vandelvelettes mould, sassy and moody and full of driving horns and menacing stop-and-listen-to-me tambourine, it might have floored me. Instead, for me, while Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead is an excellent record, well – again, for me – it’s certainly a less immediate and arresting song than the Marvelettes’ previous effort, I’ll Keep Holding On, to which this is a particularly close relation.
In short, the adoption of the new Motown Sound – an adoption, it must be noted, which suited the Marvelettes far better than many of their labelmates, not least the Supremes, as I’ve said – is no longer enough to guarantee the resulting record will be an absolute killer cut, one of those amazing rare-air classics one can’t live without. Instead, I end up nitpicking even as I’m dancing; I’ve read the truck driver’s key change towards the end hailed as a triumphant move, something that makes the whole track click into place with a glorious climb up the scale, but it ends up disappointing me every time, like a tacit acknowledgement that everyone involved has run out of ideas. Plus, this one’s missing the amazing watching, hoping… vocal duel breakdown from its predecessor, even though when I hum this to myself while shaving I always end up splicing that part in. There’s just – again, for me – an overriding feeling that the song isn’t quite 100%, that it needs a spark of the divine that never quite comes along to ignite us into blast-off.
That sounds really harsh when I come to read it back. This has been a tough one to write, really; there’s so little wrong with this record, and so many good things (of which more in a moment), it feels particularly parsimonious to pick holes in it – but if I’m brutally honest (with myself, not the Marvelettes – and when am I ever not, really, right?) it’s the song itself that doesn’t quite grab me, doesn’t quite make my soul catch flight like their best singles.
Coming on the heels of my less-than-enthusiastic reception for Nothing But Heartaches, I must seem quite contrary. But hey, readers, you know how this works by now; I take away with one hand and give back with the other. Mother Dear, which I love, gets a better mark than than Needle In A Haystack. Or, more pertinently, than Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead. It’s just the way I’m wired, I guess; I really like this, I do, but it’d never be the record I’d pull out of the stack to show a newcomer how great the Marvelettes were. (Also, it’d never be the record upon which I’d title an entire section of the Marvelettes’ Wikipedia biography, but that seems to have been changed now). Can I be too harsh on a record that both kicks so much arse, and also seems tailor made to be the sort of thing that crops up at track 17 of a Marvelettes best-of CD?
TIME TO GET ON MOVING
Probably. So, enough negativity: there’s so much to like here. The clever central lyrical idea – relationship warning signs rendered as actual warning signs – is much easier to get a handle on, and makes much more sense. Lyrically, this is a better record than its predecessor; not only does it have lots of things I love, such as grandiose quotes (seriously, how can you not warm to “Who knows what evil lurks within the hearts of men?” being worked into a pop song?) and clever rhyming structures (“It’s vanity / Insanity”), but it’s another well-written sisterly advice song dressed up as a snappy kiss-off, and Wanda Young is getting ever better at narrating these things so that she doesn’t come across as smug or condescending.
The best thing about this, though, is the music, now augmented with prominent honky-tonk piano and searing horns; the Marvelettes deserved their chance to follow up on I’ll Keep Holding On, develop the themes introduced there and lay down a marker for the rest of the label’s roster. For sure they might have quietly enjoyed the implied lesson being meted out here, showing the Supremes how their last record should have come out sounding; there might have been some wry smiles at that, even if by this point the two groups’ sales had ceased to be a contest, so far apart had their careers seemingly diverged.
There’s an irony, too, in hearing the Marvelettes refining and redefining the sonic template for their far more successful labelmates to adapt in the coming months; with the Velvelettes now all but out of the Hitsville picture, the Marvelettes might have sensed a vacancy, but they ended up instead acting (commercially) merely as a catalyst for the sustained success and reinvention of their rivals. One of the burning, bitter ironies of the Motown story is that the Marvelettes, or the people credited under that name, didn’t make a duff record between 1965 and the end of the decade, and yet to almost all casual observers their commercial decline has been misread as a critical decline. Their records from 1967-70, albums and 45s, are almost universally better than their Supremes counterparts (just like this one is, to me undeniably, better than Nothing But Heartaches), despite selling about a fifth as many copies on a good day, but the Marvelettes don’t get their due respect. They haven’t gone on to have the last laugh; they may yet still.
But back to the matter in hand. Hard to deny Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead sounds good; even though almost every Motown record sounds good now we’ve reached the middle of 1965, with standards higher than ever and Quality Control rejecting would-be smash hits on a daily basis, this still pops out of the speakers with surprising force. A fine chorus, too, and the vocal breaks are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. All hail the Marvelettes; even when they’re on something approaching cruise control, they’re bloody good.
I can’t necessarily imagine anyone picking this out as one of their all-time favourites (though no doubt there’ll be some in the comments section!), but there’s really very little wrong with it; for me it just doesn’t go quite far enough, doesn’t scrape the sky in the way it keeps threatening. Still, on a good day, there’s little to touch it.
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 Supremes “Nothing But Heartaches” |
The Marvelettes “Your Cheating Ways” |
DISCOVERING MOTOWN |
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Nick in Pasadena said:
Hey — we’re in agreement here! This one never fully comes alive for me, as good as it is. Yet I notice you couldn’t resist getting into a few more digs against “Nothing But Heartaches” — please let it go already!
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The Nixon Administration said:
I can’t tell if you’re being serious with that last sentence, but just in case… It’s not a question of me using this as a lazy opportunity to take a few more snide jabs at a record (and not even a record I dislike, as I’d hoped was already clear – I was trying hard for it not to come across as a 20-page diss, evidently I failed!), but rather that the nature of this blog means nothing gets taken in isolation. As much as the single-by-single approach means the Motown story gets broken down into a tapestry of individual stories, there’s still an overall narrative taking shape, and those individual strands provide clues for it.
In this case, I think there’s a developing new Motown Sound taking shape in early/mid ’65, and I find it fascinating to observe the label’s top act (in almost every sense) taking what I’d consider to be a faltering first step in that direction when compared to these ladies here who had already mastered it.
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Nick in Pasadena said:
I was perhaps being a bit snide with my last comment, and I definitely see your point, even though I’m not in complete agreement with it. 1965 was, I agree, a very formative year for the Motown “sound,” but I feel “Nothing But Heartaches” reflects it better than “Danger,” although both records unquestionably share the same DNA.
Admittedly, much of this is subjective. My opinions are colored by memories of living through that period (I was 13 in 1965), which is why I value your analyses, which provide a fascinating, more distanced POV. (I loved, for example, your astute observation of the connection between “He Holds His Own” and “Please Let Me Wonder.”)
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The Nixon Administration said:
It’s been a while since we’ve had a week’s delay between posts, hasn’t it? Sorry everyone, I’ll try and pick up the pace… 🙂
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MichaelS said:
Please take your time. I don’t think any of us would want the fine quality of your work to suffer. Thanks!
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ThinPaperWings said:
I actually heard the (Joe Stubbs era) Contours version of this song first on ‘A Cellarful of Motown’ , which I slightly prefer to this version. But I think both versions are Motown classics.
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The Nixon Administration said:
A great shout, and also a good point. The Joe-era Contours and the mid-Sixties Motown Isley Brothers are both excellent male examples of where this in-house “sound” would shortly be headed. (Whether as a logical next step or a culmination, we’ll be discussing later on!)
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Dave L said:
Once the lying starts,
Start packing up your heart
I’ll always be friends with this record, as I’ve been since 11. It’s a shame it didn’t do better business, but that’s never stopped me treasuring ‘unknown’ items like Baby Don’t You Go and That Day When She Needed Me.
The reason to treasure this one and Holding On is because, while Smokey is going to work fresh miracles for this group (artistically and commercially), the Svengali act he’s about to perform bringing forth the seductive chanteuse in Wanda, does not leave room, at least on single topsides, for the charged or alarmed Wanda on these two sides. But these two records demonstrated Wanda could wander into territory more associated with Martha Reeves and Cal Gill, do so fearlessly, and produce results that stand the test of time like their records.
A 7 is just fine; as long as it finished in the green, I’m happy.
And don’t worry about the delays, Steve. It creates a delicious anticipation not unlike the days when all these records were brand new. And by my count, there’s at least two babies in your house, not even the older of which can be past diapers yet. Kids are work. 🙂
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treborij said:
I’m pretty much in agreement with you on this. Not one of my all time faves but still a good Marvelettes record. 7 seems fair. (Holding On, Bill and Hunter are probably my favorite Marvelettes record.)
That’s an interesting point about the evolving Motown sounds, making it hard to pinpoint one Motown sound. And surely this is state of the art Motown mid-1965. It’s a favorite period. But if forced to choose, oddly, my favorite Motown sound is late 1963 (from Heat Wave/Mickey’s Monkey through the end of the year). That early H-D-H sound still can really get me going.
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MichaelS said:
I love the sense of urgency in the lyrics and instrumentation. Wanda ‘s voice is perfectly suited to the theme going down here. A solid “8.”
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Mickey The Twistin' Playboy said:
I totally agree, MichaelS. The intro forbodes “danger.” I love Wanda’s phrasing on this track too. 8.5/10. This coupling “Danger/Cheating Ways” was very good. Quality Control nailed this one.
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144man said:
I prefer this to “I’ll Keep Holding On”, which I always found a bit wishy-washy. This is so “in your face” with its driving [pun intended] beat that it hit me immediately. It’s an 8 from me, possibly a 9 if I’m in the right mood.
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W.B. said:
I used to have a pressing of this (from Southern Plastics of Nashville, TN, one of several plants to handle Tamla / Motown product in this period along with RCA Custom, Monarch and – as on the label shown here – American Record Pressing). It did seem a bit more, shall we say, laid back when compared with the Supremes’ and Vandellas’ efforts, though sounding immaculate and representative of circa ’65-style “Motown Sound” as always. And in any case, I think I may’ve played the B side, “Your Cheating Ways,” a bit more.
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144man said:
Some of the pirate DJs in the UK thought “Danger Heartbreak” was the B-side, so I heard “Your Cheating Ways” first.
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The Nixon Administration said:
Now that *is* interesting. I’d never read that bit of trivia before – mind if I swipe it for tomorrow’s review?
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144man said:
The DJ in question, if my memory is right, was Paul “Nutty” Noble. He received records from the USA so fast that I would hear him playing them on the radio even before I knew of their existence e.g. R. Dean Taylor’s “Let’s Go Somewhere” and Brenda Holloway’s “You Can Cry On My Shoulder”. He probably had to guess which was the A-side.
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MichaelS said:
This tune may have been another “missed opportunity” for Motown great Kim Weston. Co-written by her husband, Mickey Stevenson, she got a crack at it after they both left the company. See what you think:
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W.B. said:
And of course, this was not the same People label that would later be run by James Brown and record many in his entourage (The J.B.’s, Lyn Collins, Maceo and The Macks, etc.).
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144man said:
Good vocals from Kim, but I prefer the original backing track.
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144man said:
“Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead” is best appreciated as being one-third of a trilogy with Martha & Vandellas’ “You’ve Been In Love Too Long” and Carolyn Crawford’s “Keep Steppin’ (Never Look Back)”.
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Rhine Ruder said:
good comparison 144man. methinks our english reviewer is straying far away from what i had expected to be a very traditional and perhaps boring look at the motown singles, and is know showing himself to be very idiosyncratic, and not in a very sophisticated way. i am quickly loosing faith his being able to save his rapidly saggy reputation.
i think the problem is that because of his youth, he is not able to put these songs into a large chronological scope. motown’s strength lies not in individual releases, but in groups of song either by the same writer/producers or sometime artists that play off each other. for example: i never think of “reach out” as an individual work. it is a third of “shadows” and “bernadette” and i would never give each song an individual rating. they are part of a suite (that might includes “7- rooms”, too), and in my book would be treated as one. but, this ain’t my book!
as much as nixon likes the early marvelettes, they only get better as motown hits its zenith. i know he is gonna give “the hunter” a 10, because he will be massacred if he doesn’t. but, more interesting will be how he treats “my baby must be a magician” because the two deserve to be matched up together.
my biggest surprise is how much nixon is taken in by what i call motown’s confection and novelty songs (confection: “baby love”, “sugar pie, honey bunch”). novelty: “needle in a haystack”) … and his underwhelming appreciation of the motown r&r/soul rockers (“same old song”, “nothing but heartaches”)
time will tell! none the less, you continue to get under my skin, and i can’t scratch it!
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The Nixon Administration said:
How dare you say that. I’m all for people having their own opinions, but I simply cannot let that pass.
I mean, come on… “English”?? 🙂
Seriously, though, you’re becoming inconsistent. In the whole course of this blog, you’ve been the loudest and most outspoken critic saying I’m not being idiosyncratic enough, now that’s suddenly a bad thing?
And I gave Needle a 6. And “boring” is not something to strive for. And I reject the tiresome ageist argument. But we’re going to keep on through 1988, and regardless of your regard for my views, I’d much rather have your dissenting commentary than not.
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Rhine Ruder said:
it’s a bad thing to be idiosyncratic when you don’t follow my idiosyncrasies!!! i apologize because obviously i didn’t do my homework. i thought you liked “needle” and i did think you were british, but you could be toying with me!
you didn’t answer the main gist of my point, and that is that because you are listening to these records after they were recorded and released, you don’t seem to see them as groups of records that build upon each other so that one record may seem lesser or repetitive, but when viewed as a whole, the group is stronger than it parts. you do seem very partial to songs that are easy to enjoy upon first listening. those types of songs are always the first to leave my memory. more complex songs take longer to catch, but seem to stand the test of a picky listener’s time, such as myself.
don’t in any way think i don’t wait for the email of your newest review … i rush over to read how you are going to trash a song i love. it is a masochistic trait in me. you were overly and repetitively heard on “nothing but heartaches”! i just couldn’t let that one pass.
as i have said before, i will happily buy a hard copy of these reviews should they come to print. there will be a whole lotta nasty notes in the margins! but cheers, for all of you dedication, and remember … you repeatedly ask for input. if you can dish it out, be prepared for some back talk!
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The Nixon Administration said:
Back talk? Absolutely – it says “Dissent is encouraged” on every single page, and I mean it. I get a lot out of exchanges like this, and from being exposed to entirely opposing viewpoints. Love it! Stick around! I’m no shrinking violet and so I don’t expect others to tread on eggshells in return. (The only thing that ever gets on my nerves is people questioning my commitment, implying I’ve written something other than what I honestly think.) I’m difficult to offend, and my biggest fault is probably that I assume the same thing when speaking to others (or indeed writing these essays).
Geography 🙂 You may find the Venn diagram on this page to be helpful.
Now, to the serious stuff! I didn’t respond more fully to your main point – “you don’t seem to see them as groups of records that build upon each other so that one record may seem lesser or repetitive, but when viewed as a whole, the group is stronger than it parts” – because I don’t understand how one could possibly reach your conclusions unless you haven’t actually read the reviews. It’s true I don’t have a 40-year history with these records, but I’ve never claimed to (that’s what you lot are here for!) and in any case I doubt many people picked out I Want A Guy or Strange I Know or Oh Little Boy as “easy to enjoy upon first listening” or “confection and novelty songs” or whatever.
Of all the reviews on which to append a comment about me not seeing the bigger picture, this one was a particularly strange pick. My essay is predicated almost entirely on the record’s relationship with a whole clutch of other Motown records – there’s a huge paragraph talking about the prevailing Motown sound of the time, and even if you couldn’t be arsed reading that, my reply to Nick above draws on the same themes. I don’t talk in greater depth about “future” releases because they’ll have their own reviews, but these pieces are absolutely stuffed with cross-references to older things we’ve already discussed as I try to identify emerging themes and make sense of complex historical narratives.
What I think you actually mean is “This guy doesn’t agree with me, it must be because he’s younger” – which is quite possibly true (as I said, I don’t have the 40-year relationship with the tunes), but I don’t believe you can extrapolate that into “This guy doesn’t agree with me, it must be because he’s younger and therefore unable to put the records in their proper context”. The facts don’t fit the theory.
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144man said:
The difference is that the records have been reviewed in relationship to what has gone before. My comment put this in the context of one record that was yet to come, and another that wasn’t heard, except by only a few lucky fans, until decades later.
Incidentally, as our reviewer lives in Wales, I presume that he is Welsh or British, but probably not English.
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The Nixon Administration said:
Is the right answer. On all counts.
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The Nixon Administration said:
Yep – although one of those we’re about to meet in a couple of days’ time, which will expand things a bit more.
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Landini said:
Hi All ! I really like this song. Until recently, I really didn’t notice how similar this song & “You’ve Been In Love Too Long” are — both musically & lyrically. Both are “watch out girls for that no good man” type songs & both are 4 on the floor dance stompers. Interesting that they got released close together. I am curious to see what rating “Too Long” gets. I will reserve most of my comments on “Too Long” until later. (A sigh of relief from everyone! LOL). I personally like “Heartbreak” a lot better than “Too Long”. I also like the Contours’ version. Will have to listen to Kim’s again. I vaguely remember Kim’s version was a “Rate the Record” song on American Bandstand. This song is pretty hard to mess up.
Re. my health – still hanging in there & taking monthly chemos. Doc actually wants me to lose some weight. Maybe I should put on “Heartbreak” & dance those pounds away! Cheers all!
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Robb Klein said:
This is one of my favourite Marvelettes’ cuts. I’d give it an 8. I like it better than The Contours or Kim Weston’s version.
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Landini said:
Hi Robb! Yeah I’d probably go with an 8. Good tune. I tend to like the Marvelettes’ later songs better. The early girl groupish records like “Postman” have their charm but for some reason that starts to wear thin with me after awhile. I’m one of the few people in the known solar system that isn’t a huge fan of the “classic girl group sound” (Spector stuff, early Marvelettes, Shirelles, etc)
I hope you are well my friend.
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Mary Plant said:
I’m so glad you referenced the line “who knows what evil…” It wasn’t until years later that I’d ever heard of the Shadow, and at first I thought the writer of that stole the line from the Marvelettes.
I think a 7 is fair for this, but I might be inclined to give it an 8 if for that line alone. I will say, though, when the song is in my head, it keeps combining with I’ll Keep on Holding On!
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ThinPaperWings said:
I did mean to comment on that ‘evil’ line. I knew it was the Shadow when I heard it and it sounded a bit odd to have a 1930s radio serial quoted in a Motown track; wondered if it was just a coincidence. The Contours version features an alternate lyric.
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Mary Plant said:
Oh, I hope it wasn’t a coincidence – it’s just too wonderful!
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Matt W said:
Wow, I actually like Kim’s version better! Thanks MichaelS for sharing!
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MichaelS said:
Sure thing, Mat!
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John Plant said:
Rhine Ruders’ theory about ‘suites’ is interesting and not without validity. But as 144man’s post shows, different perceptions will result in differently constituted suites. And even if HDH had planned, say, ‘Reach Out,’ ‘Standing’ and ‘Bernadette’ as a tryptich, that can’t invalidate discussing each song on its own merits. Wagner’s huge Ring cycle was conceived as a unit, but that won’t stop me from preferring Die Walküre to the rest of it – and savouring its own uniqueness in the monumental structure in which it’s embedded. Perhaps think one could make an excellent case for the Motown canon as embodying one huge oeuvre. But it’s the precise particulars of each individual song ( ‘what’s in the grooves’) that makes all the difference.
As far as age goes, the existence of this site is testimony to Motown’s agelessness. There may be some songs which we Ancient Ones overvalue because of their resonance with some particularly fragrant crux of our youth, but songs like these carry their own weight and will continue to speak to generation after generation. Motown has the good fortune to have found a particularly eloquent and astute advocate in the person of Steve/Nixon… which, of course, can create in the rest of us an anxious desire that he should validate our own likes and dislikes. Well, I survived his agonizing (for me) undervaluation of ‘What’s the matter with you baby’ (and even enjoyed the process, and my pleasure in the song survives undiminished – nay, enhanced)- and it’s a small price to pay for the discoveries and positive re-evaluations of countless songs. – As for ‘Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead’ – it’s a terrific, but not a perfect song – and yes, I’ve heard more convincing semitonal upward shoves. 7 seems just about right.
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John Plant said:
Several months and a trip to Russia later, I’m convinced that Damecia (see below) is right – 8/10 is a minimum for this knockout of a song, awkward semitonal shove and all. What earnestness, what vitality, what a groove!
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Damecia said:
Thanx for the S/O Steve D.
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Damecia said:
I mean John lol plz forgive me it is a Monday morning…maybe I need to cramk “Danger” right now to wake up.
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Damecia said:
Let’s hear it for the girls that put Motown on the map! = )
Steve D. i’m in that bunch of people who you have annoyed with this review lol. You hate it, but then you love it, yet you give it a 7. I don’t understand lol.
This is an underrated track by the Marvelettes (doesn’t the word underrated define the Marvelettes?) that has smoldering vocals sung by Wanda, well written and produced by Ivy Hunter & William Stevenson. Listen to the pleading in this song by these young women. The music,the beat…WOW .The words are so true “when you give more than you get you’re in danger !!!”
I do notice a “No where to run – No where to hide” under the vocals. This is at least an 8/10 IMO.
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Mark V said:
This is definitely part of the evolving Motown sound of mid- to late ’65, and illustrates how this music stays alive all these decades on. That, I think, is the key point of this essay and a fascinating thread to follow.
Nixon, maybe one reason you’re ambivalent about this one is that “Danger” doesn’t build on the Marvelettes output or identity per se, but on the trend Motown’s producers were following/setting. In contrast, “Nothing But Heartaches” may sound like an aside in the Supremes output (though it typifies Motown’s output in general these past months) because the Supremes have set a pattern, found a voice, that is unique to them. While the Marvelettes haven’t done that yet (although their last three records are very good generically). Their next series of singles will solidify a unique Marvelettes identity and, I’ll bet, will mean more to readers here, just as they meant more to record buyers in 1966-67.
A “7” rating, not to shabby in itself, seems fair to me but this one doesn’t compare to “I’ll Keep Holding On,” which is a solid 10.
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Mickey The Twistin' Playboy said:
One of my fave Marvelettes singles’. I love the driving intro that indeed sets the tone for impending danger. I also love Wanda’s phrasing on the lyrics.. 8.5/10.
I love the b-side too. You’re Cheating Ways… 8/10. Overall, it’s a great Marvelettes release!
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Rhine Ruder said:
wanda’s voice is one pair of slippery vocal chords! that woman slides all around a note. she is a lazy singer too. it seems as if she is always behind the beat. she can do no wrong in my book, but i am not sure there is another singer like her at motown. she is so polished she makes sliding an art form. i can think of other singers that get away with this, but each in their own and separate ways: ronnie spector, dusty springfield, and peggy lee. can anyone think of a motown singer like wanda? … perhaps chris clark …
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bogart4017 said:
That piano sounds suspiciously ominous…..”And Jamerson is killin’ on the bass”.
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Slade Barker said:
Oh, lord. As I work my way through the glory years, am I going to find that Pres. Nixon has consigned every 10 in my book to a 7? I first loved this as a Bonnie Raitt cover on her first or second album (picking up on the feminism of them, she also did You’ve Been In Love Too Long). But then I discovered the original and loved it even MORE. No point in explaining why it deserves the highest grade. If you don’t know, you’ll never understand.
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Bill Hales said:
Well, what a track. This is a #9, and that’s only because you’re only allowed 50 #10s!
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