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Motown M 1090 (B), February 1966
B-side of Shake Me, Wake Me (When It’s Over)
(Written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Edward Holland Jr.)
Tamla Motown TMG 553 (B), March 1966
B-side of Shake Me, Wake Me (When It’s Over)
(Released in the UK under license through EMI/Tamla Motown)
Okay, this is going to be excellent again, isn’t it?
Alright, for me, at this point in 1966, it’s pretty much a given that every big-ticket Motown single is going to be good, and probably most of the small-ticket ones as well; a Four Tops/Holland-Dozier-Holland collaboration, even a B-side, is as close to a sure thing as anything can be even before the needle drops. But in this case, I mean that when the needle did drop (or, well, more accurately but boringly/prosaically, I pressed play on the FLAC file), it only took me a few seconds of the intro and first verse to decide that, yep, this is going to be ending in another big green number. Sorry to spoil the surprise, but, hey, let’s not focus on how they’re doing this, and instead just enjoy the Golden Age ride. Again.
The intro is just immediately likeable, almost comfortable, if that’s not damning with faint praise (it’s not meant to be!); staccato rhythms, a jangly, looped off-time guitar riff and sweet strings give way to a lazy drumbeat, sweet backing vocals, and a tune you can just immediately grasp. Even if you knew nothing about how Motown – and HDH – put together their records, bringing in singers for overdubs on pre-recorded band and choir tracks, you could guess it from the first verse of Just As Long As You Need Me, the Andantes and Tops following that bumping beat and looped guitar figure with a pretty, singalong tune, and then Levi Stubbs let loose over the top, delivering an almost freeform lead vocal in typically excellent style.
“Lazy” is a good way to talk about this record, I guess, or rather the feeling it gives off throughout. Not that it’s been constructed in a slapdash or half-hearted fashion; heavens no, it’s another intricately-arranged production, especially the band track which has all kinds of interesting little things going on throughout – a couple of my favourites are the unexpected horn solo, or when the song briefly threatens to veer into leftfield, a sharp and thrilling change into a minor key before the ship rights itself again. No, it’s more that the whole record just feels so natural, as though everyone on it – the musicians, the singers, Levi – were in some kind of comfortable place at the time of recording, taking a quick look at their charts and thinking “yeah, we got this”, giving it a relaxed atmosphere more akin to a jam session with friends than a tightly-scheduled couple of hours in the cramped confines of Hitsville.
Of course, Levi Stubbs’ vocal style, especially on a cut like this which really emphasises his Martha Reeves-style disconnect with anything so prosaic as the actual tune, has a way of conveying that jam-like atmosphere no matter what it is he’s singing, it’s just one of the many things that has attracted listeners to the Tops’ Motown material for the last fifty years and will no doubt continue to do so again, but there’s more to it than that, even. Unlike the A-side, full of dark paranoia and mental anguish, this is a happy love song, and moreover one that looks to the future with a kind of optimism. In short, it’s the story of the narrator trying to move in and pick up the pieces after a failed relationship has left the object of his affections wary and hurt; once again, Levi Stubbs’ heartfelt, pained delivery is what really sells these lyrics, when in lesser hands they might have come across as wheedling or manipulative.
The narrator not being some kind of omnipotent white knight swooping in to save the heartbroken girl earns quite a few points for me; indeed, rather than promising everything will be so much better once she hooks up with him instead, much of the song is him explicitly setting out that he isn’t going to promise a bunch of unrealistic things to take advantage of her broken heart. I can’t promise you you’ll never cry again, ’cause everyone cries sometimes, he states, a matter-of-fact moment on the page turned into a direct missive from the heart on wax; I can’t promise you you’ll never know heartaches again, ’cause everyone’s heart aches sometimes. When the kicker arrives – All I can promise is my love to rely on… just as long as you need me, wonder of wonders, I feel like this could actually work. And even more surprisingly, and I think this has more to do with Levi than any other factor, I think I believe him.
So, it’s almost an antidote (not that one was strictly needed!) to the nervous, crackling energy of “Shake Me, Wake Me (When It’s Over)”, its open-ended optimism particularly well-suited to the purpose (the implication being that, while the narrator is saying he’s happy to be put aside again the moment she decides she no longer needs him, well, of course, that moment need never actually come). It’s not as brave as the A-side, or as startling, and – hand on heart – it isn’t quite as good as a record, either; but it’s still lovely, and it still works. On the excellently-titled Four Tops Second Album (above), from which Just As Long As You Need Me was taken, this would have made a perfect closing number, for similar reasons; instead, it’s the song the label chose to kick off Side 2 – the weaker of the two sides, for my money, and certainly more unassuming and less hit-laden – and it works there, too, as a kind of statement of intent beyond its own boundaries. The Four Tops will be there as long as we need them. We need them still.
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 “Shake Me, Wake Me (When It’s Over)” |
The Temptations “Get Ready” |
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. |
Dave L said:
In the era this record came out, if Motown 45s were near fail-proof, A & B sides, it’s only logical that the company’s albums of in-house material were no less strong. Powerfully strong they were, and to this day.
Four Tops Second Album always did feel their equivalent to More Hits By The Supremes, with two more of its tracks yet to come on the b-sides of subsequent Tops singles (as well as the first version of HDH’s “Helpless” we’d hear anywhere). Moods Of Marvin Gaye, Going To A Go-Go, Uptight, Temptin’ Temptations, Vandellas- and Marvelettes Greatest Hits have or are about to join Second Album on the market and a budding teen needed to scrounge a significant amount of greenbacks to keep up. I remember it well.
Excellent review again 🙂 Thanks for taking me back.
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papaman46 said:
Thank you for another wonderful essay of a great track, and congratulations on Adam White’s appraisal of this site (http://www.adampwhite.com/westgrandblog/2019/3/22/feeding-an-addiction). So well deserved!
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Eddie said:
Thanks for the review of The Four Tops’ “Just As Long As You Need Me”. I first heard the song on their great “Second Album” (as another poster suggested, it’s The Tops equal to The Supremes classic “More Hits” LP) & agree with your rating of it. Thanks for all that you do & Keep Up The Great Work.
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MichaelS said:
Thanks as always for your insightful analysis. The rating of “7” is spot on!
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MIKEW-UK said:
Great to see another post and well worth waiting for! It did after all take Michelangelo four years to complete the painting of Sistine Chapel ceiling and he had help. Given the complexity and enormity of your undertaking, and that all the work is without assistance, and self financed rather than by a Pope, you are permitted to take decades if necessary! Anyway, much appreciated for the awesome input and regularly referenced.
Cheers
Mike
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The Nixon Administration said:
Thank you! Sadly your time estimate may yet turn out to be accurate…
Still. Guess what I’ve been doing this week. (No, not painting a chapel.)
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144man said:
Are you hinting that we should Get Ready for the next review?
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The Nixon Administration said:
Yes.
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144man said:
A great vocal, tune and arrangement positively oozing in class. I can’t argue with anything in the review, but this is my absolute favourite 4 Tops HDH b-side, so it’s a 10 from me.
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Pete Isherwood said:
I agree absolutely! I never understood why this gem was relegated to a B-side.
I recently compiled a list of my Top 40 Four Tops songs and this gem ranked number 4 behind Reach Out I’ll Be There (3), Baby I Need Your Loving (2) and Bernadette (1). The A-side of this single Shake Me Wake Me was at 22!
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The Nixon Administration said:
I could never go *that* far, but, well, those are possibly my three favourite Tops records too… and reading this back and listening to it again, 7 feels too low. (Still, I never change the marks afterwards, that would be like opening Pandora’s box; and they’re really only there as a guide anyway, it’s the essays that are important!)
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tamlamotownboy said:
And it goes without saying that your essays are always a joy to read (which is why I didn’t say so originally!) so thank you 🙂
I generally re-compile my artist top lists every 3 or 4 years to see how my tastes have changed over time. This song has always been on the list but has risen in the ranks considerably over time.
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The Nixon Administration said:
Can we see the rest of the list, out of interest?
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tamlamotownboy said:
Yes of course – my Four Tops Top 40, compiled December 2018:
1. Bernadette
2. Baby I Need Your Loving
3. Reach Out I’ll Be There
4. Just As Long As You Need Me
5. It’s the Same Old Song
6. I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)
7. Simple Game
8. I’m In a Different World
9. I’ll Turn To Stone
10. Still Water (Love)
11. Walk Away Renee
12. Without the One You Love (Life’s Not Worthwhile)
13. It’s All In the Game
14. I Like Everything About You
15. Standing In the Shadows of Love
16. Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever
17. If I Were a Carpenter
18. 7 Rooms Of Gloom
19. Wonderful Baby
20. Walk With Me Talk With Me Darling
21. Something About You
22. Shake Me Wake Me (When It’s Over)
23. You Keep Running Away
24. When She Was My Girl
25. Yesterday’s Dreams
26. Ask the Lonely
27. Where Did You Go
28. The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine
29. Darling I Hum Our Song
30. I Can’t Quit Your Love
31. Stay In My Lonely Arms
32. Do What You Gotta Do
33. I’m Grateful
34. Your Love Is Amazing
35. Just Seven Numbers (Can Straighten Out My Life)
36. Don’t Turn Away
37. For Your Love
38. Helpless
39. What Else Is There To Do (But Think About You)
40. Since You’ve Been Gone
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Skip2163 said:
Wondering where you would rank the post-Motown Four Tops singles . . . Ain’t No Woman Like the One I’ve Got and Keeper of the Castle (especially) are first rate.
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The Nixon Administration said:
I got a compilation of their ABC/Dunhill singles a few years ago, and I think they’re mostly very good – indeed, if the Tops were a new group formed in 1972, I’d still recommend them as being well worth checking out – but while those 70s singles are generally better than the weakest Motown Tops cuts, considerably so in the case of the two you mentioned, well, they’re equally nowhere near as strong as the best. But then again, for me, almost nothing is.
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tamlamotownboy said:
I did actually include all Four Tops songs when I did my ranking, regardless of the label. No. 24 was on Casablanca; No. 28 was on Arista and No. 37 was on ABC. When ranking I firstly give each song a score out of 5 – I then rank all those which received a 3 or more. ‘Ain’t No Woman’ came in at No. 45 but ‘Keeper of the Castle’ didn’t make the cut – I don’t like it all that much I’m afraid.
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Robb Klein said:
My Four Tops Top 40 would include non-Motown cuts, such as “Pennies From Heaven”, and, maybe even a Chess cut from the mid 1950s, and my Top 5 would be “Ask The Lonely”, “Baby I Need Your Loving”, “I’ll Turn To Stone”, “Since You’ve Been Gone” and “Walk Away Renee”
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The Nixon Administration said:
I played “Could It Be You” a few times on the radio (thanks, Chess box set!), including once with Duke Fakir himself on the phone, which remains one of my proudest moments. But any hypothetical Four Tops playlist I made would exclude almost nothing; they were so, SO good.
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The Nixon Administration said:
(Fourever box set, not Chess. Duh.)
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Bruce said:
My favorites by the Tops:
THE FOUR TOPS
1. I’ll Turn To Stone
2. Keeper Of The Castle
3. Baby I Need Your Lovin’
4. It’s The Same Old Song
5. Reach Out, I’ll Be There
6. I Can’t Help Myself
7. Ask The Lonely
8. Where Did You Go
9. I Got A Feeling
10. Without The One You Love
11. Could It Be You
12. Ain’t That Love
13. Something About You
14. Ain’t No Woman (Like The One I’ve Got)
15. I’m Grateful
16. Your Love Is Amazing
17. Shake Me, Wake Me
18. Helpless
19. Bernadette
20. Still Water (Love)
21. When She Was My Girl
22. Standing In The Shadows of Love
23. Walk Away Renee
24. Seven Room of Gloom
25. Don’t Let Him Take Your Love From Me
Anybody else have any of their pre-Motown stuff on their list, like #11, their first record, on Chess from 1956. Or #12, on Columbia from 1960.
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Landini said:
My personal 4 Tops favorites are “Walk Away Renee”, “You Keep Running Away”, “Loving you is Sweeter than Ever”, “If You Don’t Want my Love”, “Yesterdays Dreams”, “Something About You” – just to name a few !
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144man said:
I gave up trying to do individual charts for Motown acts long ago, but if I did, the unreleased track “Lonely Lover” would be in my 4 Tops Top 10.
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treborij said:
My favorite part of this review is referring to the “excellently-titled Four Tops Second Album”. And I had to chuckle when my mouse ran over the picture as well.
Your review is just-right. A 7, maybe even an 8. At this time the Tops (and Motown in general) could do no wrong.
Oh, and the Beatles Second Album (which most Britishers don’t know) is my favorite album title. Especially because it isn’t.
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144man said:
Neither is the Four Tops if you include “Breaking Through”.
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treborij said:
Ah yes, I forgot about that one. But even though it didn’t come out until much later, I’d still include it as their first. If only because it adds to the growing list that is developing around misnamed “Second Albums” that aren’t
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david hess said:
Shake Me has always been a favorite of mine. but why, until now,did I not know it was a B side. WHY??? but what do I know although it is still a favorite of mine. love it start to finish. glad to read your review and have to say your were missed
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144man said:
Some confusion here? “Shake Me Wake Me” was never meant to be a B side as far as I know.
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Ofir said:
Hey Nixon, please please come back to writing, I can’t wait anymore
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144man said:
Hi Steve
I hope you are keeping well in these troubled times.
With so many people working from home at the moment; I wonder if you’d be able to find time for a couple more reviews.
Stay safe.
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The Nixon Administration said:
Hello all. Nixon here.
I’d hoped to be writing to you all again in happier circumstances, but I’ve received some bad news from long-time friend of the site Landini, whose comments and recollections over the years have been much valued and appreciated. I wrestled with what to write here for a long time and eventually just decided to quote his message in full for everyone to read:
“I wanted to let you know that my health has been going downhill for sometime now. My doctor told me I probably have a few more months to live.
I am not afraid as I have a faith in Jesus Christ but this is still a lot to process.
Could you pass this on to the others at Motown Junkies. You guys have brought me a lot of joy over the years.”
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trebori said:
Also very sorry to hear this. I, too, always appreciated his enthusiastic comments. And I always appreciated how he would tie other songs (either within Motown or non-Motown) to the conversation at hand. You could tell he lived Motown. Best to you, Landini.
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Robb Klein said:
Very sorry to read this. I hope for the best possible.
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Dave L said:
What a heartbreaking bulletin. 😦
All prayers to Landini, and thank you Nixon for informing the rest of us.
😦
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therealdavesing said:
Levi Stubbs is the greatest vocalist I ever heard. Male, Female. Any genre. I never heard someone hit notes in the way he hits them. His voice is one of a kind
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