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Gordy G 7049 (A), February 1966
b/w Fading Away
(Written by Smokey Robinson)
Tamla Motown TMG 557 (A), April 1966
b/w Fading Away
(Released in the UK under license through EMI/Tamla Motown)
1966 is full of Motown landmarks, and they don’t come much bigger than this.
Or, well, do they? Before I ever Got Into Motown, this was one of the obvious touchstones I was always familiar with, one of the ones I just assumed everyone knew. A Top 10 hit here in Britain, it’s certainly a well-known song, and – if it isn’t quite as ubiquitous as My Girl (but then again, what is?) – it’s immediately recognisable, from the second those first few grizzled horn-and-bass pulses come pumping out of the radio. This isn’t the Temptations’ great monument, but it’s surely not far behind, right?
So, it was something of a surprise for me to discover that, while it did the business back home on black radio (becoming the Tempts’ third R&B number one), Get Ready was actually considered something of a flop on original release, enough to lose Smokey the gig as the Temptations’ main writer/producer. In 1966, Motown valued crossover success far above scoring big on the R&B charts, and when this single limped into the top 30 (quite literally, at number 30) for one week before sinking like a stone, Berry Gordy was deeply unimpressed. Smokey may have been Gordy’s closest and longest-serving lieutenant, a friend and a trusted collaborator and valued second-in-command, but for Motown’s flagship male group to be shunned so harshly by white radio was not only embarrassing, but potentially extremely harmful to Gordy’s overall vision.
After this, Norman Whitfield took over at the helm of the Temptations, effectively for the rest of their top-level career; rather than being the triumphant pinnacle I’d assumed it to be, this record in fact marks the (commercially) disappointing end of a chapter, and of a glorious era.
All of which is not only a shame, but also really confusing, because this is truly spectacular.
IF EVER I’M ASKED WHAT MAKES MY DREAMS REAL
It’s not really clear to me what the “problem” was here, at more than fifty years’ remove (gulp!), but I can hazard a guess. This is probably the hottest Temptations cut so far, not only aimed squarely at the dancefloor but with a low, growling, almost menacing edge underneath the hip-shaking groove, all driven by those horns and some phenomenal bass work, and on the basis of that some people have drawn the simple conclusion that, while Motown had grown rich marrying hot black jazz and R&B grooves to smoother, poppier sounds, put bluntly, this was too black.
And maybe it really is that simple; it’s certainly possible that, even in 1966, this was enough to scare off enough milquetoast whites and their parents (or, more likely, the radio stations they were listening to) to kill its chart chances.
To these modern ears, it’s really not much of a step beyond what Marvin Gaye was doing around the same time, or the Isley Brothers, or Otis Redding… but then I think of what the Stax equivalent of Get Ready might be, and the first song I thought of was Sam and Dave’s Hold On, I’m Comin’, released a few months later, and the exact same thing happened there – top of the R&B chart, squashed miserably on the Hot 100.
It’s tempting to just shrug and chalk it up to America just not being quite ready (making the title a fun double reference, I guess), a cultural situation that would shortly cease to exist; while the civil rights movement was barely getting started addressing the inequalities in American society, the cultural cross-pollination between black and white music that had begun with rock ‘n’ roll, traced its way through the British invasion and, yes, the rise of Motown and their contemporaries in the pop-soul vanguard, was nigh unstoppable. The rise of a counterculture also aided the more widespread distribution and acceptance of harder-edged sounds that might not previously have found an audience; if Get Ready had emerged two years later, this probably wouldn’t have happened.
Effectively, then, what we have here is a turning point of sorts, a record caught between eras – on the one hand, it’s as beautiful as anything Eddie Kendricks had sung before, and there’s enough of the smooth, irresistible Temptations sound of cuts like The Way You Do The Things You Do to maintain the link with Smokey’s past great work with the group. On the other, with the benefit of a hindsight listeners in 1966 simply wouldn’t have had, it clearly seems to presage the future of the Temptations in the latter part of the 1960s, ironically nodding towards a path the group would tread with Norman Whitfield, rather than Smokey, in the years immediately ahead. There’s more of Stax in this than maybe any big-ticket Motown vocal hit so far, and if Smokey’s own performing past shows up in this one’s DNA (the most obvious Miracles touchstone to me is Going to a Go-Go, though you can definitely discern traces of My Girl Has Gone too), this one sounds harder and more physical, the falsetto vocals and swirling string curlicues offsetting the thump and grind of the rhythm track in ways familiar to us now through funk and disco, but probably alien to many listeners at the time.
Oh, and that reminds me:
A MOTOWN JUNKIES PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
Do not, under any circumstances, attempt this song in karaoke, unless you are actually Eddie Kendricks. Trust me, your throat will thank you the next day.
FEE FI FO FUM
I mean, it’s not just the vocal acrobatics that mark this song out as Eddie K’s own personal kingdom, not to be encroached upon by karaoke interlopers. The lyrics themselves exude a sexual confidence, almost bordering on the aggressive, which really comes to the fore when you’re trying to sing it for yourself, and Eddie quietly, subtly maximises that to such an extent that you only really recognise it by its absence. The various Motown cover versions that exist – a pristine, sparkling Diana Ross pop overhaul on the Supremes A Go Go LP, a sludgy West Coast rock run-through by Rare Earth (of which more in a few years!) that keeps the primal, grunting energy but loses the seduction, two different takes by Smokey Robinson himself, less trading on past glories and more like proofs of concept to try and play up different aspects of his own remarkable song – all feel slightly watered-down in this regard, censored, neutered of the seductive sex appeal that courses through the veins of this original Temptations version. All of those remakes work to a certain extent – it’s an excellent song, and its foundations are strong enough to withstand a conversion to disco, for instance – but they’re all slightly washed-out compared to this one.
That muscularity that drives this particular version of the song is not to be downplayed, it’s a fantastic reminder of those early days when the raw, artless Temptations were just a scruffy young bunch of lads, newly-arrived at Berry Gordy’s tiny record label, trying to sing their way out of the projects.
But the difference in Eddie’s voice is that here, unlike those prehistoric early Tempts cuts, he’s never in danger of going out of control, even if he never quite sounds like he’s in charge of the music. Appropriately, it’s the music that’s pushing him around, a fitting match to the lyrics, which almost read as if the narrator is being put up to this by his friends, dared to do something he’d never have found the courage to say for himself without a friendly prod. And it works. Boy, does it ever work.
I’M ON MY WAY
That intro, though! This is as hard-nosed as anything we’ve heard so far, starting out with just bass and horns, the first appearance of that ten-note run actually just repeating the same five growling, bassy notes before the strings kick in two bars later to lock in the groove and lift it into the realm of the whistleable, dum dum dum DUM dum, dum dum dum DA da!, along with rolling drums, all thrilling jazz fills and tough R&B drill beats.
It’s one thing for me to say the Funk Brothers have rarely sounded better, even though I think that’s true; but Get Ready is more than that. Indeed, while most of the Funk Brothers’ Motown singles as top-billed artists are just their original band tracks with the vocals scrubbed off and superfluous Earl Van Dyke organ overdubs added in their place, this is one example where I feel like just the band track on its own would be a fantastic record in its own right. But that’s a disservice to some truly excellent vocal work, the last piece of the puzzle that pushes this one to true greatness.
There’s something almost visceral about Eddie’s vocal delivery here, that falsetto pumped up to maximum energy just to keep up with the thundering band track, the urgency of the music teasing out an urgency in his voice, almost daring him not to back down, that adds credibility to the lyrical plea. Eddie’s narrator is full of bluster, giving advance warning to a female listener, telling her he’s about to make a move on her which she’ll be powerless to resist. If you’re going to sing a sentiment like the one behind Get Ready – though not necessarily the actual lines, some of which are really quite beautiful Smokey work, “whenever I’m asked what makes my dreams real, I tell ’em YOU DO!” – well, if you’re going to make that work, you have to sound confident. And this record is the sound of confidence, as committed to tape.
It’s not only the Eddie Show, of course. The other Temptations join in with their vocal response interjections right the way through to ride over those drum fills (“You’re all right! You’re outta sight!”); this may be very much a solo address to the unidentified girl, but Eddie has his gang of bros right here in his corner, and the effect is charming rather than hectoring. As if to underline that point, just before we get to the chorus, Eddie, high voice wavering ever so slightly, engages in a ludicrous nursery rhyme chant – Fee fi fo fum / Look out, baby, ‘cos here I come!” – but just as the whole thing threatens to leave him precariously exposed and unravel his veneer of confident bluster, Melvin Franklin shows up, right at the bottom of his impossibly deep register, to cover his buddy’s back.
And then suddenly, quite out of nowhere, the Temptations become the Four Tops.
The soaring harmonies on the chorus here act like a ladder to the stars for both Eddie and the listener, a raft of beautifully-judged, high-paced “aaaaah”s that pull you in, the time signature changes to a flat 4/4 beat, the strings twist up to heaven like the Supremes’ I Hear A Symphony and every bit as rousing and energising. It’s one of the all-time great Motown hooks, nearly impossible to replicate, and it’s quite unusual territory for the Temptations in many regards, but it just works perfectly here.
Maybe Smokey knew in some way he was going too far, that white radio wasn’t quite ready for this, that the Temptations’ future lay in another castle. But whatever was going through his mind when writing or recording this, it’s hard not to imagine him breaking into a huge smile when he heard the results. If white radio wasn’t ready for this in 1966, it’s their loss, because now it’s 2020 and I am so very ready for this today. It sounds fantastic.
And it just keeps on going, in the best way possible. One and a half minutes in, we get what’s charitably described as a horn solo, but it’s really just a one-note squall, a screeching exclamation both marking time and calling attention to the fact Eddie needs a breather, before launching back into that magnificent chorus.
If I had to nitpick, I’d say I wish this had a proper ending, or at least just looped that chorus to fade, rather than just kind of petering out as it does, Eddie somehow murmuring in falsetto – I’m on my way / Be there to stay… – as the record falls away. But that’s mere carping.
Yes, it’s yet another ten (and always was); I’ll try not to leave it a year and a half before we meet again, but this is as good a place to be as exists anywhere else in the Motown canon. Bravo, lads.
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 Temptations? Click for more.)
The Four Tops “Just As Long As You Need Me” |
The Temptations “Fading Away” |
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. |
David Wilson said:
I agree 100%. For me this is one of the records that define the Motown Sound, One of the greatest recordings from that golden period 64-66. It was of course a top 10 UK hit, but NOT in 1966! It would finally achieve UK chart success several years later as part of a series of rereleased/promoted singles that included Dancing In The Street & I Can’t Help Myself that had all performed poorly when originally released.
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paladin52 said:
Outstanding review. I couldn’t agree more. Even though it wasn’t considered to be a hit in traditional terms as it relates to pop radio play, this song has endured where many others have faded to black and is sung as the opening track of every Temptation show for the past 50 years. The intro alone is worth it’s weight in gold and Eddie Kendrick was at the top of his game. Their choreography to this song has slowed over the years but that swing step and sway while backing up remains as popular as ever. Bravo !
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The Nixon Administration said:
Complete coincidence, but it’s exactly seven years – to the day – since I last wrote about the Temptations on this blog.
Seven years. I’m so sorry, everyone.
But I hope you like the new post, all the same.
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Robb Klein said:
Glad you’re back with a review. I hope you are safe and well. I’m stuck at my sister’s house in Los Angeles since early March. I don’t dare sit in an airport and ride an airplane until a vaccine is available. That’ll be a 1 year exile! And what a great song to review on your return! I’d give “Get Ready” a “10”, too! And the “Gettin’ Ready LP was fantastic. Lots of great memories.
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nafalmat said:
Isn’t it strange that nearly 3 years on, we are now all aware of what a load of hyped up nothingness Covid was
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Robb Klein said:
My cousin’s best friend died from it only in her 50s, so I don’t think it was “nothing”.
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Kevin Moore said:
I lost several relatives to it. The only question is whether it was worse than the 1917 Spanish Flu. It’s already blown away all the wars of the 20th Century combined. And it’s still going on. I just got another bivalent shot last night and I have several friends who are suffering from it and several more who have long Covid. I’ve been terribly worried that it might be why we’ve stopped getting new posts here. Give us a sign, Nixon!
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tomovox said:
Well, first of all, what a wonderful way to turn a Monday into a Funday. Anytime I see one of your posts, it’s going to be a good day for sure.
“Get Ready” and its flip side, “Fading Away”, without a doubt is where my love affair with Motown began. I couldn’t have been more than 4 or 5 when I picked up on this record, about 4 years after its initial chart run. Somehow I copped it from my parents’ record collection and claimed it as my own. In fact, despite the fact that I have lost MANY things during years of moving here and there and just growing up, I STILL have that original 45 from 1966. That speaks volumes about how much I loved this record. I actually played both sides equally, I loved both songs so much. I couldn’t say anything better than you’ve already said about “Get Ready”, because you covered everything that made me love this one so much, I played the grooves right into a lighter shade of pale.
That bass, though. That bass hypnotized me right into pressing my ear against the speakers of the city-block-long console stereo set my parents had. Quite literally, I couldn’t get enough of that bass. I felt as if it invaded my veins every time I played this record. This is one of the records that caused me to pester my Dad into buying me a bass guitar. There is a part in the chorus, where James’ bass drops into a note so low, I never would have believed such a note existed. Really, the way James Jamerson’s nimble fingers play a continuous dance of uninterrupted notes is one of THE best moments ever in music.
Not just that bass, though, Eddie’s high falsetto blew my mind. I thought it was perfection. And then it was all balanced by those mind-shattering drum fills (which only later did i find out were dubbed onto the original track.)
For me, I always thought it was very interesting that for a song that flopped initially on the pop charts, it sure seems to have grown in stature over the years; amazingly so. I’d swear you hear this at least once a day on the radio stations that still play 60’s music (I hate calling it “Oldies” radio- uggggggg.) I don’t know if that happens often, but I love that “Get Ready” nowadays seems to be counted truly as one of the Temptations’ Greatest Hits.
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tomovox said:
(Note to The Nixon Administration- can you please delete this post?. I was still half asleep and it just goes on way too long. Thank you! and welcome back!)
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144man said:
Please do not delete that post. It’s spot on!
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tomovox said:
A belated “Thank You!”
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Frankie said:
I was also shocked when I realized it was it was a small hit. But the song was played often in Europe and in my country Croatia, who was then a part of Yugoslavia. It was very often played on Radio Zagreb and Croatian jazz singer Zdenka Kovačiček recorded her version of “Get Ready”.
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Dave L said:
Are you really really back this time? 🤗 Oh how you’ve been missed. I’ll never get through a pandemic without fresh Motown Junkies. (Stay safe!)
We’re in glorious days here, with terrific songs, but I believe it’s at this stage that Gordy quote. – “We will only release Top Ten records, No. 1’s on The Supremes” – happens.
I remember it being troubling as the next singles in line by the Vandellas, Marvelettes, Marvin Gaye, Miracles and even Four Tops all miss the pop Top 40 in the U.S., despite being quality stuff.
Like this ceaselessly rewarding jewel, at least we know they’ll get righteous due here. (Kim, is that you on the horizon…? 🙂 )
Welcome, welcome back Nixon.
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russh29 said:
Welcome back!
A record I first heard in the late 70’s at our local disco…I was stunned, still am whenever I hear it…the sound of the rush to the dance floor pressed to vinyl…
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Mark R. Vining said:
What a great surprise first thing this morning! Something to distract from the ball of confusion that is rolling through California and the USA.
It took me awhile to really appreciate “Get Ready” and its tidal wave of sound. Now I totally agree with its “10” rating.
So good to have you back!
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Eddie said:
Welcome Back! Totally enjoyed your review of The Temptation’s classic “Get Ready”. Looking forward to the next one!
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jamesrainbowboy said:
Welcome back!!! What a lovely surprise on visiting this blog tonight!!!
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Jeffrey Majette said:
I agree 110%. I never understood why this record did not at least make the American top 20 on the pop charts. It’s one of my all-time favorite Temptations recordings!
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Jeffrey Majette said:
Ironically, Rare Earth took this same tune, shaped it as a rock number, and had a massive hit with it just four (4) years later!
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The Nixon Administration said:
Yes, I mentioned that in the review – we’ll meet it on this blog when I get to 1970. Preferably some time this half century!
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MichaelS said:
It’s so good to have you back! And thank you for reappearing with a blockbuster review of this Temptations classic. It’s interesting that even though it did relatively poorly on the pop charts, it’s a tune you hear frequently on the pop oldies stations these days.
I’m going to reestablish a bookmark for you on my computer. Please don’t stay away so long again.
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The Nixon Administration said:
Well, it’s never *intentional*, but I’ll do my best! And thank you.
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Randy Brown said:
“Get Ready” may have been “too black” for Top 40. Ironically, the next single, Whitfield’s previously-rejected “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” is much blacker – and sent the Tempts back into the pop Top 20 (#13). It also replaced “Hold On, I’m a Comin'” at #1 on the soul chart, a position it would hold for eight discontinuous weeks.
Great to see you again!
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J Evans said:
It also goes Top 10 on an issue in Britain in 1969 which shows how we took to classic motown in the UK even if My Girl criminally misses the UK Top 40,thanks again for coming back to add context to this great songs.
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The Nixon Administration said:
That 1969 reissue is actually its first chart run (as mentioned above), it having also failed to crack the charts on initial release – but then British Tamla Motown 45s had decidedly mixed success in the mid-Sixties, with Number Ones but also resounding flops, so it’s harder to ascribe its initial failure to anything concrete, unlike the American release.
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Dee Jay J.J. said:
YES!
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arthuri@frontiernet.net said:
This is in my top 10 Temptations tracks. I bought it the day it came in and loved it. Was sure it was going to be huge. I even brought it to a dance at my high school and asked them to play it. Everyone got into it and danced to it. Was completely surprised when it didn’t do anything on the radio or the charts. It’s still one of my favorites and when that brass kicks in at the beginning it still grabs me. It’ll probably be in my top 50 Motown when I compile it.
Oh and welcome back Nixon. Glad you came back with this.
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papaman46 said:
A whirlwind of a track. I also liked the Ella Fitzgerald version from 1969. Good to have you back, Nixon.
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ron leonard said:
Thank you..for your return..”Get Ready” by The Temptations is for me..A Motown Classic!..The LP “Gettin’ Ready” is also a great piece of Motown Magic!! Their version of ‘Too Busy Thinking ‘Bout My Baby” and “Say You”..which opens up the Album is awesome..They used the same music backing track that The Monitor’s used. Thank you..again for your return.
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paladin52 said:
Ron , absolutely Getting Ready LP has always been a bright spot in The Temptation canon. It literally got me through high school.
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Matt Weingarden said:
Aw, man, have we missed you. I crowed about your return on my social media last time…fingers crossed that you’re back to stay now. I’ve always loved this record, and one thing that stands out about it to me is Melvin Franklin. He almost seems to take the place of the bass at times, and it more than works. He picks his spots, though, and weaves in and out. I wish there were more of him! Since you encourage dissent, I’ll say that I this doesn’t remind me even the tiniest bit of a Stax record.
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Matt Weingarden said:
Damn, too late to edit out typo.
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John Plant said:
Your comeback is sheer joy, and it couldn’t have been more perfectly timed. This is a poem, a paean that is fully worthy of the wonderful song it honours. I loved this song from the first time I heard it… and in view of your comments, I will mention that it’s the first song which caused my parents to beg me to lower the volume – they who had blithely survived my repeated teenage listenings of such high-decibel stuff as the torture scene in ‘Tosca…’ … And it was a major disappointment to read Otis Williams’ dismissal of the song in his otherwise highly enjoyable autobiography. Certainly one of my top ten – and I think you’ve covered all the reasons in your exhilarating analysis. WELCOME BACK!!
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seacow said:
Your return is the best thing to happen this year!
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John Plant said:
Just watched the first few minutes of The Motown Story on Crave…. and they kick everything off, gloriously and ineluctably, with GET READY. Amen!
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paladin52 said:
Indeed !
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Robb Klein said:
Nice to see a new review! I agree with it pretty closely. I’d give “Get Ready” a 9.5. I don’t give a lot of perfect 10s. This is one of my favourite Temptations’ songs. I have liked all The Temptations’ Eddie Kendricks’ leads.
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ed pauli said:
It is a simple as this…In 1966, white America’s musical tastes were changing. Gone were the RED BIRD and PHILLES labels, being replaced by DUNHILL ( Mama and the Papas) , KAMA SUTRA ( Lovin Spoonful) and COLUMBIA ( Mitch ” I hate rock n roll ” Miller had finally left making the way for Paul Revere , The Cyrckle , The Byrds, Simon and Garfunkel and Dylan–)……not only that but the kids were saving their 45 money to invest in such things as RUBBER SOUL and PET SOUNDS. —-
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ed pauli said:
and when the kids did have “Motown money”, it was H-D-H produced records that they were buying.
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Robb Kleiin said:
I think that the Kama Sutra production team’s few Kama Sutra Records’ Soul Music productions sung by Carmen Taylor, Robert Dobyne(former Artistics and Hit Pack lead), and Billy Harner, and The Goodtimes, were Soulful enough, but also did poorly comercially, as did that production team’s other Soul Music productions leased to Major national labels, such as by The Shalimars, Superiors, Corvairs, and other Soul artists.
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RODNEY L WALKER said:
I was about 11 when this hit the radio but I’d been a Temptation fan since their early releases. Sitting on the marble steps in the summer, in east Baltimore in the early sixties out of school, we kept up with the Motown sound. In those days, the “Hifi”, or self-contained furniture with radio, speakers, and turntable sat in the living room so we could blast the songs and draw a crowd to your doorstep to listen to and dance.
As much as we loved the song, Get Ready wasn’t a danceable tune. It had a fast tempo and I don’t recall dancing to it the way we did to other songs. “Hand dancing” is a couples dance we did then and still do today. This song was a bit to fast even for that type of dance. Attending events today at 66, before Covid19, it’s never played by DJs as a dance song. It’s a great song to listen to, and sing along with but much, much too fast for the dances during that time and later. I give it an 8 for it being Smokey’s last with Norman waiting in the wings.
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ed pauli said:
In Akron OHIO where I live , “hand dancing” is what some would call “jitterbugging”. In Cleveland, Jitterbugging is the 30s-40s and early 50s Lindy Hop while in Akron it refers to Beach Music or Shagging—neither of which could be done to this song because it is just too fast !!
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jamesrainbowboy said:
Looking forward to reading about the B-side when the time comes!!! Hope all’s well
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144man said:
I’m afraid that hopes for an early review of the B-side are Fading Away.
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kevintimba said:
It’s been a while since the last post – I think we’d all be relieved to read a quick update post just to make sure you’re okay in these crazy dangerous times. For those, like me, who are jonesing for new Motown-related internet content, here’s a tremendous podcast interview I found with the guy who wrote the Jamerson bass book: http://www.letitrollpodcast.com/main/motowns-power-came-from-the-funk-brothers. I loved it – especially the discussions of the 3 original drummers’ styles and Valerie Simpson. I’ve also been pleasantly surprised to find quite a few Ashford-Simpson tracks in the later parts of the Complete Singles Collection. Oh, and also, I was reading “Last Night a DJ Saved My Life”, which has a cool section on Northern Soul (something reading this site had alerted me to the existence of but about which I knew nothing else) so I downloaded a YouTube playlist of the top 500 of DJ named Kev Roberts. It’s mostly obscure artists on obscure labels working in the Motown style, but the Northern Soul guys were fanatic curators and found a surprising number of nice tracks. They lusted after rare and obscure tracks but they only played the ones capable of firing up a dance floor, so while not many correspond to the 8, 9, 10 rated songs here, there’s also almost nothing that might be rated 1-5. Those would’ve just gotten dumped back into the crate! In the case of the Complete Singles collection, it’s just that – “complete” – so there are the obligatory duds that would be disqualified out of hand by the NS guys.
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kevintimba said:
This site helped me immensely with a book I wrote a couple years ago on the harmonies of the Beatles and their role models. Since then I’ve been toiling away on a companion volume on rhythm section grooves and MotownJunkies has been even more valuable in that regard but it’s killing me that it ends in early 1966! If you could just get to end of 1967 it would be a godsend to students, writers and researchers.
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The Nixon Administration said:
It will continue!
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david hess said:
imagine my suprise as well to find that this classic song stalled at #29, what?????
i cant imagine how or why , when it is just one of the best of motown hits.
true classic
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Bill Hales said:
Just discovered you’re back, great news. As for the song, yep this is one of my top Temptations favourites.
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landinisback said:
Is it right to assume this site is now dead as there have been no new posts for months and months? A shame as this could have been something to think about and comment on during the lockdowns we’ve been enduring.
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The Nixon Administration said:
Not dead, just… Resting.
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144man said:
Wakey Wakey!!!!!
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landinisback said:
Some hopes
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John Plant said:
I still keep checking back, with hope & faith! Hope you’re well and that the rest is blissfully restorative. Warm greetings from Nova Scotia!
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frankie said:
Something for trivia fans. On YouTube you can hear the version of “Get Ready” by the Croatian jazz singer Zdenka Kovačiček.
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Mark said:
Newbie to this site, but a life long Motown lover. Growing up, I could not wait for the latest releases to be heard on CKLW or WKNR. I have always had a question/thought. Is there any record of the Quality Control members reaction to hearing a standard like the Temps/Can’t Get Next to You? I have always been curious about the reaction of the music community hearing something like this for the very first time. Did they know it would be an R&B standard from day one?
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David Wilson said:
Great question! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone who was part of that important team talk in specific terms about a very particular record- only ever in general terms. I believe there is a piece of historical video that captured one of the regular meetings as part of a contemporary 60s documentary on the success of Motown and the background team responsible for creating the hits but it all looks like a bit stiff and over rehearsed and probably set up for the film.
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144man said:
Hi Steve,
Because of the space taken up by the avatars, I can’t read the list of recent comments any more as they are now off-screen to the right. Are you able to change this, please.
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FJack said:
Hi Nixon! This is my first time posting here in several years. I used to post as “Mickey the Twistin’ Playboy.”
“Get Ready” is one of Motown’s and the Tempts’ best, but something about it makes it fall just short of perfection. I love it but It doesn’t make my Top 10 Temptation tracks. My rating: 9/10. It’s surprising that it didn’t chart higher on Billboard’s Pop Chart given the amount of radio play it got.. at least in New York City. #1 R&B for sure well-deserved.
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David Wilson said:
Hi, Get Ready was one of the biggest hits for the Temps in the UK, reaching the UK Pop Top 10. It epitomises the Motown sound, along with I Can’t Help Myself by the Four Tops, Stop In The Name of Love by the Supremes and Uptight by Stevie Wonder, these tracks distil the essence of early Motown. In the UK My Girl lost out to the cover version by Otis Redding which was a top 20 hit, The Temps original only scraped into the bottom end of the Top 40- CRAZY! In my opinion Get Ready is one of the greatest Motown records of all time. I was amazed to discover it’s relative “failure” in the US.
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landinisback said:
Yes, but it was a reissue on TMG688 of “Get Ready” that made the UK top 10 in Feb 1969. The original issue TMG557 in Mar 1966 failed to chart then. The Motown sound gained a surge in popularity with the British pop audience throughout the second half of 1966, 1967 and 1968. It was due to this that the Isleys had massive hit in UK when “This is old Heart of Mine” was repromoted in the fall of 1968 that encouraged EMI to reissue several Motown classics during 1969 and got big hits with recordings that were unsuccessful when first released
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Steph Stilley said:
strangely enough, even though this wasn’t a top 10 hit I’ve heard this get played on the radio more than many other Motown singles that made it into the top 10
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Jeff Stalker said:
Can anyone inform me as to whether this site is still in use. Many Thanks Jeff.
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Rodney said:
I wish I knew. I’ve been a member for a few years. Input from the site creators has been dormant since around 2019-20. I’m just happy the music icons are still available to play!
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Dave L said:
Sure miss this place and the old gang. But I’ve been directing a lot of Facebook traffic this way when a reviewed title comes up in discussion. Fingers crossed here’s hoping for rejuvenated interest. 🙂 Speak up and say hello 🙂 if you’re one of the old hands who remember me. – Dave You awake, Stefan?
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The Nixon Administration said:
I’m still here, but not necessarily awake! The last few years haven’t been easy (for anyone, I guess!) but I’m still planning to start up again!
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Ron Leonard said:
Am looking forward for your return…I would think..the next title “Fading Away” should get pretty high marks..One of Motown’s classic B-sides!
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MichaelS said:
We all hope that your return is imminent. Your essays are priceless!
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treborij said:
And I quadruple the hope for an imminent return. I just re-read the old ones for now. (Sigh.)
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nafalmat said:
If you believe it will return, you’re fooling yourselves!
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Robb Klein said:
Greetings and best wishes to all our long-time members. I, too, am waiting for some progress towards 1967. I hope we can get finished with, at the very least, to the end of 1970, while I am alive, and still have my wits and hand-eye coordination enough to punch characters on a keyboard. Meanwhile, I also look forward to hearing more newly-discovered Motown 1959-70 recordings, as well as other previously unknown non-Motown Detroit R&B/Soul recordings from that period (which, thanks to Detroit Soul and Northern Soul collectors), have been trickling in over the past several years.
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RODNEY WALKER said:
Glad to see you’re still managing the site. I miss having periodic info on Motown. Love the Episode songs!
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David said:
Love love love this song.
To this day I don’t understand how this song missed the top ten here in USA.
Crazy. Just a classic.in my Motown top ten all time favs
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Rodney said:
On Fading Away, you can hear Paul utter a pronounced moan that blends perfectly with the background harmony.
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144man said:
I was Getting Ready for the next review.
My hopes are now Fading Away.
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nafalmat said:
Very Droll! I think the heartbeat of this site stopped some time ago. Time for a burial or cremation!
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nafalmat said:
Very droll!. I think the heartbeat of this site ceased some time ago. Time for a burial or cremation.
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nafalmat said:
Very droll! I think the heartbeat of this site ceased sometime ago. Time for a burial or cremation.
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The Nixon Administration said:
I’m not dead, and until I am, neither is the site.
It’s been a rough few years.
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treborij said:
Even as it stands in its current moribund state, this is still one of the most valuable music sites on the internet. I would hope it’ll remain in some form in perpetuity. And who amongst the old crowd won’t be pleasantly surprised by a revival someday down the line. I look forward to that day but still enjoy this site and refer to it, especially when I get into a Motown jag.
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therealdavesing said:
Well please get through 1966 before 2030 lol. Great records I’m looking forward to getting your opinion on
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Robb Klein said:
2030 ??? !!! I hope he’ll finish both 1966 and 1967 by the end of 2025. There were an awful lot of great Motown songs out during those 2 years, and I might not still be around by 2030.
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Robb Klein said:
2030 ??? !!! I want him to finish at LEAST 1966 and all of 1967 by the end of 2025. There were an awful lot of great Motown songs released during those two years. And I might well not still be around by 2030!
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MotownMike said:
It warms my heart to know you are still with us!!!
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144man said:
If you are not creating any new reviews because of threats of action by any individual or organisation, please let us know.
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The Nixon Administration said:
Not unless long COVID is an organisation! But thanks for your concern.
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nafalmat said:
Wishing everyone who still visits this long term hibernating site, a happy Christmas and a safe and healthy New Year!
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The Nixon Administration said:
Absolutely! Compliments of the season to everyone, and thank you for sticking around and checking in.
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kevintimba said:
Just finished a binge of reading the various recent Motown bios and extracting drum stems from the best of the Motown singles – rereading the entirety of this blog as I went along. It’s always such a drop in energy when I hit post 694. Hopefully you’ll resume by my next pass! Merry xmas to all!
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ersram said:
And Happy Holidays to You & Yours.
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Robb Klein said:
Glad to hear from you, Nix. Sorry to hear that you have Long Covid symptoms (IF I understood your post correctly. If so, I hope they disappear soon, and forever. And I hope you and your family have a wonderful Holiday season.
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TimMoore said:
just found this blog and going to do some reading.dont remember where i got it, but i have a file with the Complete Motown Singles on it..its what brought me here..wondering how many singles they did release…anyway, off i go to check out the color coordinated links!
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The Nixon Administration said:
Enjoy, and feel free to comment and disagree! I will come back someday to finish the story, or at least advance it a bit. I have a spreadsheet but even then I won’t know the exact final number until I’m done – but the finish line is somewhere around the 4000-review mark!
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