The return to both the heavier beats and the heavier themes of the earlier Vandellas’ best material is a welcome one; this is a record at once ominous and impressively demanding of your attention, neatly illustrating not only where they’ve come from but also where they’re headed. Especially their superstar of a lead singer. (9)
I find it hard to put into words just what it is she does, but she does it here better than ever before. (9)
With these two sides, the group were reaching in the dark for something they couldn’t quite grasp, something entirely new, defying total understanding (theirs and ours). This one, strangely-punctuated title and all, is probably my favourite of the two, not least because – just like Martha – I feel its power is still only shakily understood, and not to be taken lightly. (8)
They were never going to be the Supremes, but instead, here they take possession of something new, something more dangerous and exciting and grown-up: from here on in, this is the Vandellas’ home turf, and they occupy it with panache. And with a super-catchy chorus to boot. (8)
Having just scaled the highest heights, Martha and the Vandellas will hopefully forgive me if a good rhythm and two-fifths of a dirty joke doesn’t send me into raptures any more. (5)
The feeling of hearing a Vandellas record and realising that once again, they’re the best group in the world. I’ve missed that feeling. Damn, this is a good record. (10)
Even for fans who prefer Martha in this lower-key mode, the mix still wasn’t right; there wouldn’t be another midtempo Vandellas A-side for over a year, by which time they’d really mastered the art. For now, this pretty little scribble would have to do. (5)
A kind of half step in a new direction, while driving twenty miles down the same road as before. Sure, it’s inescapably very similar to (and rather less good than) Dancing In The Street. That can’t stop it being fun. (7)
I can’t escape the feeling that the vocal and the track still don’t properly agree with each other, even here at the second time of asking. Still pretty, though. (6)
Brilliant (if not in the way that’s generally accepted), but it isn’t the record Martha and the Vandellas deserve to be remembered for. That doesn’t stop it from being a classic, of course. (8)
Better than the Vandellas’ version of Darling, I Hum Our Song, but not quite as good as Eddie Holland’s original; and there’s not very much more I can say about it. (6)
