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Motown Junkies

~ because it's what's in the grooves that counts

Motown Junkies

Category Archives: Singin' Sammy Ward

464. Sammy Ward: “You’ve Got To Change”

March 12, 2012

Even if it’s out of whack with the rest of his career, it’s a quirky, entertaining finish; meanwhile, there’s no doubt he could be proud of pretty much everything else he’d made. Here’s to you, Singin’ Sammy Ward. (6)

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463. Sammy Ward: “Bread Winner”

March 7, 2012

Motown may not have thought there was room for him in their brave new world, and commercially they may have been right; but you can’t help but feel that in discarding such a pro – with such a knack for making good records – they’d made a bad mistake. (8)

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218. Singin’ Sammy Ward: “Part Time Love”

September 12, 2010

Not as good as the A-side, but it’s quality stuff and plenty of fun nonetheless, as well as a reminder that Motown in 1962 still hadn’t given up on the blues. (7)

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217. Singin’ Sammy Ward: “Someday Pretty Baby”

September 11, 2010

A cracking record, a rollicking, hot-tempered midtempo number – sat astride the imaginary line that divides “R&B-flavoured blues” and “bluesy R&B” – that demands to be turned up loud. (9)

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157. Singin’ Sammy Ward: “Everybody Knew It But Me”

May 12, 2010

There’s simply no reason to seek out and listen to this one, not when there’s a superior version of what is for all intents and purposes the exact same song already out there. (4)

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156. Singin’ Sammy Ward: “Big Joe Moe”

May 11, 2010

Still, best not concentrate on what this record isn’t, and just enjoy it for what it is. And what it is, really, is a lot of fun. It’s just not quite “there” in terms of everything clicking into place. (6)

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131. Sammy Ward: “Don’t Take It Away”

April 16, 2010

Hardly among the worst offenders in the Bad Early Motown Records stakes, this is still a poor performance of a poor song and gets no praise at all here.

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130. Sammy Ward: “What Makes You Love Him (version 2)”

April 15, 2010

Another cracking little record, as well as a vindication of the strength of Gordy’s original song; the remake was well worth the trouble.

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48. Sherri Taylor & Singin’ Sammy Ward: “That’s Why I Love You So Much”

October 11, 2009

Every bit as good as the A-side, boosted by a jangling guitar backing and the fun the two singers are evidently having (meaning that this time, there are shades of Marvin and Tammi to be enjoyed). (6)

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47. Sherri Taylor & Singin’ Sammy Ward: “Oh Lover”

October 11, 2009

It’s not exactly Marvin and Tammi, but nobody’s claiming that; what it is is plenty of fun, and there’s extra satisfaction to be gained from knowing this is the record that started Motown down the duet path. (6)

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42. Singin’ Sammy Ward: “Who’s The Fool”

October 10, 2009

Ward’s achievement in scoring an important early Motown hit record seems to have been largely overlooked by history, so I’m going to put one in the “win” column for him here and now. Well done, Singin’ Sammy.

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Motown Junkies

This is Motown Junkies, an unofficial guide to every Motown single ever released, or planned for release, on every US Motown label (or via Tamla Motown in the UK), featuring reviews of each A-side and B-side in chronological order. New reviews appear every couple of days.

Think of it as an unauthorised track-by-track companion to the magnificent The Complete Motown Singles CD box sets, and beyond, with marks out of ten.

I'm NOT Paul Nixon.

FURTHER INFORMATION

More info about the blog (and me) can be found here. If you want to leave a comment on any review, please feel free to do so - all feedback, corrections, disagreements and encouragements gratefully received. If you've something you'd rather not say in public, I can be contacted at fosse8 at gmail dot com.

(Oh, and if you arrived here looking for the Motown Junkies music group, they're nothing to do with me, I'm afraid - but they are very nice people, and they can be found at www.motownjunkies.com instead.)

HOW TO USE THIS BLOG

You can jump straight to the full list of reviews so far in the Master Index, or browse by label instead.

If you're looking for something a bit more specific, you can click an artist's name in the "Artist" menu at the top of the screen to see a little biography and all the reviews we've done for them so far. Only people whose records I've already discussed appear there at the moment - more names will be added to the lists all the time as I work my way through Motown's history, so do keep checking back!

Alternatively, the front page displays excerpts from the most recent reviews, and on the right hand side of the screen you'll see a list of the most recent entries and also a sampling of the most popular entries from the last 48 hours, as well as the latest comments left by visitors.

Dive in, explore and have fun!

LEGAL STUFF

This is an unofficial site, and is not affiliated in any way with Universal Motown, Hip-O Select or any of the artists referred to in the blog.

Where indicated, label scan images appear by kind permission of Lars "LG" Nilsson (as originally prepared for the Complete Motown Singles series).

Digital images courtesy of Gordon Frewin are supplied for use at motownjunkies.co.uk by arrangement. All applicable rights reserved. No unauthorised republication is permitted.

Many label images were kindly provided by Robb Klein, together with invaluable historical research.

All text © Motown Junkies, 2009-19. All rights reserved.

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