A defiant, earthy, bluesy doo-wop number, done at a pace so slow it’s almost stationary, this follows in the footsteps of Who Wouldn’t Love A Man Like That in being enjoyable but not especially memorable. The song doesn’t really go anywhere, and instead acts solely as a vehicle for Mable to show off her formidable pipes. (6)
Motown’s first double-sided hit. The public was right – Mighty Good Lovin’ is the better song – but this one is good stuff too. A lavish, expensive-sounding production, and the song underneath it is a strong one, a noticeable step forward from the group’s earlier work.
A final teaming of Strong with the then-Motown songwriting “A” squad of Smokey Robinson and company boss Berry Gordy, this is a good song, but Strong’s performance, while fun as far as it goes, doesn’t go far enough. Competent, but ultimately disappointing. (4)
Yet again, listening to another assured, sassy, sexy performance, it’s startling to remember Mary Wells was just a few days past her eighteenth birthday. Just two singles in, and her position atop the hierarchy of female Motown vocalists was already secure. (6)
Really this was just the start; there were still two more years of toil and a lot more misses than hits to be endured before Motown would get to where they were heading. But this is a definite start along that path nonetheless, and a great song to boot.
Both sides claimed a victory, but to the modern, objective listener, the first round of the match between MOR and R&B for Marvin Gaye’s musical soul ends with honours even. At zero. (2)
A thin, charmless Everly Brothers pastiche, this throwaway B-side from 1959 by “Ron & Bill” wasn’t up to much even on original release, and so quite why it was dusted off and dragged out for another go-round two years later is really anybody’s guess.
Another unashamed soundalike which flouts its “inspiration” and barely bothers to cover its tracks; the victim this time is the Coasters’ wacky Yakety Yak, a hit from almost three years previously. It’s not great. (3)
Pretty disappointing, all told, but at least it’s different enough to warrant its own existence, something which couldn’t be said of many Motown in-house covers twenty years later.
Not for the first time when listening to an early Motown single, I’m struck with a single, persistent question: “What the hell is this?”
Not as ambitious as I Want A Guy, it’s less experimental within its structure, a more straightforward slow-tempo 4/4 doo-wop – but it’s still really good. You feel it. And when all is said and done, what else do you want from a pop record? (9)
Motown Junkies 