It’ll never be mistaken for a prime bit of classic Marvelettes, and it’s not in the same league as the A-side, but with these girls it’s always good to hear more – and in the absence of an album, well, it’s nice to catch up on what they’d been up to. (5)
Probably the best-sounding Marvelettes single to date, certainly the most “grown up”, and – again – excellent. (8)
A big, brassy, bouncy irresistible rush of a pop song. Whisper it, it’s actually better than The Way You Do The Things You Do. (9)
Motown had made such strides during this Golden Age that even the “filler” (for want of a better word) ends up as classy, highly listenable fare. That it could have obviously been even better is almost a churlish observation in these surroundings. (5)
Simultaneously great fun and greatly annoying, it’s difficult to know what to think about this one; it moves the story of Stevie Wonder forward not one jot, and it’s at least six months past its sell-by date, but you can definitely dance to it and it’ll get stuck in your head given half a chance. (6)
Ultimately it isn’t as good a pop record as The Way You Do The Things You Do, and Whitfield and Holland weren’t quite finished with this concept yet – but it works a lot better than the topside, and would have made a stronger single. It’s certainly more of an indication of what lay ahead in the Tempts’ short-term future. (7)
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)
Motown’s best ever B-side, and – even in light of the perfect pop precision of My Guy – quite possibly Mary Wells’ best ever record. A genuine masterpiece, and a fitting end to a bunch of brilliant careers. (10)
Too much of a mish-mash of influences and ideas, and too weakly sung, to be considered a lost classic; nevertheless, if this had made it as far as the stores, this could have made a promising début single. (5)
It’s not Eddie’s greatest song, and again there’s the nagging feeling that – likeable though his delivery is, with his smile once again audible when he pronounces certain words – he’s still the weakest thing on his own records. But this is still a fine record, pastiche or not, and both Messrs Holland and Whitfield could feel proud for having made it. (7)
Highly energetic and plenty of fun, even if it is ultimately a bit directionless; it’s always fun to see Eddie let his hair down a little and move away from his immaculately-pressed “dapper young gent” image, and – coupled with his obvious new ideas about where pop music should be headed – this ends up being just about his best solo single to date. (7)
Motown Junkies 