The Four Tops are wonderful, and right now, like the rest of their labelmates, songwriters, producers, musicians, and – heck – probably the people at the pressing plants, they can do no wrong. (9)
Just another really solid Motown cut. By now, Motown could afford to be blasé about such things. (7)
It should be better known, but then that would still be true if this had sold six million copies; it’s a great, great record. ★ 10 ★
Even though this is maybe a slower burn than Put Yourself In My Place, it ultimately gives a brighter light; the work that’s gone into this is staggering, and the results get better with every listen. (8)
What we have here is a calling card for a fine new group, in many ways the first “new” Motown signing of the mid-to-late Sixties, the first Motown group born as a “Motown” group. It sounds great, and it’s also a really good record, even if there’s better to come. (7)
The music is designed and deployed to devastating effect, the vocal is as good as anything we’ve heard from Diana so far, the whole package is quite startling: this is the saddest-sounding outrageous pop stomper I’ve ever heard, and it’s a masterpiece. (10)
Just about Tony Martin’s best single for Motown. Which really isn’t saying very much. (2)
A fine effort in its own right, and the vocals are lovely, but everyone involved had already moved on, and HDH were right to finally let it go. (6)
It’s pretty good, I guess, and yet I’ve never warmed to it, never thrilled to it, never breathlessly gone straight back to the beginning to play it again. (6)
The fact that so much about it is slightly off-centre, the fact that it practically advertises up front that it’s not perfect? Well, that’s just about enough to make me think it really might be. Crafty blighters. (10)
They push their luck with each clambering step up the ladder, and still it doesn’t break, so they decide to push it again and stretch for the next one. And they carry it off each and every time, the song climbing forever to heaven. (10)
