It’s the sound that makes this work, the sound of the Four Tops and the Andantes hooking it all up, turning base metal into gold. Even the most hackneyed, hoary old material could sound angelic in their hands, and so this – buffed up to a fine sheen by its writer-producers – turns out very well. (6)
It’s not all that good, and if I didn’t know that they’d dust themselves off and make some of the best records in history, I’d be worried. As it is, I’m just really disappointed – this could, and should, have been fantastic. (4)
This sounds wonderful, as well as being one of the Holland-Dozier-Holland trio’s most beautifully understated and underrated songs, a mediation on loss (or even bereavement) as powerful and dignified as anything pop music had done so far. If this was the sound of Motown “selling out”, I’m all for it. (8)
All the ingredients are here, not just that beat, that sound, but the mixture of “up” music and “down” lyrics (sometimes up, sometimes down indeed!), the dichotomy of Diana’s cold, dispassionate steely glare and her broken, begging desperation, and the basic structure of beautiful verse, killer chorus. They’re all here, and – thanks to Nella Dodds – they’re all at Number One. (8)
Another super Motown record, in a year not exactly short of them, and it shows that Mary was still at the peak of her powers right up until she walked out of Hitsville for the last time. We’ll never know what might have been had she clocked back in again the next day. (8)
We’ll never hear the Supremes do anything like this again, but it’s a gas alright, alternately charming and thrilling even as its faltering structure trips over its own feet. (6)
This is one of Motown’s most famous singles simply because it’s one of Motown’s best singles. I don’t care how many times it gets played, it’s as much of a thrill the first time as the 350th, and that’s pretty much the definition of magical. (10)
A quite remarkable record, rough and loud and crackling with energy, out of step with everything Motown was doing at the time and yet pointing a clear path to Marvin’s future. It’s also brilliant. (9)
A cool enough note for Tommy to bow out on, even if in this particular instance most of the credit is due to other people. (6)
Nice enough as far as it goes, but that turns out not to be far enough. A paper-thin Andantes showcase rather than a blaze of glory, and so probably not the best way to close out our coverage of Eddie Holland here on Motown Junkies, but those are the breaks. (4)
A good little pop song that never pulls up any trees; a strangely muted but still wholly enjoyable goodbye from a man who never wanted to be a star in the first place. (6)
Motown Junkies 