72. The Satintones: “A Love That Can Never Be”
Neither engaging or likeable, this is one of the most thoroughly forgettable of all Motown B-sides, making it especially ironic that it ended up being used three times. Poor. (2)
Category Archives: Writing credit: Janie Bradford
70. Richard Wylie & His Band: “I’ll Still Be Around”
…Just that bit, right there. If they could have bottled that, if they could have made a whole song out of it, it would have been a classic. (5)
69. Richard Wylie & His Band: “Money (That’s What I Want)”
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.
57. Barrett Strong: “Money And Me”
It seems to be intended as a gentle bit of comedy, but Strong delivers it deadpan and without flair so that it falls flat on its arse, preachy and unfunny. Unusual for all that songwriting talent to miss the mark so comprehensively; a case of too many cooks, perhaps. (3)
36. Barrett Strong: “Whirlwind”
Instead of crafting a better follow-up to Money, this is instead an excellent follow-up to Yes, No, Maybe So, with Strong once again giving it the full Ray Charles in his vocal, and the band apparently bringing the same music to the session (apart from a bit more sax instead of trumpet). In summary: Almost the same as Yes, No, Maybe So, but not as good. (4)
15. Barrett Strong: “Money (That’s What I Want)”
The whole thing is just an unstoppable, nasty, mean, sexy groove. Everything on the record just demands attention – the raw-throated, almost-shouted vocals, the thundering bass, the spiky, twanging guitars, everything. And somehow it all works. (9)
Motown Junkies 