493. The Marvelettes: “Too Many Fish In The Sea”
Probably the best-sounding Marvelettes single to date, certainly the most “grown up”, and – again – excellent. (8)
Category Archives: Writing credit: Norman Whitfield
490. The Majestics: “The Further You Look, The Less You See”
It’s still a good song, and it still makes for a good record – but the existence of a better previous version means this is reduced to being a bit of a pointless do-over. (5)
475. The Velvelettes: “Should I Tell Them”
Despite its dated, scruffy nature, there’s the feeling that this has been pulled above its natural level, and it ends up being well worth a listen. (5)
474. The Velvelettes: “Needle In A Haystack”
A work in progress, a hint of the shape of things to come, that also happens to be very groovy in its own right. That the Velvelettes’ weakest Motown single is still several orders of magnitude better than most artists’ best should tell you all you need to know. (6)
457. The Temptations: “Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)”
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)
444. Jimmy Ruffin: “I Want Her Love”
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)
443. Jimmy Ruffin: “Since I’ve Lost You”
Even if the overall impression is of a pretty record that never quite takes its foot off the brake pedal, there’s more than enough here to suggest Jimmy was one to watch. (6)
434. The Supremes: “He Means The World To Me”
A reminder that the A-side was made by very mortal human hands – you can see a lot of the joins here, and the Funk Brothers had indeed got a whole lot better in the fifteen months between the two sides of this single being recorded – but I certainly don’t hate it, it’s charming and sweet, and rather successful in its own limited way. (5)
420. The Temptations: “The Girl’s Alright With Me”
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)
345. Eddie Holland: “I Couldn’t Cry If I Wanted To”
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)
319. The Temptations: “May I Have This Dance”
It’s not awful, but nor is it hugely impressive; this single marks a sort of watershed for the Temptations, who were about to leave this sort of stuff behind forever. 4
Motown Junkies 