The start of the “Motown Sound” is traditionally dated to 1963 and the Vandellas’ Come And Get These Memories, but the band had it in them all along, as evidenced by this throwaway B-side performed the best part of two and a half years earlier. (5)
Obviously, the record sold very poorly (obviously), though there was some modicum of success in the fact that those involved don’t appear to have been sued. Listen once, let it raise a faint smile or two, be bemused by the surprisingly downbeat ending, and then forget all about it. (1)
It’s a fun little song, and the chorus is catchy (though I struggle not to think of Lord Rockingham XI’s Hoots Mon at the same time), but as a follow-up to a classic hit single it fails to hit the mark; also, the production is weak and muddy, and the sound quality is especially poor. (6)
Better than the first version, but I still don’t think there’s actually very much song going on underneath all the harmonising and vocal pyrotechnics. Pretty, though.
This is a great pop song all the way; that chorus is one of early Smokey’s best, and Robinson absolutely *nails* it, hitting the very top of his range when he sings “I’m on my way-YYY”… great stuff.
Not remarkable in either version, and one of the weaker Motown singles to this point, it’s perhaps not surprising that Remus wasn’t given any more singles in the future.
Quite pretty, clearly intended as a slowie ballad in the Bad Girl vein, sung in a very high register by young Smokey, who gives it his all, but not really to any particular end. More of an exercise in vocal range than a real song, it’s pretty forgettable, to be honest.
The song doesn’t really go anywhere, there are no real surprises, and although it’s not without its charm, as a single it’s not a patch on Bad Girl. (5)
After the soaring, lovely Bad Girl, this somewhat ill-considered B-side sends the listener crashing back down to earth with a bump. (2)
This is songcraft on quite another level from the workaday R&B and doo-wop that had been Motown’s stock in trade up until now; not even twenty and already a class apart, this is a superb calling card for one of the all-time great songwriters.
It would be at least another two years before Motown consistently delivered singles approaching this level of quality, but this pair of sides is such a major leap forward compared to what went before that Barrett Strong should be considered the first great Motown artist. (8)
Motown Junkies 