236. Mary Wells: “Operator”
Probably the weakest record Mary Wells had yet made for Motown, and not one to dwell upon. Of course, she’d already made enough truly spectacular records that fans could overlook this unsatisfying blip. (3)
Category Archives: Writing credit: Smokey Robinson
235. Mary Wells: “Two Lovers”
A perfectly good Mary Wells single, perhaps even a “typical” Mary Wells single; me, I think it’s extremely disappointing without ever being noticeably bad.
234. The Temptations: “Slow Down Heart”
Not for nothing would Smokey Robinson forge a reputation as the Temptations’ master craftsman: first time out, on a supposedly throwaway B-side, a frothy, fun little sketch that wasn’t going to pull up any trees, his ideas on how to best play to the group’s strengths were already years ahead of anyone else they had worked with up to this point. (7)
214. The Miracles: “If Your Mother Only Knew”
Too good to be thrown away as either an album track or a B-side, quite frankly, as it might have made one of the better early Miracles singles – but its presence on this reissue at least lets me talk about it at length. Hurrah for commercial pressures! (7)
204. Mary Wells: “You Beat Me To The Punch”
Mary Wells scored her first number one record with her best single to date, the Motown quality threshold going up and up with each passing month; perfectly judged, enticing and mesmerising, this is one of the best records of 1962. (9)
191. Mickey McCullers: “I’ll Cry A Million Tears”
If this had been released two years earlier with a better lead vocal, it might have been a hit; instead, this feels like something of a waste of material, and a waste of Smokey Robinson. (6)
190. Mickey McCullers: “Same Old Story”
The reason for McCullers finding himself sidelined on his own record is pretty straightforward; rather than being a daring aesthetic choice on Smokey’s part, the simple fact is that McCullers’ performance wasn’t good enough, and had to be compensated for with backing vocals and instruments. (4)
176. The Supremes: “Your Heart Belongs To Me”
Pretty much the only good Supremes record to come out between their tentative, nervous first step I Want A Guy and the beginning of the HDH era towards the end of 1963. (7)
167. The Miracles: “You Never Miss A Good Thing”
Hardly a patch on the stellar A-side, this is still a very good record well worth a listen. (6)
166. The Miracles: “I’ll Try Something New”
A gorgeous song, the first truly great Miracles ballad.
152. Mary Wells: “The One Who Really Loves You”
Paired for the first time with writer/producer Smokey Robinson, Mary Wells turned in her best single so far. Not coincidentally, The One Who Really Loves You landed Mary her biggest hit to date (Top Ten pop, and just missing out on scoring Motown’s third R&B Number One). (9)
Motown Junkies 