672. Chris Clark: “Don’t Be Too Long”
Not only do I like this less and less each time I play it, in fact, the more I listen, the less it seems to have anything to do with the A-side at all. So much for bright new débuts. (3)
Previous articles
671. Chris Clark: “Do Right Baby Do Right”
Whatever the behind-the-scenes shenanigans, there’s no doubt in my mind that Gordy also felt he had a real talent on his hands. And he was right. (9)
670. The Supremes: “Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine”
It sounds like somebody else’s idea of what the Supremes sound like, where that person has either got the wrong end of the stick, or doesn’t even like the Supremes. But it’s fascinating all the same. (3)
A short pause
This is the longest gap we’ve had between posts on Motown Junkies since we started, and I thank you for …
669. Earl Van Dyke & the Soul Brothers: “The Flick (Part 1)”
Still funky enough, but it feels less daring, and consequently I found it less thrilling; as brilliant and talented as these guys obviously were, and this record’s more evidence of it, the Funk Brothers simply weren’t built to create hit records on their own after all. (6)
668. Earl Van Dyke & the Soul Brothers: “The Flick (Part 2)”
Play it, and thrill to it, and reflect on the men who made it – but excellent though this is, if you seek the true monument to the greatness of the Funk Brothers, it’s already all around you every time you turn on the radio. (8)
667. The Marvelettes: “Anything You Wanna Do”
Coming up in the middle of a run of greatness, given the heights we’ve just crested, well, to call a record pretty stupid but quite good anyway somehow feels even harsher than usual. But here we are. (4)
666. The Marvelettes: “Don’t Mess With Bill”
We’ve never had cause to doubt the Marvelettes’ quality before, but now they’re paired with the right producer, they’ve got a part to play in the Motown story too, a part that finally makes sense; Don’t Mess With Bill is almost something like a rebirth, the start of the Marvelettes’ magnificent second act, and its brilliance is cause for much celebration.
665. The Velvelettes: “Since You’ve Been Loving Me”
This isn’t so much soul as it is indie pop. It’s remarkable, in almost every sense – it’s both surprising and surprisingly fresh, it’s raw and honest and beautiful, and I love it. (9)
664. The Velvelettes: “A Bird In The Hand (Is Worth Two In The Bush)”
It should have been another fantastic track to go on the million-selling best-of package their brilliance deserved; instead, it’s one of the last things Motown released on them, one of the last things left to remember them by. But it does them justice, there’s no doubt about that. (8)
663. Stevie Wonder: “Purple Rain Drops”
Pleasant enough, but I wanted to hear more from the new Stevie Wonder, the Stevie as introduced on the A-side, the Stevie as we now know him. Whatever the reasons for exhuming Purple Rain Drops, this just isn’t him any more. (4)
