135. Bob Kayli: “Tie Me Tight”
Not great, not by any means, but it’s nice enough. Nowhere near as bad (or as cringeworthy) as the A-side, at any rate. (4)
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134. Bob Kayli: “Small Sad Sam”
It’s never as outright awful as some of the worst sides Motown had released to date, but I can’t imagine anyone wanting to listen to it other than die-hard Supremes fans scrutinising the backing vocals. (1)
133. The Temptations: “Your Wonderful Love”
An absolutely straight-down-the-line bit of late-period doo-wop. Well-sung and really rather pretty, but utterly predictable. (4)
132. The Temptations: “Check Yourself”
A stop-start, multi-part multiple-metre R&B piece, probably the most musically-daring thing Motown had released in its three years of existence. (6)
131. Sammy Ward: “Don’t Take It Away”
Hardly among the worst offenders in the Bad Early Motown Records stakes, this is still a poor performance of a poor song and gets no praise at all here.
130. Sammy Ward: “What Makes You Love Him (version 2)”
Another cracking little record, as well as a vindication of the strength of Gordy’s original song; the remake was well worth the trouble.
129. Mable John: “Take Me”
Mable John is absolutely in her zone here, giving probably the greatest performance of her Motown career. (7)
128. Mable John: “Actions Speak Louder Than Words”
The third single for Mable John, Motown’s first solo female vocalist, and probably overall the weakest of the bunch. (5)
127. The Valadiers: “Take A Chance”
Despite initial appearances to the contrary, there’s not much to report going on here song-wise.
126. The Valadiers: “Greetings (This Is Uncle Sam)”
Motown’s first white vocal group; on this evidence, they were also pretty ordinary singers compared to some of their Motown labelmates, even if they were above average by the not-terribly-high standards of white Sixties doo-wop groups.
125. Eddie Holland: “Take A Chance On Me”
A clear statement of intent, both from the singer – who had slogged through two years of flops at United Artists without ever hinting he had this sort of performance in him – and from the writers, each of whom was making a real name for themselves. Quite superb. (8)
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