69. Richard Wylie & His Band: “Money (That’s What I Want)”
Pretty disappointing, all told, but at least it’s different enough to warrant its own existence, something which couldn’t be said of many Motown in-house covers twenty years later.
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68. Mickey Woods: “They Rode Through The Valley”
A second weak “historical comedy” record about the Battle of the Little Bighorn, apparently a vein Gordy didn’t feel was tapped out yet following Popcorn Wylie’s baffling Custer’s Last Man. It’s difficult to argue this isn’t the worst record Motown had released to date.
67. Mickey Woods: “Poor Sam Jones”
Not for the first time when listening to an early Motown single, I’m struck with a single, persistent question: “What the hell is this?”
66. The Gospel Stars: “Behold The Saints Of God”
Even if it wasn’t a complex or clever song, at least He Lifted Me was still interesting; this is just a plain vanilla gospel workout, it sounds like literally a hundred other plain vanilla gospel workouts, and – unforgivably for a religious tract – it’s boring. (2)
65. The Gospel Stars: “He Lifted Me”
After sixty-four secular sides, we finally find the first overtly religious Motown record. Gospel music may never have been likely to storm the charts, but – as Berry Gordy Jr. knew full well – it was always good for steady sales to customers, often older customers, who wouldn’t normally buy pop records, let alone go anywhere near a Henry Lumpkin or Barrett Strong. (5)
64. The Supremes: “Never Again”
Not as ambitious as I Want A Guy, it’s less experimental within its structure, a more straightforward slow-tempo 4/4 doo-wop – but it’s still really good. You feel it. And when all is said and done, what else do you want from a pop record? (9)
63. The Supremes: “I Want A Guy”
Immensely likeable, genuinely beautiful, and above all pants-wettingly good. Even if it sounds nothing like the Supremes everyone knows, it’s as good a début single as anyone, anywhere, has ever recorded. (10)
62. The Contours: “Come On And Be Mine”
Driven along by a steady, rollicking drumbeat and some great understated sax work, this is an accomplished and assured early number which strangely feels much shorter than its actual length of more than two and a half minutes. (6)
61. The Contours: “Whole Lotta Woman”
A riveting, pounding number, featuring gutsy sax, barrelling piano and a tambourine being smashed to within an inch of its life, while (especially on the original version) Billy Gordon’s superb, screamed lead vocal could strip paint from the walls.
60. Little Iva & Her Band: “Continental Strut”
The flip of Raynoma Liles Gordy (“Miss Ray”)’s only Motown single is a strange affair; having turned in a charming if slightly technically-challenged lead vocal on the plug side, here she offers up a keyboard “solo” on a brief, thin instrumental. (I’m assuming the keyboard part is hers, there’s no indication in the liner notes as to who played what).
59. Little Iva & Her Band: “When I Needed You”
There’s definitely the germ of an excellent song here, even if it doesn’t ever really take off; there are definite shades of Smokey Robinson. Instead, it’s more a question of what might have been; it’s nice, but it’s a few missing ingredients short of being elevated above the inessential. (5)
Motown Junkies 