If you’d asked anyone at the time whether Tamla Records was going anywhere special, whether people would remember Berry Gordy in fifty years’ time, the answer would most likely have been a polite but firm “no, not really”. The next release would change all that.
It’s a nice enough little song, if still not exactly remarkable. It has to be said, though – and I apologise in advance to any surviving Satintones who happen to come across this – that for a vocal harmony group, they just aren’t very good singers. (4)
After the horrors of the A-side, this is slightly better, but still hardly great; extremely repetitive and almost mindlessly simple, running for less than two minutes, it sounds more than anything else like a Buddy Holly record being played at 33 by mistake.
Quite comfortably the worst Motown single thus far, though it would be challenged handily for that crown later on, this is a blot on the copybook of everyone concerned. (1)
Really just a continuation of the extended Funk Brothers instrumental semi-jam which made up the A-side Snake Walk (Part 1), this is more of the same; again, it’s hard not to start bobbing around and dancing to this stuff, so you may not want to play this if it’s possible someone will walk in on you and (for argument’s sake) see you dancing like an uncoordinated idiot. For instance. (8)
This is for all intents and purposes a Funk Brothers single, albeit recorded under a silly name. It’s also entirely splendid. (8)
A better song than Solid Sender, a solid (ha!) chunk of doo-wop balladry made considerably more interesting by whoever the (uncredited) vibes player is, but it’s still not much to write home about. (4)
An R&B record written specifically not to offend religious relatives? Nothing can go wrong with that idea! (3)
Three singles, three B-sides which might, all told, be better than the plug sides. Hmmm. (6)
The most energetic Motown single up to that point, it has a liveliness not found in the label’s previous sides which makes up for the lack of imagination on show here. (5)
The whole thing is probably a better all-round record than the A-side, although it’s less charming and Eddie’s given less to do. (5)
Motown Junkies 