78. Marvin Gaye: “Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide”
Both sides claimed a victory, but to the modern, objective listener, the first round of the match between MOR and R&B for Marvin Gaye’s musical soul ends with honours even. At zero. (2)
Tag Archives: Motown
77. Marvin Gay: “Witchcraft”
It seems to have confused audiences, because very little press or radio play was garnered by this promo single, and the album sank on release. Still, if audiences in 1961 were confused by this, they must have been veritably baffled by what happened a mere five days later.
76. Marvin Gay: “(I’m Afraid) The Masquerade Is Over”
As a single, it’s OK. As a historical document, a crossroads, a glimpse into some alternate timeline, it’s fascinating. As a Marvin Gaye record, it’s not exactly one of the classics. But whatever the outcome, he’d laid down a marker as One To Watch.
75. The Satintones: “Angel”
This is the last great doo-wop record, a fitting monument to a dying art as well as a superb single in its own right, and the fact that it was only released because Motown were sued into withdrawing a third-rate Shirelles knock-off is one of the luckiest of all the label’s lucky scrapes with history.
74. Gino Parks: “Don’t Say Bye Bye”
A thin, charmless Everly Brothers pastiche, this throwaway B-side from 1959 by “Ron & Bill” wasn’t up to much even on original release, and so quite why it was dusted off and dragged out for another go-round two years later is really anybody’s guess.
73. Gino Parks: “Blibberin’ Blabbin’ Blues”
Another unashamed soundalike which flouts its “inspiration” and barely bothers to cover its tracks; the victim this time is the Coasters’ wacky Yakety Yak, a hit from almost three years previously. It’s not great. (3)
72. The Satintones: “A Love That Can Never Be”
Neither engaging or likeable, this is one of the most thoroughly forgettable of all Motown B-sides, making it especially ironic that it ended up being used three times. Poor. (2)
71. The Satintones: “Tomorrow And Always”
literally a note-for-note cover version with slightly different lyrics. Not only that, a note-for-note cover version of a song everyone in the world already knows.
70. Richard Wylie & His Band: “I’ll Still Be Around”
…Just that bit, right there. If they could have bottled that, if they could have made a whole song out of it, it would have been a classic. (5)
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.
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.
Motown Junkies 