The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 5: 1965

1965 saw the breakthroughs made by The Supremes, The Four Tops and The Temptations in the previous year built upon, as those artists went from strength to strength. Martha Reeves & The Vandellas were doing well too, as were Smokey Robinson & The Miracles. In comparison to 1966, however, when Berry Gordy and Motown went full-on soulful pop with pretty much every single, 1965 was still finding him dabbling in other genres, such as country, easy listening and in the occasional novelty release. Some of these I have declined to review! I have tended to stick to the definite "proper" Motown material, for better or worse. Actually, it's clearly for better!

Compared to 1966, the stars and diamonds are much less frequently awarded.

⭐ Star hits

💠 Hidden gems

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Disc One

The Four Tops - Ask The Lonely/Where Did You Go

Heart-wrenching balladry from The Four Tops here. Like its two predecessors, both the 'a' and 'b' sides appeared on the group's debut album. Ask The Lonely is, for me, one of the most unmemorable and ordinary of their singles, despite is fine bassline. I guess that is because the standard was so high. 

The sumptuous mid-pace ballad Where Did You Go showcases Levi Stubbs' iconic voice beautifully, however. Both these tracks sound at their best when heard in their stereo reproduction on the album from which they come from. I'm a confirmed stereo man, so I would say that.

The Downbeats - Do You Know What I'm Talkin' About/You Say You Love Me

Nothing much is known about The Downbeats - even the notes for the collection here don't say much at all! Do You Know What I'm Talkin' About is an uptempo, rock 'n' roll-ish stomper that has an attractive appeal to it. The beat doesn't let up for a second. All very handclappy and doo-woppy. A slightly slower but equally late fifties/early sixties vibe can be found on Say You Love Me. It was still 1965, I guess - the legacy of the previous decade was still a strong one, despite other changes taking place in the Motown sound.

Hattie Littles - Conscience I'm Guilty/You Got Me Worried 💠

The impressively big and soulful voiced Hattie Littles only released three singles for Motown and two of them, including this one were cancelled.She descended into alcoholism after that and it took her new-found Christian faith to lead her out of it. Regarding the songs here, both are pretty soulfully good (Hattie could sing), the latter being the better one, for me - a fetching, chunky piece of gospelly soul. It is for that track, You Got Me Worried, that I have awarded my hidden gem recognition.

Jr. Walker & The All-Stars - Shotgun/Hot Cha ⭐

Now we're talkin'. Oh yes. Jr.'s here, so let's start the party. Jr.'s blaring, wailing sax took Shotgun all the way to the number one spot on the r 'n' b charts and rightly so - it's a total corker of a track, isn't it? It didn't need many lyrics, just a few utterances and Jr.'s sax. It gets you right between the ears. Those drums too, like so many Motown recordings of the time are fantastically powerful - like a Shotgun in fact.

Hot Cha is actually quite a contrast to Shotgun, possessing a groovy, almost lounge-bar jazz feel to it, particularly in its beautifully syncopated rhythms. That doesn't stop Jr. from hollering away on his sax though, maybe a bit more subtly. Once again, the drums and the percussion catch the ear. 

Earl Van Dyke & The Soul Brothers - All For You/Too Many Fish In The Sea 💠

The Funk Brothers (or Soul Brothers as they were know here) do their best organ-driven Booker T. & The MG's impersonation of the attractive and super-groovy All For You. Perhaps even more of an Austin Powers groovy baby number is the instrumental version of The Marvelettes' Too Many Fish In the Sea. Both of these instrumentals cook up a right old shuffling storm in the studio. I really like both of them. 

Dee Mullins - Love Makes The World Go Round, But Money Greases The heel/Come On Back (And Be My Love Again)

Hold on a minute! What the hell is this? Has Motown re-located to Nashville? Sounds like it as Dee Mullins serves up a couple of twangy, uptempo and admittedly highly enjoyable country numbers, proving that Berry Gordy was still courting the white mainstream on occasions. Yee-haw!

Kim Weston - I'm Still Loving You/Go Ahead And Laugh

I'm Still Loving You is a boldly-orchestrated shouter and stomper from Kim Weston, with a Northern Soul appeal to it, while Go Ahead And Laugh showed that she could carry a late-night soulful ballad too. She had a deepness to her voice that was often overlooked. 

Martha & The Vandellas - Nowhere To Run/Motoring ⭐

Apart from Jr. Walker's Shotgun, were you thinking that the classics were, thus far, a bit thin on the ground? Well - think again! From the first wonderful, rat-a-tat drumbeat, Nowhere To Run is one million per cent Motown Heaven. It is easily in my top ten Motown songs of all time - Martha's strident, God-given voice interacting with those pounding drums and James Jamerson's equally sanctified bass. I love those couple of bits where the beat stops save the thumping drums and Martha's voice. Just wonderful. It is also quite a cynical song in places, something that was quite unusual at the time. 

Motoring is a chugger of a 'b' side that tries hard to match its partner for oomph. It has some great brass breaks and another of those drum/voice parts I love so much. A killer of a 45. Both sides are right up there. The Who covered the song in the same year too.

(Diana Ross &) The Supremes - Stop! In The Name Of Love/I'm In Love Again ⭐

Another top notch song now. Based on a phrase uttered by Lamont Dozier during a row with his girlfriend, Stop! In the Name Of Love is classic Supremes, Diana's lead vocal countered superbly by Mary and Flo. It is notable for its phased-in, rumbling intro and then its archetypal thumping Motown beat. If you had to use it as a record to typify the Motown sound, particularly circa 1965, then you wouldn't be far off hitting the target. 

I'm In Love Again was a complete contrast - a smooth, harmonious ballad, with all three girls playing strong parts. The group were certainly proving themselves. To think they were once known as the "no-hit Supremes". Not anymore. 

Brenda Holloway - When I'm Gone/I've Been Good To You 💠

After the departure of Mary Wells, songwriter Smokey Robinson was briefly left without an artist until he found Brenda Holloway. "If you see Smokey without an artist it's like a day without sunshine", said Brenda. So, he got her to sing over Mary's voice on her original recording of his song When I'm Gone and the result is one of Brenda's best cuts for Motown, in my opinion. The song suits her deep, warm, sexy and sultry voice perfectly. I love it. It wasn't a hit, though, which was a shame. It damn well should have been. Maybe people were still too familiar with Mary's version. Both of them are excellent, it has to be said, the ladies have quite similar voices. I can't really choose a favourite.

I've Been Good To You, a ballad, was originally released by Smokey and The Miracles back in 1961. Brenda's version is arguably the definitive version of the song.

Marvin Gaye - I'll Be Doggone/You've Been A Long Time Coming ⭐

I'll Be Doggone is an uptempo Smokey Robinson number enhanced by Marv Tarplin's unique guitar sound. Indeed, Robinson later said that he exclaimed "I'll be doggone" when hearing one of his riffs. He duly created a catchy song around it. It is one of Marvin's Gaye's most infectious earlier hits. It got to number one of the r 'n' b charts.

You've Been A Long Time Coming is a Holland-Dozier-Holland ballad with  sumptuously deep bassline and Marvin's unique tenor and falsetto vocals soaring high above the melody.

(Smokey Robinson &) The Miracles - Ooh Baby Baby/All That's Good ⭐

Ooh Baby Baby is a classic Smokey slowie that showed off his marvellous falsetto to great effect. One cannot deny its sheer effortless, orchestrated class but it has never been one of my favourites. I tend to prefer my Smokey more upbeat. That's what I get on the faster, poppier 'b' side All That's Good. It's got a great saxophone solo mid-song too. It appeared on the group's 1965 Going To A Go-Go album in slightly extended form. Indeed, both tracks come from that album. On both these songs, the lyrics once again capture my attention. Smokey was such a wordsmith. 

The Temptations - it's Growing/What Love Has Joined Together

It's Growing was the follow-up to the hugely-successful My Girl, possessing a similar bassline and overall vibe. Those ubiquitous Andantes join The Temptations on vocals, as if five vocalists weren't enough. Of course, the. song never quite hits the heights of My Girl, sounding too much like a re-write. What Love Has Joined Together featured Eddie Kendricks on lead vocal and is a quality ballad.

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Disc Two

The Hit Pack - Never Say No To Your Baby/Let's Dance

We have some impressive 2nd division non-hit Motown here. Never Say No To Your Baby has garnered a bit of a reputation among rarity collectors, but it doesn't quite make it as a hidden gem for me. Its backing and production is strangely muffled (comparatively). Possessing more aural clarity is the bouncy pop of Let's Dance. I quite like this one.

Stevie Wonder - Kiss Me Baby

This was a UK-only Tamla Motown single release and it never appeared on any album. It is a harmonica and drumbeat romp of a number that sort of functions as Stevie having fun in a studio jam sort of way. It is inessential in the Wonder canon.

(Diana Ross &) The Supremes - Back In My Arms Again/Whisper You Love Me Boy ⭐ 

Mid-sixties Motown Heaven here. Another thumping Holland-Dozier-Holland beat and some clever lyrics name-checking Mary and Flo, whose advice Diana doesn't want to take. The girls' back-up "oohs" are totally uplifting and have me singing along, pitch-perfect (not!). It has been a long-time favourite of mine and of Paul Weller too, who covered it live with The Jam on the 'b' side of their 1977 The Modern World single, introducing it as "an old fave rave, a bit of Motown". It was a number one follow-up to Stop! In The Name Of Love.

Whisper You Love Me Boy is an attractive, mid-tempo number originally intended for Mary Wells. It has one of those excellent big saxophone soloes in it as well as a Diana Ross vocal that sees her really developing her distinctive tones. You can now instantly tell it's Diana Ross. 

Kim Weston - A Thrill A Moment/I'll Never See My Love Again

This was another impressive single from Kim Weston that mystifyingly (perhaps) wasn't a hit. While I enjoy the warm, deep vocal parts from her, at times she over-shouts. That keeps it from being a top notch song, as far as I'm concerned. However, a nice, warm stereo version of the song can be found on Kim Weston: The Motown Anthology. It brings out the percussive backing and the strings perfectly.

Overall, though, I actually prefer the more sensual groove of I'll Never See My Love Again. The song was originally intended for Martha & The Vandellas. It suits Kim better, I think.

The Four Tops - I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)/Sad Souvenirs ⭐

I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) is impossibly catchy and full of superb harmony vocals and, of course, stunning lead vocals from the great Levi Stubbs. Although poppy, it is magnificently played by The Funk Brothers, Motown’s “house band” and are just magnificent examples of peerless Motown singles of the time. Nice big, deep saxophone solo in there too. Oh and how could I forget that deep bassline?

On the lyrically cynical Sad Souvenirs, co-writer Ivy Jo Hunter used The Beatles as an influence, particularly John Lennon. "That was the way the English boys used to write" he said. That influence started creeping into a lot of Motown songwriting from now onwards. Musically, Sad Souvenirs had a deep, sombre and mournful vibe to it. It puts me in mind a little of The Drifters' On Broadway. It was the complete opposite to the boundless energy and loved-up enthusiasm of I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch).

The Velvelettes - Lonely Lonely Girl Am I/I'm The Exception To The Rule 💠

All the original Velvelettes had left by 1965, but the new line up gave us a really good one in Norman Whitfield, Eddie Holland and Eddie Kendricks' uptempo, typically Motown-sounding pounder Lonely Lonely Girl Am I. The song became a bit Northern Soul floor-filler in the seventies. It was originally intended for Kim Weston and Jimmy Ruffin did a male version of it, but it suits the girl group, call-and response thing perfectly. It is one of The Velvelettes' best ones. 

I'm The Exception To The Rule is a smokey, late-night ballad also recorded by Kim Weston, The Supremes and Brenda Holloway.

The Marvelettes - I'll Keep Holding On/No Time For Tears

The similarly-named and sound-alike girl group The Marvelettes gave us a good one here in the slightly Four Tops-esque Stevenson-Hunter song I'll Keep Holding On. It builds on the romantic cynicism of Martha & The Vandellas' Nowhere To Run, signposting a lyrical change in many songs. Like The Velvelettes' Lonely Lonely Girl Am I discussed above, the song is a real thumper featuring some great drums and bass, along with incessant handclap sounds. . 

The soulful, gospelly ballad No Time For Tears was another in a long list of shared songs - this time it was Marvin Gaye and The Elgins who tackled it too. 

Jr. Walker & The All-Stars - Do The Boomerang/Tune Up

The lively Do The Boomerang requests that we all do whatever dance the boomerang was. We go to the right, we go to the left, but we return to where we had come from. There are vocals on this, handled by Willie Woods as opposed to Walker. Actually, I'm not sure about that now - it sounds a lot like Jr. Maybe not, though, not quite as gruff. Also impressive on the track is its funky organ breaks. 

Tune Up is an infectiously bopping instrumental sax-laden groove-out. Check out Jr.'s trademark squealing sax once more. He had some power in his lungs. Walker and his band had been gigging for years (see the poster) and you could tell. They are the most "live"-sounding of all the Motown acts, by far. They were a hit on what was known colloquially as "the chitlin' circuit". 

Brenda Holloway - Operator/I'll Be Available 💠

Once more, Brenda Holloway was given a Smokey Robinson already recorded by Mary Wells back in 1962 (it was the 'b' side of her hit Two Lovers). Brenda brings a sexy maturity to Operator as indeed she also does with her coquettish vocal on the uptempo and mightily appealing I'll Be Available (another Smokey song). This is an impressive double header of songs. 

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Disc Three

The Vows - Buttered Popcorn/Tell Me 💠

A bit of a throwback here. The goofy doo-wop fun of Buttered Popcorn had been a Supremes single as far back as 1961. It's a silly song, but one I simply can't help but like. The 'b' side, Tell Me is great! It has Northern Soul written all over it, for me. The diamond is earned for this little gem of a stomper.

Marv Johnson - Why Do You Want To Let Me Go/I'm Not A Plaything

Also in deep cut territory is Why Do You Want To Let Me Go and I'm Not A Plaything. Marv Johnson put out some good stuff, but unfortunately, only I'll Pick A Rose For My Rose became a big hit. 

(Diana Ross &) The Supremes - The Only Time I'm Happy

This genuine rarity was released only as a giveaway single for a promotional campaign. It is a lively H-D-H song but nowhere anywhere near as good as their hits from the same period. 

The Temptations - Since I Lost By Baby/You've Got To Earn It

Since I Lost My Baby is a Smokey Robinson song expertly covered by David Ruffin’s deeper, more characterful and emotional tenor voice (when compared to Eddie Kendricks' falsetto). The song has a nice, deep, warm texture to it. The song has some beautiful, sweeping string orchestration behind the vocals too. The song vaguely puts me in mind of (When You) Call Me by The Style Council. Paul Weller is a big Motown fan so that doesn't surprise me at all. 

Kendricks featured on the soulful and very clearly Smokey Robinson song You've Got To Earn It. The song has a most attractive swing to it. This is a fine, comparatively underrated pair of songs from The Temptations. Both tracks came from the 1965 album The Temptin' Temptations. Listen to both of them in their album stereo incarnations too. I love the sound on those, as is so often the case. 

The Spinners - I'll Always Love You/Tomorrow May Never Come ⭐

I'll Always Love You is an incredibly undervalued great Motown single, apart from on the Northern Soul circuit where it was hugely popular. It is a lively  number with a great chorus. Tomorrow May Never Come is a bit of a late fifties/early sixties throwback, however, now sounding somewhat dated.

Marvin Gaye - Pretty Little Baby/Now That You've Won Me

Pretty Little Baby started life as a Christmas song, Purple Snowflakes. Marvin Gaye re-arranged it most attractively. It has a mature-sounding melody to it. Now That You've Won Me is a Smokey Robinson ballad. Neither of these songs are outstanding - they're not bad either, but this is Marvin Gaye we're talking about. 

The Contours - First I Look At The Purse/Searching For A Girl 💠

Another great little (slightly) hidden gem is this bluesy thumper of a Smokey Robinson song, complete with witty lyrics. You get a killer Jr. Walker-style saxophone solo too. The song was covered impressively by Rod Stewart on his 1993 Lead vocalist album. Equally appealing is the upbeat Searching For A Girl. It dated back 1962 and was a classic example of The Contours' frantic doo-wop sound from that time. 

(Smokey Robinson &) The Miracles - The Tracks Of My Tears/A Fork In The Road ⭐

A copper-bottomed classic for you here. I have loved this for what seems like my entire life. Marv Tarplin's guitar intro, Smokey's wonderfully expressive voice, the lovelorn lyrics. Everything about it is goddamn perfect. Nothing more to say other than this was Smokey's best, by a mile, and there was stiff competition too. Unbelievably, it was another song not initially rated by Berry Gordy. That old majordomo seemed to get it wrong on the big hits, didn't he? Notoriously so. The song was also covered by Gladys Knight on her 1968 Silk 'n' Soul album. Good as Gladys is, though, nothing can match Smokey's version.

A Fork In The Road is an archetypal, sweet and lush Smokey slowie. 

Jr. Walker & The All-Stars - Shake And Fingerpop/Cleo's Back ⭐

Shake And Fingerpop is also a poppy, good-time vocal track that sees Walker telling his lady to "put on your wig, woman, we're goin' out to shake and fingerpop...". That line has always amused me. Cleo's Back is a funky, jazz-influenced instrumental workout. Who Cleo was is not known. The track has a really good sound quality to it. Love that funky organ that prevails throughout the number. 

The Four Tops - It's The Same Old Song/Your Love Is Amazing ⭐

The second truly huge Four Tops hit this year, It's The Same Old Song is Motown Heaven, Pure and simple. One of my favourite Motown songs of all time. Its lyric is so sad yet its melody is so damn uplifting and joyful. How could Motown capture that contrast so many times? You'd think Levi was having the time of his life. That big baritone saxophone solo is just so typical of so many mid-sixties Motown hits too. Simply sublime, effervescent but soulful pop. It is impossibly catchy and full of superb harmony vocals and, of course, stunning lead vocals from the great Levi Stubbs. It is magnificently played by The Funk Brothers, Motown’s “house band” and stands as a magnificent example of the peerless Motown singles of the time. 

Your Love Is Amazing is also a very typical mid-sixties Motown track, with that Northern Soul appeal there as well. It sort of sounds like a speeded up version of Sam Cooke's You Send Me. Shorty Long covered the song in 1967 as the 'b' side of his Chantilly Lace single. 

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Disc Four

(Diana Ross &) The Supremes - Mother Dear/Nothing But Heartaches/He Holds His Own ⭐

A bit of release confusion here. Initially, Mother Dear was intended for the 'a' side,  but got canned in favour of Nothing But Heartaches. Mother Dear is an uptempo and pleasant number that would probably have been a hit (check out that sax solo) but Nothing But Heartaches is a killer and another one that became a popular Northern Soul number. It has that essential regular drum sound to it. The Supremes certainly released some genuine stompers in this period, didn't they?

He Holds His Own is a rhythmic ballad in praise of a steadfast, reliable man that had been originally recorded by Mary Wells. It has a somewhat unusual rolling, military-style drumbeat. 

The Marvelettes - Danger Heartbreak Ahead/Your Cheating Ways 💠

More deep cut Heaven here as the always-excellent Wanda Young Rogers leads the girls on anther of those stompers. It is one of the best Marvelettes numbers, full of energy and enthusiasm. It was another song whose lyrics were on the cynical side. It's all gonna go wrong girls! 

It is Gladys Horton back on lead vocals on another warning of a song in the robust Your Cheating Ways. As I said, don't trust those no good guys, girls! That was often the message in 1965. Sisters were beginning to stand up for themselves. 

Brenda Holloway - You've Changed Me/Who's Lovin' You

You've Changed Me is a sumptuous Smokey Robinson ballad dealt with superbly by Brenda, as we had now come to expect. Who's Lovin' You was also covered by The Temptations, with David Ruffin on the lead and The Jackson 5 with young Michael out front. Brenda's rendition is a powerful, confident one with a warm, bass sound to it. 

Martha & The Vandellas - You've Been In Love Too Long/Love (Makes Me Do Foolish Things) 💠

You've Been In Love Too Long is a chunky, ballsy mid-pace and muscular Vandellas number. Nowhere To Run it isn't but it's still not a bad one, not at all. It was difficult to follow such a barnstorming hit, though. It finds a place for a fine bit of saxophone too. 

Love (Makes Me Do Foolish Things) is a retro-sounding ballad with Martha on fine form. As always, The Andantes were used as backing singers behind The Vandellas on both these songs. 

Stevie Wonder - High Heel Sneakers/Funny (How Time Slips Away)/Music Talk

High Heel Sneakers is a live recording of the old rock 'n' roll number released to promote the Motortown Revue tour. It bubbles over with Stevie's youthful, blues vitality. Also live is the slower-paced cover of Willie Nelson's Funny (How Time Slips Away). It is a duet with Clarence Paul. 

Music Talk is a groovy little studio recording with the ever-maturing Stevie cookin' up a bluesy storm. I love the sound on this one. 

Brenda Holloway - You Can Cry On My Shoulder/How Many Times Did You Mean It

You Can Cry On My Shoulder, written by Berry Gordy, is not one of my favourites of Brenda's. I find it a bit too over-orchestrated, although I can't argue with the quality of her delivery. More to my taste is the solid, bassy groove of the ballad How Many Times Did You Mean It. 

Kim Weston - Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While)/Don't Compare Me With Her ⭐

Kim's best, up there with Helpless. It gave her a big hit, at last. The song drips with energy and joie de vivre right from the outset. I love it. It has been covered many times, notably by The Doobie Brothers on their 1975 Stampede album. It was originally intended for Martha & The Vandellas but I'm glad Kim got her deserved hit with it. Many other artists covered the song - The Isley Brothers, Eddie Holland and Jermaine Jackson. The Isleys' version is probably the best of those. While The Isleys can do no wrong for me, there is something just so captivating about Kim's version.

In contrast, Don't Compare Me With Her is a lush ballad with a fine piano backing and sweet string orchestration. Km's vocal is strong and confident once more. The song carries a strong message for women to stand tall and value their independence and equality within a relationship. Pop songs like this often had quite a lot to say. 

(Diana Ross &) The Supremes - Things Are Changing

A real rarity here as Diana and the girls cover a Phil Spector song written to promote equal opportunities. It was released as a promotional single. You can hear Spector's touch all over its River Deep, Mountain High-style "kitchen sink" backing. "Your race or colour won't stand in your way", say the lyrics. If only that had been true back then.

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Disc Five

Marvin Gaye - Ain't That Peculiar/She's Got To Be Real ⭐

After the comparative failure of self-penned Pretty Little Baby, Marvin turned back to I'll Be Doggone composer Smokey Robinson and scored a hit with the pretty damn irresistible, bubbly and bouncy Ain't That Peculiar. Southside Johnny covered the song on his 1988 solo album, Slow Dance. She's Got To Be Real is a soulful number with a nice melodic, slow groove to it. 

(Smokey Robinson &) The Miracles - My Girl Has Gone/Since You Won My Heart

This was a re-write of The Tracks Of My Tears, for sure, but an excellent one it was too. It achieved virtually the same chart position as its predecessor as well. There is something just so infectiously appealing about it that I struggle to properly describe. I just know it when it hear it. Something to do with Smokey's mellifluous voice. 

Since You Won My Heart sounds retro - very early sixties, but there is still something so beautifully attractive about it. Once more, Smokey's lyrics are just so good. He nails those rhymes - so erudite. I love the rhythm of the song too. 

The Temptations - My Baby/Don't Look Back 💠

Like the group's previous 45, both songs here came from their Temptin' Temptations album. First we had the beautifully harmonious breezy and carefree My Baby. It is yet another Smokey Robinson composition and has definite hints of My Guy about it. I just love that easy, loose, swing to the track. Its melody is gorgeous. It goes without saying that the bass is just so mmmmm.

Don't Look Back earns the hidden gem accolade here. It is one of my favourite Temptations tracks of all time. Paul Williams - not Ruffin or Kendricks - delivers a supremely soulful lead vocal. It is a fantastic song, and has been covered by Elvis Costello, Peter Tosh with Mick Jagger and Southside Johnny, all of whom did a great job on it. You know when you fantasise about singing a song live (well, sometimes I do), this is one I often choose. 

Earl Van Dyke & The Soul Brothers - I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)/How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You

Two more killer instrumentals from the erstwhile Funk Brothers. Do I really need to tell you that they kick ass? Check out that piano on the 'a' side and the organ on the 'b' side. Genuinely great stuff. 

(Diana Ross &) The Supremes - I Hear A Symphony/Who Could Ever Doubt My Love ⭐

After stomping hits in Stop! In The Name Of Love, Back In My Arms Again and Nothing But Heartaches, Diana and the girls are back with a number that, while still having an uptempo drum backing (and a great saxophone solo) has a sweet, soft vocal from Diana. The song is beautifully - dare I say - symphonic. It builds and builds and the girls' harmonies at the end are a treasure. On hearing it, Berry Gordy said he wanted it released NOW!!. He was right this time. The song was also covered by the Isley Brothers and Barbara McNair. It also has several different vocal mixes, which can get a bit confusing at times. Personally, I like the 2012 bassy remix of it a lot. 

Who Could Ever Doubt My Love is a really solid mid-pace number - with a muscular backing and distinctive orchestration - that was also covered by The Isley Brothers. 

Jimmy Ruffin - As Long As There Is L-O-V-E, Love/How Can I Say I'm Sorry

It wasn't quite Jimmy Ruffin's time yet. He stood his ground when the powers that be wanted him in The Contours and insisted on being a solo artist. Good for him. "Love" was a quirky and attractive, typically orchestrated Smokey Robinson song that should have been a hit in my book. It has gone under the radar for many years. How Can I Say I'm Sorry is possibly the better of the two and is notable for is bassiness, with the seemingly obligatory string overdub of the era. It gives it more of a soulful, easy-going funkiness. I like it.

The Headliners - We Call It Fun/Voodoo Plan

Some Motown dabbling in white, surf-ish rock here. These two upbeat tracks are ok, in a rocking 1965 garage rock sort of way. I like both of them, but don't love them. The frantic blues-r 'n'b of Voodoo Plan is the better of the two.

The Four Tops - Something About You/Darling I Hum Our Song 💠

Something About You is a superbly stomping, powerful and rockin' Four Tops number that I have labelled as a hidden gem because it has long been in the shadow of their other big hits of the year. It has a captivating Funk Brothers beat, powerful as hell, and Levi Stubbs' vocal is titanic. 

Darling I Hum Our Song was a bit retro and had been recorded by Martha & The Vandellas as the 'b' side to Quicksand back in 1963. The Tops deliver it in suitably muscular fashion. 

The Dalton Boys - I've Been Cheated/Take My Hand/Something's Bothering You 💠

Three songs here played by The Funk Brothers and given to white soul group The Dalton Boys. I've Been Cheated is Motown-ish and upbeat, unsurprisingly, while Take My Hand sounds so Beatles it could almost be them, couldn't it? I really like it though - it's just so catchy. It became popular on the Northern Soul circuit too. It is definitely one of those really infectious rarities that have you wondering just why the hell wasn't it a huge hit. Lyrically, i's impressive too in its down-to-earth honest look at the relationship in question.

Something's Bothering You is typical mid-sixties beaty pop. Guess what, though - it's an instrumental, and a pretty good one at that. It was something quite unusual for a pop group like The Dalton Boys to release, however. 

R. Dean Taylor - Let's Go Somewhere

R. Dean Taylor's first official Motown single, this was a jaunty, rhythmic song that railed against discrimination against longhairs and hippies in a Sonny & Cher "don't let them tell you your hair's too long" style.

The Monitors - Say You/All For Someone

Say You was assigned to The Four Tops but ended up with The Monitors. It's pretty ordinary, actually, which no doubt accounted for that decision. The Temptations did it on their Gettin' Ready album. Their version is marginally better, but it's a run-of-the-mill song. The same applies to All For Someone. The sleeve notes for this collection say that it is a minor classic. I have to disagree.

Tammi Terrell - I Can't Believe You Love Me/Hold Me Oh My Darling

Some solo stuff from Tammi. Marvin Gaye actually dubbed his vocals on to the attractive I Can't Believe You Love Me to put on to their pair's posthumous (Tammi) 1969 album, Easy. Hold Me Oh My Darling was also given the Gaye treatment (see the 1967 Volume of this collection). Both are superior in their duet versions, perhaps unsurprisingly. I Can't Believe You Love Me was also recorded by The Supremes with The Four Tops on their 1970 Magnificent Seven album. That one is arguably the best one of the three discussed here, having a fuller, warmer, bassier backing.

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Disc Six

Barbara McNair - You're Gonna Love My Baby/The Touch Of Time

You're Gonna Love My Baby has a definite Northern Soul feel to its finger-snapping backbeat and lush strings. The Touch Of Time is a seductive, dramatically-delivered ballad. It sounds like a song from a stage show.

Stevie Wonder - Uptight (Everything's Alright/Purple Raindrops ⭐

Stevie was fifteen when he recorded Uptight (Everything's Alright). You would never have guessed it - it's delivered so confidently. Man, those Benny Benjamin drum rolls and those punchy brass breaks. A top of the range rockin' Motown classic that still gets lots of airplay today. Purple Raindrops is a retro-sounding and quite lovely little ballad. You would never identify it as Stevie Wonder if you heard it, though, without knowing. It just doesn't sound much like him. Maybe it's that breaking voice. 

The Velvelettes - A Bird In The Hand (Is Worth Two In The Bush)/Since You've Been Loving Me ⭐

A Bird In The Hand (Is Worth Two In The Bush) is a really good, vibrant Norman Whitfield-Eddie Holland song that Cal Gill and the girls make their own, like a gutsy Supremes. The Velvelettes had a gritty, earthy sexiness to their delivery. Don't you just love that big, deep rumbling bass intro? Ditto when the brass kicks in and then get a load of those bits where the vocals and bass trade punches as the drums briefly let up. Make no mistake, this is a pounding pearl of a song. Cal's vocal is just top notch - one of those great underrated Motown vocals. 

Since You've Been Loving Me is a slower number but also very sensual. Its backing is once again lovely and warm. Check it out on the CD The Best Of The Velvelettes for the best stereo sound. Wonderful. 

The Marvelettes - Don't Mess With Bill/Anything You Wanna Do

We've just had The Velvelettes, so to add to my admitted confusion between the two, we get The Marvelettes. Don't Mess With Bill is a delightful, sort of jazzy warning to other girls to keep away from Wanda's guy, Bill. It was another Smokey Robinson song - that guy could write anything, couldn't he? Anyway, it is a good song, enticingly sung by Wanda Young Rogers. 

Anything You Wanna Do doesn't quite match up, despite its vitality. Gladys Horton was on lead vocals and it was co-written by Stevie Wonder. It dated back to The Marvelettes from a previous era. 

Earl Van Dyke & The Soul Brothers - The Flick (parts 1 & 2)

More organ-based Booker T.-ish working out here. It is another instrumental split over both sides. Confusingly, Part 2 is the 'a' side!

Chris Clark - Do Right Baby Do Right/Don't Be Too Long 💠

Do Right Baby Do Right was Chris Clark's first Motown single ( I think) and its is a bluesy, soulful number that showcased her Dusty Springfield-like voice. Check out the mid-song quirky saxophone solo too. It had no strings on it and is much the better for it. A fine stereo version of the song can be found on Chris Clark: The Ultimate Collection. It kicks down 'n' dirty ass, big time. A proper Motown deep cut. The same applies to the attractive, brassy soul of Don't Be Too Long. As I have said over several of these Motown collections, Chris Clark put out some quality records. 

(Smokey Robinson &) The Miracles - Going To A Go-Go/Choosey Beggar ⭐

From those wonderful rolling, opening drum notes, this is a corker of a track that has The Miracles at their most down 'n' dirty. It is totally different from The Tracks Of My Tears and My Girl Has Gone. The song has been notably covered live by The Rolling Stones on their 1982 Still Life album. Smokey's original version here is packed full of get-up-and-dance verve and saw the group at their liveliest and most rhythmic in a real punchy way.

Choosey Beggar is a sumptuous Smokey ballad. Where have I said that before? Many, many times! This is a great pair of songs for a 45. Two totally different numbers. 

Jr. Walker & The All-Stars - Cleo's Mood/Baby You Know You Ain't Right

Another fine Jr. Walker 45. Cleo's Mood is a really attractive instrumental with a few vocal interjections at the beginning. Baby You Know You Ain't Right is a delightfully uptempo squealer of a sax-laden rocker with full vocals. It rocks away wonderfully. Good old Jr. He never lets you down. Let your speakers shake with that rumbling bassline too. 

(Diana Ross &) The Supremes - My World Is Empty Without You/Everything Is Good About You ⭐

As if the year couldn't get any better for Diana Ross & The Supremes, we end it with this atmospheric number that begins with a great, infectious bassline and gets driven along by some continually parping saxophone. Diana's vocal is suitably strong to match this gritty backing. It is one of the girls' most intrinsically soulful numbers. Amazingly, it wasn't quite as big a hit as the previous releases from the year. 

Everything Is Good About You is a simply superb 'b' side, and could easily have been a big hit itself. Its attractive orchestration is similar to I Hear A Symphony and the melody brings to mind Barry White's It May Be Winter Outside. Barbara McNair recorded the song in 1966. 

Frank Wilson - Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)/Sweeter As The Days Go By ⭐

Norther Soul Heaven. Maybe the greatest Northern Soul record of all time. Do I love it? Indeed I do. Sweeter As The Days Go By is much slower in pace, but no less attractive. Wilson's vocal is another good one. Lordy, this 45 should have been a huge hit.

The Elgins - Put Yourself In My Place/Darling Baby ⭐

Also recorded by The Isley Brothers, Chris Clark and Diana Ross & The Supremes, it is possibly The Elgins' vivacious version that is the best one. It is a fine song on which to bring this collection to a close. Its 'b' side, Darling Baby, is a retro doo-wop ballad.

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