02-10-2021, 08:48 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-10-2021, 08:52 PM by Eric the Green.)
I started tuning into rock n roll on the radio, instead of just hearing what was going around, in the Summer of 1964. Probably the first song I heard was "Under the Boardwalk" by The Drifters. But certainly one of the first was "Where Did Our Love Go" by The Supremes, the #1 hit of the time. The vocals and the sound was a bit strange and unfamiliar to me, and I wasn't too impressed. My first favorites instead were surfbeat songs by such artists as The Beach Boys and Jan and Dean, and of course I wanted to get into Beatlemania and pretty soon I was a big fan.
But the Supremes next song, "Baby Love," had a big impact on me. The instrumental break got to me first, and then the whole song touched my heart. It is the premiere example of the great Motown Sound and all it can be. It moved up my list of favorites to the top over a few weeks. My friends and family were not especially pleased with my choice, though. Edward Berwick, for example, who posts on facebook these days, was not too happy back then when I told him I had finally replaced "Little Honda" by The Beach Boys with Baby Love as #1 on my list. He was helping me get interested in Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison. And a bit later when I told my Mom who my new favorite was, and showed her the cover of the "Where Did Our Love Go" album I had recently bought and was playing, she looked askance at me and scowled, "you mean, those GIRLS???" She and Dad were used to me raving about Beethoven since childhood.
"Come See About Me" followed quickly and was my next #1, very beautiful stuff. I realize now how important the vocalists are to shaping a song. "Dancing in the Street" which became my #3 song of all of 1964 behind the two Supremes songs, would have been nothing without Martha Reeves. She shaped it and made it what it was. But of course the Motown Sound was the big thing. People don't always realize what the PBS documentary on it showed, that the musicians who created the Motown Sound were expert musicians and arrangers who came from the big bands. The brilliant songwriters like Eddie Holland and Lamont Dozier as well as Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson were behind Motown's success too. Is there a better-written song than "My Guy?" And Smokey's follow-up "My Girl" by the Temptations featured the Detroit Symphony. The Supremes went on to have many #1 hits and became the most successful vocal group ever. They broke through a lot of color barriers too.
Mary Wilson was like the #2 vocalist of the Supremes behind Diana Ross, the lead singer. And when Diana left in 1970 to go solo, Mary was the leader. She helped make songs like "Stoned Love" and "Nathan Jones" great. She was a standout guest on the PBS "My Music" shows that focused on the sixties. I was shocked to hear she suddenly died yesterday at age 76, even though she looked great and was about to release new songs. She also wrote a book about the Supremes and was an activist and charity donor. She was a fine lady and I will miss her. So here's Baby Love, enjoy; and I will add "Stoned Love" too.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Wilson_(singer)
But the Supremes next song, "Baby Love," had a big impact on me. The instrumental break got to me first, and then the whole song touched my heart. It is the premiere example of the great Motown Sound and all it can be. It moved up my list of favorites to the top over a few weeks. My friends and family were not especially pleased with my choice, though. Edward Berwick, for example, who posts on facebook these days, was not too happy back then when I told him I had finally replaced "Little Honda" by The Beach Boys with Baby Love as #1 on my list. He was helping me get interested in Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison. And a bit later when I told my Mom who my new favorite was, and showed her the cover of the "Where Did Our Love Go" album I had recently bought and was playing, she looked askance at me and scowled, "you mean, those GIRLS???" She and Dad were used to me raving about Beethoven since childhood.
"Come See About Me" followed quickly and was my next #1, very beautiful stuff. I realize now how important the vocalists are to shaping a song. "Dancing in the Street" which became my #3 song of all of 1964 behind the two Supremes songs, would have been nothing without Martha Reeves. She shaped it and made it what it was. But of course the Motown Sound was the big thing. People don't always realize what the PBS documentary on it showed, that the musicians who created the Motown Sound were expert musicians and arrangers who came from the big bands. The brilliant songwriters like Eddie Holland and Lamont Dozier as well as Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson were behind Motown's success too. Is there a better-written song than "My Guy?" And Smokey's follow-up "My Girl" by the Temptations featured the Detroit Symphony. The Supremes went on to have many #1 hits and became the most successful vocal group ever. They broke through a lot of color barriers too.
Mary Wilson was like the #2 vocalist of the Supremes behind Diana Ross, the lead singer. And when Diana left in 1970 to go solo, Mary was the leader. She helped make songs like "Stoned Love" and "Nathan Jones" great. She was a standout guest on the PBS "My Music" shows that focused on the sixties. I was shocked to hear she suddenly died yesterday at age 76, even though she looked great and was about to release new songs. She also wrote a book about the Supremes and was an activist and charity donor. She was a fine lady and I will miss her. So here's Baby Love, enjoy; and I will add "Stoned Love" too.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Wilson_(singer)