Continued from page 18 sounds definitive . The energy captured
during the Let Me Up , I ’ ve Had Enough sessions heard on Playback hits closer to the mark . Like “ Heartbreakers Beach Party ,” a cover of the Troggs ’ immortal caveman pop single “ Wild Thing ” supersedes its B- side bin origins thanks to the Heartbreakers ’ spirited garage rock interplay and Petty ’ s increasingly ferocious vocal . Two songs here have appeared on no other official Heartbreakers releases : “ Don ’ t Make Me Walk the Line ” shimmies and swaggers like a more upbeat cousin to “ Between Two Worlds .” “ One on One ” rides Campbell ’ s throaty guitar riff and Epstein ’ s durable , bluesy bass groove .
The set doesn ’ t paint the complete picture of the Long After Dark era due to an unfortunate omission or two . There ’ s no version of the R & B-infused “ Keep a Little Soul ,” which was reserved as a single for An American Treasure . This Deluxe Edition nonetheless offers Petty ’ s ongoing fanbase the deepest dive yet into Long After Dark , 42 years after its initial release . Occasional quibbles aside , this Deluxe Edition will be essential and repeated listening for Petty ’ s enduring fanbase .
– Jeff Elbel
‘ 7
THE TEMPTATIONS Meet the Temptations MARVIN GAYE In the Groove DIANA ROSS AND THE SUPREMES Love Child
( Elemental Music / Motown )
Elemental Music continues its Motown Sound series of vinyl LP reissues , offering an education in essential ‘ 60s and ‘ 70s pop . Coinciding with its 60th anniversary , 1964 ’ s Meet the Temptations is reissued as a high-quality pressing of its original monophonic master . The album collects the quintet ’ s early singles and documents growth culminating in its first major hit , “ The Way You Do the Things You Do .” The
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song features the unmistakable tenor of Eddie Kendricks , who also leads the fray on charting 1962 single “ Dream Come True .” Melvin Franklin grounds doo-wop song “ Paradise ” with his subterranean bass vocal , allowing Kendricks ’ unchained melody to soar overhead . Paul Williams leads the hand-clapping “ Just Let Me Know ” and soulful R & B crooner “ Your Wonderful Love ” with his gravel-etched baritone . All five Temps trade lead lines during the uptempo “ Isn ’ t She Pretty .” Future Temptations producer ( and writer of hits including “ Papa Was a Rolling Stone ”) Norman Whitfield co-writes the stroll “ May I Have this Dance .” In addition to “ The Way You Do the Things You Do ,” co-written by Smokey Robinson , the quintet also performs Robinson ’ s “ Slow Down Heart ” and “ I Want a Love I Can See . “ The Further You Look , the Less You See ” finds Robinson and Whitfield collaborating on a captivating but less familiar track for the Temps . Meet the Temptations includes the group ’ s final work with Elbridge “ Al ” Bryant , who was sacked and replaced by eventual “ My Girl ” and “ Ain ’ t Too Proud to Beg ” singer David Ruffin .
Love Child found Diana Ross and the Supremes navigating a significant shift in 1968 . It was the group ’ s fifteenth album and its first set of original material with no contributions from anyone on the winning Holland-Dozier-Holland team that had helmed the group ’ s greatest prior successes . The title track , “ Love Child ,” reached # 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in late 1968 , knocking the Beatles ’ “ Hey Jude ” from the top spot . The intense song was about a young woman applying the brakes with her lover for fear of having a child out of wedlock . It was a far cry from the Supremes ’ innocent 1964 single “ Baby Love ,” and the trepidation expressed reflected some of Ross ’ own challenges while growing up . “ Keep an Eye ” is the warning of an embittered woman whose lover is stolen by her best friend . The oncebitten , twice-shy " Does Your Mama Know About Me " is co-written by future stoner comic Tommy Chong . The Supremes ’ take on Smokey Robinson ’ s “ He ’ s My Sunny Boy ” glides atop a bubbling bass groove with an effervescent arrangement that echoes Hugh Masekela ’ s “ Grazing in the Grass .” " Some Things You Never Get Used To " was written by the husband-and-wife team and “ Ain ’ t No Mountain High Enough ” authors Ashford & Simpson . With a driving beat , sparkling brass , and castanet percussion , the song rose to # 30 on the Hot 100 . The pair also provided " You Ain ' t Livin ' Till You ' re Lovin ',” a single for Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell , earlier in the same year as the Supremes version . The closing track , “ Can ’ t Shake It Loose ,” echoes Stevie Wonder ’ s " Uptight ( Everything ' s Alright )" with an extra dose of swing .
Marvin Gaye ’ s 1968 LP In the Groove on the Tamla label would eventually be reissued under the name I Heard it Through the Grapevine after the surprise success of the album ’ s most popular single . This was Gaye ’ s eighth solo studio effort and his first solo record following three duet projects with Tammi Terrell and Kim Weston . This reissue features the original title and cover artwork , which names five featured songs . The soon-to-be-immortalized “ Grapevine ” is relegated to the heading of “ and others …” due to Motown head Berry Gordy ’ s reluctance to even include the
Norman Whitfield-championed song at all . Although “ Grapevine ” became Motown ’ s best-selling single , Gaye ’ s ability to celebrate was dampened by his concern over Terrell ’ s deteriorating health . The album ’ s first single was the tough and soulful “ You ,” featuring a prime Funk Brothers soundtrack paired with Gaye ’ s muscular delivery and soaring falsetto . “ Chained ” is a hard-hitting soul single which reached # 32 on the Hot 100 . Rendered as a pop cha-cha , Gerry Goffin and Carole King ’ s “ Some Kind of Wonderful ” is another highlight . Gaye placed two of his compositions on In the Groove , signaling strengths that would become more greatly exposed in the following years . These include the Gospelinfused funk rave-up “ At Last ( I Found a Love )” and the slow-strolling “ Change What You Can .” Pleading soul shouter , “ It ’ s Love I Need ” lays the blueprint for Daptone soul revivalists , including Charles Bradley . Eddie Holland ’ s " Every Now and Then " recalls his Supremes smash “ You Can ’ t Hurry Love .”
– Jeff Elbel
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Meet the Temptations
Love Child In the Groove
Continued on page 39