But behind the scenes, it was even worse. Dwindling sales, arguments over live appearance fees and problems with tour scheduling had led to bickering and feuding, both between the group and Motown, and between members of the group themselves. The Contours eventually put their differences aside and presented Motown with a united front, demanding changes be made or they would walk — only for lead singer Billy Gordon to change his mind and accept an individual deal, meaning the rest of the line-up were toast.
By the time the new group reconvened in the studio in October, Sylvester Potts had been convinced to come back, providing a sense of continuity amidst all the upheaval. Nothing about this suggests the record should be any good. Not for the first time, Motown were jumping on a bandwagon; this time, it was weird stand-still wave-your-arms dance craze the Jerk. This is one of them. Every time I sit down to write about it, I form a different opinion.
Some days, I love it. And the horn breaks here are superb, coruscating stuff. Your mileage may vary. Mine certainly does. Leave a comment, or click the thumbs at the bottom there. Dissent is encouraged! Click for more. The Nixon Administration said:.
July 30, at pm. Incidentally, my co-hosting the radio show every weekend is going very well! Dean Taylor among lots of others:. Like Like. John Plant said:. This is perhaps something of a guilty pleasure, like Carmina Burana of Carl Orff — not much subtlety or substance, but plenty of rambunctious and infectious vitality.
Mickey The Twistin' Playboy said:. July 31, at am. Dave L said:. Here, my memory fails me whether I truly recall hearing this one on the radio or not. My first exposure may have waited till it appeared on the U.
Then, whether or not I needed further evidence of what a wizard Smokey Robinson was, it was in my hands, and I only had to turn it over…. Robb Klein said:. August 1, at am. Damecia said:.
July 31, at pm. August 1, at pm. Landini said:. August 15, at pm. Wow Nix, I learn something new everyday. What did those cats NOT play on?
August 16, at pm. They were cool too! Topkat said:. August 10, at pm. It is one of their most powerful tracks, and easily my favorite Contours song. August 14, at pm. July 18, at pm.
But turn the record over and therein lies the magic! Abbott Cooper said:. August 5, at am. What Billy Gordon sang about the Jerk is also true for for this recording. Really adds to this song. A great, unheralded musician!! It should have hit number 1 on the Dance charts. If they had it back then. Have you checked out "Baby Hit And Run"? BTW, your sound qualityis top notch How on earth did I overlook your comment? This is late in coming, but thanks for your remarks and I'm glad you like this song!
Tomovox,Thanks for the reply. Yes there are many of us who love this music,and appreciate it tremendously. Its just that many of the Artists are gone now and didnt live long enough to realize how much they were appreciated. I just wish that more of the Artists were still around to hear our accolades. Davids How completely right you are on all accounts!
But it's nice that all these years later, we're appreciating all this good music! This song embodies the famous hard drivin Motown Beat. Great sound,under publicized,under promoted. The music business is a cutthroat business and because of that some of the best music ever recorded never hit the charts.
This song is so strong, such a powerhouse and yet it didn't do better on the charts. Motown missed the boat on this one! I can't wait! Thanks for the heads up, my friend!
This one is for their hit, "Shake Sherry". Check it out. Motown should've pushed their grittier acts further than they did. I can understand they were trying to separate itself from the other labels but I just hate how the media thinks Motown was softer than, say, Stax.
It was just as gritty. Sometimes I don't get it. I'm with you, this really should have gotten a lot higher on the charts. Lately, a lot of things have been coming out by the Contours that weren't released back when they were first recorded. There are some amazing tracks including one, "Somebody's Waiting For Me" that has an unbelieveable fuzz guitar intro and an even more jaw-dropping performance on the drums by, I'm guessing, Benny Benjamin there are sections that are nothing more than his drumming.
Boy this was a real funky side. I love it. The Contours didn't get enough attention. You're welcome! Did you know that Billy Gordon died penniless and homeless? Back in the Sixties, with the ongoing battle for supremecy between Detroit's Motown Sound and the Memphis Sound of Stax ,they were probably Motown's greatest asset!! I hope to be writing more articles on Contours' songs in the very near future Thank you very much- I take that as a huge compliment!
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