FRENCH FOUR TOPS

Artist: FOUR TOPS; Title: IF A WERE A CARPENTER; Label: TAMLA MOTOWN; Format: 7"; Cat. No.: FT 125; Year: 1968; Country: FRANCE

Carrying on with a French theme on today's post - focusing on this 1968 offering from the Four Tops.  And by the way you can tell roughly when this is from (if you didn't know exactly) - as up to 1967 the preferred format for gallic 45's tends to be the 4 track EP (you do get 2 track singles but generally these tend to be jukebox issues - although there are exceptions to that rule!).  After '67 as EP's faded in popularity and the focus shifted to the UK/US standard format of on  2 tracks per side - either that or you bought the LP.

Back to the music - the A Side is a rather excellent version of Tim Hardin's "If I Were A Carpenter".  This could have so easily been a disaster - but thankfully when the song's in the hands of a singer of the calibre of Levi Stubbs then you know you can't go wrong.  Something that can't be said for the Tempations 'In A Mellow Mood' set from the same period where it did do so badly.

The flip side gives you the sublime "Baby I Need Your Loving" - which has to be one of the group's finest moments ever!  Penned by the Holland brothers and Lamont Dozier this is one of those that encapsulates and defines what Motown did best! Listen and enjoy!  Can't really say much more than that

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THE 3 TEMPTATIONS OF THE ROLLING STONES

Like most bands who started in the 60's the Stones did their amount covers in their early years - obviously in the case of Jagger and Co it's mainly blues, but like The Beatles before them they also did a fair amount of Soul stuff too.  There's a version of Marvin Gaye's "Hitch Hike" on the 1965 'Out Of Our Heads' LP (Decca SKL 4733) (along with versions of Don Covay's "Mercy Mercy"and Barbara Lynn's "Oh Baby (We Got A Good Thing Going)"), but what I'm concentrating on is the 3 cover of tracks by The Temptations spread over a 12 year period - i.e. 1967-1978.

Artist: The Rolling Stones; Title: Flowers;  Label: DECCA/NOVA; Year: 1967; Format: LP; Cat. No.:6.21.407;  Country of Issue: Germany.
First up is "My Girl" which appeared on the non-UK album 'Flowers' issued in 1967. The track is unreleased for the session for 1966's 'Aftermath' LP and was my own introduction to the song - having heard this ahead of the Otis Redding version and then eventually the Temptations' original version.  It's a good version and Jagger treats it with the respect it deserves.  It finally made its UK debut on the 1971 'Stone Age' (SKL 5084) comp that Decca put out after the Stones had set up their own label via Atlantic.

Artist: The Rolling Stones; Title: Ain't Too Proud To Beg; Label: ROLLING STONES/ATCO/CONTINENTAL; Year: 1975; Format: 45; Cat. No.: 3-05-101-004; Country of Issue: Brazil.
Next up is 1975 version of "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" - which I hadn't realized they'd done - and from the 'It's Only Rock 'n' Roll' LP and again unissued as a single here in the UK.  And rather good it is too - well worth checking out - as the previously owner of this Brazilian copy, someone called Vitor thought too, as he was happy to put his name to it twice!!!!

Artist: The Rolling Stones; Title: Some Girls; Label: ROLLING STONES/EMI; Year: 1978; Format: LP; Cat. No.: CUN 39108. Country of Issue: UK.
The 3rd Temptations cover they did (as far as I'm aware) is the version of "Just My Imagination" that's on 1978's 'Some Girls'.  Again a creditable cover and like the version of "My Girl", my own first experience of the song.

THE MIRACLE OF MOTOWN

Artist: The Temptations. Title: "Check Yourself"; Label: Miracle; Cat. No.: MIR 12; Year: 1961; Country: US.


Today I'm featuring this 1961 single from the Temptations issued on the short-lived Motown subsidiary Miracle.  The label issued 12 single during it's lifetime stating with Jimmy Ruffin's 'Don't Feel Sorry For Me' - MIR 1, and ending with this one - MIR 12.  The label wasn't scapped, but it's changed to name mainly to avoid confusion with Smokey's group to that which most music fans will be immediately familiar with - Gordy.

The A Side "Check Yourself" is very much in the style of the time - with traces of doo-wop, and showing the influences of the period - specifically the Drifters, and was the Temptations 2nd issued single (their first being 'Oh, Mother Of Mine' c/w 'Romance Without Finance' - Miracle MIR 5), and also pretty well as a N Soul tune. It's pretty much the same story with the flip side - "Your Wonderful Love".  Which seems to have more of a proto-Soul feel to it.  And again highlighting the impact of the Drifters, alongside that of Jackie Wilson too - not too surprising considering Berry Gordy's connection to the latter.

Have to say a big thanks to Soulful Kinda Music for their exhaustive discographies which were invaluable in checking/confirming the info on release dates and catalogue numbers - and a site well worth visiting in its own right:- http://www.soulfulkindamusic.net