"Martha & The Vandellas What Am I Going To Do Without Your Love" Mono/Stereo "Motown Deep Cuts"
"Martha & The Vandellas What Am I Going To Do Without Your Love" Mono/Stereo "Motown Deep Cuts"
Choosing a hit record is super easy, right? Music fans in general have terrific 20/20 vision. Motown fans in particular have 20/20 vision hot enough to melt metal. Case in point: Martha & The Vandellas' 1966 release, "What Am I Going To Do Without Your Love" seems to be one of Motown's biggest head-scratcher picks among fans of the record label and its music. The general consensus of fans (and music critics) seems to be "Why?"
Well, the backstory of another Motown release may help to explain the rationale and careful thought behind QC's vote for this record's release. When the time came for a new Brenda Holloway record to be released, it was noted that Brenda's last releases hadn't done particularly well on the charts. To freshen things up, Brenda was placed with William Stevenson, Henry Cosby and Sylvia Moy in hopes of coming up with something that would get Brenda a larger hit. Sylvia Moy recalled that a deliberate effort was made to craft a hit that would recall her first, and biggest, hit:
"Hey, there was such a good feeling on that, and such a well-received song, says Sylvia, "that they wanted this one to be a little reminiscent of the other one."
The reasoning was, since Brenda had done well with ballads and mid-tempo songs, it would have been a safer bet to stick with that blueprint. Now, we come to the Spring of 1966 and Martha & The Vandellas' most recent hit, "My Baby Loves Me" has done well but now it's time for the next release. Motown had a system where what ever songwriting team was responsible for one hit would automatically have first dibs on writing the next record- unless someone else came up with something truly spectacular. The team responsible for "My Baby Loves Me" was Ivy Jo Hunter, Sylvia Moy and William Stevenson. The record reached #3 on the R&B chart and #22 Pop, nothing to sneeze at. So, according to Motown's system, they would get the follow-up.
"My Baby Loves Me" is a fine, jazzy, mid-tempo record and it seemingly was a fan favorite, so it would make sense to stay in that same lane with the next record- remember, the idea is that you mine whatever has been working well until you totally exhaust the public's desire for that sound. The same team, minus Ivy Jo returned to come up with "What Am I Going To Do Without Your Love." The song is once again, mid-tempo, but this time around there is a somewhat darker, edgier tone at work here.
This is actually a record that I like, VERY much, but this may have to do more with my intrigue with the band track that was recorded for this. For starters, just like "My Baby Loves Me," "What Am I Going To Do" features that unique stop/start arrangement where only the fourth beat is accented in each bar by the snare drum (except for the choruses), only this time the tempo is a little quicker. Next, the bass line is insane. Actually, there are two bass players here- one is playing a repeating, bluesy riff, sliding between two notes, while another bass doggedly plays a pulsating, one or two note riff on the uppermost strings of the bass. Mike Terry's work on the saxophone can be heard on the choruses as well. The whole effect of this track is very tense and all nervous energy.
What I also appreciate about this record is that the Vandellas' Rosalind Ashford and Betty Kelly are given PLENTY of spotlight time here. In fact, their parts are crucial; they contribute greatly to helping relate the narrative of the story. The Andantes are brought in to augment and bolster the overall sound. Martha herself, is once again given plenty of room for her to show explore a wide range of emotions in song.
While I really like this record, it may have all been a bit too different for the public. According to the Udiscovermusic site:
"“What Am I Going To Do…,” released as a single on Gordy on May 19, entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No.84, and made a fairly promising ten-place climb the following week. But then it slipped to No.77 and, although it recovered for a new peak of No.71, that was as high as the song went. Motown released a Greatest Hits compilation by the group at the same time, which also charted on June 11 and hit No.6 on the R&B album chart – but didn’t include the current single."
Thankfully, for the next record, Holland-Dozier-Holland would step in with a record that would restore the group to the Top 10 on both R&B and Pop charts...
Recording information from the site "Don't Forget The Motor City"
http://www.dftmc.info/titles/tw-02.htm
What Am I Going To Do Without Your Love (William Stevenson-Sylvia Moy) published Jobete 15-Apr-66
The Vandellas; recorded Hitsville, completed 28-Mar-66 ; produced by William Stevenson
19-May-66; 45 (M): Gordy G 7053 A
16-Nov-66; LP (M): Gordy G920 Watchout!
16-Nov-66; LP (S): Gordy S920 Watchout!"
#motowngreatesthits #marthaandthevandellas #northernsoul #motown #womenofmotown
