The Elgins - Put Yourself In My Place

[mysterysinger]

Well worth a re-visit.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhumAMG7ZPk

[reachoutuk]

Thank you "mysterysinger" - nice to see this peformance, particularly as I was only listening to their "The Motown Anthology" very recently. I also learnt that I have been mispronouncing their name after all these years. I have always thought it was "gin" rhyming with "in", but the presenter says "gin" as in the drink - so another big thank you!

[jobucats]

Thank you for posting this. Such a beautiful HDH production and done wonderfully by the Elgins.

[woodward]

The Elgins were one of the major groups that did not reach the heights that they possibly could have. This is a great song, her voice complements and fits in well to the overall singing. I wish that there were more unreleased Elgins songs, but unfortunately the experts claim that everything has been released. A doggone shame.

[Motown Eddie]

Worth a re-visit indeed. I've never seen this clip of The Elgins on Swinging Time before & it's a real find. Thanks for sharing mysterysinger!

PS: I'll always love "Put Yourself In My Place" & my favorite version of the song is by The Elgins.

[daviddesper]

I first knew this song as the Supremes' B side to You Can't Hurry Love and therefore heard this original after the fact. Not a tremendous difference between the two in my opinion but a great song nevertheless.

As Woodward said, the fact that this group never made it big is one of music's great mysteries. In fact, the fact that Heaven Must Have Sent You was not a top ten song is downright criminal. I have no idea what was going on with marketing and/or airplay that kept that song from soaring the moment it was released, especially considering how phenomenal a year 1966 was for Motown. It should have been every bit the hit that the Supes had or the Tops or Temps or Jimmy or anyone else who was hot that particular year.

[Sotosound]

Great track.

I heard the version by the Isley Brothers first, however, when it was released as a single in the U.K. in 1969.

Often, the first version that one hears becomes the personal favourite, and this became the case for me. I actually prefer Ronald Isley’s vocals and I prefer the track without the tambourine overdub.

One caveat, though, is that the U.K. Isleys single was superbly mastered and far outstrips any mono or stereo mastering that I’ve encountered since.

[Nothing But Soul]

"Darling Baby", the B-side of "Put Yourself In My Place", was a much bigger hit in the U.S., going all the way to Number 4 on the Billboard R&B chart. As a result, "Darling Baby" ended up being the title track for the Elgins' album.

[WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance]

Thank you "mysterysinger" - nice to see this peformance, particularly as I was only listening to their "The Motown Anthology" very recently. I also learnt that I have been mispronouncing their name after all these years. I have always thought it was "gin" rhyming with "in", but the presenter says "gin" as in the drink - so another big thank you!

Just as one of those trivia things to give some context to the Elgins' name, here in the States there is a town called Elgin [[ELL-jin). It's somewhat northwest of Chicago. The city was known in part because of The Elgin Watch Company, which produced a line of fine watches.

I always wondered how Elgin came to be considered as a group name. I don't think anyone had come from the city of Elgin so it had to be because of the reputation of the line of watches, on a line with Bulova Watches I'd imagine.

[mysterysinger]

As a Brit, there is a town on Scotland called Elgin. The G is pronounced as in goat. So different from the USA and naturally I have [[and probably always will) call the group The Elgins rather than Eljins.

[westgrandboulevard]

It seems 'The Elgins' was a name formerly used by The Temptations, before they finally settled on their group name.

Berry Gordy reportedly thought 'The Downbeats' as a group name should be changed for their first release, 'Put Yourself In My Place'.

They, in turn, then became 'The Elgins'.....

[[and when I first heard the name, I thought of The Elgin Marbles :))

[Boogiedown]

Well worth a re-visit.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhumAMG7ZPk

Nice. Is Saundra trying to sound like Smokey? I can't be the first to comment that.

[lucky2012]

Nice. Is Saundra trying to sound like Smokey? I can't be the first to comment that.

I can hear Smokey, but my first thought was Brenda Holloway [[who Smokey produced so beautifully on When I'm Gone and Operator).

[lucky2012]

I first knew this song as the Supremes' B side to You Can't Hurry Love and therefore heard this original after the fact. Not a tremendous difference between the two in my opinion but a great song nevertheless.

As Woodward said, the fact that this group never made it big is one of music's great mysteries. In fact, the fact that Heaven Must Have Sent You was not a top ten song is downright criminal. I have no idea what was going on with marketing and/or airplay that kept that song from soaring the moment it was released, especially considering how phenomenal a year 1966 was for Motown. It should have been every bit the hit that the Supes had or the Tops or Temps or Jimmy or anyone else who was hot that particular year.

I liked it on the original Supremes A Go Go but I love it on the Expanded Edition, which is now my favorite version of the song, by anyone.

But you're right, Heaven Must Have Sent You should have been a massive Motown hit!
Inconceivably criminal, I tell you!!

[144man]

I always wondered whether HDH had speeded up Saundra's vocals on this, Darling Baby, and Heaven Must Have Sent You.