The Darnells - "Too Hurt to Cry, Too Much in Love to Say Goodbye"

[antceleb12]

I can't believe I've never heard of this until recently. I've recently heard for the first time "Too Hurt to Cry, Too Much in Love to Say Goodbye," [[an excellent number, but boy did Motown have an affinity with obnoxiously awkward song titles!). It was rather obvious that the lead is Gladys Horton, and I read that the track is really a duet between the Marvelettes and the Andantes - as the Darnells.

Does anybody have information on this "group?" It was common practice back in the day to record groups and release them under various aliases, but with Motown not so much - except this. Was Gordy experimenting with the Andantes' blend as backups? Was he trying to score a legitimate hit? Why didn't he release this under the Marvelettes' name?

As for the Supremes' equally excellent version, when and for what album was this initially recorded? It sounds like Florence and Mary on background, but I can't quite tell...

[mysterysinger]

Always thought of it as an "erect a Spector" - an attempt to cash in on the Philles successes?

[lockhartgary]

I can't believe I've never heard of this until recently. I've recently heard for the first time "Too Hurt to Cry, Too Much in Love to Say Goodbye," [[an excellent number, but boy did Motown have an affinity with obnoxiously awkward song titles!). It was rather obvious that the lead is Gladys Horton, and I read that the track is really a duet between the Marvelettes and the Andantes - as the Darnells.

Does anybody have information on this "group?" It was common practice back in the day to record groups and release them under various aliases, but with Motown not so much - except this. Was Gordy experimenting with the Andantes' blend as backups? Was he trying to score a legitimate hit? Why didn't he release this under the Marvelettes' name?

As for the Supremes' equally excellent version, when and for what album was this initially recorded? It sounds like Florence and Mary on background, but I can't quite tell...

Let's not forget the Temptations masquerading as the Pirates on "Mind Over Matter" and "I'll Love You Till I Die".

[robb_k]

Always thought of it as an "erect a Spector" - an attempt to cash in on the Philles successes?

I doubt that THAT was the reason it was produced. If it HAD been, more "Spector copies" would have been recorded and released. The scuttlebut among Motown people at the time was: Berry Gordy and Mickey Stevemson were tired of hearing that Phil Spector was a "genious", and the recorded this to prove that Motown could "produce a sound like Spector's "Wall of Sound", only that theirs would sound even better. I think they succeeded at that task, and they felt that there was no need to record more "Spectorish" cuts.