Originally Posted by
Quinn
My guess is that it didn't hit the public like some other records. The market is and always has been unpredictable, but there's something for everyone. The people that liked the record enough bought it while some enjoyed it on the radio. To personal taste, the song was good, but lacked an edge. Then it's very "different" for a Motown record[[an Ivy Jo attribute)and wasn't what most expected, but close enough to the signature sound to release.
Letting Stevie play the drums on the track hurt it too. He's never been the greatest trapper, but I think this is what would explain the "clunky" feel that someone mentioned. There's no fluidity, his timing is off, he had a lead foot,he hits the snare with too much force and he didn't make the best decisions with his fills and pickups. Stevie made snap decisions as opposed to staying ahead of the song while playing it. Jamerson had to slow down a lot to accommodate him and if you listen close you can catch all that stuff. Ultimately it hurt the recording in my opinion.
Bookmarks