Every Single Motown 'A-Side': Staying Power?
Episode 5
Episode date - June 27, 2008
This is our fifth show in what promises to seem like a never-ending series of programs dedicated to playing every single Motown A-side from the ‘60s. That’s a LOT of music, folks. Eventually, we expect that it will also mean a lot of hit records, too, but the early years at Motown were comparatively lean. For example, here we are, five shows into our series, covering the Autumn of 1961, and this is the first program to feature a national #1 hit.
Hits are nice, but the real purpose of this series of shows is to display the full range of Motown’s output, and to convey how difficult it was to consistently hit the charts, even for a label as successful as Motown. It is telling that after the #1 hit, none of the other songs had any impact on the national charts, but that doesn’t make them any less interesting.
Here’s a list of songs featured in this program;
The Stretch – The Contours
Please Mr. Postman – The Marvelettes
Itsy Bity Pity Love – Debbie Dean
They Shall Be Mine – Rev. Columbus Mann
Someone to Call My Own – The Ecuadors
Love Me – Pete Hartfield
Everybody’s Gotta Pay Some Dues – The Miracles
Angel in Blue – Joel Sebastian
Strange Love – Mary Wells
The Day Will Come – Freddie Gorman
Have I the Right – Popcorn & the Mohawks
Zing Went the Strings of My Heart – The Satintones