Did The Temptations’ Motown debut stop them from evolving?
There are some big questions in music that often feel unanswerable due to the sheer breadth of greatness that exists in its history. What’s more is that art is subjective, and so there are no real definitives to any large question, not least what sound defines such a crucial era like Motown.
Because there are countless songs that define the label of Motown better than one artist. The sheer volume of songs that came out of Berry Gordy’s money-making is staggering, and the consistent position most of them found at the top of the charts, even more so. And even though Motown’s primary motivation was achieving wild commercial success, it didn’t happen without the platforming of artists who were crucial in defining 1960s culture.
Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and a young Stevie Wonder all cut their teeth in the ruthless world of Motown, and so the question I have been threatening to approach feels even more impossible to answer: What artist defined the true Motown sound?
Of course, those three aforementioned names feel pretty unbeatable in that regard, not least Ross, who fronted one of the most pivotal bands of the label: The Supremes. Something about the powerful harmony of a soulful group, led by the charisma of their fronting vocalist, seems inherently Motown, the sound of musical community, if you will.
So, if it isn’t The Supremes who define that mantra, then there can be no question that it’s The Temptations. Led by their wildly charismatic frontmen Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin, the five-piece band had an almost unmatched vocal versatility that made them the perfect for spearheading the Motown soul sound, but also traversing the commercial pop landscape while doing so. They could be easily satisfying and deeply innovative all at the same time.
While it was songs like ‘My Girl’, ‘Get Ready’ and ‘Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone’ that mostly cemented their legacy, they ultimately shot themselves into global acclaim with their very first single ‘Oh, Mother of Mine’. And at that point, it was neither Ruffin nor Kendricks who took the lead, but Paul Williams, whose raw and unfiltered power was perfect for this upbeat driver of a track that perfectly ushered in The Temptations to the world.
‘Oh, Mother of Mine’ is the exact sound that Gordy wanted to craft with Motown. It was relatively simple to understand and was bursting with a vibrant rhythm section that would have its listeners on their feet and desperate to hear more records. For The Temptations, it ultimately made them the poster boys of his brave and crucially, lucrative new movement that decade.
But it was also for the basis of a sound that they would soon want to move past. Kendricks was desperate to develop into a solo artist, and when his wishes were never approved by Gordy, it was so long as The Temptations could move into more psychedelic territory.
But Gordy would rarely allow it and largely foresaw a future for The Temptations that existed around the safety of ‘Oh, Mother of Mine’. So while it might just have been their most important track, it could also be deemed as their most haunting.
