LP Review: Come and Get These Memories
Released: 1963
LP Charts: nada
After singing on several Motown singles as backup singers, Martha and the Vandellas — Martha Reeves, Rosalind Ashford, and Annette Beard — finally got their chance to shine with Come and Get These Memories. This album flopped but its title track was a good enough hit that both the Vandellas and the Holland-Dozier-Holland production team were set on a trajectory of awesome greatness.
“Come and Get These Memories” (#6 R&B, #29 pop) is some top-notch girl group magic. It has strong hints of Motown’s impending Golden Age that the Vandellas would usher in on their next album.
The lyrics are clever (“Here’s some old lingering love, it’s in my heart and it’s tearing it apart”). And the backing vocals (“Come and get ‘em!”) are infectious.
The tremendous power of that song becomes evident when compared to “Can't Get Used to Losing You”, which is much more typical of standard girl group songs of the period, but with Motown’s early, rudimentary instrumentation attached. Definition of album filler.
Meanwhile, “Moments (To Remember)”, although a cover of a 1955 hit by the Four Lads, continues the theme and sound of “Come and Get These Memories”. It features more of the increasingly muscular Motown sound. Another solid tune follows in “This Is When I Need You Most”, which was written by H-D-H, and I can start detecting an actual theme in the first half of this album.
Martha and the girls told the sorry ass boyfriend to get the hell out with “Come and Get These Memories”; then she realized there were indeed some fond “Moments (To Remember)”; now “This Is When I Need You Most” finds the group totally regretting the break up.
The breakup-to-make-up suite completes with “A Love Like Yours (Don't Come Knocking Everyday)”. The song quickly established itself as a ‘60s R&B standard covered by a million artists. Quite a feat for a song never released as a single.
“There He Is (At My Door)” brings us back to the starting line as Reeves as she debates to whether let a sorry man back into the home. It is a satisfactory song till the final 30 seconds when it goes up a notch when the Vandellas start chiming “baby baby baby walk on in” and Reeves does some ad libs.
“I'll Have to Let Him Go” was the group’s first single, but it flopped in the fall of 1962. Shouldn’t have though. Written by William “Mickey” Stevenson, it’s a darn good outing and the album’s second best tune.
“Give Him Up” is a gender-altered cover of the Miracles’ “Give Her Up”. It’s fine. “Jealous Lover” is unremarkably average, but here I am remarking on it… “Old Love (Let's Try It Again)” ain’t suited for the Vandellas. It was (I think) first recorded by Mary Wells and was perfect for her low, husky voice. Martha Reeves’s voice was better off being set free to growl, but they kept her imitating Wells on this one. A poor mistake.
“Tears On My Pillow” and “To Think He Would Hurt Me” (both gratingly outdated ‘50s R&B) both stink. You can skip them entirely.
ALBUM GRADE: C
This is a pretty good opening for Martha and the Vandellas considering the era. Albums, especially debut albums, at this point were just collections of random studio recordings, A-sides, and B-sides, so for the Vandellas to have such a quality premier is quite admirable.
Song Scores
Come and Get These Memories: 8.5/10
Can't Get Used to Losing You: 5/10
Moments (To Remember): 6.5/10
This Is When I Need You Most: 6/10
A Love Like Yours (Don't Come Knocking Everyday): 7/10
To Think He Would Hurt Me: 3/10
Tears On My Pillow: 2/10
There He Is (At My Door): 7.5/10
I'll Have to Let Him Go: 8/10
Give Him Up: 6/10
Jealous Lover: 6/10
Old Love (Let's Try It Again): 5/10