Tommy Good
The Motown Collection
Universal/Motown
UK Release date May 2006

It must have been extremely frustrating for a number of the Motown artists who, having been given that golden opportunity to record for the mighty Motown label at Hitsville during the glory years period alongside some of the worlds finest songwriters, producers, and together with the greatest house band ever seen only to find all your efforts were to be in vain as your work fails to dent the US charts and radio stations just don't pick up on your recordings and the company despite its best intentions at the time don't give the artist the same kind of push and exposure that some of the more familiar acts were lucky to enjoy.

Tommy Good appears to fit neatly into that category. A white artist who managed to secure a recording contract with Motown during the middle 1960's after recording a number of tunes as Tommy Good and The Tabs during the early sixties and who was discovered singing in a Detroit nightclub by Motown songwriter/producer Clarence Paul (who worked heavily on Stevie Wonder) who then asked Motown boss Berry Gordy to take a listen to Tommy and he was signed to Berry Gordy's music empire.

Tommy's opening track on this new CD of his work at Motown is perhaps the one song that he is best remembered for, the excellent uptempo northern dancer 'Baby I Miss You' written by Mickey Stevenson and issued on Gordy in 1964 with limited success despite it being one cracking Motown tune of the highest order. Tommy's vocal style is very much on par with white blue eyed soul singer Len Barry (and I mean that as a compliment) and by listening to this collection one wonders why he wasn't a bigger star than he was despite his regular appearances on the Motortown revues of the 60's?.

Like so many other artists on the label who have enjoyed issues of their anthologies of late, there are quite a few cover versions included here although not all of them Motown songs. Whilst 'Shotgun' is perhaps the obvious Motown cover song he (and his band) delivered credible versions of Booker T & the MG's' 1962 instrumental 'Green Onions' and Georgie Fame's 1963 R'n'B hit 'Yeh Yeh' and Jewel Aitkins' hit recording 'The Birds And The Bees' although falling somewhat short of competing with the original versions. It is when you take a closer a look at the Motown songs herein and the arrangement by the legendary Funk Brothers and presumably background vocals from the likes of the Andantes do you realise that a number of these songs WERE on par with some of the early big hits for other acts on the label.

My attention was quickly drawn to track 2 entitled 'Honey Lane' written by Berry Gordy in 1964 which just may have had Melvin Franklin on background vocals along with the rest of the Temps (it certainly sounds like them) a gentle yet appealing classic piece of Motown with that hallmark hand clap that became a trademark of the Motown sound. Fabulous harmonising and an equal vocal take from Tommy. Clarence Paul provides Tommy with another cracking track this time 'You Stay On My Mind' again a mid tempo affair with that classic sound firmly attached. This certainly was hit material!!.

'Small Town Girl' is a song that has had its backing track taken from another Motown hit although I can't just my finger on which one exactly but Tommy leaves his own imprint on this semi dancer and its another one of those songs that will creep up on you time and  time again.  My replay button on the CD player kept being drawn to 'She's A Living Doll' a song that SHOULD have been massive. It's pop/Motown at its very best and an extremely catchy hook line. Check it out?

'My Love For You' written again by Mickey Stevenson kicks off with what sounded like the same opening drum roll as the Temptations' 'Why You Wanna Make Me Blue' and settles down into a cracking uptempo dancer with some neat piano work from the Funks, and is so typical of the material emanating out of Hitsville in '66' and if you listen carefully you'll hear two or three samples from other hit tunes mixed in for good measure.

Another tune that has that magic Motown ingredient is the superb 'No One To Love Me' that would have made a very good pop/soul record in its day - listen to background vocals/arrangments and you'll be hooked forever. So there you have it, twenty songs from Tommy Good who will win over many new Motown fans with this new CD and he too must be extremely pleased at his work getting a UK release for the very first time - oh well, better late than never.

This disc is already in the shops and you are urged to secure a copy without further delay and enjoy another piece of  Motown history.

Rating 9/10

Listen to Toomy Good - click here!