Today's record seems created with the willful intent to muddy the waters of history. In the spring of 1963, Black singer-songwriter Doris Troy, whose voice is heard on countless records as an uncredited background performer, delivered a classic recording in "Just One Look," released on Atlantic Records and rushed into the pop Top 10. This was a remarkable first break for this gifted composer and performer. Four more singles (all played here over time) failed to get close to that initial success. Her final Atlantic single, "Hurry," is so rare it's often not mentioned in online articles about her career. Longtime readers may recall my adventure in finding a new-looking, bad-playing copy of this single, after years of search and then the small victory of a vinyl promo copy that took a place of pride in my collection.
Doris Troy was no newcomer to the music scene. She'd made three unsuccessful singles prior to "Just One Look." With her husband, composer-producer Gregory Carroll, Troy (as Doris Payne), had dozens of performances of her songs recorded by other acts.
Among them was ragtag Washington DC group Andy and The Marglows, who began their career singing on street corners, failed to impress producer/songwriter Van McCoy and were loaned money by a neighborhood business to get to New York in late 1962, where they made two singles issued by Liberty Records in 1963. Their first, "I'll Get By," was issued without chart success, but may have sold well enough in the Northeast that Liberty put out the other two songs from this late 1962 session. One side of their second single, released two weeks before the composer's hit version, was "Just One Look." This suggests that Payne's signing with Atlantic Records was a quick decision. Prior to that event, "Just One Look" was just one song in the Carroll-Payne portfolio, and getting songs recorded was priority #1 for them as pro composers.
The Marglows give this song a different treatment than Payne/Troy, whose definitive take set the bar for future performances, including an immediate cover version by UK beat group The Hollies, who took their version to #2 on the British charts. (It did a less handy #98 in the States, but occasioned their first American LP, which sold like coldcakes.)
Their rough-hewn take, with bouncy acoustic piano, walloping drums, moody guitar chords and fervent hard harmonies, contains an urgency Troy dialed back in her performance. The group had learned the song from her demo recording, and they repeat some of her phrasing, which is familiar to those who know the Atlantic hit version.
The ragged, stark approach delivered by the group is hated by British soul snobs, who want things just so and have zero tolerance for eccentricity and, shall we say, the human touch. Leon Huff's lead vocal is unrefined but exudes pure passion. And while Troy's hit version is a real classic, the tougher mien of Andy and The Marglows is a worthy alternative.
Crazy Fun Fact: Doris performs her typical job of background vocal on both sides of this recording.
Cash Box reviewed this and Doris Troy's version in their May 4, 1963 issue. In 1953, multiple versions of the same song might become hits. In '63, that didn't happen anymore, but hope continued.
On the flip is "Symphony," a majestic song penned by ? Nelson and (Jo?) Slater, who didn't copyright their composition with the Library of Congress, shows the group at their best. This atmospheric, emotional and elegant song receives a performance of moving sincerity and honesty by double-tracked Leon Huff and his band-mates. This was the obvious A-side, with added voices and more focused instrumentation. Doris Troy can be heard in the vocal chorus.
This is a powerful record, and it deserved to be heard. When new, this single was dismissed as a cash-in version on a current hit. No one knew it had been recorded before Doris Troy's own rendition and that it paved the way for her hit. Had Liberty released in a month before the Troy single, it might have made a greater impact.
Andy and The Marglows weren't heard from again.
Tomorrow: Grover Mitchell makes for Soulful Sunday with an excellent 1964 outing for TCF Records.
Oh, I like these! Good backstory, too. Thanks for increasing my knowledge (and musical library). :-)
ReplyDeleteThe barrelhouse piano sounds like they recorded that song on a carousel—as it was revolving. Still —it's a good song. "Symphony" is a gorgeous song.
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