MIKE & THE MODIFIERS, "I FOUND MYSELF A BRAND NEW BABY" C/W "IT'S TOO BAD," GORDY 7006 (REL. 7/1962)

Two weeks ago, I played you the odder-than-odd V.I.P. Records release by The Hornets—an early parody of The Beatles recorded at Motown’s studios by Detroit legend Andre Williams. This group was, in real life, hard-hitting white rock combo Mike and The Modifiers, whose 1962 Gordy Records 45 you’ll hear today.

There’s nothing spoofy about this single, which got a UK release that commands over $1200 in excellent condition. The US original can be had for around 50 and has a stronger provenance, being manufactured in Detroit. The UK edition was issued two weeks after the debut single by The Beatles, a then-unknown rock group from the Northlands of England. A strong similarity in sound shows that American groups had the potential to develop such a style on their own, free of any influence from this yet-obscure Liverpool group.

America was not ready for such sounds yet, outside of the Midwest, where the original flame of rock ‘n’ roll still crackled. Here, most copies of this single were sold and appreciated. Outside the area, the record was dead on arrival. Rock ‘n’ roll depended on such groups to survive during its waning days in the national mainstream. The odd rocker still claimed space on the pop charts, but more manufactured, modern-sounding pop music—multi-tracked, loaded with efficient session players, arranged to its smallest elements—dominated. It was music for the Space Age; none of that earthy vernacular stuff darkened its doorstep.

The nation didn’t realize how much it needed real rock ‘n’ roll, and The Beatles and other British imports brought it home with impact in 1964. Berry Gordy might have been better served to reissue this single in that year, when its sound was au courant and much more chart-friendly.

“I Found Myself a Brand-New Baby” anticipates the opening strains of the second Beatles 45, “Please Please Me” in its titular phrase, sung in hearty harmony with the lead voice of Mike Valvano, who co-wrote both sides with Clarence Paul, the brother of “5” Royales songwriter Lowman Pauling and an early Motown fixture.

The song and performance are rock-solid with zero frills—the type of rock ‘n’ roll performance unheard outside the hinterlands, save the likes of Bruce Channel’s “Hey Baby,” a chart-topper of ’62 (which inspired John Lennon to add harmonica to his group’s early singles and LP tracks). So much cross-pollination is in the air in this period! While it’s unlikely the Liverpool lads heard this record (unless they cadged it from Brian Epstein’s shop), it’s of a piece with their emerging sound and makes a case for how American music might have self-revitalized, had fate played a different hand.

"...just what today's teeners are taking to?"

“It’s Too Bad” sounds more like early Motown (and, thus, like early Beatles). Think of “This Boy,” UK B-side of “I Want to Hold Your Hand;” very similar vibe. Add some signature “Bolero” chords to the song’s midsection and this could be any number of 1963 or ’64 UK beat-group originals.

It’s a pity the guitarist doesn’t take a solo on either side; this would further cement the similarity. The drummer does admirable work here and the chugging mid-tempo sound is powerful and authentic. This blows the Frankie Avalons and Bobby Rydells out the the water; it’s too bad no one heard it when it was new and might have made a difference. (It didn’t help that Berry Gordy was struggling to keep the lights on and thus unable to do adequate promotion for anything but sure-fire hits.)

As mentioned two weeks ago, Mike Valvano left his biggest mark on music via his foot stomps on The Supremes’ massive ’64 hit “Where Did Our Love Go?” He continued to write songs for Motown artists and other Black performers. The Contours, Barbara Lewis, Latino soul artist Larry Santos, Edwin Starr, Stevie Wonder and many others recorded his material, often co-written with bigger Motown names. Mike is one of the unsung Caucasian players in the Motown story.

Tomorrow: You don’t get much more soulful than New Orleans legend Danny White. He sings two powerful songs by Isaac Hayes and David Porter on a killer 1966 single from Frisco Records. Don’t miss this one!