Updating that Sixties soul
Frank Wilson was part of the team when Motown set up its West Coast office in 1965; eventually he relocated to Detroit and contributed his mad production skillz to all manner of Hitsville hits, including “Love Child,” the Supremes’ first attempt at social commentary, and “Up the Ladder to the Roof,” one of the memorable post-Diana Ross Supremes hits they don’t play on the radio anymore.
Which brings us to a memorable non-hit: the one record issued under Wilson’s own name, briefly in the catalog as Soul 35019, produced by Hal Davis and Marc Gordon. Wikipedia picks up the story of “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)”:
Supposedly 250 demo 45s were pressed, but by that time Frank Wilson decided he would rather focus on producing and had the demos trashed. Somehow at least two known copies survived, one of which fetched over £25,000 in May 2009.
Because of the scarcity of the original single and the high quality of the music (it was one of the most popular records in the Northern Soul movement), it has been championed as one of the rarest and most valuable records in history.
It’s a remarkable record, not only for its distillation of mid-Sixties Motown style, but for its sheer exuberance; this is, above all else, a happy record. (You can hear it here.) The closest thing I’ve heard to it in recent years hasn’t actually been released yet; what’s more, it’s a vicious dis of a former lover, which would seem to eliminate exuberance, or at least the positive aspect thereof, as a factor. But I’d bet anything Cee Lo Green, the chunkier half of Gnarls Barkley, has heard Frank Wilson’s song. (It’s gotta be the vibes, right?) Here’s Green’s tune: it’s not safe for work or anywhere you might have to explain things to someone, but I defy you to get it out of your head once it’s there.
