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Martha Reeves had a fine set of alto pipes, much more robust than the thin, reedy soprano of Diana Ross. In 1963, Holland, Dozier and Holland came up with three successful records for Reeves and her girl group. The first just missed making the Top 10. The instrumental interlude at 1:08 shows a fine touch, but the resolution at 1:40 is inspired.

Martha & the Vandellas: “Come and Get These Memories”

It took a while, but H-D-H found a groove for Martha, and that groove was flat out kick-ass dancing. If you wanted to get people jumping on the dance floor, all you had to do was put this on the turntable. (Remember turntables?) It’s not only a great up-tempo number, but it has solid lyrics and is even beautiful in places. I’ve always admired the way that H-D-H move effortlessly between C minor and E-flat. At 1:43 there is a musical technique called “deletion” where the rhythm is interrupted by a half-bar, and it propels the song into the brilliant resolution at 2:03. These guys knew what they were doing.

Martha & the Vandellas: “Heat Wave”

The H-D-H team had the annoying trend of milking an idea for everything they could before moving on to a new one. It was to add a degree of sameness to some of the acts that came later, but in this situation, the dancing groove they created for Martha Reeves worked out well. That drum riff at 2:03 is inspired.

Martha & the Vandellas: “Quicksand”