LADIES FIRST: "I'll Keep On Holding On!" - The Marvelettes > The Action

LADIES FIRST spotlights another classic that 'she did first'.

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Today's song is the Motown classic, "I'll Keep On Holding On".

Written by the prolific pens of stalwart writers Mickey Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter, The Marvelettes broke back into the charts with this hip-swaying hit. Wanda Young (later Wanda Rogers) swaggers the lead vocal:

THE MARVELETTES -"I'll Keep On Holding On" (1965)



The Mod scene in Swinging London of course adored Motown, Stax, and all directions Soul, so The Action did their equally-loved take on it.

(Fans of the NUGGETS II Box Set will recognize it along with their own "Shadows and Reflections".)

THE ACTION -"I'll Keep On Holding On" (1966)


Because of them, the song has become a Garage Rock standard.

THE CHORDS -"I'll Keep On Holding On" (1980)


THE DETROIT COBRAS -"I'll Keep On Holding On" (1998)



© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• LADIES FIRST: "Love's Gone Bad!" - Chris Clark > The Underdogs

• LADIES FIRST: "Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)" - Kim Weston > The Doobie Brothers

• LADIES FIRST: "Piece Of My Heart" - Erma Franklin > Janis Joplin > Mondo Kozmo

• LADIES FIRST: "You're No Good" - Dee Dee Warwick > Betty Everett > Linda Ronstadt > The Plasticines

• LADIES FIRST: "What A Man" - Linda Lyndell > Laura Lee> Salt-N-Pepa


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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ROCK Orgy: "Sweet Soul Music"

ROCK Sex wants everybody to join in.

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Here's another 'shout-out' song, where an artist celebrates their fellow artists.

Soul man Arthur Conley shows the love to (Smokey Robinson), Lou Rawls, Sam And Dave, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, and James Brown:

ARTHUR CONLEY -"Sweet Soul Music" (1967)



We are here on the floor now
We're going to a go go
Dancin' to the music
Oh yeah, oh yeah!

© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• SHAKE AND FINGER POP! Soul Music and the Interior Truth, with Music Player!


• ROCK Orgy: "American Pie"

• ROCK Orgy: "F.U.N.K." by Betty Davis

• ROCK Orgy: "Life Is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)!"


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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ROCK Sex: "Tainted Love" - Gloria Jones > Soft Cell

Gloria Jones and Marc Bolan unveil Rolan.

ROCK Sex "gives you all a boy can give you".

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The original "Tainted Love" was a Northern Soul song performed by Gloria Jones in 1964, responding to the Motown stomp of songs like The Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love". Later, she became the partner and muse of T-Rex's Marc Bolan.

GLORIA JONES -"Tainted Love" (1964)



The song was remade in a pretty similar but more Disco fashion in 1975:

RUTH SWANN -"Tainted Love" (1975)



Shortly afterward Gloria Jones and Marc Bolan remade the song:

GLORIA JONES, w/ Marc Bolan -"Tainted Love" (1976)



Marc Almond of Soft Cell heard the original played in a dance club and made it into the Synthpop anthem of all time:

SOFT CELL -"Tainted Love" (1981)



The rhythm of the song (and the intro of James Brown's "I Feel Good") was refashioned into this song.

FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS -"Good Thing" (1988)



From there it has been covered/exhalted/ruined (depending on your bias) by Coil, Inspiral Carpets, My Ruin, Marilyn Manson, The Pussycat Dolls, Rihanna, Danny Noriega, and Imelda May.



© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• "You Can't Hurry Love" - The Supremes > Iggy Pop > The Jam > David Bowie

• LADIES FIRST: "Out In the Streets" - The Shangri-Las > Blondie


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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ROCK Sex: "Don't Gimme Me No Lip Child" - Dave Berry > Sex Pistols

ROCK Sex quickies locks lips on the quick tip.

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Here's some rough UK Northern Soul from Dave Berry for the Mod scene:

DAVE BERRY -"Don't Gimme Me No Lip Child" (1964)


(The song chugs on that classic Jimmy Reed rhythm, used in so many songs that I've made a Music Playlist of them.)



And absorbing a lot of classic garage singles from the jukebox at Malcolm McClaren's 'SEX' shoppe, here's our Punk bastards:

SEX PISTOLS -"Don't Gimme Me No Lip Child" (1976)



© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• THE BRITISH INVASION!, with Music Player!

• DON'T TREAD ON ME: The Original Punk of 1960s Garage Rock, with Music Player!


• "Porpoise Song" - Carole King > The Monkees > Lola Dutronic > Django Django

• The Kinks > Sex Pistols > The Kinks


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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