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Stop! In The Name Of Love

Supremes

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Stop! In The Name Of Love With all of the talk about the "Motown sound" and so many critics and historians chasing their tails attempting to define it, hardly anybody seemed to get it right, but it's really not difficult to explain. Motown, unlike other labels, was a complex talent organization, with writers, producers, musicians, and artists all mingling freely and working on each other's products in an infinite variety of combinations. Since the talent was not segregated, a homogeneity resulted which blended the various ingredients into an identifiable “sound”. For example, most Motown tracks featured any one of three drummers and even fewer bass players; usually it was the team of Benny Benjamin and James Jamerson. (Their names sound almost as mellifluous as their rhythms.) The same recording studio was used for almost everything. Producers flitted from artist to artist at Berry Gordy's whim, and the artists themselves often guested on one another's tracks. With so much familial mingling, it only makes sense that the label's output had a recognizable aural unity that other companies lacked. It wasn't just the echo (which they actually created in a bathroom behind the control room), or the heavy backbeat, or the driving bass, or "rats, roaches, guts, and love," as Gordy once said. It was everything, all rolled up into a unified mass and distributed where it was most required. That was the Motown sound.

But sound was not the only thing under control at Motown. Gordy set up a division called "artistic development", which served as a finishing school of sorts for performing artists. There was a charm school, run by a certain Maxine Powell, who trained the young girls how to behave, dress and move like ladies and the young men how to behave, period. Deportment mattered to Gordy and it was Maxine Powell's job to make sure that it mattered to the singers as well. There were also performance classes, in which groups polished their vocal, dancing and presentation skills. Maurice King handled the musical direction while stage choreography was the responsibility of Cholly Atkins. Through these rigorous rehearsals, the acts developed stamina, confidence, and an identifiable style. It was Atkins who gave the Supremes their limp-wristed, demure routines that became their signature, but it apparently was not Atkins who came up with the crossing-guard "Stop!" maneuver. While on tour in Europe, "Stop! In The Name Of Love" hit big, and a flustered Diane Ross realized that they had never rehearsed the tune with Atkins. One of the Temptations thought up the silly hand gesture that has since become their most memorable pose.

It was around this time when plain old Diane Ross opted to trade her moniker for the more sophisticated Miss Diana Ross. She now possessed a name to match the Supremes' continually improving image and fame. "Stop! In The Name Of Love" further cemented the impression that the Supremes were 'supremely' talented, when it became their fourth consecutive #1 record. Although the hand gesture was striking, it never could have salvaged a lousy song. "Stop! In The Name Of Love" was their strongest outing yet. Unlike their previous songs, songwriters Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Brian Holland penned a full song as opposed a series of verses. This gives the Supremes something to sink their teeth into, and they do it with relish. For the first time, Ross projected herself willfully, and her confidence shows all over this record. Upon first hearing this song, most people realized one thing - nothing was going to stop the Supremes.