War - Edwin Starr

I was watching a dreadful version of Gulliver's Travels (2010) last night and heard an equally dreadful version of a song I absolutely love. I had to banish that version from my mind with the original. Here is the result.

War is a protest song released by Edwin Starr in 1969 under the Motown label. A less intense version was originally recorded by The Temptations but, in response to public demand, was instead released as a single by Starr in order to not risk the image of Motown's most popular male vocal group.

I was first introduced to War via the first (and best) Tour of Duty soundtrack album; it opened my eyes and ears to a whole genre of music from a very specific era. The lyrics speak for themselves, but so does the instrumentation. Listen to the busy rhythm section kept in line by a repeated horn theme and punctuated by a baritone sax.

War is another song best enjoyed loud.

Just My Imagination - The Temptations

I confess to being a huge fan of Motown, soul and original R&B music and a substantial portion of my collection comes from these genre, particularly from the 1960s and 70s era. Motown produced numerous vocal groups with smooth chops and immaculate harmonies, of which The Temptations are an excellent example.

There are so many songs about dreaming and unrequited love, but none paint quite so vivid a picture as Just My Imagination, released in 1971. It laments the fact that this poor guy doesn't even know the object of his affection, yet has imagined every detail of their perfect life together. (Hmm, that sounds a bit stalker-ish, but listen to the song - I assure you it's not like that.)

The bass line is the feature in this song. Listen out for the gentle marimba fills at the start and get caught up in the cello runs that rise and fall but ultimately go nowhere, just like the dream itself. Add rousing string orchestration and overlay it with poignant yet perfectly melded harmonies. *peaceful sigh*