/ 25 February 2021 1200 Views
Dusty Springfield’s soul credentials were firmly established when, in April 1965, she co-devised and presented a special edition of the TV pop show Ready Steady Go! dedicated to the thrilling music coming out of Detroit. Subtitled The Sounds Of Motown, it gave key UK exposure to the likes of The Supremes, Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson. The visitors’ British cheerleader also got to be a Vandella for the night, joining Martha Reeves and mates for lively renditions of Wishin’ And Hopin’ and Can’t Hear You No More. Yet Springfield’s own recorded output of the time remained rooted in more traditional pop melodrama. Occasional torch-like testifying numbers such as I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself hinted at something deeper or richer, but for the most part she plied her trade via orchestra-heavy bombast (All I See Is You, I Close My Eyes And Count To Ten, and her sole chart-topper You Don�