Search - Holland Dozier Holland :: Picture Never Changes

Meet Them Again For The First Time

David Wayne | Santee, CA United States | 06/20/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland comprised one of the greatest songwriting teams in pop music history. The hits they wrote for Martha & The Vandellas, The Supremes, The Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Mary Wells, and even Smokey Robinson, are the stuff of legend. The trio's relationship as writers/producers at Motown Records came to an end circa 1968 over a royalty dispute with Motown founder Berry Gordy. (They even asked a judge to put Motown in receivership, feeling their songs had generated most of the company's wealth--a reach.) Like others who sued Gordy, they wound up with much more money than they otherwise would have received. They used this money to fund their own HDH Productions and two record labels: Invictus and Hot Wax. With all the legal woes, and the business of running a business, the group's writing activity slowed down to a trickle. They contributed a track here and there for some of their acts, like Flaming Ember or Chairmen Of The Board. But most of the songs they wrote between 1970 and 1973 were released on themselves, usuallly billed as Holland-Dozier or Dozier-Holland. There is some good music here, and the best of it, "Don't Leave Me Starving For Your Love" and "Why Can't We Be Lovers," did well on the R&B charts. These songs were out of print for many years, and its good to hear them again (some for the first time). In case you didn't know, all three writers got their start in music as singers. Eddie Holland's "Jaime" is a well-known early-Motown classic, as is "Leaving Here." Lamont Dozier was a singer at Berry Gordy's sister's label, Anna Records, before coming to Motown. He really found the most success behind the microphone, signing with ABC Records in 1973 and turning out hits like "Fish Ain't Bitin'" and "Trying To Hold On To My Woman." But Dozier's record deal was a precursor to the trio's downfall as forces in the music industry. The Holland Brother did some further writing and producing for The Temptations and other acts, and Dozier remains a known solo star to this day, with hits like "Cool Me Out" and albums like "Inside Seduction" to his credit. But the group makes most of its money through royalties on its classic Motown output, and through ownership of the masters from the Hot Wax and Invictus labels."

A VERY GOOD ALBUM

MAG1111111@AOL.COM (MARK A. GRIFFI | CALDWELL, IDAHO | 07/02/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"THIS IS A VERY GOOD ALBUM. ALTHOUGH I WAS A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED THAT THERE WEREN'T MORE BALLADS, THIS WAS STILL A GREAT LISTEN. WHY CAN'T WE BE LOVERS....IS ONE OF THE GREATEST SONGS OF ALL TIME..!!!!IF YOU WANT A FIVE STAR ALBUM..GIVE A LISTEN TO INSIDE SEDUCTION BY LAMONT DOZIER........IF YOU CAN FIND IT..!!!!"