I decided to ditch last night’s long title in favor of concision. I’m not known for being concise but I though I’d try it out to keep y’all off balance. Just My Imagination was one of the Temptations best songs and biggest hits. It was written by the crack team of Whitfield and Strong and was produced by Norman Whitfield. He was better known for his hard edged, funky production on tracks like Cloud Nine and Ball Of Confusion but a light touch was required for this wistful and lyrical song. The rock cover is by-who else?- the Rolling Stones. It’s not so much a cover as a re-interpretation, which the best cover versions always are. I threw in a swell Jazz take on this Motown classic by Dianne Reeves just for the hell of it.
First, the Temptations featuring Eddie Kendricks with the main vocal and Paul Williams singing the bridge:
The picture on the video is of an earlier version of the Temps but I wanted the studio version. What can I tell ya?
The Stones, of course, rocked it up and stuck it on their superb 1978 album Some Girls. This, however, is a live version from the 1982 concert film Let’s Spend the Night Together:
Finally, Dianne Reeves from her 2008 album When You Know produced by the late great George Duke:
Love that song. Michael McDonald could sing it and I might even give it a listen. And the Stones’ version is wonderful, not least because you keep thinking Charlie Watts is speeding up the tempo when he’s not; it adds a wonderful tension.