The Temptations are back and the Friday Cocktail Hour has them. That’s a variation on MGM’s  tagline for Clark Gable’s first post-WW II movie, Adventure: “Gable’s back and Garson’s got him.” Unfortunately, Gable and Greer Garson had no chemistry. It was all fizzle, no sizzle.

What did that have to do with the FCH? Not a helluva lot. On with the show this it.

Smokey Robinson wrote Get Ready in 1966 and passed it on to The Temptations. It was a hit for the Fab Five.

We begin at the beginning but won’t begin the beguine:

I dig this medley of Get Ready and Uptight by Little Eva. I also dig the freeze frame image on the video declaring it a disc jockey record that’s not for sale. I’m easily amused.

Rare Earth’s 1970 version of Get Ready was a bigger hit than the Temptations original. The Temps, however, have style whereas Rare Earth rarely did.

Ella Fitzgerald had one of her last radio hits with this week’s tune.

Here’s a disco flavored version by the songwriter. Were you ready for that?

British rockers Wishbone Ash with a guitar driven power pop version of the William Robinson classic:

What would the Friday Cocktail Hour be without an instrumental version of the week’s tune? This time, Booker T. & The MGS:

That’s it for this week. Let’s drink to the end of this damn heat wave. It’s what Otis Williams and Smokey Robinson would want. Never argue with them.