"SERIOUS? POSE LIKE THIS?" ASKED THE GROUP.

It doesn't happen often, hearing the Contours' "Do You Love Me?" in the wild. Last night I was in the alley having a smoke and I heard it in the distance. I think it was playing at the shit show they call Oktoberfest down by the beach. My town's Oktoberfest has very little to do with Bavaria, brats, kraut, sausages, or lederhosen and everything to do with knucklehead out of towners needing an excuse to get trashed. It's really kind of pathetic, no oompah bands or anything. And they line up like lemmings in a hour long line to pay for the privilege of going into a fenced-in area to get drunk when there's dozens of bars or breweries with cheaper drinks and no admission charge within three blocks. I don't get it, but then no one asked me.

Anyway, about the Contours, most people only know the one song, "Do You Love Me", and that's a pity. Their whole first album is great. It's a Berry Gordy joint, pre-Motown, on the Gordy label. It doesn't really sound like hit machine Motown, it's closer to a cross between the Four Tops and an earlier vocal group like the Olympics. You can find a copy online for less than ten bucks. Make sure you get the '81 reissue that has "You Get Ugly" and "First I Look at the Purse", the latter covered later by the J.Geils Band. "Do You Love Me?" has been covered a bunch: the Dave Clark Five, the Supremes, the Sonics, Paul Revere and the Raiders, the Miracles, the Kingsmen, the Heartbreakers and more. (If you're curious go here).

To those of you who have tastes similar to mine, check the video liked below (the LAMF video). Walter Lure (Heartbreakers), Wayne Kramer (MC5), Tommy Stinson (Replacements) and Clem Burke (Blondie) doing a version of "Do You Love Me?" live in 2016. I'm kind of cynical when it comes to punk related "supergroups" doing what is essentially an oldies review but as I looked at each member one by one and then saw Clem Burke and thought "Good for Clem Burke, I like that guy." followed by, "Aw hell, good for all of them. Why be cynical? Save it, pick your battles." Like shitty Oktoberfests.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~ 

Listen:
The Contours - Do You Love Me? mp3 at Internet Archive
The Sonics - Do You Love Me? (streaming) at YouTube
The Heartbreakers - Do You Love Me? (streaming) at YouTube
The Contours - You Get Ugly (streaming) at YouTube
The Contours - First I Look at the Purse (streaming) at YouTube
Video:
The Contours - Do You Love Me? at YouTube
LAMF - Do You Love Me? (live) at YouTube Walter Lure, Wayne Kramer, Tommy Stinson and Clem Burke