The Spinners - My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)
Today's selection is one of the many "Motown sings Motown" treasures that exist, due to the label's penchant for trying out songs on multiple artists with the hope of reaping commercial benefits from at least one of the resulting recordings. After David Ruffin was fired from the Temptations in 1968, his newfangled solo career took off with his version of "My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)." Although Ruffin would never be as big a star as his talent could have allowed, this song and his biggest '70s record, "Walk Away From Love," are prominent examples of his masterful singing.
Of course, the fact that "My Whole World Ended" was such a big hit for Ruffin did not preclude other Motown acts from recording the fine tune, and as example after example of lesser-known versions of Motown hits has shown, the strength of the songs themselves and the Motown arrangements make the other versions strong records in their own right. The Spinners, finally having hit paydirt with "It's a Shame" but still a few years away from their mega-successes for Atlantic, laid down this fine take on "My Whole World Ended" for Motown's VIP subsidiary (which, I've noted before, is ironically-named, considering that the label was mainly the home of the label's B-listers). It's a serious cooker that is worth more than one play on the computer or iPod.
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