Nowhere To Run has a rattling percussion sound often said to be snow chains, and the whole record has an urgency the Supremes sides don't. The guitars push rather than decorate.
What makes the sound. Clean, hard-strummed and mid-forward, with enough volume that accents break up slightly. The rhythm is relentless and the damping is looser than on the Supremes records - more ring, more drive.
The analogue recipe. Clean amp with the volume up so it bites on the accents, mids up, hard constant strumming. Less damping than you would use on Baby Love; this record wants momentum.
On a Boss GT-100 / GT-1000 / GX-100. Clean or barely-breaking model, mids up, compressor, small room. Push the output rather than adding a drive block if you want it dirtier.
On a Kemper. An edge-of-breakup clean profile. Play it harder than feels polite - the aggression on this one is in the right hand.
Save yourself an evening. The Soulster Tonebook for fans of Motown Classics → has the chords, capo positions, tempos and dialled-in settings for this one.
See all 110 Motown & Girl Groups prints →
Also as a print. The "Nowhere To Run" Paperback print → is the same song, printed.
Not Fade Away Guitar Tone: Holly's Bo Diddley Beat
One Love Guitar Tone: Squire's Wah Groove