Soul — All Formats  

The legendary unreleased Motown recordings by The Contours – material that should have been issued as a full length LP in 1964 – but all but a couple tunes have languished in the vaults until now! The group simply kills on on these dancefloor ready stormers, with raucous, charismatic lead vocals and tight harmony backup – on a set of numbers that were no doubt ready and set to slay live audiences. We're sure The Contours were unbeatable live, but these recordings really should have made it out at the time. Better late than never, to say the very least! Includes the 60s singles "Can You Do It" and "Can You Jerk Like Me", plus the unreleased "Do The See Saw", "Foot Stomping Time", "Party Groove", "Okey Dokey", "Love Is Uncertain", "Wanted", "Boy Meets Girl", "You Hurt Me So", "Throw You Out Of My Mind", "Giant Steps", "Let's Do The Uncle Willie", "Tonight", "Nobody Fine As Dinah", "Somebody's Daughter Outta", "Let's Do The Uncle Willie" and more. 26 tracks in all!

In our humble opinion, just about every track that Marvin recorded for Motown is "great" – but since this set's focused on the hits, we're happy to accept their track selection, and admit they do a pretty good job of covering most of the big bases – early solo gems, duet classics, and some of the sublime 70s numbers that really made Marvin's music sparkle! Titles include "What's Going On", "Inner City Blues", "Trouble Man", "Let's Get It On", "Distant Lover", "Got To Give It Up", "Heard It Through The Grapevine", "That's The Way Love is", and "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You".

The 2 fantastic albums Shorty Long cut for Soul/Motown – '68's funky Here Comes The Judge & '69's soulful Prime Of Shorty Long – a perfect pair, put together with 2 bonus tracks and great notes by the rare soul-reverent heroes at Kent UK! The CD kicks off with the Here Come The Judge – a fantastic album of funky soul – actually only one of two albums he cut – and the only one that was issued before his untimely early death – a killer batch of tracks that mix together funk, Detroit soul, and a great sense of humor! The album kicks off with Shorty's hit single "Here Comes The Judge", a funky musical version of the "judge" routine that had been knocking around the Chittlin Circuit comedy scene for years, particularly in the work of Pigmeat Markham. The album also features Shorty's legendary "soul party" cut, "Function At The Junction", plus lots of other tasty numbers like "Night Fo Last" (done in vocal and instrumental versions)", "Here Comes Fat Albert", "Stranded In the Jungle", "Don't Mess With My Weekend", "Ain't No Justice", and "Sing What You Wanna". The Prime Of Shorty Long is a beautiful album from Shorty – issued shortly after his early death from drowning at the age of 29 – and an amazing document of the mighty soul powers he would have had in years to come! There's a depth here that Shorty never had before – a sense of power and righteousness that comes through not just in the vocals, but in the construction of the songs as well – very tight, with a musical vision that shows a sense of pride and power that was never present in Long's earlier singles. Paul Riser handled the arrangements, in a way that really illustrates that cresting Motown intensity at the start of the 70s – and titles include "Whiter Shade Of Pale", "Baby Come Home To Me", "When You Are Available", "The Deacon Work", "Give Me Some Air", "I Had A Dream", and "I Wish You Were Here". CD also features 2 bonus tracks – "Mobile Lil The Dancing Witch" (previously unissued stereo mix) and "Chantilly Lace" (previously unissued stereo alternative version).

A real lost gem from Motown – and a whole lot more! Greetings! We're The Monitors is the only full album ever cut by The Monitors – a 3-man, 1-woman vocal group who were in a popular Motown mixed harmonies mode. The quartet had a wonderfully strong vocal presence – blasting away at most tracks with a strength that groups like The Miracles or Gladys Knight & The Pips could never match – and like those groups, they bridge that key period between late doo wop-oriented harmonies, and tighter 60s group soul. The LP brings together singles the Monitors cut for Motown during the previous few years, but it also works extremely well as a unified album – and it's a refreshing change from some of the oft-heard Motown material. Titles include "Greetings (This Is Uncle Sam)", "Number One In Your Heart", "Bring Back The Love", "Step By Step (Hand In Hand)", and "Baby Make Your Own Sweet Music". This incredible anthologogy from Kent starts off with that album and includes 12 unissued tracks – a whole album's worth – plus 2 B-Sides. Unissued tracks include "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" , "The Letter", "Poor Side Of Town", "Anything", "Guilty" and more. 26 tracks in all!

The complete Tamla and Motown singles of The Satintones – the soul, R&B & popular music juggernaut's first male vocal group – and a treasure trove of rare post doo wop from the end of the 50s/beginning of the 60s! It's fascinating for the history herein – the group is hugely under-anthologized in a world of myriad Motown compilations – which is a real shame, as you'll hear in this sweet set – with numbers that rely on the doo wop influences as well as tunes more devoted to lead vocals – with a slew of early Berry Gordy productions and compositions. The set includes the then legally challenged Shirelles knockoff/answer song "Tomorrow and Always" plus "Motor City", "Going To The Hop", "Sugar Daddy", "A Love That Can Never Be", "Foot Stomping Time", My Kind Of Love", "Boogie Woogie Heart", "Because I Love You", "You Can't Beat My Lovin" and many more. 26 tracks in all.

Female Motown, way past the hits – a wonderful selection of rare cuts from the 60s, including a dozen previously unissued tracks! The collection is a real discovery, even for Motown fans – and the set is filled with gems that go way past the obvious – some real Detroit soul treasures that make the whole thing a delight! Lots of the work is from that key early Motown stretch, when the label was really coming into its own, but still trying out a lot of new ideas too – and as such, were really willing to move past some obvious hit modes of the time. And make no mistake – these cuts aren't leftovers, or half-baked – as all of them have top-shelf production and arrangements – further proof that the Motown approach never dimmed at all. Titles include "Do You Know What I'm Talkin About" by LaBrenda Ben, "Don't Turn Your Back On Me" by Brenda Holloway, "Build Him Up" by Martha & The Vandellas, "Like A Nightmare" by The Andantes, "Dance Yeah Dance" by Thelma Brown, "When Somebody Loves You" by Gladys Knight & The Pips, "My Black Belt" by Hattie Littles, "It's Too Soon To Know" by Kim Weston, "I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues" by Liz Lands, "If Wishes Came True" by Anita Knorl, and "So Let Them Laugh At Me" by Linda Griner.

A collection of instrumentals either recorded for Motown by groups like the San Remo Golden Strings, the Crusaders or Junior Walker, or the instrumental backing tracks used by their vocalists, released here on their short lived Natural Resources subsidiary. 9 tracks in all: "Hungry For Love" and "Festival time" by the San Remo Golden Strings, "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life" and "Cleo's Back" by Junior Walker, 'Rapid Fire" by the Commodores, "Papa Was A rolling Stone" by the Temptations, "Way Back Home" by the Crusaders, "Erucu" by Jermaine Jackson and "Get Ready" by Rare Earth.

11 tracks by Stevie Wonder, Jackson 5, Smokey Robinson, Commodores, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross.

The first ever compilation of the best music made for MoWest – the eclectic, but still soulful cuts made when Berry Gordy Jr. relocated from Motown to the west coast in the early 70s – releasing cool and sometimes strange music with a soul background, yet toasted by LA sunshine! The MoWest subsidiary lasted just a few years, and gets overlooked in the canonization of Motown at it's most classic and revolutionary – but the legacy is pretty incredible. Funk, sunshine rock and soul fused adventurously by a stunningly diverse roster – late period Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons (who's comp-opening track is a slept on sunshine pop-soul classic), breezy-jazzy-soul from Odyssey, the sister funk of Sisters Love, a stunning solo left turn from Spinners singer GC Cameron and more great stuff from Syreeta, The Commodores, Suzee Ikeda, Thelma Houston and others. We've been dying for a well selected MoWest comp like this for years, and Light In The Attic stepped to the plate and knock it right out of the park. The songs choices are great, the notes are great. . .everything about it is a win. Essential! Includes "You're A Song (That I Can't Sing)" and "The Night" by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, "Our Lives Are Shaped By What We Love" and "Broken Road" by Odyssey, "Don't You Be Worried" by The Commodores, "A Heart Is A House" Nu Page, "I Ain't Going Nowhere" by Thelma Houston, "I Can't Give Back The Love I Feel For You" by Suzee Ikeda, "You've Got To Make The Choice" and "Give Me Your Love" by The Sisters Love and more.

A wonder batch of rare Motown material from Detroit singer Marv Johnson – a vocalist who started out working for Berry Gordy in the late 50s, recording the some of the first material to be released on the Tamla Motown label, and recorded all of the terrific material on this set for Motown from the mid 60s to the start of the 70s! Johnson didn't find his way into the historical canon the way many of the great solo singers and groups he helped pave the way for, but he's no less worthy! This set from Kent UK includes all the tracks from the I'll Pick A Rose For My Rose LP plus previously unreleased numbers numbers and rare mono single mixes – really beautiful stuff and a vital rediscovery of Marv's overlooked work at Motown! Titles include "I'll Pick A Rose For My Rose", "I'm Not A Plaything", "Why Do You Want To Let Me Go", "Bad Girl", "I Miss You Baby (How I Miss You)", the previously unreleased gems "There Goes A Lonely Man", "Understanding", "Farewell Is A Lonely Sound" and more, plus mono versions of several album tracks. 26 tracks in all!

The first Motown full length record by the Spinners – Original Spinners from '67 – followed by an impeccably well-chosen collection of bonus material! It's excellent stuff – an overlooked album with some very hard to find Motown work by this early version of the legendary Spinners – with lead vocals by Bobby Smith and Edgar Edwards. The tracks have a mixture of sweet and raw harmonies – crafted with an elegantly soulful sound that would later take the group way over the top during the 70s, and which here sounds sublime next to some of the group's Motown contemporaries! The first 12 tracks on this excellent Kent compilation are the Original Spinners tracklist – including "Sweet Thing", "I Cross My Heart", "I'll Always Love You", "Truly Yours", "Like A Good Man Should", "For All We Know", "How Can I", "It Hurts To Be In Love", "Nobody Else But You", "Where Is That Girl", "Tomorrow May Never Come" and "That's What Girls Are Made For". Most of the 14 bonus tracks are previously unreleased masters – revelatory stuff from earlier in the 60s – formative, yet beautifully realized recordings with productions by Harvey Fuqua and Ivy Joe Hunter! Titles include "Darling", "Words Can't Describe", "12 O'Clock", "Just Another Guy", "We're Gonna Be More More Than Friends" and more.

A wealth of wonderful work from Mary Wells – a set that includes overlooked early singles, a huge amount of unreleased tracks, plus many others that weren't issued at the time – and which haven't been in print for years! This set not only brings together rare Motown singles from Mary, and bits from the Vintage Stock album – but also includes some that appeared on the early 90s Looking Back collection – and a lot more of which show up here for the first time ever! The music here not only shows Mary in formation, but Motown as well – trying out a whole host of different styles for Wells' great vocals – and really finding strong focus as the set rolls on. Mary's one of the first great solo singers for Motown – and the package features loads of solo numbers with her in the lead – plus a handful of numbers with the Supremes or Four Tops, one with The Temptations & Supremes, and one with Smokey Robinson – as well as seven more duets with Marvin Gaye! There's also a batch of "standards" – as Wells takes on the mode that Motown also tried with Marvin – and the package features a whopping 47 tracks in all, with very detailed notes. Titles include "Cinderella", "Is It Me Or Is It You", "Money", "Why Do You Want To Let Me Go", "When Your Lover Comes Back", "My Heart Is Like A Clock", "My World Of Dreams", "Your Loss My Gain", "Prove It", "Drop In The Bucket", "Everybody Needs Love", "Back In My Arms", "Oh Lover", "In Case You Need Love", "Again", "Always", "A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening", "Can't Get Out Of This Mood", and "This Is Something New".

The first ever compilation of the best music made for MoWest – the eclectic, but still soulful cuts made when Berry Gordy Jr. relocated from Motown to the west coast in the early 70s – releasing cool and sometimes strange music with a soul background, yet toasted by LA sunshine! The MoWest subsidiary lasted just a few years, and gets overlooked in the canonization of Motown at it's most classic and revolutionary – but the legacy is pretty incredible. Funk, sunshine rock and soul fused adventurously by a stunningly diverse roster – late period Frankie Vallie & The Four Seasons (who's comp-opening track is a slept on sunshine pop-soul classic), breezy-jazzy-soul from Odyssey, the sister funk of Sisters Love, a stunning solo left turn from Spinners singer GC Cameron and more great stuff from Syreeta, The Commodores, Suzee Ikeda, Thelma Houston and others. We've been dying for a well selected MoWest comp like this for years, and Light In The Attic stepped to the plate and knock it right out of the park. The songs choices are great, the notes are great. . .everything about it is a win. Essential! Includes "You're A Song (That I Can't Sing)" and "The Night" by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, "Our Lives Are Shaped By What We Love" and "Broken Road" by Odyssey, "Don't You Be Worried" by The Commodores, "A Heart Is A House" Nu Page, "I Ain't Going Nowhere" by Thelma Houston, "I Can't Give Back The Love I Feel For You" by Suzee Ikeda, "You've Got To Make The Choice" and "Give Me Your Love" by The Sisters Love and more.

Rare Motown galore – and one of the best installments in the mighty Soul Satisfaction series! The set really opens up the Motown vaults – coming up with rare bits that move way past the hits and over-done oldies, into territory that sounds like nothing we remember from the mighty Detroit powerhouse of soul! There's a tremendous selection of work on this set – 24 tracks that include obscure singles from artists we never knew recorded for Motown, plus other work by artists who were bigger, but are represented here by some great lesser-known tunes! Titles include "Music Talk" and "Love A Go Go" by Stevie Wonder, "Time Is Passing By" by The Monitors, "My Kind Of Love" by The Satintones, "Who Wouldn't Love A Man Like That" by Mable John, "So Long" by Marvin Gaye, "Oh Lover" by Sheri Taylor & Sammi Ward, "Gonna Find A True Love" by Bottom & Co, "The Stranger" by Gladys Knight, "Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone" by Chuck Jackson, "I'd Be A Fool Right Now" by Stevie Wonder, "I Love You" by Chris Clark, "I Feel Like I'm Falling In Love Again" by Fantastic Four, "Can't Seem To Get You Out Of My Mind" and "Then" by Four Tops, "I Have Faith In You Baby" by Edwin Starr, and "The Chaperone" by La Brenda Ben & The Beljeans.

A fantastic bit of soul and house that was woefully overlooked at the time of its release – and one of our favorite albums of the past 25 years! The Blaze production team had been hitting the underground club scene hard for a few years with their raw New Jersey house singles – then Motown grabbed them in the studio, and had them cut this classic album of soul tracks that pays homage to a set of greats that runs from Leroy Hutson, to Donnie Hathaway, to Norman Harris, and a host of others – all with a sense of soulfulness and depth that goes way past their standard work for the clubs! The dancefloor tracks are great, but the album's also got some wonderfully mellow moments too – with tracks that include "So Special", "We All Must Live Together", "Missing You", and "Get Up".

A landmark album from Boyz II Men – and a set that shows that the classic harmony style was alive and well into the 90s! Although the production and rhythms here are somewhat contemporary, the vocals have a classic approach all the way through – maturing masculine soul styles that are totally great, and which have aged beautifully over the years – way past the chart-reaching cliches of other groups of the time, and well deserving of attention as a great later Motown moment! Most production is by Dallas Austin – who structured the album beautifully into "adagio" and "allegro" sections – and titles include "Please Don't Go", "Lonely Heart", "Little Things", "Motownphilly", "Under Pressure", "Sympin", "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday", and "Uhh Ahh".

Smooth, chart R&B and new jack slow jams from one of the iconic groups of mid 90s urban radio in English and Spanish versions from the original album. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Dallas Austin, Babyface and the Darp Inc crew provide syrupy backing for the Boyz's sweet 90s soul harmonies. Includes "On Bended Knee" (in English and Spanish versions), "I'll Make Love To You" (in English and Spanish versions), "Yesterday" (in English and Spanish versions), "50 Candles", "Trying Times",and "Water Runs Dry (in English and Spanish versions)".

A pair of overlooked 70s gems from Jerry Butler – back to back on a single CD! Love's On The Menu is understated genius from Jerry – the kind of record that follows nicely off of his best strengths for Mercury in the early 70s – and which has him furthering the level of mature soul that was his greatest contribution to music in the decade! As before, the best tunes here are often the mellower ones – sung in a mode that's warmly soulful, and which often raises the bar for mainstream soul – to a level that would allow a lot more work to come from other singers a few years later. The title cut – "Love's On The Menu Tonight" – is a perfect illustration of this style – and other cuts include "The Devil In Mrs Jones", "Thank You Early Bird", "I'm Goin Left", "Don't Let This Smile Fool You", "I Don't Want Nobody To Know", and "This Is Your Life". Suite For The Single Girl is a great little concept album – and one that really shows the continuing sophistication and growth of Jerry Butler's music in the 70s! The record is dedicated to the "single girl" of the 70s (portrayed with the sad little photo of a brown bag lunch and a Gucci purse on the cover) – the new professional woman in the workplace – a surprisingly popular theme for many other singers of the period, but handled here by Butler with way more poise and class than any of his contemporaries! Arrangements are by James Mack and Paul Wilson, who often bring a great mellow mode to the best cuts – almost a Leon Ware style of laidback sensuality. A few other tunes are groovers, but still fit in just right – and titles include "Suite For The Single Girl", "I Wanna Do It To You", "Music In Her Dreams", "Only Pretty Girls", "Let's Go Get Out Of Town", "Chalk It Up", and "Ms Fine".

A tremendous solo act from GC Cameron – a singer who first rose to fame in The Spinners, but who really sounds wonderful on his own! GC's moved away from The Spinners here – into a wide range of styles that show him ready to take on most of the rest of the competition! He's working here with the best of the best of Motown – production from Stevie Wonder and Willie Hutch – and arrangements by both, plus Paul Riser, Gene Page, James Carmichael, and Frank Wilson – all of whom really give their best to the record, and show that Motown was putting plenty of effort into making GC one of the next big stars of the 70s. We're not sure why things never took off as strongly for Cameron, but whatever the case, the album's a great step for the solo artist – on cuts that include "If You Don't Love Me", "Tippin", "All In Love Is Fair", "If You're Ever Gonna Love Me", "Come Get This Thang", "I'm Gonna Give You Respect", and "Let Me Down Easy". CD features an insane amount of bonus tracks – 13 more tracks that include "Act Like A Shotgun", "Girl I Really Love You", "I'm Gonna Get You (parts 1 & 2)", "Don't Wanna Play Pajama Games", "You Are That Special One", "Have I Lost You", "Time", "Topics", and "No Matter Where".

A near-lost chapter in the career of Jean Carn – her one and only album recorded for Motown, cut in the early 80s with production by Norman Connors! Oddly, although Connors was the first producer to give Jean Carn a chance back in the 70s as a smooth soul vocalist – finding her voice a perfect fit for his warm and jazzy arrangements – here, he's going for a style that's a bit more conventionally soul-based, with more guitars and mainstream production than you'd expect. Jean's still pretty great, though, showing why she was one of the best female soul artists of the modern soul era – on tunes that include "My Baby Loves Me", "Don't Let Me Slip Away", "Steady On My Mind", "Completeness", and "Better To Me".

Majestic Motown from the 70s – an almost-overlooked record, but a surprisingly sophisticated gem that's well worth discovering again! The album's definitely soul at the core, but embraces so many other rich styles too – and at points, almost feels like some of the most ambitious material of the Cadet/Concept scene in Chicago – especially given the full orchestrations on the tracks, handled by Jimmy Haskell and Jerry Long! Leonard Caston's the real genius behind the record, though – and works here to provide great support for co-vocalist Carolyn Majors – who trades leads back and forth with him, and is sometimes showcased on tracks that really let her heavenly vocals take off! The whole thing's great – and titles include an early version of the cut "I'll Keep A Light In My Window", which was later recorded by other groups – plus "Child Of Love", "There's Fear", "Satisfied Mind", "Let There Be Love", "No One Will Know", and "Say You Love Me True". CD features loads of bonus tracks too – 9 more numbers that act as a great second chapter to the album – titles that include "Mother's Son", "What About The Price", "If I Can", "We're Together", "I've Got To Fly", "Don't Let", and "I'm Flying Your Sky".

One of the most easy-going Motown albums of the early 80s – a set that steps past some of the heavier funk the label's other acts were using, and which goes for kind of a crossover mix of ballads and heartfelt numbers! The title track is something of a post-70s feminist statement, although one that's gotten a bit cheesy over time – and Charlene sings here in this slightly emotive style that's partly soul, but which also makes a big nod to the growing adult contemporary side of the spectrum too. Titles include "I've Never Been To Me", "Hey Mama", "Can't We Try", "It Ain't Easy Comin Down", "I Won't Remember Ever Loving You", and "If I Could See Myself".

An album that definitely lives up to the title promised by The Commodores – a record that takes all their raw funky energy of the early years, and fuses it into a new groove that would catapult the sextet to superstardom! The sound is commercial, but still has a pretty fresh sort of feel too – that quality the group brought to their work when breaking down so many boundaries in mainstream music – and finding fans in corners that few other funk groups might have touched! There's plenty of upbeat funk tracks in the mix, and even the mellower moments are still balanced nicely enough to avoid any of the cliches that Lionel Richie might have had during his solo years. Titles include "Why You Wanna Try Me", "This Love", "Been Loving You", "Lucy", "Saturday Night", "Lady (You Bring Me Up)", and "Oh No".

The love jams, slow grooving ballads, and easy like Sunday morning sounds of The Commodores – a most deserving combo for an entry in Motown/Universal compilation series of Love Songs! 12 of the greatest, biggest hits and lesser remembered, but still completely lovable Commodores numbers in a single set. As is the case with this kind of set, it's easy to pick out omissions, but we're feeling the love for the numbers that made the cut. Includes "Easy", "Sweet Love", "Just To Be Close To You", "Only You", "Old-Fashioned Love", "Wonderland", "Lovin' You", "Oh No", "Three Times A Lady", "The Woman In My Life" and "Still".

By this point in their career, The Commodores have lost Lionel Richie and any sort of funk credibility they had from their early years – but they also somehow manage to reemerge with a great new talent for a sweet mellow groove! The title tune "Nightshift" was one of those tracks that crossed over massively at the time – but to our ears, it also kind of redeemed the group too – as it's got a surprisingly soulful quality that really got the group past the soppiness of their ballads and love songs – gliding along with an almost-righteous quality that makes it a nice later cap to an earlier Motown 70s groove. Other tunes on the album don't always fare as well, but there's still some nice moments here – tunes that benefit from some Dennis Lambert production and hit just the right kind of mellow groove to follow up on the spirit of the single. Tracks include "Nightshift", "Slip Of The Tongue", "Lay Back", "Lightin Up The Night", and "The Woman In My Life".

A pretty great record from Sammy – one that has a groovier feel than most of his other work from the time! The cover has Sammy hanging out with a bunch of hippies, and that feel is certainly carried through to the music – arranged by Billy Strange and George Rhodes, with bouncy production by Jimmy Bowen that takes Sam way past his years at Reprise. Kicks off with a great version of "Spinning Wheel", and includes the tracks "You Better Sit Down Kids", "For Once In My Life", "You've Made Me So Very Happy", and "In The Ghetto".

A killer start to the 80s for the Dazz Band – with great tunes in a funky mode as well as more measured group soul numbers – and it all adds up one of their best albums ever! Tunes like the opener "Shake It", plus "Shake It Up" and "Magnetized" bring the funkier vibes – with a vamping guitar, thumping bass groove, punchy horns, and top notch vocals from the group – while tunes like the title track and "Beyond The Horizon" have a more soaring arrangement of horns and some strings,still with an impeccable core groove. It's not as smoothed out in the production booth as some of their later grooves of the 80s – a total gem! Other titles include " Skate Lovers", "Carry On", "Do It Again", "Do It Again", "Sooner Or Later" and "Beyond The Horizon".

Dazz Band keep it plenty live on this early 80s gem – a killer set from the group's hit run for Motown! The set's got a bouncy groove that's very much in the best Motown funk style at the time – lots of bass at the bottom, and plenty tight on production – but never as smooth or commercial as work from a few years later. The group balance things out well with a few mellower cuts – numbers that still have some sort of a groove, but one that's a bit more laidback, and which shows they're not just a funk-driven outfit. Titles include the massive hit "Let It Whip" – plus "Gamble With My Love", "Just Can't Wait 'Till The Night", "Shake What You Got", "Keep It Live", and "Let Me Love You Until".

Dazz Band keep it plenty live on this early 80s gem – a killer set from the group's hit run for Motown! The set's got a bouncy groove that's very much in the best Motown funk style at the time – lots of bass at the bottom, and plenty tight on production – but never as smooth or commercial as work from a few years later. The group balance things out well with a few mellower cuts – numbers that still have some sort of a groove, but one that's a bit more laidback, and which shows they're not just a funk-driven outfit. Titles include the massive hit "Let It Whip" – plus "Gamble With My Love", "Just Can't Wait 'Till The Night", "Shake What You Got", "Keep It Live", and "Let Me Love You Until". CD also features the bonus track "Let It Whip (12" version)".

Titles include "Cheek To Cheek", "On The One For Fun", "Stay Awhile With Me", "Nice Girls", and "A Love Song".

A stone pop soul winner from DeBarge – the kind of record that made the group a heck of a lot of money back in the 80s, and which sounds surprisingly great to our ears today! The record features lots of electro arrangements – fuzzy keyboards and bass pedals grooving around in a way that's got traces of "street" electro, mixed with some super-smooth LA production, and used brilliantly by the group in a family-based pop harmony way that stretches back to some of the great 70s groups of the same style – like The Sylvers or the Stairsteps. A heck of a lot nicer than we remember, and pretty great all the way through – with tracks that include "I Like It", "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", "All This Love", "I'm In Love With You", "Can't Stop", "It's Getting Stronger", and "Life Begins With You".

A stone pop soul winner from DeBarge – the kind of record that made the group a heck of a lot of money back in the 80s, and which sounds surprisingly great to our ears today! The record features lots of electro arrangements – fuzzy keyboards and bass pedals grooving around in a way that's got traces of "street" electro, mixed with some super-smooth LA production, and used brilliantly by the group in a family-based pop harmony way that stretches back to some of the great 70s groups of the same style – like The Sylvers or the Stairsteps. A heck of a lot nicer than we remember, and pretty great all the way through – with tracks that include "I Like It", "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", "All This Love", "I'm In Love With You", "Can't Stop", "It's Getting Stronger", and "Life Begins With You".

A surprisingly great album from DeBarge – proof that the group really had something great at the start! Much as we'd like to dismiss DeBarge for their dated costumes and silly covers, the group still stands as one of the strongest pop acts from early 80s Motown – and have an undeniably catchy groove that still has appeal after all these years! Of course, part of the strength of this one is actually the mellower numbers – sung in a wonderfully sweet harmony mode that was instantly timeless. The best of these is "Stay With Me", sampled to great effect, and a tune elevates this album above all the rest – but there's plenty of other tasty numbers too, including "Time Will Reveal", "Need Somebody", "Be My Lady", "Love Me In A Special Way" and "Queen Of My Heart".

A great lost bit of mid 70s Motown – a pair of should-be classic albums by Dynamic Superiors – in a single set! Dynamic Superiors were a great harmony group with an east coast sound – quite different from the usual Motown combo in that their vocals were often allowed very free range, with less of the tightness of the usual Motown group soul album. Ashford & Simpson produced the record – with arrangements by Leon Pendarvis, Richard Tee, and Arthur Jenkins – and the whole thing's a sweet soul treasure that's got some excellent mellow soul cuts! Titles from the self-titled set include "One Nighter", "Don't Send Nobody Else", "Shoe Shoe Shine", "Star of My Life", and "Leave It Alone". Pure Pleasure is another sweet set – arranged with a bit more of a high stepping groove than some of the other Motown work of the time. Backings are handled by a range of talents that includes Paul Riser, William Eaton, Al Gorgoni, and Horace Ott – but the real charm is the way the group's innocent harmony style puts over the lyrics, all of which are very strong tunes written by the team of Ashford & Simpson. Titles include "Face The Music", "Hit & Run Lovers", "Deception", "Pleasure", "Nobody's Gonna Change Me", "Feeling Mellow", "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing", and "Don't Give Up On Me Baby".

Sweet group soul from The Dynamic Superiors – one of the few late 70s comers who still held onto that great falsetto lead that was big in the earlier part of the decade! The album does a great job of mixing funky numbers with sweeter, mellower cuts – in ways that also kind of bridge the group soul modes a record like this represents – some of the gentler sounds of the indie generation, and that growing dancefloor concentration of bigger labels in the late 70s. Throughout it all, the Superiors hold their own nicely – and titles include "All In Love Is Fair", "Happy Song", "Give It All Up", "Here Comes That Feeling Again", "Nowhere To Run", "You're What I Need", and "Once Is Just Not Enough". CD features three bonus tracks – parts 1 and 2 of "Nowhere To Run (US single edit)" – and "You're What I Need (US single edit)".

"It Should Have Been Me" is a famous ballad track by Yvonne – done in a slow, building style, with a real weepy southern finish, one of her best tracks ever!

Funky disco at its best from a lesser known group, blending equal parts uptempo soul, soaring string laden disco arrangements and bottom heavy club grooves, put together without cliché.

Massive music from one of the greatest Motown groups ever – served up here as a set of 78 singles from the 60s and early 70s – not just all the US releases for Motown, but also UK-only singles, Italian singles, and work with the Supremes as well! The lavish book-style set is done in the same mode as the excellent Complete Motown series from a few years back – with a heavy 7" cover, loads of color pages in the middle, and a wealth of information and photos – maybe the nicest set we've ever seen on the Four Tops! But the music here is more than enough, too – killer singles that mix big hits with more obscure numbers – on title that include "Sad Souvenirs", "Walk Away Renee", "The Key", "Still Water", "Together We Can Make Such Sweet Music", "You Keep Running Away", "If You Don't Want My Love", "I'll Never Change", "Can't Seem To Get You Out Of My Mind", "You Stole My Love", "Simple Game (UK version)", "Piangono Gli Uomini", "Gira Gira", and "Until You Love Someone".

Possibly the last big hit that the Four Tops ever cut for Motown – and proof that they could still turn out strong material, as was later proven by their work at ABC. The title cut – "Still Waters (Run Deep)" – is one of those always enjoyable, surprisingly sophisticated little pop soul tunes – and the record features a lot of other nice moments like "Love Is The Answer", "Reflections", "I Wish I Were Your Mirror", "Bring Me Together", and a reprise of "Still Waters". Nice use of moog, too!

A mix of pop and soul – but in the hands of the Four Tops, just about any song takes on a new soulful life! The record features their minor hit "Yesterday's Dreams" – plus groovy versions of "Sunny", "Never My Love", "Daydream Believer", and "By The Time I Get To Phoenix". Also includes nice lesser-known material like "Can't Seem To Get You Out Of My Mind", "Once Upon A Time", and "I'm In A Different World".

Wonderful stuff – and one of our favorite-ever Marvin Gaye albums! This is the legendary two-record set that Marvin wrote and recorded as an alimony payment to his ex-wife Anna Gordy (the story's pretty long, and we won't get into it here – suffice it to say that when stars get a divorce, watch out!) Although the album was thought of as a no-brainer quickie at the time – and predicted to fail so that Anna wouldn't get any cash from it – the record is an extremely well-crafted one, filled with extremely personal songs that also have a warm soulful finish, in the style of Marvin's work on the LP I Want You (which is kind of a nice bookend to this one – as it was an extended love poem to the young girlfriend that caused him to split up with Anna!) Hard and soulful, the record's a searing testimony to the relationship between Marvin and Anna, and a painful document of the troubles between them – set to some mellow grooves that are easily some of Marvin's greatest of the 70s! The set's filled with great "lost" Marvin Gay songs, too – like "Sparrow", "When Did You Stop Loving Me", "Anger", "You Can Leave, But It's Going To Cost You", and "Time to Get it Together".

Wonderful stuff – and one of our favorite-ever Marvin Gaye albums! This is the legendary two-record set that Marvin wrote and recorded as an alimony payment to his ex-wife Anna Gordy (the story's pretty long, and we won't get into it here – suffice it to say that when stars get a divorce, watch out!) Although the album was thought of as a no-brainer quickie at the time – and predicted to fail so that Anna wouldn't get any cash from it – the record is an extremely well-crafted one, filled with extremely personal songs that also have a warm soulful finish, in the style of Marvin's work on the LP I Want You (which is kind of a nice bookend to this one – as it was an extended love poem to the young girlfriend that caused him to split up with Anna!) Hard and soulful, the record's a searing testimony to the relationship between Marvin and Anna, and a painful document of the troubles between them – set to some mellow grooves that are easily some of Marvin's greatest of the 70s! The set's filled with great "lost" Marvin Gay songs, too – like "Sparrow", "When Did You Stop Loving Me", "Anger", "You Can Leave, But It's Going To Cost You", and "Time to Get it Together".

An incredible record – quite possibly our favorite ever by Marvin Gaye! The album is quite unique – written by Leon Ware, and recorded in collaboration with him – done as a "suite" of tracks based on themes of passion, joy, and new love – all of which were very much on the mind of Marvin during his troubled years of the mid 70s. The whole thing's beautifully put together – superbly orchestrated with just the right funky touches, and even a sweet bit of electronics to give the set a nice edge. An amazing album – one of those soul records that goes deeper and deeper than you ever thought pop music could go – filled with great tracks that include "I Want You", "After the Dance", "Come Live With Me", and "Since I Had You". Genius – pure genius!

An amazing record that stunned the world almost as much as Marvin's previous effort, What's Going On. Like that one, this album's an amazingly unified batch of tracks – with a visionary message about sex and love that is as honest and bracing as the politics and social commentary of his previous record. The record shows a sexy side of Marvin that would stun fans of his 60s work – very adult, very warm, and very preoccupied with desire and love. In a way, this sort of full-on love fest was a big payoff for all the folks who'd hung onto his simpler expressions of affection in the earlier years – sort of like getting let into the bedroom after spending years on the front porch! The record was produced by both Marvin and Ed Townsend – and the arrangements by David Van DePitte, Rene Hall, and Gene Page are smooth and seductive all the way through. Includes slow jam classics like "You Sure Love To Ball", "Distant Lover", and "Let's Get It On" – plus "Come Get To This", "Just to Keep You Satisfied", and "If I Should Die Tonight".

An amazing record that stunned the world almost as much as Marvin's previous effort, What's Going On. Like that one, this album's an amazingly unified batch of tracks – with a visionary message about sex and love that is as honest and bracing as the politics and social commentary of his previous record. The record shows a sexy side of Marvin that would stun fans of his 60s work – very adult, very warm, and very preoccupied with desire and love. In a way, this sort of full-on love fest was a big payoff for all the folks who'd hung onto his simpler expressions of affection in the earlier years – sort of like getting let into the bedroom after spending years on the front porch! The record was produced by both Marvin and Ed Townsend – and the arrangements by David Van DePitte, Rene Hall, and Gene Page are smooth and seductive all the way through. Includes slow jam classics like "You Sure Love To Ball", "Distant Lover", and "Let's Get It On" – plus "Come Get To This", "Just to Keep You Satisfied", and "If I Should Die Tonight". This expanded edition contains the extra tracks "Let's Get It On (single edit)" and "You Sure Love To Ball (single mix)".

Marvin Marvin Marvin – just when we thought you couldn't impress us any more, you took it to the next level! Trouble Man is a heck of a wonderful surprise from an artist that most folks really only knew as a singer – a fantastically funky blacksploitation soundtrack, conceived and composed by Marvin himself – and served up with some occasional vocals that work beautifully with the album's cool instrumental grooves! The set's easily one of Gaye's most righteous records ever – almost a second chapter to What's Going On, but more instrumental – and like that classic set, it really shows the whole new range of vision that Marvin was able to work in the studio. Gaye gets a bit of arranging help on some tracks from Gene Page and JJ Johnson – and the album's filled with great cuts – including the landmark "T Plays It Cool", plus other gems like "Don't Mess With Mister T", "Main Theme From Trouble Man", "The Break In", and "T Stands For Trouble". Very funky, very sophisticated, and very soulful!

One of the few cases in the history of pop music where the record is worth all the hype! Marvin blew everyone's mind when he unleashed this amazing suite of political soul tunes – not only just because he'd moved past the simple love songs of earlier years, but also because he was working with an amazingly complicated approach to soul music, one that would touch the work of others for years to come. David Van DePitte arranged and conducted the whole album – with soaring orchestrations mixed with smooth modern soul, in a style that reminds us a lot of the work of Charles Stepney at Cadet, who'd been doing this sort of thing for years but with less success. In the hands of Marvin Gaye, though, the material has an amazing quality – and all the disparate elements of the album are fused together in one powerful message by Marvin's incredible voice. One that we never tire of, and a record to be listened to all the way through every time. Titles include "What's Goin On", "Save The Children", "Flyin High (In The Friendly Sky)", "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)", and "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)". This expanded edition includes the B-side tracks "God Is Love" and "Sad Tomorrow".

A pair of late 70s Motown gems from Cuba Gooding – back to back on a single CD! The well-titled 1st Cuba Gooding Album is his first project on his own, done after a classic stretch in the Main Ingredient! Gooding's working here with help from Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter – the hit 70s soul team who really help him find a great new groove on his own – a sound that's rooted in the sweeter vocal modes of The Main Ingredient, but which has a sparklingly sophisticated quality of its own! The music is mature and upbeat – a bit like some of David Ruffin or Eddie Kendricks' solo work of the 70s – and nearly all tunes here are originals by Potter and Lambert. Titles include "Fool Of The Year", "Mind Pleaser", "Hold On To What You Got", "All I Can Give You Is Love", and "As Long As There's You". Love Dancer is a tremendous solo outing from Cuba Gooding – a record that not only shows his strength as a lead singer away from The Main Ingredient – but one that also shows that he really knows how to groove as well! The album's produced by Michael Smith, and has a vibe that's a bit different than Gooding's previous Motown record – with some tunes that have a wonderfully rich clubby sort of sparkle – and some even nicer mellow moments that really unlock that mature potential Gooding always had in his vocals – that smooth-stepping sound he'd really bring to the forefront when returning to The Main Ingredient in the 80s. Titles include the great mellow groover "I'm Yours Now" – plus "Hey The Party's In Here", "Disco Royale", "Trust Me", "Tell Me How Long It's Been", and "Running Man".

A sweet 80s classic from Finis Henderson – and the kind of record that should have launched him on a much bigger run as a lead singer! Despite the plastic look of the cover, the album's really solidly put together – produced by Al McKay with a vibe that definitely echoes his work with Earth Wind & Fire, and a style that also shows some of Henderson's roots in the Chicago group Weapons Of Peace – which means lots of jazzy inflections with the grooves, in a style that works perfectly for Finis' style of singing. And given that Henderson has a range that sometimes hits Philip Bailey territory, the match is a great one – and gives the album a sense of class that other Motown soul from the time didn't always have. Titles include "Lovers", "Making Love", "Skip To My Lou", "Vina Del Mar", "Crush On You", "I'd Rather Be Gone", and "You Owe It All To Love".

Finally, a sweet compilation of some of the best numbers from latter day Motown girl group High Inergy – sunny soul that shines especially brightly with the benefit of hindsight! They managed to hit the charts early on, but it's pretty easy to see how these ladies could be unjustly overlooked in the grand scheme. They signed the Motown in the later 70s, after the Supremes and other formative girl groups had long ago finished blazing the trails, plus Motown was at a real crossroads in terms of it's honoring its iconic history, while still navigating contemporary trends. Meanwhile, High Inergy recorded some wonderful stuff – with some late disco era string-laden production as well as tender ballads – both focusing on the sweet vocals and songcraft, rather than trying too hard to be trendy. The original albums may have been hit & miss, but Expansion does a terrific job of treasure hunting – every track here is lovely! 20 tracks in all: Includes "Lovin' Fever", "First Impressions", "I'm A Believer", "Goin' Thru The Motions", "Cold This Be Love", "Devotion", "Just A Touch Away" feat Smokey Robinson, "Somebody, Somewhere", "Hold On To My Love" feat Switch, "All Of You", "Journey To Love". "He's A Pretender" and more.

A monster! Foxy Brown is Willie Hutch's magnificent soundtrack for Foxy Brown – a Pam Grier blacksploitation film from the early 70s – and it's pure genius all the way through, a record filled with some of the best funky soundtrack cuts of the era! Willie's got a real Curtis Mayfield sound here – with a dope mixture of full orchestrations and heavy funk, guitar riffing away as drums snap tightly across the album's best rhythms! Includes the classic funky numbers "Ain't That Mellow Mellow" and "Give Me Some of that Good Old Love" – plus "Whatever You Do", "Foxy Lady", "You Sure Know How To Love Your Man", "Theme Of Foxy Brown", "Out There", and "Chase".

Super-dope work from Willie – a great selection of laidback and electric grooves, done here with plenty of great work on hollow-body electric guitar, which adds a nice raspiness to the instrumentation, and creates the same sort of vibe you'd hear on Willie's best soundtrack work. The record's got a great cover of "I Wanna Be Where You Are", plus Willie's originals "If You Ain't Got No Money, You Can't Get No Honey", "California My Way", the sample classic "Tell Me Why Has Our Love Tuned Cold", "Ain't Nothing Like Togetherness", "Sunshine Lady" and more.

One of the nicer Willie Hutch albums on Motown – a killer batch of heavy and funky tracks that evoke some of his soundtrack work from the same time – as well as a more hard grooving album-oriented approach! Willie arranged and produced, and there's lots of nice moogy and guitary bits – plus sweet backup chorus vocals and a few more soaring elements – making this one a cool mix of grittier grooves, stranger textures and a few softer touches. Titles include "Get Ready For The Get Down", "Don't You Let Nobody Tell You How To Do Your Thing", "I'm Gonna Stay", "Mark Of The Beast", "Woman You Touched Me" and "Life's No Fun Living In the Ghetto".

An excellent soul album from the great Willie Hutch! The record's got more of a vocal focus than some of Willie's other albums – and his rich voice is perfectly set up in some sweet and soulful arrangements that have a full sound and a classy finish, but still a raw edge that keeps things exciting. Willie arranged and produced the whole thing, again proving that he was one of the freshest talents at Motown during the 70s. Includes the Little Beaver-esque dope guitar cut "Ode To My Lady", plus "Party Down", "Love Power", "Talk To Me", "(I'm Gonna) Hold On", "You Gotta Give Love Up", and "Love Me Back".

Sweet funky soul from the great Willie Hutch – best known to most as the composer of the fantastic soundtracks for Foxy Brown and The Mack, but a heck of a great soul artist in his own right, with a wealth of great albums from the 70s! Willie's got a sweet raspy vocal style that's really great, and on many tracks, he plays some dope guitar, in the manner of Little Beaver on his slicker albums. Titles on this set include "Brothers Gonna Work It Out", "Get Ready For The Get Down", "If You Ain't Got No Money", "Sunshine Lady", "Theme Of Foxy Brown", "Party Down", "I'll Be There", "Slick", and "Love Power". 14 tracks in all!

A stunning 3LP set – featuring just about all the best stuff you'd ever want by the young Jacksons! Titles include "I Found That Girl", "Got To Be There", "Goin Back To Indiana", "I Want You Back", "ABC", "Dancing Machine", "I Am Love", "Body Language", "Forever Came Today", "Just A Little Bit Of You", "Whatever You Got, I Want", "The Boogie Man", "Get It Together", "Lookin Through Windows", "Ben", "Maybe Tomorrow", "The Love You Save", and "Mama's Pearl".

Pure genius – like just about every other early Motown album by the Jackson 5! The vocals are sublime – almost even more perfect than on the first few records – and the group have some great help in the studio from arrangers like The Corporation, Willie Hutch, Johnny Bristol, and and James Carmichael – all of whom really help the quintet find their groove! Titles include "I Can Only Give You Love", "E Ne Me Ne Mi Ne Moe", "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing", "Lookin Through The Windows", and "To Know".

Pure genius – like just about every other early Motown album by the Jackson 5! The vocals are sublime – almost even more perfect than on the first few records – and the group have some great help in the studio from arrangers like The Corporation, Willie Hutch, Johnny Bristol, and and James Carmichael – all of whom really help the quintet find their groove! Titles include "I Can Only Give You Love", "E Ne Me Ne Mi Ne Moe", "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing", "Lookin Through The Windows", and "To Know". CD also features the bonus track "Love Song".

The cover's a bit gimmicky, but the album's a stone classic – a wicked later Motown moment from the Jackson 5 – and one that has them working with the super-grooving team of Holland-Dozier-Holland! Brian Holland handles production work for the team, and although his touches only appear on about half the record, he really helps the Jacksons hit that wickedly righteous groove that was the trademark HDH sound over that the Invictus label – a bassy, bottom-heavy Detroit sound with just a bit of psychedelic funk as well! Additional production is by Mel Larson & Jerry Marcellino – and titles include "Forever Came Today", "Moving Violation", "You Were Made Especially For Me", "Honey Love", "Body Language", "All I Do Is Think Of You", and "Breezy". CD also includes a bonus track – "Forever Came Today (disc-o-tech version)".

We have to admit we've passed this album up for years and years, as it seems to be rather ubiquitous in these parts, and boy were we mistaken! Side one is mostly instrumental, and sounds like a lost Dexter Wansel album, with sophisticated, spacey post-fusion arrangements and a quasi-futuristic vibe. Side two changes up the vibe a bit, with vocals and a slightly slicker approach, with a kind of Bootsy-esque funk vibe creeping in just a bit. 9 tracks in all, including the sublime "Solar Flight (Opus I)" and "Third World Calling (Opus II)", plus "Keep Tryin", "Masked Music Man" and "Masked Marauder".

Maybe the greatest album that Teena Marie ever cut – and that's saying a lot, given the strength of the lady's work for Motown! The set's got this bright, positive bounce that grabs you right from the start – but also moves into a depth that's way different than other funk albums of the time – a way with a ballad and a thoughtful track that almost makes Marie the 80s heir to the Minnie Riperton legacy, especially given the strength of her voice on the set – and the fact that Teena wrote and produced the whole album herself! At a time when so many other female soul singers were at the mercy of other folks' talents and ideas, Lady T steps forth boldly with this classic set – brimming over with greatness on cuts that include the stellar "Portuguese Love", plus "Yes Indeed", "Where's California", "Opus III", "Square Biz", "365", "Revolution", and "Ballad Of Cradle Rob & Me". This expanded CD also includes 2 live tracks recorded in Long Beach – versions of "Deja Vu" and "Someday We'll All Be Free" – plus the bonus track "Square Biz", done in an instrumental version. All written & produced by Teena, too!

One of the first great group albums on Motown – and a set that really paved the way for later albums by The Supremes, Martha & The Vandellas, and other Motown girl groups! The Marvelettes were easily one of the most perfectly-formed acts on the label at the start – and this smoking early set has them leaping forward in a mix of bold soul and heartbreaking numbers, often with a raw edge that we really really love – a bit less iconic than Motown in later years – but in a great way! Titles include the massive "Please Mr Postman", plus "Angel", "So Long Baby", "Way Over There", "I Apologize", "All The Love I Got", "Happy Days", and "You Don't Want Me No More".

The great first album from The Mary Jane Girls – easily their best, and an 80s pop soul delight all the way through! Rick James is firmly at the helm of the quartet for this release – and although the sound has elements of James' own crossover funk of the time, there's also an approach that's sweeter and more female – balanced in a surprisingly nice way, and not nearly as cloying as other efforts of its type! Backings are lean and stripped down – often in a nice clubby 80s groove mode – and titles include "All Night Long", "Candy Man", "Boys", "Jealousy", "On The Inside", "Musical Love", "Prove It", and "You Are My Heaven".

A lasting classic from the funky female foursome who were one of the biggest acts on Motown in the mid-80s – working here with super tight production and arrangements from Rick James – who also wrote all the songs on the record too! The girls' look is a bit dated, but their sound has surprisingly strong staying power – partly because of Rick's crossover version of funk in the rhythms, but also because of the way the vocal interplay still stays nice and catchy! The album's definitely commercial, but doesn't have that clunk that makes other efforts of this time from the time fall flat – and titles include "In My House", "I Betcha", "Girlfriend", Wild & Crazy Love", "Shadow Lover", "Break It Up", and "Lonely For You".

A lasting classic from the funky female foursome who were one of the biggest acts on Motown in the mid-80s – working here with super tight production and arrangements from Rick James – who also wrote all the songs on the record too! The girls' look is a bit dated, but their sound has surprisingly strong staying power – partly because of Rick's crossover version of funk in the rhythms, but also because of the way the vocal interplay still stays nice and catchy! The album's definitely commercial, but doesn't have that clunk that makes other efforts of this time from the time fall flat – and titles include "In My House", "I Betcha", "Girlfriend", Wild & Crazy Love", "Shadow Lover", "Break It Up", and "Lonely For You".

The Originals are hitting more of a dance-oriented groove here – a mix of disco, soul, and uptempo funk arrangements, but still maintaining their harmony sound, in the manner of other Detroit groups at the time, like The Fantastic Four or Detroit Emeralds. Titles include "Call On Your Six Million Dollar Man", "Hurry Up & Wait", "Been Decided", and "Down To Love Town".

A pair of killers from Ozone – back to back on a single CD! Jump On It is filled with jumping grooves from Ozone – a smoking little set that's tight and right – and completely wonderful throughout! The set's got that perfect blend of funk and groove that always made Ozone so great – a quality honed through years as Billy Preston's backing band, and forged even more strongly on their own – with some extra added help here from both Michael Lovesmith as songwriter and arranger, and Angelo Bond as songwriter on a few cuts! The album's a killer all the way through – and stands as proof that Ozone were one of those great overlooked Motown acts at the start of the 80s – one who really should have been huge. Titles include "Your Love Stays On My Mind", "Mighty Mighty", "Ozonic Bee Bop", "Jump On It", "Rock & Roll Pop & Soul", and "Come On It". Lil Suzy is a smoking batch of funky grooves that has a lot more edge than most of the other work going on at the label at the time! There's echoes of Rick James funk in the mix, but the overall style is looser and freer too – almost with an ear towards some of the indie club styles of the time, yet tuned towards the tightness that you'd expect from Motown at its best. The arrangements are superb, and the band have a way of keeping the ensemble upfront throughout – yet also avoiding any of the cliches that other groups would hit so often. Occasional sweet moments really help balance the sound – and titles include "Shake It Down", "You'll Never Know How Much", "Ain't Got Far To Go", "I'm Not Easy", and "Let The Ozone Take Your Mind".

The first two albums from Ozone – back to back on a single CD! Walk On is the great debut of Ozone – a group who'd worked previously as the backing band for Billy Preston – which should give you an idea of how great they are! The group have a razor-sharp way of putting things together – tight and funky, yet never over the top – and definitely a real cut above most of their contemporaries – even at this heady time for soul music! The balance of their sound is wonderful – with some occasional smooth moments amidst the jazzy funk – and the whole thing feels more like some of the best Capitol Records groovers of the time, instead of what you might expect from early 80s Motown. Titles include "Cosmic Egg", "Ego", "Walk On", "This Is Funkin Insane", "That J", and "You On My Mind". Send It is filled with killer grooves from Ozone – an overlooked early 80s group on Motown, and easily one of the label's strongest suits of the time! The group have the tighter sound of most of the Motown work of the time – but they also manage a looser, more organic sort of approach to their groove – a sound that's almost more in the ensemble funk and 80s groove best of the Capitol Rare scene of the time, and a lot less like some of the more chartbound acts on their label. There's plenty of bass in the backings, but it's never used in a way that's too over the top – and the group balance things out nicely with a careful approach to vocals and some more sensitive ballads. Titles include "Keep On Dancin", "Over & Over Again", "Gigolette", "Do What Cha Wanna", "Tune Up", and "Girl I Can't Wait". Also includes a 12" single mix of "Gigolette".

An overlooked groover from late 70s Motown – served up on a record that might look more like a heavy metal outing, but which is tight clubby soul all the way through! Platinum Hook are a bit in the funky territory of early Commodores – save for the fact that they've got one female singer in amongst the guys – and like that more famous combo, they have a really great way of balancing bassy groovers with a few mellower moments to really round out their sound – some slower-stepping cuts that still bring funk into the rhythms, but in a nicely laidback way! Titles include "City Life", "Gotta Find A Woman", "Til I Met You", "Hooked For Life", and a cover of George Clinton's "Standing On The Verge (Of Getting It On)".

Billy Preston & Syreeta handled the music for this slightly-lame, kind of strange Gabe Kaplan vehicle from the late 70s. The music is relatively fine, although the album lacks any totally funky moments. Instrumentals include "Books & Basketball", "Half Time", "The Big Game", and "Welcome To Cadwaller". Also includes regular and disco versions of "Go For It", the theme of the movie.

A massive batch of music from Martha Reeves & The Vandellas – not just the 52 singles they issued for Motown, but a full bonus 28 tracks that are previously unreleased, and two rare Spanish singles too! The group's playful style of vocals was a huge hit right from the start – and the set's packed not just with key hits like "Heat Wave", "Nowhere To Run", "Jimmy Mack", and "Dancing In The Street" – but loads more great ones like "Heartless", "I Want You Back", "Bless You", "Forget Me Not", "Sweet Darlin", "There He Is", and "Wild One". The unreleased tracks are grouped into a Motown Lost & Found package on CD3, but are different from the ones on the previous Lost & Found set from The Vandellas – appearing here for the first time ever. These cuts include "We Will", "Light My Fire", "I'll Be Standing By", "You Just Wouldn't Listen", "C'Mon & Swim", "SOS", and "Testifying For Love". Spanish singles include "Jimmy Mack" and "Yo Necesito De Tu Amor" – and the whole thing comes in a heavy book-styled cover, like those complete Motown collections!

Smooth Smokey at the end of the 70s – an album that has him moving from the Quiet Storm sound into the more hook-based style that would earn him a fair bit of hits in the 80s! The Robinson vocal approach is always sweet, warm, and mellow on the set – especially on the album's more laidback numbers, which still have a bit of that groove that made Smokey's other 70s work so great – and which helps him retain a bit more of an organic soul sound on the album. And honestly, given the studio traps that a singer his age could fall into, it's pretty amazing how well Smokey's vocals do come through in the set – with a breathy intensity that takes us back to key moments in early years, and which really avoids the schlock of later records! Titles include "The Hurt's On You", "Ever Had A Dream", "I Love The Nearness Of You", "Cruisin", "Shake It", and "Get Ready".

Essential peak solo material from Diana – her aptly self-titled set from 1976, showing Ms. Ross stretching out stylistically with incredible style and with beautiful vocals! Diana '76 is among her best work of the 70s – and that's saying something! It opens with the gorgeous "Theme From Mahogany" – and given that this album's release was timed well with the movie, you could be forgiven to think it could be a quickie product to ride the film's commercial coattails. Not at all! In fact, this album is a major creative triumph – songs ranging from elegant balladry, to jazzy soul, to sultry disco. It's one of those rare few cases in which a great artists covers miles of stylistic territory and reins it all into a consistent whole. We always loved this album, but re-approaching after all these years, we think it's a real masterpiece! Titles include "Theme From Mahogany", "You're Good My Child", "Love Hangover", "Kiss Me Now", "After You", "Smile", "One Love In My Lifetime", and "I Thought It Took A Little Time". The folks at Motown/Hip-O Select are giving it the masterpiece love for this 2CD edition – with the original album plus 9 bonus tracks on Disc 1 – plus 15 more bonus tracks on Disc 2! Bonus tracks include non-album singles "Sorry Doesn't Always Make It Right (Single Version)" and "Together (Single Version)", single and alternate versions of the best album tracks, rare, unreleased sessions material that include a sweet cover of Elton John's "Harmony", "Go Where Your Mind Is", "Le Lo Li" and much more, plus an interview with Diana. 33 tracks on 2CDs plus a nice booklet..

A great early solo set from Diana Ross – a record that still has some great echoes of her work with The Supremes, but an even bolder frontline approach on vocals! Most tracks here still have other female voices backing Ross up – some un-credited Supremes-esque vocals that really help sweeten up the record, and make for a great transition from the earlier years. Production is by Hal Davis and Deke Richards of The Corporation – both of whom start pushing in some more sophisticated elements to the sound – lilting rhythms and soaring strings, but always used in moderation – so that most of the tunes still have that sweetly stepping groove that was associated with Ross' best work of the late 60s. There's some really great songs on the set – including the excellent title track "Everything Is Everything", which has a bouncing little hook, and the wonderful "Doobedood'ndoobe", an original by Deke Richards with a nice set of changes! Other titles include "I Love You", "How About You", "My Place", "Ain't No Sad Song", and "Baby It's Love".

One of the more righteous albums from the early years of Diana Ross' solo career – a set that really has her moving past the familiar Motown groove of previous years, into a vibe that really shows the label's new California influence! The tracks here often feature expansive arrangements that mix soul and larger orchestrations – arranged by Gene Page, James Carmichael, Gil Askey, and Michael Randall – all of whom preserve the class that Diana's always had in her music, while still also opening things up to some of the more thoughtful elements of 70s soul. The album includes a nice medley of Oscar Brown Jr's "Brown Baby" and Marvin Gaye's "Save The Children", plus a version of "Imagine", and the tracks "Leave A Little Room", "I Won't Last A Day Without You", "All Of My Life", and "Touch Me In The Morning". Expanded CD version is amazing, too! CD 1 features the full original album, plus 5 more previously unreleased bonus tracks – alternate versions of "Touch Me In The Morning", "All Of My Life", "Leave A Little Room", and "We Need You". Then, CD 2 features the stunning To The Baby album – a previously unreleased effort that's appearing here for the first time ever, really continuing the vibe of Touch Me In The Morning! Titles include "A Wonderful Guest", "Young Mothers (alt)", "Part Of You", "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "To The Baby", "A Wonderful Guest", "Imagine/Save The Children", and "Brown Baby (alt)" – plus two more bonus tracks, "When We Grow Up" and "Kewpie Doll".

David Ruffin teams with Van McCoy for this sweet little set – and the result is a great batch of grooves that swell with Ruffin's soulful sound of the 70s, but sway with the warm McCoy dancefloor modes of the time! Van wrote nearly all the tracks in the set – and handled all arrangements and production – but the record's far less disco than you'd guess, thanks to cracklingly earnest vocals from Ruffin, who's still given plenty of space to shine center stage on the record. The balance is essential, and is carried off here in a manner similar to the best Philly soul albums of its type. Titles include "First Round Knockout", "On & Off", "Good Good Times", "Ready Willing & Able", "Everything's Coming Up Love", "Discover Me", "Until We Said Goodbye", and "Let's Get Into Something".

David Ruffin's first solo album after leaving The Temptations – and a record that's as great as anything he ever recorded with the group! The album's got the general feel of Ruffin's lead vocal work on "I Wish It Would Rain" from the Temps years – with plenty of baroque soul orchestrations, cut through nicely by Ruffin's raspy soulful vocals. "My Whole World Ended" was a bit of a hit – but everything else on here's just as strong, and tracks include "Pieces Of A Man", "Everlasting Love", "My Love Is Growing Stronger", "We'll Have A Good Thing Going On", and "World Of Darkness".

Pre-Philly magic from The Spinners – a wonderful early album recorded for Motown – done with a heady Detroit sound that's quite different than their later work in the 70s! The album already has the group sounding amazing on the harmonic tip – definitely a cut above the groups that came before them – with that brilliant Spinners ability to harmonize heavily while still hitting a groove! Arrangements are by Paul Riser, Wade Marcus, and David Van DePitte – all of whom keep things full, but never overblown – presenting music with a perfect polish for the group, but in quite different ways than the later Philly groove. Titles include the classic original version of "It's a Shame", plus "My Lady Love", "Souly Ghost", "Ooh Child", "In My Diary", "My Whole World Ended", "I've Got To Find Myself A Brand New Baby", "Bad Bad Weather", and "Pay them No Mind".

An excellent blacksploitation soundtrack – and every bit as funky as any of Willie Hutch's work for other Motown soundtracks at the time! Larry Mizell and Dennis Coffey help out on the instrumentation – giving the album an extra funky instrumental edge, one that takes it way past Edwin Starr's other work – and the tracks are a nice mix of vocals and instrumentals. Titles include "Ain't It Hell Up In Harlem", "Airport Chase", and the massive "Easin' In", a stone sample classic!

Cream Of The Crop may not have been a huge hit for The Supremes, but the record has them handling a variety of interesting work – mostly done in modes that bring the best Motown styles of the 60s into closer contact with the label's more expansive sound to come in the 70s! There's a really nice balance here, handled by a cream of the crop set of arrangers that includes Wade Marcus, David Van DePitte, and Paul Riser – on titles that include "Someday We'll Be Together", "You Gave Me Love", "Can't You See It's Me", "Young Folks", "The Beginning Of The End", "Till Johnny Comes", and "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever".

One of the great mid 60s Supremes album – at a time when they could really do no wrong – and featuring a couple of their bigger hits! I Hear A Symphony was produced by the team of Holland & Dozier – and Holland-Dozier-Holland are the credited composers for most of it – plus a couple of the pop standards of the time. This is the Supremes at their heart-tugging mid 60s peak – with some of their best and best remembered treasures! Titles include "Stranger In Paradise", "I Hear A Symphony", "Unchained Melody", "Without A Song", "A Lover's Concerto", "My World Is Empty Without You", and "He's All I Got".

Groovy late 60s work from Diana Ross & The Supremes – a record that has them breaking the Motown mold a bit, and hooking up with a nice variety of modder soul and pop modes! Tracks on the set include a few Motown-penned numbers, but the trio also tackle hits like "Everyday People", "Hey Western Union Man", "Let The Music Play", and a great Hair-inspired medley of "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In"! But the Motown material here is almost even better – and titles include the slightly funky "No Matter What Sign You Are", which has a nice kick in the bottom – as well as "Discover Me", "The Composer", and "What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted".