Soul — All Formats  

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... read more

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... read more

One of the greatest lost treasures on Motown – the rare third album from Ronnie McNeir, an artist who did plenty for the label back in the 70s, but only managed to ever get this one record released! The set's a gem – arguably his best record ever – and that's saying a lot, given... read more

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... read more

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... read more

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... read more

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... read more

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... read more

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... read more

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... read more

Martha and the girls' entry into Motown's well-done series of 70s multi-LP collections – this one only a double-length set, but still filled with plenty of great bits by the group! The set features a solid decade's worth of work – material from the trio's 1962 start at Motown, up to... read more

Lionel's third album for Motown – one in a string of massive hits that forever changed the sound of 80s soul! The smooth mellow lover is still firmly in place – taking a few chances on the set, but still sounding best on the romantic numbers. Titles include "Love Will Conquer... read more

Lionel's first solo album after leaving the Commodores – and a solid bit of mellow soul that forever merged the genres of soul music and adult contemporary! Titles include "Serves You Right", "My Love", "Tell Me", "You Are", "Truly", "Jus... read more

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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... read more

A later entry in the 60s run of classic live albums by Motown's bigger artists – and a set that shows Smokey and the group really opening up from their studio sides! There's still a bit of Motown soul here, but the Miracles also sing strongly on work that ranges from jazz to classic vocal... read more

Excellent work by Smokey – recorded with a super-heavy vibe that's very different than his 60s work! The record has an amazingly large conception of arrangements – mostly handled by Smokey, and done in a complicated baroque harmony style that points forward towards his later Quiet... read more

Diana Ross gets some great assistance on this set – the club classic team of Ashford & Simpson, who help give Diana a groove that's very much like their own great work of the time! Tunes are long and clubby, but never throwaway pop disco – and with Ashford & Simpson at the helm... read more

A landmark record for Diana – her first solo effort after leaving the Supremes, and a well-conceived batch of tracks produced by Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson! The album's got a warm, mature approach that really separates the work from Diana's earlier girl group past – as Ashford... read more

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 "Them... read more

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... read more

An overlooked Motown gem from T-Boy Ross – a self-produced set that's filled with loads of 70s mellow soul moments! Ross begins the set by covering Marvin Gaye's "I Want You" – and there's definitely a similar vibe to the record – that kind of warmer grooving that Leon... read more

Sublime baroque soul from David Ruffin – material recorded for his 3rd solo album, but never released until now! The quality of the work is incredible – done in a soaring style that's a perfect summation of the genius of Motown at the end of the 60s. Ruffin really steps away from his... read more

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... read more

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... read more

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... read more

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... read more

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... read more

A damn funky record – way more so than you might expect from the "string" in the title! The group's kind of an answer to the Soulful Strings ensemble headed by Richard Evans for Cadet/Concept in Chicago – and like that group, it mixes up funky rhythms with some sweet large... read more

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... read more

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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... read more

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 –... read more

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... read more

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... read more

Really one of the nicer late 60s efforts by the Supremes – now with Cindy Birdsong in the group in place of the departed Florence Ballard – with the now well known title track, and a number of other great pop soul numbers, with the classic Motown sound! The Supremes could arguably... read more

One of the later Supremes albums with Diana Ross as the headliner – and the final Supremes album with Holland-Dozier-Holland pulling the strings – and led of by the incredible title track! "Reflections" is a straight up incredible tune – one of those late 60s Motown... read more

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The Supremes take on the classy Copa nightclub – and really bring down the house with a stunning mix of warmth, charm, and soul – especially on this incredible expanded edition from Hip-O Select! The original album is perhaps one of the "livest" of Motown live albums from... read more

An early Supremes record – prime 60s Motown at its best – produced by the Holland-Dozier-Holland team, with a solid, unified feel that really pushed the Supremes out of simple girl group soul, and into the realm of Motown genius they would nearly rule for years to come. Tunes are by... read more

A record that might be easy to write this off as a mistake or inessential session – but thanks to some great arrangements by HB Barnum, Paul Riser, and Gene Page, plus great vocals by the groups, the record shines as much as any other Motown set from the time! The vocals are traded back and... read more

One of Motown's leading hopes in the early 80s soul scene, and for good reason too! These guys have a wonderfully well-rounded approach – great on ballads and even more compelling on groovers – a balance here that puts them proudly in the company of contemporaries like Maze or Slave,... read more

Quite possibly the best album ever from Ohio funky soul combo Switch – and certainly proof that the hope of Motown in the 80s was in ensemble group funk! This second album holds up really well, and thanks to some sweet production by Bobby DeBarge and Jermaine Jackson, the record's got a warm... read more

Quite possibly the best album ever from Ohio funky soul combo Switch – and certainly proof that the hope of Motown in the 80s was in ensemble group funk! This second album holds up really well, and thanks to some sweet production by Bobby DeBarge and Jermaine Jackson, the record's got a warm... read more

Beautiful spacey soul from Syreeta – and proof that she was one of Motown's great lost talents of the 70s! Leon Ware did the production, and Syreeta's high Minnie Riperton-esque voice is backed by a smooth set of mellow grooves with lots of cool electronic bits and weird moogy parts that... read more

Syreeta's a bit past the point of her early genius here – still singing in that warm and sweet style we love so much, but working with Jermaine Jackson, in a setting that's sometimes a bit too cold for her magic to fully take place. Overall, the album's got a few nice numbers – and is... read more

Another one of those overstuffed Motown 70s Anthologies – this time featuring 3LPs worth of Temptations classics, with tracks recorded between 1964 and 1972. The album follows the group right up to their move to ABC, and includes classics like "Cloud Nine", "Just My... read more

A masterpiece in psychedelic soul from The Temptations – perhaps the most perfectly realized album from their years working with Norman Whitfield! The set's awash in that bottom-heavy, rumbling funk mode that Whitfield brought to the group at the end of the 60s – served up in bold... read more

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A tightly funky set from The Temptations – a record that has the group still standing strong in the post-Norman Whitfield years – working here with producer Jeffrey Bowen in a groove that's almost got some P-Funk touches at times! Things are somewhat polished, but still in the best... read more

32 classic tracks by the Temptations – wrapped up on two CDse that celebrates their 25 years for Motown! Titles include "Get Ready", "I Can't Get Next to You", "Cloud Nine", "Just My Imagination", "Come To Me", "Soulmate", "Sinc... read more

Amazing stuff! Arguably Leon Ware's greatest record – and one of the greatest Motown records of the 70s! The record is a beautiful set of interwoven mellow soul tracks, recorded right on the heels of Marvin Gaye's I Want You album, which was written and conceived by Ware, then taken at the... read more

A tasty 2LP set that brings together some of the best soul jazz tracks from Grover's years at the Kudu label! As is well remembered by beatheads, Grover had an amazing style at the time – a snakey electric groove that was perfect for the sounds of the early 70s – playing soprano sax in... read more

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Sweet Motown grooving from Grover Washington – a set that has him working with slightly larger backings than his Kudu years, but in a way that still lets his soulful horn stand strongly out front! As always, Washington is a killer talent on the soprano sax – able to inflect the... read more

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It's only 1964, early in Motown's history, but Mary's managed to rack up a considerable batch of hits – no surprise since she was one of the label's best female singers of the early years! This set features 12 classics by Mary – including "You Beat Me To The Punch", "My... read more

It's only 1964, early in Motown's history, but Mary's managed to rack up a considerable batch of hits – no surprise since she was one of the label's best female singers of the early years! This set features 12 classics by Mary – including "You Beat Me To The Punch", "My... read more

A pair of incredible early Motown albums from Mary Wells – one of the label's first truly great singers – in a great single set from Kent UK! Mary Wells never sounded better than in her Motown years – and 1962's The One Who Really Loves You is key proof of her talents, as it's... read 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,... read more

A post-Supremes disco effort from Mary Wilson – but one that comes off relatively well, especially considering how a session like this could flop if done poorly! Mary's getting some top-shelf help on the album – Hal Davis on production, Art Wright on arrangements, and a set of original... read more

A great set of Stevie's best tracks for Motown! 3 LPs deep, with 40 tracks in all, mostly from the late 60s, with a handful of numbers from the early 70s, including a few goodies that are getting tougher to find on wax. Includes "Hey Love", "Angie Girl", "Yester-Me,... read more

Excellent work from Stevie Wonder – and a record that really has him emerging strongly as an adult soul singer! The set's got a joyous power that's undeniable – a sense of pride and place that really points the way at the Stevie of the 70s, and which has Wonder stretching out... read more

One of the best Stevie Wonder albums ever! Stevie's moving into god-like territory here – handling a multitude of styles, all well, and crafting some of the most sophisticated soul of his generation. The album's got the same jazzy references you'll find on the best work by Donny Hathaway... read more

One of the best Stevie Wonder albums ever! Stevie's moving into god-like territory here – handling a multitude of styles, all well, and crafting some of the most sophisticated soul of his generation. The album's got the same jazzy references you'll find on the best work by Donny Hathaway... read more

One of the best Stevie Wonder albums ever! Stevie's moving into god-like territory here – handling a multitude of styles, all well, and crafting some of the most sophisticated soul of his generation. The album's got the same jazzy references you'll find on the best work by Donny Hathaway... read more

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A pivotal album from Stevie Wonder – one of his first really heady records, and a tremendous little set from start to finish! The Wonder heard here is light years from the simple pop of the early days – really stretching out both as a songwriter and musician – coming up with a... read more

A sweet little double CD – one that had some folks saying that Stevie should have stayed away from the "2LP syndrome", but for us a real treasure with lots of hidden gems. Besides the hits "Isn't She Lovely" and "Sir Duke", which were more than enough to carry... read more

Pivotal work from Stevie Wonder – an album with a depth and darkness that never would have been expected from his records of the 60s! In a way, the album's almost Stevie's What's Going on – as it's a self-penned, self-produced effort that really steps off from previous efforts –... read more

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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... read more

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... read more

This one was kind of Motown's answer to the Wattstax albums – a double live set, recorded in Chicago during the Push Expo, headed by Jesse Jackson. The tracks here are more of a mixed bag than some of those on the deeper soul Wattstax albums, but there are some nice moments overall, buried... read more

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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... read more

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