... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Marvin's definitely in the groove on this set – cooking on all burners with a host of late 60s Motown hits – bad-stepping his way towards some of the more mature moments to come in the 70s! The album's probably best remembered for the cut "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" – easily one of Marvin's biggest moments of the 60s, and a track whose popularity led to the album's title change from In The Groove to later incarnations as Heard It Through The Grapevine! Other cuts are equally great, and show Gaye really stretching out with mature, masculine confidence – pushing the envelope nicely on cuts that include "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever", "There Goes My Baby", "Change What You Can", "You're What's Happening", "Tear It Down", "You", and "Some Kind Of Wonderful". LP, Vinyl record album

This is the second of two live albums that Marvin Gaye cut during the 70s – and in many ways, it's the better one! The record features three sides of work recorded live at the London Palladium – mostly in these swirling medleys that are introduced by Marvin in a very soulful mode, then swing into well-arranged combinations of classic tunes with some excellent instrumentation. The album features a few straight cuts like "Since I Had You", "Let's Get It On", "Trouble Man", and "Come Get To This" – but the medleys are great, too, especially the one on side 2, which features kind of a mini version of the album What's Going On! But then, even after all that, side 4 opens up in a slamming studio track – the extended funky groover "Got To Give It Up", which has some great keyboards by Marvin and cool rhythm work by Jack Ashford. All very funky, and Marvin's big bid at a club cut – one that worked pretty darn well! LP, Vinyl record album

The last bit of sweetness we ever received from Marvin Gaye – a sublime single that crossed over big, but which still retained all the loving soul of the later Motown years! The tune's got a nice little 80s groove undercurrent that somehow stands up even more strongly now than it did when first released – and the single features the full 5 and a half minute version! 12-inch, Vinyl record

The last bit of sweetness we ever received from Marvin Gaye – a sublime single that crossed over big, but which still retained all the loving soul of the later Motown years! The tune's got a nice little 80s groove undercurrent that somehow stands up even more strongly now than it did when first released. 7-inch, Vinyl record

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)". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Some of the greatest soul duets ever cut to wax – brilliantly crafted, with a sound that influenced an entire generation of male/female teams! Titles include "If This World Were Mine", "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You", "What You Gave Me", "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing", "Hold Me Oh My Darling", "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", and "You're All I Need To Get By". LP, Vinyl record album

Early work by Marvin Gaye – with many gems from the early and mid 60s that were big or minor hits for Marvin during his early days at Motown. The set includes "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)", "I'll Be Doggone", "Ain't That Peculiar", "Try It Baby", "Take This Heart Of Mine", and "Forever" – and there's some nice numbers we'd forgotten about! LP, Vinyl record album

A classic batch of Motown duets from Marvin Gaye and some of his best female co-stars – with a few contributions a piece from Mary Wells, Kim Weston, and Tammi Terrell! Although other artists explored the male/female duet mode back in the 60s, few did it as well as Marvin – thanks in part to a warmly sensitive vocal approach that made his duets come across as personal, loving conversations – and not the too-gimmicky modes used to push the big stars over at other labels. Marvin & Mary Wells sing "Once Upon A Time", "What's The Matter With You Baby", "Together", and "Deed I Do". Marvin & Kim Weston sing "I Want You 'Round", "What Good Am I Without You", and "It Takes Two". And Marvin and Tammi Terrell sing "Your Precious Love", "Little Ole Girl, Little Ole Boy", "I Can't Help But Love You", and "Good Lovin Ain't Easy To Come By". LP, Vinyl record album

Speech does an updated version of/tribute to "What's Going On" that sounds just like Arrested Development. "Impregnated Tidbits Of Dope Hits" has an intro monologue by Dana Bryant. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Stunning funky soul by California Playboys – a heck of a record that should have made the Playboys a huge combo at the time! It's a shame the group didn't become millionaires – but the obscurity of the record is maybe also one of its charms – the kind of small label set that never fully got its due at the time, but which is ripe for rediscovery all these many years later! The California Playboys were together for a number of years – forming as a backing band for singer Lester Young (not the sax player), doing session work for others, and otherwise developing their skills for years – all of which really comes through here in their sharp-edged instrumentation, which sounds even sharper in the 70s indie-level production for the album. The killer title tune sounds like it could (and should!) be the namesake tune of a funky mid 70s soundtrack – as it's really got a perfect cinematic soul vibe, ala Bobby Womack and Marvin Gaye – though in a tighter, smaller combo setting. Most tunes start with vocals and end with long instrumental riffing – and titles include"Double Love", "She's A Real Sweet Woman", "Just Say A Four Letter Word", "I've Got To Find Myself Another Girl", and "Turned On For Good". LP, Vinyl record album

An early classic from the Studio One/Coxone catalog – and a set that has a sound that's every bit as iconic as its cover – the kind of record that really helped set a new standard for soulful sounds from Jamaica! Alton Ellis is almost in early Marvin Gaye territory here – working with a style that's every bit as groovy on the upbeat tracks as it is personal and moving on the mellower ones – with the difference, of course, that the rhythms here are more in a rocksteady mode, and served up with some great studio help from the Soul Brothers and Soul Vendors! The whole album's great – and titles include "So Much Love", "I'm Just A Guy", "Get Ready", "Why", "Mad Mad Mad", and a beautiful version of The Bee Gee's "Massachusetts"! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best of the blacksploitation scores of the early 70s – a masterpiece of music that we rate every bit as high as Shaft or Superfly – maybe even higher! The music here is incredible – a surprising funky turn for JJ Johnson, who most folks know for his straighter jazz work – and like Marvin Gaye, Barry White, and others who were surprising the world with their ability to score music for a full film during the early 70s, JJ really knocks it out of the park with this one – coming up with a batch of tunes that are a wonderful mix of sophisticated scoring, creative instrumentation, and some damn funky grooves! The title cut features Joe Simon on vocals, and Millie Jackson sings on the cuts "Love Doctor" and "It Hurts So Good". The rest of the set is instrumental, and other cuts include an instrumental take on "Cleopatra Jones", plus "Go Chase Cleo", "Goin To The Chase", "Wrap Up", and "Airport Fight". LP, Vinyl record album

Eddie certainly was the "hit man" on this one – a tight album of hard stepping soul tracks, mostly cut in Eddie's famous "boogie" mode of the mid 70s! The cuts mix wonderful soul vocals with some tight jazzy instrumentation – laid down by players like Wah Wah Ragin, Harvey Mason, Ray Parker, and Leonard Caston, who produced the album with Frank Wilson. The record's got swirling strings around harder instrumentation – in a mode that's perfect for Eddie's sweet vocal style – and the sound is right up there with classic work by Marvin Gaye or Barry White. Includes the nice long cut "Body Talk", plus "Happy", "If Anyone Can", "Fortune Teller", "I've Got To Be", and "Skippin' Work Today". LP, Vinyl record album

Eddie Kendricks, vintage 1978 – and still very much in the great grooving mode he brought to his earlier solo material for Motown! Even in this giant dancefloor generation, Eddie's got something very special and unique – a voice that can still sound as heartbreaking on a groover as it can on a ballad – and which has a way of linking an earlier generation of fragile male soul vocals with a new sense of 70s masculinity – of which Kendricks was one of the leading lights in soul! There's moments here that might well match some of the best late 70s work by artists like Marvin Gaye or Leroy Hutson – and the strong arrangements are by Andrew Louis Smith – a name we don't really know at all, but who should be thanked for helping the record avoid any disco cliches. Titles include "How's Your Love Life Baby", "One Of The Poorest People", "Love Love Love", "The Best Of Strangers Now", "Don't Underestimate The Power Of Love", "Ain't No Smoke Without A Fire" and "Maybe I'm A Fool To Love You". LP, Vinyl record album

Mindblowing work from Minnie Riperton – her first solo album, cut at the end of the 60s, after a number of years of work with the group Rotary Connection. The album builds off the now famous sound of Rotary Connection – but takes it to the next level, with arch-baroque production by the great Charles Stepney – who couches Minnie's fantastic vocals in a suite of shimmering soulful tracks that mix strings, horns, jazzy piano, and slight touches of bouncing rhythms. The overall sound is impossible to describe – sort of a cross between Burt Bacharach on A&M, Scott Walker's 3rd album, and the sound of Marvin Gaye's What's Goin' On. The album's pure genius all the way through – one of the highlights of the Chicago scene of the 60s – and proof that Riperton, Stepney, and crew were shooting for the outer limits of soul music! Titles include "Les Fleur", "Only When I'm Dreaming", "Rainy Day In Centerville", "Memory Band", "Expecting", "Whenever Wherever", and "Oh, By The Way". This album's a 2nd pressing of the album Come to My Garden, from 1982, with one less track. LP, Vinyl record album

Very hip gospel soul – handled by Eddie in a sweet southern style, with arrangements by Jimmy Roach and Paul Riser, and an approach that's more Memphis mainstream than it is gospel. There's some great mellow soul production on here – with some really righteous bits that almost feel like they were lifted from Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, with the same sort of building strings and well arranged overall sound. Titles include "You Are Never Left Alone", "The Door Is Open", "Reflections Of The Man Inside", "I've Been Touched", and "I'm Leaving It Up To You". LP, Vinyl record album

A great full length album from Motown's mighty Jimmy Ruffin – and a set with a lot deeper soul sound than you'd guess from the "top ten" in the title! The music's not commercial, but some of the sharpest Motown soul of the time – the kind of work that made the young Jimmy as important a solo male act to Motown as Marvin Gaye – thanks to a wonderfully crackling, raspy style of singing that makes any tune really stand out strongly. Some of the numbers here are originals associated with Ruffin, and others are 60s hits by others – but completely remade by Jimmy with his wonderful approach – and titles include the classic "What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted", plus "I've Passed This Way Before", "Gonna Give Her All The Love I've Got", "World So Wide Nowhere To Hide", "Black Is Black", "Bless You", "How Can I Say I'm Sorry", and "As Long As There Is Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Stanley Turrentine meets Bob James – on a record that's one of the 70s classics on CTI! Bob James handles the arrangements – with that laidback, mellowfunky approach to jazz that he helped pioneer at the time – lots of modal chords in the rhythms, and these wonderfully soulful solos by the great Stan himself! James plays keyboards on the set – and Harold Mabern adds some piano too – and the lineup also includes the mighty Eric Gale on guitar, and Idris Muhammad on drums. Titles include the great title cut – a remake of Marvin Gaye's "Don't Mess With Mister T", plus "Too Blue", "Two For T", and "I Could Never Repay Your Love". LP, Vinyl record album

The last in Beau Williams' great run of albums for Capitol Records in the mid 80s – and a sweet little set that equally balances quiet storm ballads with more uptempo groovers! Williams is one of the great unsung male vocal acts of his generation – and he's got a great way here of putting over a mellow track with a level of care and sensitivity that weren't always that common in mainstream soul at the time – a approach that reminds us more of Marvin Gaye or The Isley Brothers in years before, than you might guess from the date of the album. Production is by William Reinhart, McFadden & Whitehead, Williams, and others – and titles include "I Found A Love", "All Because Of You", "There's Something About You", "Give Me Up", "Don't Be Gone To Say", "No More Tears", and "Been Too Long". LP, Vinyl record album

The cover and the title are a great illustration of the growth of Bobby Womack on this classic 70s set – a mode of presentation that's maybe a bit more badass than before, without the down-home image of Bobby holding his guitar! Some aspects of the record are plenty darn righteous – and live up to the social commentary of the title – and these are mixed with Womack's rootsy vocals in a way that's really unique – almost as if a Marvin Gaye message album was crafted down in Memphis or Muscle Shoals. Some bits of the record are almost blackploitation funk in their use of wicked keyboards, sharp guitar, and larger charts – and the tunes blend together in this very cool way that really makes the whole set fit together nicely. Womack's voice is fantastic, as always – and titles include "Put Something Down On It", "What's Your World", "Git It", "I Don't Know", "Jealous Love", and 2 very nice "Interlude" tracks! LP, Vinyl record album

All-star roster on Motown through the years , including The Marvelettes, The Supremes, The Temptations, Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, Eddie Kendricks, Diana Ross, Thelma Houston, Commodores, and Rick James. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes selections by Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Beach Boys, Four Tops, Percy Sledge, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Marvin Gaye, The Rascals, Steve Miller Band, Spencer Davis Group, The Marvelettes, and The Band. LP, Vinyl record album

Features soul classics by Marvin Gaye, The Temptaions, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, and Aretha Franklin, and The Exciters, plus a few rock hits by The Rascals, Three Dog Night, and Procol Harum. LP, Vinyl record album

Lots of great cuts on this UK-only collection – 16 tracks, with work from Marvin Gaye, Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Supremes, Jackson 5, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Four Tops, and Jimmy Ruffin LP, Vinyl record album

A killer Motown live album – one that has the Detroit label storming the stage of the Apollo Theater, with some of its biggest 60s acts in tow! There's a really open, spontaneous feel to the record – more so than other Motown live sets of the 60s – a quality that really grabs you and makes you feel like you're in the audience, catching these artists at the height of their young powers – and the production has the kind of frenetic live album feel as James Brown's famous set at The Apollo. Titles include "Stubborn Kind Of Fellow" by Marvin Gaye, "Whole Lotta Woman" by The Contours, "Strange I Know" by The Marvelettes, "Don't You Know" by Stevie Wonder, "You've Really Got A Hold On Me" by The Miracles, "Two Lovers" by Mary Wells, and "Let Me Go The Right Way" by The Supremes. LP, Vinyl record album

50 Motown Classics! Includes tracks by Smokey Robinson, Isley Brothers, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Temptations, Jimmy Ruffin, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, and more! LP, Vinyl record album

Includes early selections from the Motown catalogue, with titles by Barrett Strong, The Miracles, Marvelettes, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Junior Walker & The All Stars, Four Tops, The Temptations, The Supremes, The Originals, and Jackson 5. LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, The Supremes, The Temptations, The Miracles, Blinky, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers, Four Tops, The Marvelettes, Shorty Long, and Isley Brothers. LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by The Tams, Joe Turner, The Temptations, Chairmen Of The Board, Mary Wells, William Bell & Judy Clay, Patty & The Emblems, Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs, The Impressions, Marvin Gaye, James & Bobby Purify, Archie Bell & The Drells, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

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 in the large mix of music and artists – many of whom didn't normally record for Motown. The tunes are familiar, but they're presented here in some nicely different live takes. Titles include "Lean On Me" by Bill Withers, "Country Preacher" by Cannonball Adderley, "This Child Of Mine" by Zulema, "Everybody Plays The Fool" by Main Ingredient, "Give Me Your Love" by Curtis Mayfield, "I've Gotta Be Me" by Sammy Davis Jr, "I Wanna Be Where You Are" by The Jackson 5, "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye, "Close To You" by Jerry Butler & Brenda Lee Eager, "On A Clear Day/Killer Joe" by Roberta Flack & Quincy Jones, and "Sunshine" by The O'Jays. Also features some dialogue by Jesse Jackson. LP, Vinyl record album