... 12-inch, Vinyl record

The fantastic first record from the Jackson 5 – and very much the stuff of legend all the way through! The tracks feature a number of tunes sung previously by other artists – but the quintet are already at a level that really transforms the material – not just through their unified sense of soulful harmonies, but especially from the breakout leads – which have a fresh, vibrant style that's really unlike any soul group that ever came before – especially when the young Michael steps forth, and shows us he's one hell of a charmer! Production is from Bobby Taylor and The Corporation – and the former definitely brings in some of the deeper, headier tones you'd hear in his music – one more aspect that really keeps the record from being just a kiddie soul novelty – and which instead makes it a truly lasting Motown gem! Titles include the always-wonderful "I Want You Back", one of those tunes that we've heard a million times, but still love to death – plus the tracks "Nobody", "Chained", "Born To Love You", "Stand", "My Cherie Amour", and "Standing In The Shadows of Love". Hell, even their version of "Zip A Dee Doo Dah" is pretty darn great! LP, Vinyl record album

Five classic Motown albums from The Temptations – packaged together here in tiny record-style sleeves! First up is The Temptations Sing Smokey – a set on which the group sing the work of Smokey Robinson – and they've even got Smokey along to help them out on production! Given the high Robinson quotient on the set – both on production and songwriting – you'd almost expect this one to be a copycat of The Miracles' music at the time. Yet The Temps really manage to bring plenty of their own greatness to play on the material – deepening some of the songs with wonderful harmonies, and creating a sound that's often a bit less sweet and a bit more soulful than Smokey's approach with his own group. Titles include "It's Growing", "Who's Loving You", "What's So Good About Goodbye", "Depend On Me", "Way Over There", and "What Love Has Joined Together". Temptin Temptations is a wonderful little record produced by Smokey Robinson with a sweet group finish! The harmonies are impeccable, and the sound is perfect Motown – tight and classy, but with enough rough edges to keep things soulful at the best parts – and there's a romping sort of groove to many tracks, almost making the album sort of a mini-Motown dance party of sorts! Titles include "Just Another Lonely Night", "The Girl's Alright With Me", "Don't Look Back", "Since I Lost My Baby", "Everybody Needs Love", "My Baby", "You've Got To Earn It", and "Born To Love You". On Gettin Ready, the group are at the height of their early powers – really finding their own groove, and standing out even more than some of their Motown contemporaries! Smokey Robinson's still at the overall helm on production, but Norman Whitfield contributes some key early work here – shaping The Temps' sound with that rougher, more bottom-heavy groove that would explode in full righteous energy a few years later. Whitfield produced the groovers "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" and "Ain't Too Proud To Beg", plus "Lonely Lonely Man Am I" – and other tracks include "You're Not An Ordinary Girl", "Not Now, I'll Tell You Later", "Say You", "Who You Gonna Run To", "Get Ready", and "Fading Away". On With A Lot O Soul, the group has a deeper, darker groove than ever before – the start of that fuzzy psychedelic soul style that made them one of the most inventive Motown acts of the late 60s! Deep basslines roll out strongly right from the start of the set – bringing a new richness to the grooves that's matched by those incredible harmonies that made The Temptations one of the most dynamic groups of the time – incredible harmonies that are often matched by a sense of lyrical intensity too! The set kicks off with the classic "I Know I'm Losing You" – a perfect illustration of this shift – and other titles include "Save My Love For A Rainy Day", "All I Need", "Two Sides To Love", "Don't Send Me Away", "Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone", "No More Water In The Well", and "You're My Everything". Last up is Diana Ross & The Supremes Join The Temptations – 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 forth nicely between the groups – with the guys dominating some moments, the gals others, but never in a kitschy way. Includes a lot of Motown standards redone – like "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me", "Try It Baby", "I Second That Emotion", and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" – but also includes a tasty version of "Funky Broadway", which has some great fuzzy guitar work! CD

The fantastic first record from the Jackson 5 – and very much the stuff of legend all the way through! The tracks feature a number of tunes sung previously by other artists – but the quintet are already at a level that really transforms the material – not just through their unified sense of soulful harmonies, but especially from the breakout leads – which have a fresh, vibrant style that's really unlike any soul group that ever came before – especially when the young Michael steps forth, and shows us he's one hell of a charmer! Production is from Bobby Taylor and The Corporation – and the former definitely brings in some of the deeper, headier tones you'd hear in his music – one more aspect that really keeps the record from being just a kiddie soul novelty – and which instead makes it a truly lasting Motown gem! Titles include the always-wonderful "I Want You Back", one of those tunes that we've heard a million times, but still love to death – plus the tracks "Nobody", "Chained", "Born To Love You", "Stand", "My Cherie Amour", and "Standing In The Shadows of Love". Hell, even their version of "Zip A Dee Doo Dah" is pretty darn great! LP, Vinyl record album

2 of the best records ever by The Jackson 5! Diana Ross Presents is the fantastic first record from the Jacksons – who were totally great, even at this early stage of their career. Proof enough is their big hit, the always-wonderful "I Want You Back", one of those tunes that we've heard a million times, but still love to death. Also included are a number of covers – like "Stand", "My Cherie Amour", and "Standing In The Shadows of Love" – all done in the nice Jacksons style. With ABC, the boys are expanding their sound with the club-oriented grooves of the time – using Holland, Dozier, and Holland on many cuts, trying for a similar strident groove as some of the trio's work on their own Invictus label. The move's actually a great one – as the maturing group has a strong adult harmony sound, the one that they would lean on more heavily during their years as The Jacksons, and which calls for much smoother arrangements than before. The record's got a strident righteous sound – 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 features the bonus track "Oh I've Been Bless'd". CD

A much better collection than you'd expect from looking at the cover. There are still some familiar songs or artists on here – especially for the Dusty Groove crowd – but there is also a real effort to look beyond the obvious names or hits – plus an emphasis on UK artists that makes this a refreshing break from the usual Now compilations. Includes 100 tracks by a wide range of artists including Lindisfarne, Dee D. Jackson, East of Eden, Brotherhood of Man, The Pipkins, The Rubettes, The Floaters, Darts, Deodato, Yvonne Fair, Cilla Black, Diana Ross, Lieutenant Pigeon, Gilbert O'Sullivan, The Flying Lizards, Jimmy Ruffin, The Moments, and others. CD

A much better collection than you'd expect – still a bit poppy, but with a breadth and attention to detail we don't usually associate with anything that carries the Now banner on its cover. Includes 85 songs from Ultravox, Blondie, The Who, Roxy Music, Smokey Robinson, Cliff Richard, Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, Bucks Fizz, Kiki Dee, Spandau Ballet, Adam & The Ants, Tom Tom Club, Squeeze, The Whispers, The Jam, and others – all in a nice book style case with a short blurb on each of the singles. CD

Music from Amy Grant, Sting, U2, Bob Marley, Tears For Fears, Billy Ray Cyrus, Boyz II Men, Marvin Gay, Stan Getz, Diana Ross, and more. CD

Includes tracks by Diana Ross, Jackson 5, Miracles, Dazz Band, Commodores, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and Smokey Robinson. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the group's best post-Diana Ross albums – thanks to some wonderful help from Smokey Robinson! Smokey produced the whole set, and contributed a batch of great original tunes – making for a really solid, completely unified approach that was sometimes missing from other Supremes albums. The feel is really wonderful – in the mellow mode that Smokey was approaching in his own work on the best cuts, but still swinging out with a few tracks that hearken back towards the group's older sound at times. Arrangements are by Paul Riser, and tracks include "Over & Over", "Floy Joy", "Your Wonderful Sweet Sweet Love", "The Wisdom Of Time", and "Oh Be My Love". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing package – one that comes in a tiny replica of the original home of Motown Records in Detroit! As you'd guess from the title, the 11CD set features every single Motown track that ever hit #1 on the charts – almost 200 classic songs, running from the early 60s right up through the 90s – with work by The Temptations, Four Tops, Diana Ross, Boyz II Men, The Contours, Rockwell, The Originals, Marvin Gaye, The Marvelettes, Stevie Wonder, High Inergy, The Dazz Band, Rick James, Commodores, and lots more! The package also includes a photo book with classic images and notes – but man, what we dig most of all is that tiny house of hits packaging – a really amazing thing! Plus, this version of the set also features a bonus CD that wasn't in the original version – with 12 more tracks whose cover versions charted at #1! CD

features "I Wish It Would Rain" by The Temptations, "I Got A Feeling" by Barbara Randolph, "7 Rooms Of Gloom" by Four Tops, "I Want My Baby Back" Edwin Starr, "That's The Way Love Is" by Isley Brothers, "Going Down For The Third Time" by Diana Ross & The Supremes, "You" by Marvin Gaye and more! LP, Vinyl record album

A unique Motown project from the end of the 70s – an album recorded in tribute to Berry Gordy, Sr – father of Motown owner Berry, Jr – and a key force in the development of the warm spirit and family-like climate at the label. The set's an all-star affair, with contributions from some of the label's biggest stars at the time – a number of whom appear here in exclusive tracks. The set features a remixed version of "God Is Love" by Marvin Gaye, plus "Mother's Son" by Smokey Robinson, "Reach Out & Touch" by Diana Ross, "This Is Your Live" by The Commodores, "You'll Never Rock Alone" by Jermaine Jackson & Tata Vega, "I'll Keep A Light In My Window" by Marvin Gaye & Diana Ross, "Come In Heaven" by Tata Vega, and the title cut "Pops We Love You", in 2 versions, by the team of Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Smokey Robinson. LP, Vinyl record album