An overlooked gem from Diana Ross – a set that's got a great mix of smooth grooves and tight soul numbers – all handled by 70s superproducer Richard Perry – and set to arrangements from Gene Page! Ross has this confident way of serving up the vocals, but an approach that's not nearly as diva-centric as some of her other work of the period – this almost relaxed style at times, which is even more captivating than usual, and some of her most compelling material on record from the time. The title track "Baby It's Me" actually is a pretty funky number – almost in the funky Pointer Sisters mode – with heavy bass popping a break on the intro, and some nice Hotel Sheet work by Jack Ashford – and other titles include "Too Shy To Say", "You Got It", "Getting Ready For Love", "Top Of The World", "All Night Lover", and "The Same Love That Made Me Laugh". LP, Vinyl record album

A record so big they dropped the "Ross" from Diana's name – just to show how large the lady was living at the end of the 70s! The album was a key set in the solo years of Diana's career – a back to basics dancefloor effort done with impeccable production by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rogers – often in that tightly snapping mode that made Chic so great, a sound that really breathed new life into Ross' sound at the time! Roger's fast-riffing guitar touches cook the album up beautifully – pushing a catchy pop groove into the massive hits "Upside Down" and "I'm Coming Out" – both numbers that have aged surprisingly well over the years. Other tracks include "Tenderness", "My Old Piano", "Now That You're Gone", "Friend To Friend", and "Give Up". LP, Vinyl record album

A whole host of Diana Ross classics – all given a contemporary club treatment by producer/mixer Eric Kupper! Diana really helped set the scene for powerful, progressive dancefloor tracks in the pre-house years – and Kupper easily refits her classic vocals and rhythms with a mode that really kicks up the rhythms to more 21st Century styles – never too slick or commercial, but right at home next to modern upbeat house and club! Titles include Kupper remixes of "Love Hangover", "The Boss", "Touch Me In The Morning", "Remember Me", "I'm Coming Out/Upside Down", "Surrender", "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "No One Gets The Prize", and "It's My House". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A surprising hit for Diana Ross – a record that really helped the singer shine brightly in the 80s, but with a vibe that's quite different than her years at Motown! The album's got plenty of star power on board – production work from Arthur Baker, Richard Perry, Daryl Hall, Lionel Richie, and Bernard Edwards – and a musical lineup that features half those artistes, plus work from Jeff Beck, Nile Rodgers, and the Brecker Brothers too! Diana's vocals aren't as over the top as during the disco years – and find a nice place to percolate within the warmer 80s grooves – mostly rhythms that have a nice sort of crossover potential, but not in a way that's as clunky or commercial as some of her contemporaries. Titles include "Missing You", "It's Your Move", "Swept Away", "Telephone", "All Of You", "Touch By Touch", "Nobody Makes Me Crazy", and "Rescue Me". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A massive 2CD set that brings together most of the best work recorded by Diana Ross & The Supremes for Motown – done in the lavish style that Motown used in these deep Anthology series in the 70s! Each side of each record has a different theme, and the package also features dates for most of the material – making it a handy way to trace the evolution of the group's style. Titles include "You Send Me", "Love Child", "Reflections", "The Happening", "You Keep Me Hanging On", "My World Is Empty Without You", "Where Did Our Love Go", "Baby Love", "Ask Any Girl", "I Hear A Symphony", "Love Is Here & Now You're Gone", "I'm Livin In Shame", "No Matter What Sign You Are", and "Someday We'll Be Together". CD

A massive 3LP set that brings together most of the best work recorded by Diana Ross & The Supremes for Motown – done in the lavish style that Motown used in these deep Anthology series in the 70s! Each side of each record has a different theme, and the package also features dates for most of the material – making it a handy way to trace the evolution of the group's style. Titles include "You Send Me", "Love Child", "Reflections", "The Happening", "You Keep Me Hanging On", "My World Is Empty Without You", "Where Did Our Love Go", "Baby Love", "Ask Any Girl", "I Hear A Symphony", "Love Is Here & Now You're Gone", "I'm Livin In Shame", "No Matter What Sign You Are", and "Someday We'll Be Together". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

A great little album from Diana Ross – maybe one of her lesser-known efforts with The Supremes, and a set that really points the way towards the solo years to come! One of the reasons for that is that the set really just features Diana out in the lead, with different backing singers behind – all the great songs from the show, but recast with these sophisticated soul arrangements by Gil Askey – very groovy, very Motown, but also with a lot stronger focus on Ross upfront than usual! In a way, the shift is a fantastic nod to Diana's growing role as a star – really claiming her as the black Streisand, a position that she's clearly confident with, and maybe even beats Barbara on the vocal tip too. Titles include "Funny Girl", "The Music That Makes Me Dance", "Don't Rain On My Parade", "People", "Cornet Man", "His Love Makes Me Beautiful", "Sadie Sadie", and "I'm The Greatest Star" – the last of which would make a nice theme song for Diana's 70s years! This expanded version not only marks the first time the record has been on CD – it also features both the stereo and the mono mixes of the record – plus the original recording of the album, with Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong – the real Supremes recording of the set! There's also five more bonus tracks – "Cornet Man (alt)", "His Love Makes Me Beautiful (alt)", "Sadie Sadie (alt)", "I'm The Greatest Star (live TCB outtake)", and "My Man (live)". CD

It's the third volume, but there's still plenty of hits left – thanks to the legendary 60s run of Diana Ross & The Supremes at Motown! Arrangers include Henry Cosby, Paul Riser, and Wade Marcus – and most of the tracks are from the later years of the original trio – with titles that include "Reflections", "Love Child", "The Happening", "I'm Livin In Shame", "No Matter What Sign You Are", "The Composer", "Forever Came Today", and "Love Is Here & Now You're Gone". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A great lost slice of late 60s Motown – the recordings made by The Supremes and The Temptations together – a marvelous pairing of two of the label's finest groups, in a style that often created some very memorable moments! Some of the work on the 2 disc set was recorded for TV, and some of it as regular studio work – and the full contents of 2 albums are presented here, Diana Ross & The Supremes Join The Temptations and Together – along with a wealth of alternate mixes and previously unreleased tracks as well! Rare tracks include "Amen", "If You Should Walk Away", "A House Is Not A Home", "Got To Get You Into My Life", and "You Gave Me Something" – and regular tracks include "Not Now I'll Tell You Later", "I Second That Emotion", "This Guy's In Love With You", "Funky Broadway", "A Place In The Sun", "The Weight", "Stubborn Kind Of Fellow", and "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You". 38 tracks in all – with some tunes presented in longer versions than on the original records! CD

One of the odder 60s LPs from the Supremes, the soundtrack to a film that starred the group, with some guest appearances by The Temptations – in Motown-show versions of tracks that often feature the singers lapsing into medleys of other tunes, or doing some popular hits of the day. Titles include "Respect", "Somewhere", "Stop In The Name Of Love", "TCB", "For Once In My Life", "Hello Young Lovers", "I Hear A Symphony", and "The Impossible Dream". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly nice album – even if you're not a fan of Diana Ross! Given that Marvin and Diana are standing back to back on the front cover, we kind of get the idea that there wasn't as much sympathy in the session as on some of Marvin's classic duet sides from the 60s with Tammi Terrell – but the record's actually not that bad, though – thanks to a sweet smooth soulful style that's very much in the style of Marvin's Let's Get It On album. Of course, the overall project isn't nearly as sublime – but the record does feature arrangements by Paul Riser, James Carmichael, Dave Blumberg, and Gene Page that have a seductive quality that moves well past the vocal mismatch. Titles include "Stop, Look, Listen", "Just Say, Just Say", "I'm Falling In Love With You", "Include Me In Your Life", "You Are Everything", "Love Twins", and "My Mistake". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

On the one hand, our jazz snob side wonders why Diana Ross would be picked to star as Billie Holiday, but on the other, it makes perfect sense, as this soundtrack to the film was made during the early 70s, when she was at the top of her career, and one of the highest profile female soul singers. And she acquits herself quite well, with a solid performance that's more than respectable, helped along the way by sympathetic orchestral arrangements from Benny Golson and Oliver Nelson. While we may not turn to this recording over any of Billie's originals, it's a pretty remarkable turning point for Diana, establishing her "diva" status and helping to launch her solo career to new heights. 35 numbers in all, though many of them are dialogue or musical bits lifted from the film. Includes "All Of Me", "the Man I Love", "Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do", "Fine & Mellow", "You've Changed", "My Man", "Strange Fruit" and "God Bless The Child". CD

On the one hand, our jazz snob side wonders why Diana Ross would be picked to star as Billie Holiday, but on the other, it makes perfect sense, as this soundtrack to the film was made during the early 70s, when she was at the top of her career, and one of the highest profile female soul singers. And she acquits herself quite well, with a solid performance that's more than respectable, helped along the way by sympathetic orchestral arrangements from Benny Golson and Oliver Nelson. While we may not turn to this recording over any of Billie's originals, it's a pretty remarkable turning point for Diana, establishing her "diva" status and helping to launch her solo career to new heights. 34 numbers in all, though many of them are dialogue or musical bits lifted from the film. Includes "All Of Me", "the Man I Love", "Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do", "Fine & Mellow", "You've Changed", "My Man", "Strange Fruit" and "God Bless The Child". LP, Vinyl record album

A revamped version of the classic Motown set Marvin Gaye & His Girls – expanded here a bit to include some 70s duet work with Diana Ross, as well as all the famous female duo recordings that Marvin did for Motown in the 60s! Right from the start, Marvin Gaye was clearly something different at the Detroit soul powerhouse – a singer who could groove with the rest of them, but who also could bring a huge amount of feeling to his music, especially when the theme was love – a quality that he maybe explored best when the label paired him with female singers. Tammi Terrell was Marvin's first big muse in this respect – and the set is very heavy on numbers sung by the two of them – "What You Gave Me", "Keep On Lovin Me Honey", "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing", "The Onion Song", "You're All I Need To Get By", "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "Good Lovin Ain't Easy To Come By", "California Soul", "Your Precious Love", and "If This World Were Mine". And yes, maybe the other gals get a bit of short shrift, but still get some placement here – on a set that includes "It Takes Two" with Kim Weston, "You're A Special Part Of Me" with Diana Ross, and "Once Upon A Time" and "What's The Matter With You Baby" with Mary Wells. LP, Vinyl record album

Symphonic soul from The Supremes – a set that still has the trio working with the legendary Holland-Dozier-Holland team, but with a full set of orchestral backings that help them hit even more class and sophistication than before! The ballads have these really lush arrangements – never too pop, but swelling with strings that lift up the young voice of Diana Ross in a really regal way – with a style that helps transform familiar numbers from other singers, and really make them some proud musical statements of her own. These arrangements hang on through most of the record, but are often augmented by these cool vibes that bring in a slight jazzy undercurrent – and titles include the classic "I Hear A Symphony" – plus "Stranger In Paradise", "Unchained Melody", "Without A Song", "A Lover's Concerto", "My World Is Empty Without You", and "He's All I Got". CD

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 production that allowed some of the sunshine and leftfield touches of the Pet Sounds era bubble underneath – and the huge, glorious chorus you'll be humming forever. Load of the slowbuilding hooks on this one – with tracks that include "Forever Came Today", "I Can't Make It Alone", "In And Out Of Love", "Bah-Bah-Bah", "What The World Need Now Is Love", "Up, Up And Away", "Then", "Misery Makes It's Home In My Heart" and "Ode To Billy Joe". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best-ever albums by the Supremes – and filled with stone classics, to boot! As the title states, Diana Ross, Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard team up with Holland Dozier Holland – and they really to create the sound that would put them and Motown on the map. A couple of the biggest hits are laid down, but album also features tracks that are arguably even better to hear these days – as they spin out that quintessential Motown sound but aren't hampered by the ubiquity of the oldies radio staples! Titles include "You Keep Me Hanging On", "Love Is Here And Now You're Gone", "I Guess I'll Always Love You", "I'll Turn To Stone", "It's The Same Old Song", "Love Is In Our Hearts", 'There's No Stopping Us Now" and "Love Is Like A Heatwave". LP, Vinyl record album

Post-Diana Ross work by The Supremes, but a really great little album – and one that possibly even draws more on a harmony style without the famous diva in the lead! The sound here is rich and full – arranged by Jerry Long and David Van DePitte – and produced by Frank Wilson with a nice ear towards the more rhythmic sound of the group's talents – even on the mellower cuts, which still maintain a nice bounce at the bottom. Elton John actually provided the liner notes – and titles include "Nathan Jones", "Johnny Raven", "Love It Came To Me This Time", "Have I Lost You", "Time & Love", "Touch", "Happy Is A Bumpy Road", and "It's So Hard For Me To Say Goodbye". LP, Vinyl record album

A follow-up to 1970s pairing of The Supremes and The Four Tops – titled The Magnificent Seven (hence the title on this one!) – and done in a very similar mode. Back in the Diana Ross days, the Supremes had paired up with The Temptations on 2 great sets – and now, at a time in the 70s when both The Supremes and The Four Tops were a bit less successful on the charts, it's clear that Motown was trying to find some direction for them both. The approach isn't bad, although a bit forcedly "classy" at times, in a mode that hearkens back more to Motown 60s than some of the better directions both of these groups would take in the 70s – especially The Four Tops. Titles include "I'm Glad About It", "Let's Make Love Now", "What Do You Have To Do", "Where Would I Be Without You Baby", "I'll Try Not To Cry", and "Call Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A cool UK collection, with some nice non-hit material – 16 tracks that include "You" by Marvin Gaye, "The Composer" by Diana Ross & The Supremes, "Here Comes The Judge" by Shorty Long, "I Guess I'll Always Love You" by The Isley Brothers, "Nitty Gritty" by Gladys Knight & The Pips, "I Miss You Baby" by Marv Johnson, "Don't You Miss Me A Little Bit Baby" by Jimmy Ruffin, "You Met Your Match" by Stevie Wonder, "Doggone Right" by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, and "What Is A Man" by The Four Tops. LP, Vinyl record album

Motown leaps boldly into the 70s – building strongly off the changing grooves during the label's late 60s years, and serving up an amazing array of differently-styled singles! There's a really great blend here of some of the more familiar 60s modes and the hipper grooves to come in the new decade – a sound that's definitely maturing Motown, but still with most of the label's big talent in place, alongside some key younger acts and a few great surprises from left field! As with other volumes in this amazing series, there's a hell of a lot of music here – not just hits, but every single from the year, presented with both a and b-sides – so that you really get an idea of what the label was up to at the time. The whole thing's packaged in a hardcover book-style package, with a bonus 45 in the front cover – and it includes over 150 tracks by artists who include Hearts Of Stone, Hugh Masekela, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, Allan Nichols, The Originals, Rare Earth, The Jazz Crusaders, Diana Ross, Arthur Adams, Jimmy Ruffin, Yvonne Fair, Gladys Knight, Bob & Marcia, Buzzie, Blinky, The Jackson 5, Danny Hernandez, Ivy Jo, The Fantastic Four, R Dean Taylor, Chuck Jackson, and lots more! CD

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

A musical document of an amazing moment in the New York scene – the late 80s/early 90s wave of vogue balls – which were almost a collision of club culture with high fashion! There was a particularly rich gender-bending element to the vogue scene – and the music that accompanied it was a key part of that activity – tracks that had already risen to fame in crossover clubs from previous years, taken to new heights by DJs who provided music along with the voguing activity – in a great array of grooves from the disco years through early house music, brought together in ways that made 80s musical evolution make a heck of a lot of sense! The compilation album is a companion to the excellent book of the same name – also by Soul Jazz – and this 2LP part 1 version features tracks that include "Moment Of My Life" by Inner Life, "The Ha Dance (Ken/Lou mixx)" by Masters At Work, "Just Like A Queen (share the throne mix)" by Ellis D, "Is It All Over My Face" by Loose Joints, "Body Drill" by 2 Body's, "Love Hangover" by Diana Ross, "The Witch Doctor (dark ages mix)" by Armand Van Helden, and "Break 4 Love (Spanish fly mix)" by Raze. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic collection that looks at the relationship between American soul and reggae in a very unique way – not the early crossovers of soul and rocksteady in the 60s, but a big wave of disco-inspired sounds in the 70s! The set brings together some great Jamaican and British versions of American club tracks from the late 70s and early 80s, plus some soul cuts from earlier years – often done with rhythms that are slower and more bad-stepping, in a true reggae mode – but with songs and lyrics that are lifted right from bit hits by artists like Chaka Khan, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, and others! The mix of modes is wonderful – and maybe comes across even better than on some of the Afro disco records of the period – thanks to a great track selection, in the usual Soul Jazz standard. Titles include "I'm Every Woman" by Latisha, "In The Rain" by rRnest Ranglin, "Reggae Beat Goes On" by Family Choice, "Ring My Bell" by Blood Sisters, "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" by Derrick Laro & Trinity, "Do It Nice & Easy" by Chariot Riders, "Don't Let It Go To Your Head" by Black Harmony, "Upside Down" by Carol Cool, "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" by Sharon Forrester, "Rappers Delight" by Xanadu & Sweet Lady, "Ain't No Stopping Us Now" by Risco Connection, "Am I The Same Girl" by Charmaine Burnette, and "Be Thankful For What You Got" by One Blood. LP, Vinyl record album

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 production that allowed some of the sunshine and leftfield touches of the Pet Sounds era bubble underneath – and the huge, glorious chorus you'll be humming forever. Load of the slowbuilding hooks on this one – with tracks that include "Forever Came Today", "I Can't Make It Alone", "In And Out Of Love", "Bah-Bah-Bah", "What The World Need Now Is Love", "Up, Up And Away", "Then", "Misery Makes It's Home In My Heart" and "Ode To Billy Joe". CD

Massive Motown from 1971 – the ultra-hip second part of this key year for the monumental label! Motown was going through plenty of changes in 1971 – a year that saw Marvin Gaye's new righteous musical vision, a wave of fresh talent from the west coast, and the label's further push into sounds that went way beyond standard soul music – moves that are summed up beautifully here by artists who include Rare Earth, Popcorn Wylie, Stevie Wonder, Undisputed Truth, The Supremes, PJ, Jackson 5, Bobby Taylor, The Rustix, Jr Walker, Martha Reeves, Virgil Henry, Tom Clay, Diana Ross, Suzee Ikeda, Sunday Funnies, Chuck Jackson, My Friends, Valerie Simpson, Jack Hammer, The Messengers, Lodi, David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks, and even Bobby Darin! As usual, Hip-O Select have done an amazing job with the package – pulling together 120 tracks that also includes some rare bits not on the official singles, and wrapping the whole thing up in a hardcover book that also features a bonus Michael Jackson 45 in the cover. The book is over 120 pages, with loads of notes, essay material, and rare photos that document this amazing point in the label's history! CD

A treasure trove of rare Motown from some of legendary label's most classic acts – Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Four Tops, Brenda Holloway, Martha & The Vandellas, The Supremes, The Originals, Bobby Taylor, The Marvelettes, Marvin Gaye & The Jackson 5 – prime vintage late 60s to early 70s recordings that have barely if ever seen light of day! Motown recording artists put a lot of work into the recording side of their artistry back in the day, so there was a lot classic level material that didn't come out right away, some finding release on later compilations or on box sets, some STILL just now seeing release. Half of this dozen song collection have never come out in any form until now – including "If I Ever Lose This Heaven" by The Originals and stereo mixes of "For Once In My Life" by Diana Ross & The Supremes, "Pretty Little Brown Skin Girl" by The Temptations and "Touched By Love" by Bobby Taylor and more – plus the rarities "You're Walking Out With My Heart" by Brenda Holloway, "Which Way Is The Sky" by the Four Tops, "Let's Have A Party" by the J5, "The Boy From Crosstown" (Version 1) by The Marvelettes and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A bit of a leftfield project for Diana Krall – one that has kind of a 20s Vaudeville-styled theme – done with a stripped down, sting-buzzing sound, produced by T Bone Burnett! We dig this one a lot – and while it's sung, played and performed in a way that's reminiscent of the era, it's got a fresh and contemporary feel. The always great guitarist Marc Ribot's angular take on the spirit of the songs is an integral part of the sound, as is T Bone's skewed view of Americana – but it's Diana's show, and she's wonderful! It takes a special voice to come across as subtle and understated as she does here, though still carrying the tunes in an elegant way. More stylistic detours like this, please! Includes "We Just Couldn't Say Goodbye", "There Ain't No Sweet Man That's Worth The Salt Of My Tears", "Just Like A Butterfly That's Caught In The Rain", "Glad Rag Doll", "Let It Rain", "Lonely Avenue", "Wide River To Cross", "When The Curtain Comes Down" and more. CD

A beautiful book on the imagist art movement in Chicago – a late 60s burst of creativity that was one of the greatest visual moments in the city at the time – filled with striking, colorful, and cartoony images such as the one on the cover! The book was done in collaboration with the Corbett Vs Dempsey gallery and the Indianapolis Museum Of Art – and mixes history, essay, and a huge amount of full color artwork – pieces by Ray Yoshida, Art Green, Robert Lostutter, Barbara Rossi, Philip Hanson, Roger Brown, Karl Wirsum, Ed Pasche, and others – most from the original key moment of the movement, but also featuring some stunning works from later years too. The book is over 200 pages, hardcover, and full color throughout – full of all sorts of strands of history and information that really illuminate this creative moment that's been sometimes lost to folks on the coasts! Book

One of the few straight rock records ever issued on the mostly-folk Monitor Records label – a great 60s outing from Freeborne, a group with a sound that's as tripped-out as you might expect from the cover! Instrumentation is heavy on organ and guitars, both acoustic and electric, but there's also some cool percussion too – and interesting use of recorders, in a way that comes across with an ocarina-like charm! Vocals are somewhat soft, but have a dark undercurrent – and there's a really great folk-into-psyche sort of feel to the whole thing. Titles include "Images", "Land Of Diana", "But I Must Return To Frenzy", "Inside People", "Yellow Sky", "Peak Impressions & Thoughts", and "Visions Of My Own". CD

Classier than usual for the girls – as they move over to Broadway for a set of tracks penned by the Rodgers & Hart team, done up in a smooth Motown style that was probably designed to crossover, but which did so less than some of their straighter soul work. Still, even though the idea's flawed, the album gives Diana and the girls a good chance to show off their jazz chops – and tunes include "The Lady Is A Tramp", "Mountain Greenery", "This Can't Be Love", "Lover", "My Romance", "Dancing On The Ceiling", and "Falling In Love With Love". LP, Vinyl record album