Sort of a disco effort from Motown, featuring a group led by keyboardist Michael L. Smith, and featuring David T. Walker, Sonny Burke, James Gadson, Lee Ritenour, and Roland Bautista. The tracks are long dancefloor cuts, with a bit of a space disco sound, and titles like "Space Dance", "Groove Time", "You Don't Like To Party (Like I Do)", and "Rich Love, Poor Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Lost late material from the great Bobby Darin – more than two albums' worth of songs, all of which appear here for the first time ever! After some late 60s years in the folk wilderness, Bobby made a surprising step to Motown Records at the start of the 70s – and while the label did issue some of Darin's material, and helped him hit the right sort of vibe for his newly-polished image – they also left behind a fair bit of great work that never saw the light of day! The Bobby heard here is partly coming off that 60s love of folk and country that peaked on his late Atlantic recordings – but there's also some of the slight soul touches you'll hear on the other material that Motown did choose to release at the time – a new sort of confidence that really makes us wonder where Darin would have gone, had he not passed away at such a young, early age. The whole set is very well done – with copious notes on the material, and this unusual part of Darin's career – and the set features 24 tracks, with arrangements by Art Freeman, Bill Holman, Gene Page, and Freddie Perren. Titles include "Watch The River Flow", "Help Me Make It Through The Night", "Lady Madonna", "Higher & Higher", "Go Ahead & Back Up", "I Walk The Line", "Child Of Tears", "I Think The Devil Must Be Beating His Wife", "Catch The Wind", "We're Getting There", "Stray Dog", "I Don't Know How To Love Her", "Rags To Riches", and "Young Joe Caldwell". CD

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". CD features 15 tracks in all. CD

Who would have thought it? Smokey's great career at Motown was just designed to be inspiration for a TV Special! Who cares, though? The set's still got some of his biggest hits for Motown, if you can get past the title – and tracks include "Mickey's Monkey", "Being With You", "I Second That Emotion", "Shop Around", "Tears Of A Clown", and "Tracks Of My Tears". CD

Who would have thought it? Smokey's great career at Motown was just designed to be inspiration for a TV Special! Who cares, though? The set's still got some of his biggest hits for Motown, if you can get past the title – and tracks include "Mickey's Monkey", "Being With You", "I Second That Emotion", "Shop Around", "Tears Of A Clown", and "Tracks Of My Tears". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little set that once again proves that longstanding rule – that with vintage Motown, even the obscure bits are completely top shelf! As you'd guess from the title, this package is overflowing with rare material from Diana Ross & The Supremes – all pulled from that legendary first decade of the group, when they were not only one of Motown's reigning soul acts, but also a showcase for everything great the label had to offer – from songwriting through arrangements, right on up to production and packaging! And although none of these tracks were issued at the time, they're hardly detritus or throwaway material – as both the alternate takes and never-released songs are really wonderful – top shelf Detroit female soul, handled in the best style of the time. Some tracks are unusual versions of hits, others are obscure songs that never got pressed at the time, and a few more are Supremes' takes on tunes you might know from other singers. Titles include "You Can Depend On Me", "Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone", "In The Evening Of Our Love", "I Can't Give Back The Love I Feel For You", "Come See About Me/Baby Love/Stop In The Name Of Love", "Because I Love Him", "Too Hot (version 4)", "Hey Baby" (version 1), "I Saw Him Standing There", "It's Not Unusual", "Back In My Arms Again" (alternate vocal), "Don't Let True Love Die" (extended version), "Believe In Me", "Wish I Knew", "Love Child" (alternate vocal), "You're Gonna Hear From Me", "The Look Of Love", "Someday We'll Be Together (alt vocal)", "I Can't Help Myself (alt mix)", "MacArthur Park", "Autumn Leaves", "Mickey's Monkey", "Satisfaction", "Cupid (alt ext mix)", and even some "Scott Regan Radio Promos". LP, Vinyl record album

Way more than just a "best of" – as the record is more like a full Spinners album for Motown – issued as a way of bringing together some of the best singles the group recorded for the label! The work's not really hits – at least not at the level of the group's later fame on Atlantic – and instead the set is a key illustration of the group's Detroit roots, with a soaring Motown groove mixed with their sublime harmonies – a style that's often forgotten, given their big move to Philly styles in the 70s! The whole thing's great – about as killer as you can get for Motown group soul – and titles include their classic "It's A Shame" – plus "Oooh Child", "Truly Yours", "We'll Have It Made", and "I'll Always Love You". LP, Vinyl record album

A tremendous collection of early work by The Spinners – their sublime second album for Motown, plus 13 additional bonus tracks, most of which appear here for the first time ever! The core of the set is the 2nd Time Around album – 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". But the bonus tracks are pretty amazing, too – really showcasing the group as they grew tremendously in a few short years – on gems that include "I Can't Let You Go", "Sunshine Train", "Mental Telepathy", "Satisfaction Guaranteed", "Why Don't You Try It", "Just A Little Part Of Your Life", "Sadder Words Were Never Spoken", "Don't Take Your Love Away I Can't Stand It", "Your Sweet Love Is All I Need", "Gonna Keep On Tryin Till I Win Your Love", and "When It Starts To Rain It Pours". CD

A heavy batch of Motown soul instrumentals – headed up by Funk Brother Earl Van Dyke! The set features backings that are often very similar to the vocal versions on Motown – but are topped with sweet organ solo work from Earl – who has this lean, mean style that's mighty nice – kind of a Jimmy McGriff groove that really fits the soul of the recordings! Most of the backings are exactly the same ones used for vocal hits, but the use of Hammond really transforms them nicely – making the whole record a sweet popcorn soul version of Motown – almost a bit grittier, with a nice sort of backroom jukebox flavor. Titles include "Try It Baby", "Can You Jerk Like Me", "Money", "Can I Get A Witness", "Come See About Me", and "All For You". CD

6 Motown albums from Jr Walker & The All Stars – all long overdue for reissue! First up is A Gasssss – a gas of a record from Jr Walker & The All Stars – a set that has the magical Johnny Bristol producing – giving the group this really warm, soaring sound that's totally great! Walker still serves up plenty of strong tenor solos, but there's also some vocal currents in the mix – strong leads at times, but also some nice backups too – all of which really helps to keep things soaring! Titles a nice mix of Motown covers and original material – and titles include "I Was Made To Love Her", "Do You See My Love", "And When I Die", "Honey Come Back", "Holly Holy", "Riding High On Love", "At A Saturday Matinee", and "Groove & Move". Next up is Rainbow Funk – a record that definitely has Jr Walker & The All Stars picking up a bit of funk – but in a groove that still mixes things with that warmly soulful glow the group had right from the start! The basslines are definitely up a bit from before – although not rumbling in Norman Whitfield territory – and the sax solos get a bit more space to stretch out and bite on the longer numbers, but often with a bit of backing vocals to warm things up around the edges! Jr is great all the way through – Motown's very strong answer to King Curtis – and titles include "Right On Brothers & Sisters", "Way Back Home", "Feeling Alright", "Psychedelic Shack", "Pieces Of A Man", and "Teach Them To Pray". Moody Jr is a sweet early 70s groover from Jr Walker & The All Stars – a set that reunites the group with producer Johnny Bristol, who always has a great way of helping them set fire to their sound! Walker and company may have shot from the gate with a mix of R&B tenor and Motown soul – but the sound here is much more in the latter, more matured mode of the label – with strong deep soul lyrics on a number of cuts, which are balanced out nicely by Bristol's fuller production. There's plenty of sax solos too, of course – and titles include "Way Back Home", "Bristol's Way", "Don't Blame The Children", "Me & My Family", "Still Water Medley", and "Groove Thang". Peace & Understanding is a record that has Jr Walker and the group stepping out with some of the righteous touches promised in the title – partly in the choice of songs on the set, which are all nicely tucked into that strong mix of deep soul vocals and saxophone lines that had become the Jr Walker groove! The set features work from a number of different arrangers – all the hipper side of Motown in the early 70s, as the list includes, Willie Hutch, Gene Page, and James Carmichael – and tunes include two great originals, one by Hutch, one by Leon Ware. Tracks include "It's Alright Do What You Gotta Do", "Soul Clappin'", "Gimme that Beat (parts 1 & 2)", "It's Too Late", and "Peace & Understanding Is Hard To Find". The self-titled Jr Walker & The All Stars album is maybe the rarest in the bunch – an obscure UK-only record from 1974, and one that has the group's usual approach warmed up by some more ambitious arrangements – a bit like the direction some of the vocal acts of the 70s were taking at the time! The production on most of the set is by Clarence Paul – and there's mostly a focus on the saxophone, not any vocals at all – which makes the set feel a bit like some of the Willis Jackson or Lou Donaldson work for Atlantic around the same time – or maybe even a bit like Hank Crawford on Kudu. Titles include "Boogie Down", "All In Love Is Fair", "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life", "Break Down & Sing", and "Dancin Like They Do On Soul Train". Hot Shot is a mid-70s stormer from Jr Walker & The All Stars – a set that glides along on a fuller set of backdrops than before, with Holland-Dozier-Holland production from Brian Holland returning to Motown – but in a hip 70s style that has strings and funk dancing along in a great way beneath the strong sax solos in the lead! There's a bit of vocals on the record, but the real strength lies in the instrumentation – especially some of the weirder, fuzzier guitar lines and keyboards. Titles include "Why Can't We Be Lovers", "Hot Shot", "Probe Your Mind", "I Need You Right Now", and "You Ain't No Ordinary Woman". CD

A stunning selection of female soul from Motown – all of it rare, and much of it previously unreleased! The set is a great reminder not only of how much we still have to learn about the biggest soul label in the motor city – but also of the exceptional quality that Motown brought to their recordings – so much so that even long-unissued tracks like these can easily stand with the biggest hits from other 60s soul labels! The package is wonderful if you dig female soul – and maybe even if you just like vintage soul in general – and in addition to rare cuts by big Motown names, you'll also hear some lesser-knowns that show the way the company was always trying to reach out for new talent in the fertile world of Detroit music. As usual, Ace has provided very detailed notes that offer as much history as information on the music – and the CD features 24 titles that include "It's Been A Long Time Happenin" by Rita Wright, "There Are Things" by Ann Bogan, "It's Crazy Baby" by Liz Lands, "Baby I've Got It" by Brenda Holloway, "Honey Don't Leave Me" by The Lewis Sisters, "It's All Right" by LaBrenda Ben, "When Someone's Good To You" by Oma Page, "In My Heart I Know It's Right" by Gladys Knight & The Pips, "Sweet Talkin Guy" by The Marvelettes, "Cookie Boy" by Thelma Brown, "I Up & Think Of You" by Kim Weston, "There Was" by The Lollipops, "Keep Away" by Little Lisa, "Playboy (first version)" by The Marvelettes, "I Know You Don't Love Me No More (orig mix)" by Yvonne Fair, "In Your Heart" by Patrice Holloway, "You've Got Possibilities" by Barbara McNair, and "Bad News" by LaBrenda Ben. CD

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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

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Funky cuts from the Motown catalog – a set that mixes key classics with a number of overlooked album cuts – all to remind us that the Motor City label could get plenty heavy in the groove! There's a few cuts here you'll know from hip hop samples, a few you'll remember for their own fame, and a number of others that should hopefully come as a new discovery – and which really make the package great! Titles include "Drink The Wine" by Valerie Simpson, "Gonna Find A True Love" by Bottom & Company, "Machine Gun" by Commodores, "Thank You Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin" by Earl Van Dyke, "Closing Jimmy's" by Marvin Gaye, "Behold" by James Jamerson, "It's The Same Old Love" by Jerry Ross Symposium, "I'm Losing You" by Rare Earth, "To Know You Is To Love You" by Syreeta, "Haiku" by Puzzle, "Got To Give It Up (part 1)" by Marvin Gaye, "Keep On Truckin" by Eddie Kendricks, "Every Time I See You I Go Wild" by Stevie Wonder, "Runnin" by Edwin Starr, "You Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover" by Yvonne Fair, and "UFO's" by The Undisputed Truth. LP, Vinyl record album

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A stunning look at the great Mary Wells – one of Motown's first female acts of the 60s, and one of the decade's most important early soul figures as well! Mary's work on record is very well-known, but the story behind the music is completely different, and surprisingly dark at times – a tale of a talented artist often caught between larger corporate forces, and personal antagonists as well – not to mention her own personal demons. Peter Benjaminson does a great job of getting at all these details without being overly sensational – and he works in lots of wonderful personal recollections from friends and colleagues who really help illuminate the more private moments. The book is over 300 pages, hardcover, with some black and white photos. Book

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One of the only blues records you'll ever find on Motown – and a mostly straight blues affair with a hard electric sound to it. The album's mostly in the early Alligator Records camp – but there's a few nice funky cuts, like "Now You Got It" and "Into My Life", which both have strong rhythm backing, and a smoother groove that kind of cuts the blues quotient a bit. That's a good thing for us, in case you couldn't tell! CD

One of the best cuts off of India's Acoustic Soul album – a slow funk groover with a very deep sound. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A great second album from India Arie – sweet, smooth, soulful, and one we like even better than the first! The style is wonderful – a mix of warm vocals, spare production, and acoustic guitar – which gives the set a folksy quality that really offsets the smooth backings nicely. Songs are very well written, and linked together with a sensuous musical approach that makes the whole album drift nicely along – beating with the heart of underground soul set, but handled with a high level of class! Titles include "Beautiful Surprise", "Little Things", "Talk To Her", "Right Direction", "Good Man", "Complicated Melody", and "The One". LP, Vinyl record album

A millennial classic from Erykah Badu – a record that came along right as the current century was starting up, to show a soulful path that would keep things strong for many years to come! The album grabbed a bigger audience than Erykah's first, but still kept things strong – really focusing in on that amazing vocal style that made the singer such a unique talent – and which always had edges that were sharper, and runs that were deeper, than some of her contemporaries who might be able to trick a phrase with a bit of spirit, but never deliver the whole thing in the way that Badu can! Themes are both personal and hinting at her political turns to come – and titles include "Kiss Me On My Neck", "Didn't Cha Know", "My Life", "AD 2000", "Bag Lady", "In Love With You", and "Booty". LP, Vinyl record album

A millennial classic from Erykah Badu – a set that came along right as the current century was starting up, to show a soulful path that would keep things strong for many years to come! The album grabbed a bigger audience than Erykah's first, but still kept things strong – really focusing in on that amazing vocal style that made the singer such a unique talent – and which always had edges that were sharper, and runs that were deeper, than some of her contemporaries who might be able to trick a phrase with a bit of spirit, but never deliver the whole thing in the way that Badu can! Themes are both personal and hinting at her political turns to come – and titles include "Kiss Me On My Neck", "Didn't Cha Know", "My Life", "AD 2000", "Bag Lady", "In Love With You", and "Booty". LP, Vinyl record album

Exclusive sampler for the Mama's Gun album, including "My Life", "Cleva", "Didn't Cha Know", "... & On", "Kiss Me On My Neck" and "Booty". 12-inch, Vinyl record

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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". CD

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". LP, Vinyl record album

A later album from Diahann Carroll – recorded for Motown at a time when she'd more than proved herself as a jazz singer and actress. The style here is a bit overblown, even for Carroll – with full, rich arrangements in the lusher styles of the 70s – in a mode that almost takes away from the poise and grace that Diahann spent so many years trying to perfect. Backings are by Jimmie Haskell, Michael O'Martin, and Clark Gassman – and titles include "Somewhere Between Love & Tomorrow", "After Being Your Lover", "Anybody Else", "I Can't Give Back The Love I Feel For You", and "I've Never Been A Fool Like This Before". LP, Vinyl record album

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The Commodores tenth album – as you might guess from the big X on the cover – and a set that features some of the last great moments of Lionel Richie with the group! The album's a bit overlooked, but has a really great groove – kind of a middle ground between The Commodores' heavier funk and mellower ballads – served up here with the tight instrumentation that always made the group a self-contained standout – and arranged and produced to perfection by the great James Anthony Carmichael. Richie's lead is strong, but understated too – and titles include "Old Fashion Love", "Heroes", "Sorry To Say", "All The Way Down", "Wake Up Children", "Mighty Spirit", and "Celebrate". LP, Vinyl record album

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". LP, Vinyl record album

A pivotal album for The Commodores – still very funky here, with a sound that stays true to their roots – yet also able to reach out into some of the mature mellow ballads that would make them a huge crossover act in years to come! James Carmichael arranges and produces here – really helping the group to find that key focus, and make some important use of the vocals of Lionel Richie. Mr R steps out strongly on the crossover hit "Three Times A Lady" – but the whole group more than holds their own on the funky killers "X Rated Movie", "Fire Girl", and "I Like What You Do" – as well as the great mellow groover "Say Yeah". LP, Vinyl record album

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". LP, Vinyl record album

An 80s collection of the hits off of one of the earliest albums on Motown – featuring some killer hard soul numbers! The Contours have a deeper R&B sound than some of their smoother Motown contemporaries – a great bridge between earlier group soul styles of the 50s, and the Motown modes to come – produced here with some wicked piano and guitar lines that ring out strongly in the middle. Vocals are wonderfully raspy – often peaking out into the red as they reach for a lead lyric – and titles include the classic "Do You Love Me" – plus "Shake Sherrie", "Just A Little Misunderstanding", "Whole Lotta Woman", and "It's So Hard Being A Loser". LP, Vinyl record album

A really mixed bag of grooves from the Crusaders – but still an album that's quite tasty if you dig their work on the Chisa label! The record appears to be a greatest hits collection – with the "best" in the title – but it's more a summation of the styles they'd been digging on previous records, as some tracks feature a tight funky groove, others have a mellower electric one, and still others have a straight jazz approach. Highlights include the African-sounding "Time Has No Ending", the Sly Stone cover "Thank You Falletin Me Be Mice Elf Agin", and a nice reading of Wilton Felder's "Way Back Home". LP, Vinyl record album

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

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". CD

Not actually a group, but a compilation of acts, mostly contemporary soul with some hip hop, produced by Eddie F, who played a role in those days that Puffy Combs would in a few years time. Lots of forgettable radio fodder here, but there is the early Mykill Myers track "Hardcore 4 Eva", Pete Rock & CL Smooth's "In The House" off the Main Ingredient and a posse cut, "Let's Get It On", with Heavy D, Grand Puba, Spunk Bigga plus Biggie & 2Pac when they were still getting along. CD