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

A fantastic collection of work from Sondra "Blinky" Williams – a hell of a soul singer who recorded a fair bit for Motown Records at the end of the 60s and start of the 70s – but an artist whose music ended up mostly spending the next few decades in the label's vaults! Yet Blinky never let the lack of success stop her from giving her best – as she's a fantastic vocalist, and one with an expressive range that easily matches some of the Motown greats of her generation – a list that would include Martha Reeves or Gladys Knight – but who also has these deeper, more righteous currents that make her a perfect singer for a Motown move into the 70s! Blinky only saw one full album issued at the time – a duo with Edwin Starr titled Just The Two Of Us – but this package features a fully conceived, yet never-released album – plus other singles, unissued tracks, live material, and lots more – a wealth of fully-cooked, powerfully-produced singles that finally give the singer her due. The whole thing is an amazing Motown discovery – 46 tracks in all, 28 of which appear here for the first time ever – with titles that include "Don't Leave Your Baby", "Heart Full Of Soul", "How Can I Go On", "Inside", "I'll Make It Up To You", "One Half Of Love", "Shine On Me", "For Once In My Life", "I Wouldn't Change The Man He Is", "I Can't Turn You Loose", "People Make The World Go Round", "T'Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do", "I've Gotta Get You Back", "Mr Soul Brother", "You're The Loser Now", "One Half Of Love", and lots lots more. CD

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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 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

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An early entry into the CD box set format – and a classic collection that features 104 tracks by 36 key artists from Motown Records! CD

An overdue look at the lost Lamp Records – a crucially important indie soul label on the Indy scene of the late 60s and early 70s – a company that was never as big as Chess or Motown, but did a similar job of documenting its city's musical scene! Indianapolis was always a very diverse city – and gave the world bigger funk and jazz luminaries like Wes Montgomery or Funk Inc – but like most cities of its size, Indy also sported a rich underground of great singers and bands who were really trying to make it big – all really great artists who were captured in deep detail by the Lamp Records label! Now Again/Stones Throw have given us a slight look at this scene in the past – most notably with their reissues of work by Ebony Rhythm Band – but this is the first really detailed dig into the label, with a huge amount of material that's only ever circulated on very rare original pressings. The work is a great mix of group soul, funky cuts, sweet harmony, and even a bit of gospel – and titles on this 2LP set include "Somebody Please" by The Vanguards, "You Made My Everything" by Words Of Wisdom Truth Revue, "Hum Bug" by Diplomatics, "I Didn't Know" by Funder Cooper, "Go To Work" by Revolution Compared To What, "Everybody Who Wants To Be Free" by Amnesty, "Can I Call You Baby" by The Pearls, "Take Me" by Fabulous Souls, "High On The Hill" by Squidd, "Soul Heart Transplant" by Ebony Rhythm Band, "See The Lord" by Mighty Indiana Travelers, "Huh" by Tony Black & Revolution Compared To What, "I'm Only Human" by Embers, "It Swells My Desire" by The PHDs, and "More Than I Can Stand" by Moonlighters. 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

A really joyous celebration of the 60th Anniversary of Motown Records – a long set that features a continuous mix that includes 37 tracks from the full run of the label – most taken relatively straight, but given these cool old-style radio voiceovers as some of the tracks get started! DJ Lead provides a remix at the start, and scratches a bit here and there – but most of the tunes are delivered in the familiar mode you'd know – titles that include "Money" by Barrett Strong, "Rhythm Of The Night" by Debarge, "Square Biz" by Teena Marie, "Brick House" by Commodores, "I'll Be There" by Jackson 5, "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye, "Video" by India Arie, "Don't Look Any Further" by Dennis Edwards, "Bag Lady" by Erykah Badu, "Running With The Night" by Lionel Richie, "Please Mr Postman" by The Marvelettes, and "I Want You Back (DJ Lead rmx)" by Jackson 5. CD

It's no surprise that the music of The Beatles crossed over big with all music listeners of the 60s – and this great set documents that huge influence the Beatles' original tunes had on Motown! The set features 17 tracks – from the early sweet days of Motown, to the later slightly-psychedelic ones, all Beatles tunes, done in soulful versions that really work wonders with the original compositions. Titles include "The Fool On The Hill" by The Four Tops, "Hey Jude" by The Temptations, "We Can Work It Out" by Stevie Wonder, "Eleanor Rigby" by Four Toops, "Hard Days Night" by The Supremes, "My Sweet Lord" by Edwin Star, "Imagine" by Diana Ross, "Something" by Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, "She's Leaving Home" by Syreeta, "And I Love Her" by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, and "Yesterday" by Marvin Gaye. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

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

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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 17 tracks in all. CD

... CD

A fantastic look at the funkier side of Motown in the 70s – and a collection that's not just straight disco, thanks to the mighty selection talents of DJ Muro and T-Groove! Muro handles all of CD1 – and mixes in some excellent soundtrack numbers with more familiar soul tracks – and also presents a few classic cuts in remixed versions too! T-Groove is on CD2 – which has cuts that are maybe a bit more iconic in the Motown club sound of the 70s, but still pretty darn great when heard together in this set. Neither CD appears to be mixed – tracks all appear discrete and standalone – and the package features 37 titles that include "You Made Your Bed" by Reuben Howell, "Books & Basketball" by David Shire & James Di Pasquale, "T Plays It Cool (unedited version)" by Marvin Gaye, "Erucu" by Jermaine Jackson, "Mirrors Of My Mind" by Jackson 5, "Date With The Rain (DJ Spinna refreak)" by Eddie Kendricks, "Ego" by Ozone, "Big Time (M+M big time 2016 mix)" by Rick James, "Treat Her Like A Lady" by The Temptations, "Brothers Gonna Work It Out (Joey Negro return of the mac mix)" by Willie Hutch, "He's A Friend" by Eddie Kendricks, "Down To Love Town" by The Originals, "Go For It" by Billy Preston & Syreeta, "Full Speed Ahead" by Tata Vega, "Let's Be Young Tonight" by Jermaine Jackson, "Heaven Must Have Sent You" by Bonnie Pointer, "Shoulda Gone Dancin" by High Energy, "Saturday Night Sunday Morning" by Thelma Houston, "Star Love" by Three Ounces Of Love, "Tailgate" by 21st Creation, "Scratchin" by Magic Disco Machine, "Standing On The Verge" by Platinum Hook, and "I Need Your Lovin (M+M lovin all night long mix)" by Teena Marie. 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". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet little tune lifted from India's Voyage To India album – a warmly thumping number with some very nice work on bass, and a cool flanged out vocal style that bubbles up nicely to our ears! If the whole album's this great, she's got a real winner on her hands! CD

India Arie continues her sensuous journey in sound – working here in the same earthy blend of acoustic and electric elements that made other records so great, and showing that she's still one of the strongest voices in contemporary soul! The record's got a personal, intimate quality that's head and shoulders above most of the harder-hitting divas on the charts these days – and although other indie singers have attempted India's sound on their own recent records, Arie shows that she's still one of the few who can get a sound like this right. Gentle guitar and warm vocals float together in perfect tandem throughout the record – and the whole thing has a very cohesive approach that never seems to ruin the groove, even on the few obvious attempts at a hit! Titles include "India Song", "I Am Not My Hair", "Summer", "Good Mourning", "Private Party", "There's Hope", "These Eyes", and "Wings Of Forgiveness". CD

Badu is back with some of the deepest, funkiest and best music of her career – a mindblowing treatise for a New Amerykah – and what we'll consider an instant classic whether the world at large catches on or not! Erykah steps up this time with a set that balances the wilder impulses of her criminally underappreciated Worldwide Underground and more of a hip hop based, righteously grooving style – but still bursts with a freshness that's unrivaled to say the least. From free spirited soul, to sparse hip hop funk this record is both blunt and beautiful – with a slow-building emotional resonance that'll reach the most jaded souls. Modern soul music of the first order that gives us goosebumps from the first spin to the last beat! The album kicks off with Erykah riffing on and remixing Ramp's "American Promise" as an intro – and it just gets deeper from there. Producers/collaborators include Madlib, Sa-Ra, Karriem Riggins, James Poyser and ?uestlove. Amazing!!! Titles include "The Healer", "Me", "My People", "Soldier", "The Cell", "Twinkle", "Master Teacher", "The Hump" and "Telephone". The 9th Wonder produced single "Honey" is an unlisted bonus track. CD

An amazing record that's as powerful as the political message of the title – the hippest record ever cut by Amiri Baraka, and that's saying a heck of a lot! Baraka delivers a long and complex set of poetic reflections on the state of Black America, spiritual awakening, and political redemption – set to musical backings that shift from funky, to jazz, to avant, and back again. Players on the set include Gary Bartz, Lonnie Liston Smith, Idris Muhammad, and Reggie Workman – and there's a host of additional players, percussionists, and vocalists that join Amiri in the delivery of his message. Titles include "Answers In Progress", "Peace In Place", "Bad News For Your Highness", "Was Gon Happen", "All In The Street", "Pamoja Tutashinda", and "Pull The Covers Off". One to listen to when you get past your Last Poets records! LP, Vinyl record album

BJ The Chicago Kid's second full length for Motown! BJ has a way of recalling classic Chicago soul in the earnest, emotional realness of his lyricism and relatively mellow style, which is a nicely grounding anchor given the modern overall aesthetic. It's a contemporary sound with a timeless soul at the center. BJ's years as a guest vocalist himself makes him such a great host for guest singers, MCs and producers on his own records, too – and this one features Anderson.Paak, Rick Ross, Afrojack and others with production by Danja, Cool & Dre, Karriem Riggins and more. Includes "Feel The Vibe" feat Anderson.Paak, "Champagne", "Get Away" feat JID, Buddy & Kent Jamz, "Tome Today", "Can't Wait", "Playa's ball" feat Rick Ross, "Too Good", "Close", "Rather Be With You", "Worryin' Bout Me" feat Offset, "Reach" feat Afrojack and more. CD

Solid hip hop soul by BJ The Chicago Kid – featuring support from a star-studded guest roster that includes Chance The Rapper, Kendrick Lamar, Big Krit and more! It's fitting that BJ should get a high profile headlining effort of his own – on Motown, of all labels – after years of being a vital supporting player. In My Mind doesn't disappoint, with a soulfully resonant, slow burning mood on a lot of it – balancing relatable, accessible sounds with distinctive, personal songs. Includes "The New Cupid" with Kendrick Lamar, "A Woman's World", "Man Down" with Buddy And Constantine, "The Resume" feat Big KRIT, "Crazy", "Home", "Church" feat Chance The Rapper & Buddy, "Turnin' Me Up" and more. CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Probably the biggest hit that Gary Byrd ever had, and a conscious effort by this DJ/public speaker to compete with the hip hop 12" single. "The Crown" is a 10 minute track that features Byrd rhyming about wisdom, knowlege, and heritage – with instrumental backing by Stevie Wonder, who also contributes a bit of vocals. 12-inch, Vinyl record

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

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". CD

A great Motown album from Chris Clark – one of the few white singers ever signed to the label, and a great vocalist at that! Chris has a sound that's quite unique – halfway between Motown soul and some of the soul-inspired pop of the time – particularly that of UK singers like Dusty Springfield and some of her generation. There's a proud, bold sound here – all Motown in the backings, and often done with the kind of tightly-stepping grooves that have made some of Chris' singles big ones on the Northern Soul scene over the years. Titles include "I Want To Go Back There Again", "Day By Day Or Never", "From Head To Toe", "Sweeter As The Days Go By", "Do Right Baby Do Right", "Born To Love You Baby", "Love's Gone Bad", and "Whisper You Love Me Boy". CD also features a previously unreleased alternate stereo mix of "Do Right Baby Do Right" – and the overall package is amazing – with a 20 page full-color booklet that includes long notes on Clark's career, vintage photos, and even session details for the album! CD

Wicked early funk from The Commodores – a group that spent so much time on pop ballads in later years, it's hard to believe they could be this sharp and hard-edged! There's plenty of that bass-heavy style that would later dominate many Motown combos at the end of the 70s – but the group's really in control of the groove on this one, without any of the cliches that such bassery could lead them into – and production is nicely restrained, so that the whole thing has the loose, live feel of some of the best ensemble funk of the time – even some of the gems from the underground. Lionel Ritchie contributed one nice smooth soul number, "This Is Your Life", and the rest of the album includes "Let's Do It Right", "Wide Open", "The Bump", "Look What You've Done To Me", and the funk classic "Slippery When Wet". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic self-titled set from The Commodores – not their debut album, but a record that really broke them out of the box and exposed the group to a huge new audience! The album hits perfectly on both sides of the group's strengths – the tight ensemble funk on which they were raised, and some of the sweeter aspects that were showing up as Lionel Richie emerged as the solo male singing star – not nearly as cheesy here as in later years, and a surprisingly nice element to offset the heavier funk. Titles include the funky classic "Brick House", the mellow hit "Easy", and the cuts "Squeeze The Fruit", "Zoom", "Funky Situation", "Won't You Come Dance With Me", "Funny Feelings", "Heaven Knows", and "Patch It Up". CD

A classic self-titled set from The Commodores – not their debut album, but a record that really broke them out of the box and exposed the group to a huge new audience! The album hits perfectly on both sides of the group's strengths – the tight ensemble funk on which they were raised, and some of the sweeter aspects that were showing up as Lionel Richie emerged as the solo male singing star – not nearly as cheesy here as in later years, and a surprisingly nice element to offset the heavier funk. Titles include the funky classic "Brick House", the mellow hit "Easy", and the cuts "Squeeze The Fruit", "Zoom", "Funky Situation", "Won't You Come Dance With Me", "Funny Feelings", "Heaven Knows", and "Patch It Up". LP, Vinyl record album

Lionel Richie come back! All is forgiven! We'd said bad things about you for years until we heard this funky groover – The Commodores' first album, a tasty bit of funk that almost makes us want to forgive you for all of your later crimes! The whole thing's pretty funky all the way through – with a strong southern groove, touched with a bit of a Sly Stone party funk mode. Includes the killer break classic "The Assembly Line", which feels like it was lifted right off one of Sly's late 60s albums for Epic – plus "The Bump", "Machine Gun", "The Zoo", and "Gonna Blow Your Mind". Arrangements are by James Carmichael and Gloria Jones, who also did the production – and the album's a long way from "Three Times A Lady", trust us! 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 moment 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". CD

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

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

A stone classic from that great early 80s run by DeBarge – that time when they were really reinventing the group soul sound for a new generation, finding a way to bring back older sweet soul modes, but with a very different twist! The record's as strong as its predecessors, although slightly more commercial – but since DeBarge were never going to be one of the rootsiest acts in soul, we can hardly fault them for that! Titles include "Who's Holding Donna Now" and "Rhythm Of The Night", plus "Single Heart" off the DC Cab soundtrack, and "You Wear It Well", "The Walls Come Tumbling Down", and "Share My World". LP, Vinyl record album