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

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

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

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

Hard grooving surf pop from the early-to-mid 60s – and this one's from the ladies – sun soaked, pulpy surf and drag strip rockers featuring The Honeys, Donna Loren, The Surfettes, Andrea Carroll, The Westwoods, Ellie Gee & The Jets, Dee Dee Sharp, Little Pattie & The Statesmen and many more! The solo and girl group vocals are a great mix of sweetness and rebelliousness, and the same could be said for the songs – which also masterfully mix knowing kitsch and genuine rockers. Players, producers and arrangers include Gary Usher, Lee Hazlewood, Hal Blaine and David Axelrod – and in Ace Records tradition, it comes with a thick booklet of great notes & photos. Titles include "Pray For Surf" & "Shoot The Curl" by The Honeys, "Cycle Set" by Donna Loren, "Surfer's Playmate" by The Fleetwoods, "Drag Race Johnny" by Little Pattie & The Statesmen, "Your Baby's Gone Surfin'" by Duane Eddy & The Rebellettes, "Don't Drag No More" by Susan Lynne, "Surfer Boy" by The Supremes, "Rod Hot Rod" by The King Pins", "Red Corvette" by Ellie Gee & The Jets and many more. 25 in all! CD

A massive batch of underground Detroit vocal groups from the tail end of the 50s, and on through the mid 60s – wonderful stuff that hardly saw the bright light of day that the big hit artists on the scene did, but hold up just as well toto an objective listen! There are a few recognizable names, but the majority of the material is from way underground. Several of the tunes here were previously unissued, or released in slightly alternate versions – but those and most of the rest are long buried treasures, and a joy to have available for a spin! 30 tracks in all, including "The Only One I Love" by the Miracles, "Someone To Call My Own" by the Equadors, "Tell Me Baby" by the Legends, "End Of Time" by the Egyptians, "Mr. Blues" (previously unreleased) by the Supremes, "Young Girls Beware" by Young Gents", "Bring Back" by the Van Dellos and many more! CD

16 songs from Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross And The Supremes, Smokey Robinson And The Miracles, Eddie Holland, Mary Wells, The Temptations, The Marvelettes, Marvin Gaye, Mary Wells, The Contours, Kim Weston, and The Valadiers. CD

Includes tracks by Isley Brothers, Monitors, Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Temptations, Diana Ross & The Supremes, and more! LP, Vinyl record album

"Memories" is probably a strangely placed word in the title of this one – as most of the tracks are lesser-known gems from the 1970s and 80s, produced by Brit soul maestro Ian Levine, and featuring classic stars from the 60s and 70s. Levine's got a good talent for bringing out the best in some of these recently underrecorded soul artists – and the CD fits in well with other UK efforts to resurrect American soul greats. There's a strong Detroit influence here, but the modern soul production style on most cuts makes the CD stand stronger than just a retro kind of effort. Titles include "Gambling On Your Love" by LJ Johnson, "Snake In The Grass" by The Exciters, "Possessed" by Doris Jones, "Lucky Number" by Ronnie McNeir, "My Head's In the Stars" by Evelyn Thomas, "You're Gonna Love My Baby" by Barbara McNair, "Feet Don't Fail Me Now" by The Trammps, "Back By Popular Demand" by The Supremes & The Originals, "Just Another Rumor" by Tyrone Ashley, and "You Take My Breath Away" by Moonstone. 22 cuts in all! CD

Music from the Fiestas, the Clefftones, the Solitaires, the Ovations, the Capris, the Supremes, the Harptones, the Packards, the Five Crowns, the Hummers, and more – 28 tracks in all! CD

Music from the Four Tops, the Temptations, the Capitols, Eddie Floyd, Carla Thomas, Bobby Herb, the Isley Brothers, Wilson Pickett, Percy Sledge, the Supremes, Sam & Dave, Lee Dorsey & more. CD

Music from Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, the Chairmen of the Board, the 5 Stairsteps, the Supremes, the Delfonics, the Temptations, the Jackson 5, Aretha Franklin, BB King, Edwin Starr, the Spinners, James Brown, and more – 21 tracks in all. CD

63 Coke jingles from the Bee Gees, Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, Nancy Sinatra & others. CD

Featuring Jim Jarmusch on keyboards and vocals. Includes a cover of the Supremes "My World Is Empty Without You". 12-inch, Vinyl record

A wealth of wonderful work from Mary Wells – a set that includes overlooked early singles, a huge amount of unreleased tracks, plus many others that weren't issued at the time – and which haven't been in print for years! This set not only brings together rare Motown singles from Mary, and bits from the Vintage Stock album – but also includes some that appeared on the early 90s Looking Back collection – and a lot more of which show up here for the first time ever! The music here not only shows Mary in formation, but Motown as well – trying out a whole host of different styles for Wells' great vocals – and really finding strong focus as the set rolls on. Mary's one of the first great solo singers for Motown – and the package features loads of solo numbers with her in the lead – plus a handful of numbers with the Supremes or Four Tops, one with The Temptations & Supremes, and one with Smokey Robinson – as well as seven more duets with Marvin Gaye! There's also a batch of "standards" – as Wells takes on the mode that Motown also tried with Marvin – and the package features a whopping 47 tracks in all, with very detailed notes. Titles include "Cinderella", "Is It Me Or Is It You", "Money", "Why Do You Want To Let Me Go", "When Your Lover Comes Back", "My Heart Is Like A Clock", "My World Of Dreams", "Your Loss My Gain", "Prove It", "Drop In The Bucket", "Everybody Needs Love", "Back In My Arms", "Oh Lover", "In Case You Need Love", "Again", "Always", "A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening", "Can't Get Out Of This Mood", and "This Is Something New". CD

A rare 70s soul set from Carol Woods – a singer who's done a fair bit of work on the musical stage, but who has plenty to offer in this obscure debut album! The record was mostly cut in New York, yet only issued in the UK – which is part of the reason for its obscurity – and the sound is full, proud, and plenty darn soulful – almost a post-Supremes sort of vibe, but with a hipper 70s approach – very well put together by producer Beau Ray Fleming, who's probably better known for his later work with Mandrill and Sun. Woods' vocals are full and rich, but never overdone – and she reminds us a lot of some of her other 70s contemporaries who'd worked the stage, but could slide into a soul session equally well – such as Melba Moore. Titles include "If I Let You", "But You Know I Love You", "Bigger Than I", "There's Gotta Be A Way", "The Woods Are Full", "Can You Remember", and "Why You Wanna". LP, Vinyl record album

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

A dozen songs from Diana Ross & the Supremes, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, the Four Tops, Mary Wells, the Jackson 5, the Temptations, the Isley Brothers, the Spinners, and more. CD

The influence of Sam Cooke runs deep in American soul music – not just because Sam was one of the first great soul singers of the 60s, but also because he had a really special way of putting over a message of hope and pride! This wonderful collection really shows that influence at its best – spun out over a host of great singles, most of which were issued in the years after Cooke's untimely early death – with music that doesn't just copycat Sam's style, but embraces his inner fire, and relights the torch for a generation to come! Some tracks are covers, some are real reworkings of Cooke tunes, and others almost stand as memorial tributes to the great one – on titles that include "Rome Wasn't Built In A Day" by Johnnie Taylor, "Shake" by Otis Redding, "Cupid" by RB Greaves, "I'm Gonna Forget About You" by Bobby Womack, "Pow You're In Love" by The Falcons, "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Brenton Wood, "The Smile" by The Simms Twins, "Ain't That Good News" by The Supremes, "Soothe Me" by Sam & Dave, "Wonderful World" by Johnny Nash, "The Sound Of My Man" by Theola Kilgore, "Bring It On Home To Me" by Eddie Floyd, and "Meet Me At The Twistin Place" by Johnnie Morisette. CD

Of all the soul labels of the 60s, Motown virtually had a lock on Christmas – jumping to the forefront with a host of classic recordings that have stood for years as some of the greatest soul Christmas tunes ever! Motown continued that tradition well into later years too – and this nice little set is a strong testament to the huge legacy of Holiday music served up by the label! The package brings together a few key cuts from the classic years, and mixes them with a lot of surprising numbers from later decades too – in a set list of 13 tracks that include "All I Want" by Asiahn, "Let It Snow" by Boyz II Men & Brian Knight, "This Christmas" by Ne Yo, "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" by Jackson 5, "Silent Night" by Tiana Major9, "Silver Bells" by The Supremes, "Jesus Is Love" by The Commodores, "I Want To Come Home For Christmas" by Marvin Gaye, "Christmas Blues" by Njomza, "Deck The Halls/Bring A Torch" by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, "Someday At Christmas" by Joy Denalane, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" by India.Arie & Joe Sample, and "Give Love On Christmas Day" by Johnny Gill. CD

The sprawling soul sounds of Motown, circa '72 – with all the amazing singles from January to July of that huge and historic year – collected here in the first of a 2 box set grand finale for the Complete Motown Singles series! Creatively, the first half of '72 was an incredible period. Veterans like Stevie Wonder, The Temptations and The Four Tops sound freshly inspired, Marvin Gaye is hitting his peak, Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5 are in full stride, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas and The Supremes are still cutting gorgeous singles. In other words, there's still a whole lot of distinctively Motown magic happening! But '72 also finds the label branching out into funk, funk rock and both sunnier and grittier material by a variety artists – from Undisputed Truth and Sisters Love, to Frankie Valli and Rare Earth. The label would soon make the move to the west coast, so it's truly the end of an era – therefore as apt of a point as possible for Hip-O Select to begin closing up their beautiful series. Vol 12A has 113 tracks on 5CDs – encased in a hardcover, 130-page full color book with essays and notes on each track – including songs by all the above, plus Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, David Ruffin, Jr. Walker & The All Stars, The Commodores, Syreeta, Edwin Starr, Thelma Houston, The Devastating Affair, Bobby Darin, Blinky, Posse, The Marvelettes, Blue Scepter, GC Cameron, The Originals, Eddie Kendricks, Gladys Knght & The Pips and more! Also includes a bonus 45 by The Blackberries – "Somebody Up There" backed by "But I Love You More" – with the Mowest logo on the inner label! Love this! Can't wait for Vol 12B! CD

An incredible year for Motown Records – beautifully documented in a complete run of singles from 1964! This may be the heaviest-hitting volume in the Complete Motown Singles series so far – as 1964 was a real breakthrough time for the label, a point when they exploded into mainstream consciousness with some landmark hits – but were also still trying their hand at a variety of unusual work with lesser-known artists! And as you've probably found out from the other volumes, looking at Motown through the full range of its singles, you get a far different picture of the label than their overplayed hits – because amidst the famous classics there's plenty of unusual sounds and rare soul moments – an amazing range of greatness that never fails to please! This package features a whopping 6CDs in all (plus a bonus 45 packaged in the cover!) – 165 songs in all, presented in a completely great hardcover package – with 136 pages of notes on each track, plus essays, color photos, and loads of cool images from the 60s! Includes music by Earl Van Dyke, Mary Wells, The Supremes, The Majestics, The Headliners, The Four Tops, Kim Weston, Marvin Gaye, Ray Oddis, The Miracles, The Contours, Carolyn Crawford, Howard Crockett, The Velvelettes, Choker Campbell, Lee Alan, R Dean Taylor, Howard Crockett, Brenda Holloway, Eddie Holland, Bruce Channel, and many others! CD

A better soundtrack than you might expect – as the set features a number of Christmas classics, mixed with a few new cuts for the record, and a few instrumentals too! The set leads off with Tyler The Creator doing "You're A Mean One Mr Grinch" and "I Am The Grinch" – and Danny Elfman also contributed a few instrumental titles too – but the bulk of the record is classic Holiday material, with titles that include "Christmas Is" and "Christmas In Hollis" by Run DMC, "My Favorite Things" by The Supremes, "Deck the Halls" by Jackie Wilson, "Run Rudolph Run" by Brian Setzer, "Zat You Santa Claus" by Buster Poindexter, "The Christmas Song" by Nat King Cole, and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" by Pentatonix. LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Aladdins, Supremes, Turks, Enchantones, Sunny Boys, Five Blue Notes, Fortuneers, Roxy & Daychords, Sunny Fulton & Mixmasters, Magnets, and more - 26 tracks in all. CD

Music from The Heartbeats, Mabel Lee, Bee Bee Queen, Billy Dawn, The Avons, The Pastels, The Supremes, The Monotones, The Parliaments, Dee Erwin, The Persuaders, Miller Sisters, Jimmy Castor, and more – 64 tracks in all. CD

Music from the Saucers, the Corvairs, the Starlighters, the Serenaders, the Suddens, the Rainbows, the Clusters, the Supremes, the 5 Fortunes, the Trojans, and more – 26 tracks in all. CD

Like finding a time machine – one that takes you back to the glory days of the New York club scene at the end of the 70s! Much has been written about Larry Levan – the genius DJ behind the Paradise Garage, and a leading force in club music who pulled the genre from the ashes of disco cliches and cold pre-programmed throwaway tracks. Levan not only had an ear for picking the most soulful tunes of the underground, buy he also had an extremely good talent for putting tracks together – a talent that got him plenty of work as a remixer in the early 80s, but which is also heard here exactly as you'd have heard it at the Paradise Garage back in 1979! The set is a magical document – a live mix performed by Levan at the Paradise, recorded with excellent sound, and spread over 2 CDs with a thick color booklet filled with notes about and photos of the Paradise Garage! The music's the best thing, though – as Levan comes up with killer groovers we've never heard, and other monsters that we'd forgotten about, and which sound even better in this stunning mix of music. Titles include "It's Music" by Damon Harris, "Put Your Body In It" by Stephanie Mills, "By The Way You Dance" by Bunny Sigler, "Right In The Socket" by Shalamar, "Here We Go Again" by Peoples Choice, "Bad Mouthin" by Motown Sounds, "Let Yourself Go" by The Supremes, "Angel In My Pocket" by Change, "Smack Dab In The Middle" by Janice McClain, "Sun Sun Sun" by Jacki, and "Erucu" by Jermain Jackson". 20 tracks in all – and all expertly mixed! CD

The Mojo Club posse is at it again – turning out a sublime set of older groovers – a brilliant collection of classic soul, funk, jazz, and Latin cuts! The set's one of the most soulful in the Mojo series, and like the rest, it's filled with obscure gems that you might have passed by over the years – not only rare cuts from singles, but a number of great tunes that have lain hidden on 70s albums that were otherwise worth passing over. Titles include "Strung Out" by Gordon Staples & The String Thing, "Tema Pro Luis" by Rosinha De Valenca, "State Of Mind" by Puzzle, "That's What You Say" by Gloria Scott, "The Woo Pee" by Sugarpie De Santo, "Ooh Ooh The Dragon" by Marvin Holmes, "He's My Sunny Boy" by Diana Ross & The Supremes, "Things We Said Today" by London Jazz Four, "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is" by Rose Royce, "I Wouldn't Change A Thing" by Coke Escovedo, "Boss Tres Bien" by Quartette Tres Bien, "Barra Limpa" by Oscar Brown Jr, "Lady Rain" by Lexia, "Elephant's Trunk" by Steve Pepper & Sir Shree, and "Mabusso" by Ambros Seelos. 23 tracks on 2 LPs! LP, Vinyl record album

Music from the Contours, Martha & the Vandellas, the Supremes, Eddie Holland, Marvin Gaye, the Jackson 5, Four Tops, the Miracles, the Temptations and more. CD

A fresh twist on a classic – as vintage Motown recordings are presented here with added orchestrations – all done at a level that lifts the soul singles up with even more majesty than before! A few of these cuts also feature added new vocals from British soul singers, but overall the approach takes the original Motown singers in the lead, then works with the Royal Philharmonic to bring in these larger arrangements that are different than the sound of Detroit back in the day – but which certainly get the spirit of the music right! New vocals include "What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted" by Jimmy Ruffin with Mica Paris, and "Abraham Martin & John" by Marvin Gaye with Beverley Knight – and other tunes include "Just My Imagination", and "My Girl" by The Temptations, "I'll Be There" by The Jackson 5, "Dancing In The Street" by Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, "Reach Out I'll Be There" by Four Tops, "Heard It Through The Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye, and "I Hear A Symphony" by The Supremes. LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, Diana Ross & the Supremes, Jr. Walker & the All Stars, Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, and the Contours. CD

The second set of tracks in this excellent series of Motown party tunes – featuring obscure numbers and hits that rocked the dancefloors on many a Northern Soul all-nighter! Titles include "Just A Little Misunderstanding" by The Contours, "Soul Stomp" by Earl Van Dyke, "Helpless" by Kim Weston, "From Head To Toe" by Chris Clark, "I Know I'm Losing You" by The Temptations, "Shoot Your Shot" by Jr Walker & The All Stars, "Motoring" by Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, "Love Is Like An Itching Up In My Heart" by The Supremes, "You're Gonna Love My Baby" by Barbara McNair, and "Function At The Junction" by Shorty Long. CD

We gotta admit, we kinda like this one! We were a bit suspicious at first – as the genius of Motown hardly needs any messing with – and we had fears that a remix project might just sound silly, goofy, and filled with easy tricks and gimmicks. But the choice of remixers on the set is really great – and includes enough of a range of talents to keep things interesting, but also a small enough group to unify the sound of the album, and still really respect the original vibe of the tunes. Most of the work here is very subtle – and just extends the best core elements, and expands on a few of the strongest musical references – in a way that's really different than the over-done approach of the Verve Remixed project. Titles include "ABC (Salaam Remi Krunk-a-delic party mix)" by Jackson 5, "Quiet Storm (Groove Boutique rmx)" by Smokey Robinson, "Let's Get It On (Producers MPG groove mix)" by Marvin Gaye, "Papa Was A Rollin Stone (DJ Jazzy Jeff & Pete Kuzma solefull rmx)" by The Temptations, "War (King Britt rmx)" by Edwin Starr, "Keep On Truckin (DJ Spinna rmx)" by Eddie Kendricks, "Smiling Faces Sometimes (Futureshock Main Ingredient mix)" by Undisputed Truth, "My World Is Empty Without You (Tranzition rmx)" by Diana Ross & The Supremes, and "I Just Want To Celebrate (Mocean Worker rmx)" by Rare Earth. CD

Not just big hits, as there's some great overlooked cuts here – a list of 16 titles that includes "It's Been A Long Long Time" by The Elgins, "Your Unchanging Love" by Marvin Gaye, "In & Out Of Love" by Diana Ross & The Supremes, "Fading Away" by The Temptations, "Night Fo Last" by Shorty Long, "I Can't Give Back The Love I Feel For You" by Rita Wright (Syreeta), "It's So Hard Being A Loser" by The Contours, "I'll Say Forever My Love" by Jimmy Ruffin, "I Got A Feeling" by Barbara Randolph, "Since I Lost You Girl" by The Monitors, and "My Baby Must Be A Magician" by The Marvelettes. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes tracks by Stevie Wonder, Four Tops, Temptations, Marvelettes, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, Jimmy Ruffin, and more! LP, Vinyl record album

Music drom The Supremes, The Tru-Tones, The Tremaines, The Heralds, Vickie Evans, The Universals, Herman Dunham & Ruth McFadden, Herman Dunham, The Del-Satins, The Ovations, The Earls, Tony Alava & The Playboys, The Rogues, The Royaltones, The Packards, The Heralds, Ruth McFadden and The Royaltones, The Keytones, The Fairfield Four, The Vocaleers, Mark IV's, Tony Alava & The Playboys, and The Solitaires. CD

A great tribute to the songwriting skills of Laura Nyro – presented here in a package that features key covers from some of Nyro's contemporaries, and which also includes a surprising amount of soul music too! Laura's one of those key 60s talents who started writing for others, then got the chance to spread her wings on her own – and while her own recordings have really continued to reach new audiences over the decades, it's great to have a package like this to remind us of Nyro's songwriting roots! The set's mostly heavy on material from the late 60s and early 70s – with a fair bit of female soul tunes in the mix – and it also includes a few more contemporary numbers that come as a nice surprise. Like others in Ace's "songwriter" series, the production and packaging is great – and titles include "Stoney End" by The Blossoms, "Time & Love" by The Supremes, "Wedding Bell Blues" by Bobby Gentry, "Captain St Lucifer" by Melba Moore, "Save The Country" by Thelma Houston, "Lazy Susan" by Liane Carroll, "He's A Runner" by Mama Cass, "Buy & Sell" by Nnena Freelon, "Lonely Women" by Linda Hoyle, "Eli's Coming" by Friends Of Distinction, and "Stoned Soul Picnic" by Staple Singers. CD

Music from Martha & the Vandellas, Jr Walker & the All-Stars, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross & the Supremes, the Dazz Band, Undisputed Truth, Barbara McNair, Jimmy Ruffin, Barrett Strong, the Four Tops, Barbara Randolph, the Isley Brothers, and Teena Marie. CD

Includes music by Nat King Cole, Darlene Love, The Supremes, Mavis Staples, The Ventures, Burt Bacharach, Andy Williams, Percy Faith, Bobby Vinton, Ray Charles, Jose Feliciano, and Paul Anka. CD

A landmark record for Diana – her first solo effort after leaving the Supremes, and a well-conceived batch of tracks produced by Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson! The album's got a warm, mature approach that really separates the work from Diana's earlier girl group past – as Ashford & Simpson take her into territory that hints at many of the musical changes to come, but which still has a freshness that breathes new life into Ross' vocal approach. Includes the super-bit hit version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", plus the tunes "Reach Out & Touch Somebody's Hand", "Now That There's You", "You're All I Need To Get By", "These Things Will Keep Me Loving You", "Dark Side Of The World", and "Where There Was Darkness". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic early demonstration of the solo powers of Diana Ross – a live date from Vegas, and one that has her commanding the stage not just as a singer of soul music, but as a female star ready to rival the talents of any of her contemporaries in the mainstream! Ross shines here with a brilliant brightness right from the start – working with a large ensemble that echoes all her best Motown roots, but which also pushes things out in fuller, more vibrant modes too – as Diana runs through tracks that include old soul favorites, jazz standards, and even some surprising choices from the charts – at a level that's filled with poise, class, and soul throughout. Titles include a great "Supremes Medley", plus "Don't Rain On My Parade", "Corner Of The Sky", "I Love You Porgy", "My Man", "The Lady Is A Tramp", "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", and a "Lady Sings The Blues Medley" with titles from the Billie Holiday songbook. LP, Vinyl record album

Music from The Jackson 5, The Supremes, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, The Isley Brothers, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Velvelettes, Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Temptations, The Monitors, Brenda Holloway, Rick James, The Commodores, and more. 101 tracks on 5 CDs! CD

A dozen chartbusting hits from the motor city: Marvin Gaye "Try It Baby", the Temptations "(I Know) I'm Losing You", Jr Walker & The All Stars "(I'm A) Road Runner", Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell "You're All I Need To Get By", Smokey Robinson & The Miracles "Mickey's Monkey", Diana Ross & The Supremes "Back In My Arms Again", Stevie Wonder "Blowin In The Wind", Brenda Holloway "You've Made Me So Very Happy", Martha Reeves & The Vandellas "I'm Ready For Love", Smokey Robinson & The Miracles "OOO Baby Baby", the Marvelettes "Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead" and the Temptations "It's Growing". LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Kim Weston, the Funk Brothers, the Miracles, Diana Ross & The Supremes, and Smokey Robinson & the Miracles – 15 tracks total. CD

Music from the Four Tops, Percy Sledge, the Supremes, the Miracles, Fontella Bass, the Impressions, the Supremes, the Temptations, James Brown, Eddie Floyd, Lou Rawls, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and more. CD

Includes 20 tracks by Marvin Gaye, Isley Brothers, the Four Tops, Kim Weston, Diana Ross & the Supremes, Bonnie Pointer, and Martha Reeves & the Vandellas. CD

Music from the Marvelettes, Martha & the Vandellas, Mary Wells, the Temptations, the Supremes, Jr Walker & the All Stars, the Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, the Jackson 5 and more – 26 tracks in all! CD

An expanded version of this classic set of Motown Christmas tunes – one that features some of the best cuts from the individual artists' Holiday albums cut for the label, plus some harder to find tracks from singles! The set's got 25 tracks in all, with titles that include "Santa Claus Is Comin To Town" and "Give Love On Christmas Day" by The Jackson 5, "What Christmas Means To Me" and "One Little Christmas Tree" by Stevie Wonder, "Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer" and "The Little Drummer Boy" by The Temptations, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "Jingle Bells" by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, "Children's Christmas Song" and "White Christmas" by Diana Ross & The Supremes, and "I Want To Come Home For Christmas" by Marvin Gaye. CD

Features music by Rare Earth, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Four Tops, Spinners, Commodores, and Supremes. Each track has two versions – one with original lead vocals, and one with background tracks only so you can sing along! 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

Includes 25 tracks by Gene Autry, Elmo and Patsy, Dion, The Jackson Five, Hearbeats, Burl Ives, Bing Crosby, Roy Orbison, Lou Monte, The Duprees, Supremes, Stevie Wonder, and Andy Williams. CD