Hitsville USA The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971
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Free Music Notes for Hitsville USA The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971
Free Music Review: The Classic Sound Of Tamla Motown
Hit: 5 Stars
A well-assembled box set containing just some of Motown's most golden and definitive classics. Nobody knew Motown Records was going to take off in the way it did. Berry Gordy intended to use his artists to break down the then racial barriers, intending to encapsulate a golden and distinct sound that would not only please a black audience but would too appeal to whites. Berry Gordys visions for the company paid off. Key artists like Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder attracted a huge following from both blacks and whites. Seemingly echoing the restrictions of ghetto life in Detroit (which is where Motown began) was the effective, bluesey Money (Thats What I Want) by Barret Strong, Motowns debut release. There is a raw, earthy feel to the classic that has stood the test of time impecably well. There is a strong injection of Rock and Roll on Motowns early releases though they found a more commercially favourable sound with vast elements of pop neatly blended into the production with The Marvelettes famous classic, Please Mr. Postman. The Marvelettes were Motowns premier female group and took the credit of delivering Motown its first chart topper. The Marvelettes didn't have an entirley successful run at Motown. Though they pumped out a sprinkling of fantastic hits eratically through the duration of the decade, their acheivements were pretty limited, probably as they were overshadowed by Martha Reeves And The Vandellas who too admitedly found themselves overshadowed by Motowns biggest act, Diana Ross And The Supremes. Both Martha and the Vandellas and Diana and the Supremes had individual and unique qualities of their own. A vast selection of Martha Reeves finest recordings turn up here from the sassy Come And Get These Memories, the pop masterpiece Heat Wave (though I have to admit I actually prefer Diana Ross' version of it which was featured on The Supremes Sing Holland Dozier Holland album) and the rolling Dancing In The Streets. Just listening to the sheer volume and power of Reeves voice makes you appreciate her often over-looked vocal talents. Diana Ross had a much softer soprano which had soulful qualities, ozzing heavy emotion and genuine feeling that showed subtle hints of a raw vulnreability in her vocal delivery and neatly surfboarded along Motowns complex musical arrangements. Many of their classics are here including the finest of their career with the raw, gritty Love Child and their breathtakingly beautiful ballad, Someday We'll Be Together. Holland Dozier Holland was the main driving force behind a lot of Motowns most golden classics. They wrote and assembled some of the most remarkable pieces of music for both Diana Ross and the fantasic Four Tops. Lead singer, Levi Stubbs rocketing voice was just amazing and even managed to give you goose bumps. Several of their most famous classics turn up here including their pair of U.S chart toppers, I Can't Help Myself and the hauntingly atmospheric Reach Out I'll Be There. The Temptations were one of Motowns hottest and most versatile acts. The splitting of lead vocal duties between the smooth, sensuous sound of Eddie Kendricks falsetto combined with the explosive volume of David Ruffins more forceful delivery marked an interesting transistion in their work. Tracks like the jamming Get Ready and My Girl respectivley show up on this box set though also highlights some of their most exciting work from the early 70's with the undertones of hot, pulsating funk on Cloud Nine, which saw Dennis Edwards being lead vocalist after the swift departure of David Ruffin and the utterly fantastic classic, Ball Of Confusion, divulging into contemporary social issues. Smokey Robinson was a key artist at Motown who wrote some timeless music and was generally an all-round and highly versatile entertainer. Some of his most enthralling work is on here such as the infectious sounds of The Tears Of A Clown and the breathtakingly beautiful, The Tracks Of My Tears. Stevie Wonder was a sheer genius and some of his greatest work is included here, from the masterpiece production of Fingertips to the playful funk of Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours. Marvin Gaye was another one of Motowns definitive artists. His work progresed from the formulaic sounds of Motown on tracks like Stubborn Kind Of Fellow to the masterpiece of I Heard It Through The Grapevine to the profound political statements expressed on the timeless Whats Going On that is deservedly included on here. There is oddly only 1 offering from Diana Ross' solo career with the absolutley magnificent, golden Soul classic, Ain't No Mountin High Enough. Ashford and Simpson always knew how to make good records for Diana Ross and that tracks is one of the many landmarks in her career. You just get goose bumps as that exalting and rip-roaring climax builds and Diana effectivley talks through the verses, emphasising her truly sensual vocal style.This box set hosts so many classics thats its impossible to chronicle them all but there are some surprisingly rare features on here such as a version of I Can't Give Back The Love I Feel For You by Rita Wright (later covered by Diana Ross on her Surrender album) and some offerings from the over-looked Brenda Holloway. Amongst other familiar classics are the fantastic and the at-the-time controversial nature of Edwin Starr's rip-roaring War, the beautiful This Old Heart Of Mine Is Weak For You by the highly underated The Isley Brothers, the sensational ShotGun by Junior Walker And The All Stars who bought a unique touch of Jazz to their mainstream sound of Soul/R&B/Pop, Needle In A haystack by The Velvettes, ABC by The Jackson 5 (featuring a young, nasal sounding Michael Jackson),Stoned Love by Thr Supremes (possibly their best post-Ross recording featuring Jean Terrell as lead vocalist) and the unforgetable classic, Nowhere To Run by Martha Reeves And The Vandellas. The lists could go on and on and on but the whole box set deserves a thorough listen! Consistently bubbling with red hot, distinct and positivley infectious musical arrangements, Motown opened many doors for black singers and broke down many racial barriers. The golden Motown sound ceased to exist after its headquarters move from Detroit to L.A but all the magic is clearly encapsulated on here. Motown remains a key landmark in the history of black music and also made a significant impact in Pop music all together. Never has there been a record label that has managed to capture and encapsulate such a unique, distinct sound with such a wide range of diverse singing talents. The classics on here are timeless and enthralling. Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection is both superb and timeless but also essential to any serious Soul/R&B collection!
Free Music Review: Incredible music and packaging, but not the whole story
Hit: 5 Stars
The years 1959 - 1971, when Motown was located in Detroit, is considered the golden era of the label. Motown charted over 350 singles during this time and it would probably take at least 10 cds to do this period justice. This collection, Motown's most extensive at the time of its release in 1992, is comprised of four cds. Of the 104 singles included here, only two didn't chart: Syreeta's "I Can't Give Back The Love I Feel For You" and Shorty Long's original version of "Devil With The Blue Dress On." The inclusion of Carolyn Crawford's rare and gorgeous "My Smile Is Just A Frown (Turned Upside Down)" was worth the cost of the set alone for the serious Motown collector. It and the Syreeta single were appearing on cd for the first time (both have been included on other Motown compilations since then).Motown went for a wide variety of artists (36) instead of just choosing the obvious hits by the major artists as previous collections had done. Of the major artists, the nine selections each by the Miracles and the Temptations are a good representation of their best work during this period. The Diana Ross-led Supremes, however, are strongly neglected, with only four singles included here. Especially key omissions in a historical set such as this is their first and last number ones: "Where Did Our Love Go" and "Someday We'll Be Together." Meanwhile, all three 1970-1971 hits by the Jean Terrell-led Supremes are found here. The selection of Martha and the Vandellas' "Love (Makes Me Do Foolish Things)" over "I'm Ready For Love" and "Honey Chile" doesn't work for me, while Shorty Long's only bonafide hit, the novelty "Here Comes The Judge" is left off at the expense of the non-hit "Function At The Junction" and "Devil With The Blue Dress On."
These digitally remastered singles are all in crisp mono, as they were originally mixed for radio. Many of them (such as the Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love" and the Temptations' "Cloud Nine" are dramatically different from the versions heard on "oldies" radio today. The singles are sequenced for the most part in release date order. Most of the major hits from the 1959 - 1963 period are included on the set: Barrett Strong's "Money," the Miracles' "Shop Around", the Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman, and the Contours' "Do You Love Me", for instance. In 1964, Motown became a true hit factory (the Supremes, Temptations, and Four Tops all had their first major hits that year) and it is here that the omissions on the set start to become more pronounced. There is just too much great music from 1964 through 1971 from Motown to fit onto only four discs (actually three, since the first disc is dedicated to the 1959 - 1963 period).
The 68-page booklet is a nice accompaniment to the discs. While the biographies aren't that extensive, it is hard to find even what is listed here on the more obscure artists like Carolyn Crawford and the Monitors. A thorough track listing provides the artist's name, songwriters, publishers, producers, release date, label number, and peak chart position in Billboard (pop and r&b) for each single. Best of all is the listing - by instrument and year - of the names of the incredible musicians who played on the Motown recordings. Motown never put musician credits on any of the albums it released during this period and it is great to see them finally given their due on a major collection.
Motown subsequently released a four-disc box set companion collection (in stereo) covering 1972 - 1992. It is a shame that they never released an additional box set (or two) on the 1959 - 1971 period. This retrospective is a great introduction to the magic of Motown, but it is far from the complete story.
Free Music Review: "Hitsville" Streets Paved with Classic 60s Soul Gold
Hit: 5 Stars
The 90s glut of artist and era box sets seemed to perform the same duty Motown's near hundreds of 60s collections do: codify and classify a wealthy, sentimental generation's shared memories by artist, era, style. But a handful of box sets managed to do all three, which is the major triumph of this essential 4CD Motown box set. Motown's many slogans -- "It's what's in the groove that count," "The sound of young America." apply to these songs epitomizing the 1960s at its most youthful (the Marvellettes and Supremes' first hits), energetic (the Contours, Smokey Robinson's propulsive first Miracles' hits, the Vandellas' "Dancing In The Street"), heartbroken (Jimmy Ruffin, his brother David solo and leading the Temptations) innocent (the Jackson 5's first hits, Mary Wells' "My Guy," resting with the Temps' "My Girl"), and angry ("War," "Cloud Nine," Marvin Gaye's seismic "What's Going On.")
Rarely has a CEO's vision been so forthright, hands-on, yet fully realized. Motown founder Berry Gordy's life story, his own career and careers he made and helped ruin, has been retold uncounted times (most recently by Gerald Pozner and notably by the man himself). Gordy's vision was of young and talented singers, songwriters and producers groomed for success, pushed by competition to write and sing danceable, present-tense songs leaping from car radio speakers, then performed in the world's greatest showplaces. Motown succeeded beyond even his dreams even as some of that talent discovered its financial and artistic potential, then left Motown with occasional success (Gladys Knight, the Isley Brothers during their mid-60s stay) and tragic failure (Wells). Gordy's ambition and his methods to achieve and maintain success are debatable; his results and Motown's legacy leadership are not.
After 105 tracks (charted in a lengthy essay booklet with six writers' contributions)it's still not enough. Smokey's smooth "Ooo Baby Baby" and "Tracks of My Tears" makes you want "Going to A GoGo"'s stomping dance groove. The Temps sing their signature songs ("The Way You Do The Things You Do," "I Can't Get Next To You") and you want Ruffin's and Eddie Kendricks' soul shouting on 1967's otherworldly "You're My Everything." (The set puts unduly spotlights 1970's Motown hits at the expenses of the label's sterling 1965-67 era.) But "Hitsville" also fetes lesser-known Motown stars (two songs each from Shorty Long and later Motown songwriters Eddie Holland and Brenda Holloway, the Monitors' eerie "Greetings, This is Uncle Sam"). Before releasing 1993's less essential "Hitsville Volume 2," (covering 1972 onward) Motown could have gathered a second box from 60s leftovers (and probably considered it).
Motown's legend parallels Disney, Playboy, Microsoft, and Ford Motors (Gordy's former employer) and any corporation built from scratch and recognized by quality, efficiency, lifestyle and logo, all stamped by its leader. Motown influences popular culture to this day, and comprises one of music's richest songbooks in terms of consistent quality and profitability. (The Funk Brothers Motown backup band, only now receiving its due with a successful DVD and concert tour, are the latest example.) You can get Motown music anywhere you look or listen. You can get the most and best of it here. You ought to.
Free Music Review: This is the Motown sound!
Hit: 5 Stars
What is Motown all about? The answer lies within the music of this rather impressive line-up of songs on "Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971." It's the story of how a gifted songwriter, Berry Gordy, Jr., makes his way on up the ladder of success spearheading one of if not the most successful
of all R&B-based record companies during the golden age of American popular music. Detroit, Michigan, known as the Motor City, gained yet another nickname: Hitsville USA. Everyone referred to it as Motown. In this collection, all of the well-known groups (The Supremes, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Miracles, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Jr. Walker & the All-Stars, The Jackson 5) are represented as well as the known solo artists (Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Mary Wells, Brenda Holloway). Included also are some wonderful one or two-shot wonders (Shorty Long, Brenda Holloway, Eddie Holland [of Motown's hit-making songwriting trio H-D-H], The Velvelettes, The Elgins, The Monitors, The Contours) and more. What's interesting about this set is that there are many of the well-known songs along with some songs that you probably just don't hear anymore or weren't that well-known. So you get your fair share of both like the Supremes' well-known "Baby Love" and Shorty Long's rare but wonderful "Function at the Junction." The downside of this set is nothing too alarming. Not all the artists' hit songs, big and small, are included and I think that's done so that other little-known-but-definitely-worth-discovering are given a chance at spin time, too; even some from the top artists, too. Think about it: if every single Motown record that made the charts was included, this collection would just balloon up, and there'd be no telling how far. So this is a very nice general overview of those first 12 and golden years of Motown. That's what this is all about: the general overview. Granted, if you want to investiagte further about a certain artist's music, there are numerous collections out there devoted just to them like the single "Ultimate Collection" CDs, or box collections of the artist. But, back to this one. Included within is a very nice 68-page booklet containing essays and phots of ALL the artists, plus musician credits, the track-by-track listing of the whole set, including original release date, label, and chart position.
In the middle of the book the different 45s are pictured all together on a two-page spread which was neat, and on the cover are the picture sleeves. It was an unusual move to put no artists and only songs on the back of the individual discs. The same goes for the back of the box. The paper inserts of the CD cases are record labels that have just the label name: Gordy, Soul, Motown, Tamla. Still, out of all the Motown best of various artists collections, this is the big one! It's great party music and dance music. People young and old will love this. The sound on here is terrific and powerful, but, yes, it is in mono. If you look in the back of the booklet, there is noted that the original single masters were used (the 45 RPM versions), so what does that tell you? Nevertheless, the sound is strong for 1992 remastering. Together, this set is living proof that Motown wasn't just a hit-making machine of a record-company, it was a feeling!
Free Music Review: The REAL Story: This set is PURPOSELY in Mono, for those of you who are wrongly complaining!
Hit: 5 Stars
This set was PURPOSELY mastered in all mono, for the uninformed complainers among you! These are the tracks THE WAY THEY WERE ORIGINALLY RELEASED AND THE WAY YOU STILL HEAR THEM ON THE RADIO TODAY!
Motown had been releasing stereo versions of these songs on CD for YEARS starting in about 1985-86. Many customers complained that those were NOT the versions they had remembered hearing, in the 1960s OR the 1980s (on oldies radio). The artists' voices sounded wrong, for one thing. That's because the stereo versions were usually NEW recordings made with the artist RE-SINGING the song--and they sounded different--not the way we remembered. So, Motown in 1992 brought in top remastering engineers to go through the original tapes and re-master the original hits, the way they were originally cut, as SUNG originally.
This set represents the fruit of those efforts, and it is SUPERB. The mono recordings at all times have more punch than the stereo verions, since the stereo cuts were made for albums compiled LATER. The stereo effect itself was often a phony "stereo-like" dilution only, not true stereo. The true hit versions are what you hear on this unrivaled set.
The complaining reviewers here simply have no idea about the history of this set, which was a MAJOR project undertaken to bring back the best and ACTUAL sound, period.
My only concern . . . "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye was, as I recall, the name of a song and its album. It was released on the album first, hence the mono version on this boxed set (which isn't as smooth and is more "funky" to me), was the afterthought version. While mono, it's NOT the original, so I don't see why it's here.
Otherwise, the only omission of real substance on this set appears to be some of the early Supremes hits . . . though, to me, if anything has been overplayed for years, those were the songs, and hence were the best choice to be omitted.
This set is the definitive Motown box set, ESPECIALLY CONCERNING AUDIO QUALITY. Those who desire stereo are just asking for the inferior versions. And those versions were available for years, because the Motown executives interviewed in the early 1990s indicated that they thought (wrongly) that stereo would be preferred on CD, even at the expense of having the true hit versions. They admitted their error, sought to correct it, and this project is the end result.