|
Music Reviews
Alternative
Blues
Books
Christmas
Classic Rock
Country
Jazz
Lounge
Oldies
Power Pop
Punk & New Wave
Reggae
Rhythm & Blues
Seventies
Texas
Special Features
Randy's Rodeo
Sex Pistols
Motown
Halloween
Valentine's Day
Information
About Me
Feedback
Links
User's Guide
Support Me
Amazon
iTunes
Sheet Music Plus
|
Support Randy's Rodeo! 
Shop at Amazon, iTunes, and more...
 Collecting
Motown. Motown was about singles, not albums. Despite a handful of very
notable exceptions (albums such as Marvin Gaye's What's
Going On, or Stevie Wonder's unmatched string of masterpieces in the 1970's),
what distinguished Motown were the singles - thousands of them, on subsidiary
labels like Tamla, Gordy, Soul, and VIP, as well as Motown Records proper. An enormous
percentage of these platters made the charts, and they form the heart and soul
of the label's legacy.
Motown came of age in the early 60's, when singles were the primary medium for pop
music, as an art form and as product. Albums, conversely, were an afterthought in
terms of both production and repertoire. Most albums (at Motown and elsewhere) consisted
of a couple of singles and a bunch of filler - second-rate songs and covers of current
hits or standards - or they were thematic productions, such as The
Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye (1961), Stevie Wonder's Tribute
To Uncle Ray (1962), or The
Supremes Sing Rodgers and Hart (1967), aimed at filling a niche market.
Moreover, until the late 60's, Motown singles were often different - and almost always
better - mixes than the album versions of the same songs. Sometimes, the singles
were different takes altogether. Producers would sweat over the mono single mixes
till they leapt from the speakers, whereas the stereo album mixes were often relegated
to engineers and interns. Motown would change with the times - producing such long-playing
delights as the Temptations' Psychedelic
Shack (1970) - but the label's fortunes always remained singles-driven.
 All
of which means that most collectors - excepting crazed obsessives like me - will
be best served by a careful selection from the label's myriad "greatest hit" collections.
And, since the mid-70's, Motown has been the master of such catalog exploitation.
Their historic Anthology series scaled new heights of
compilation glory while spotlighting the brightest stars at Hitsville USA. These
lavish, hefty, 2- and 3-LP packages included sets from every major Motown act:
Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, Diana Ross & The Supremes, the
Four Tops, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, the Marvelettes, Mary Wells, the
Jackson 5, and Gladys Knight & The Pips.
The problem is, Motown's reissues have seldom since lived up to those standards.
Among critics and fans alike, the Anthology series helped
establish Motown's "Golden Decade" from 1962 to 1971 as one of America's
foremost musical treasures. Those albums represented a near-definitive survey of
Motown's history up to that point in time. In the digital age, they've met that
benchmark only in fits and spurts.
Which is not to say there's not a lot to choose from - quite the contrary. In the
early 1980's, a pair of sensations kicked Motown's reissue department into overdrive.
One was on the big screen (The
Big Chill, which prominently featured Motown classics in its soundtrack), while
the other was on the small (the Motown
25th Anniversary television special, which also catapulted Michael Jackson
into superstardom). Soon, hundreds of Motown reissues (both new compilations and
original albums) cluttered record bins in malls all over the world. One particularly
choice compendium, if I recall correctly, featured Motown artists singing in languages
other than English... wow!
Odd, then, that the label was somewhat slow to embrace the full potential of
the compact disc later in the decade. Initially, most Motown CD reissues (and they
were legion) simply regurgitated old vinyl catalog - original LP's, greatest hits,
whatever.
 Soon,
however, Motown caught on. First, they launched an extensive, newly-designed series
called Compact
Command Performances that packed about 20 tracks onto each CD - quite a feat
in those days. The mastering was lackluster, and the packaging was generic, and
the criteria for inclusion fairly baffling (Al
Green? Little
Richard?? Duane
Eddy??? none of whom recorded for Motown) - but at least they were trying.
Then, they compiled a superb (if sparely annotated) series called Hard-To-Find
Motown Classics and adapted all those historic Anthology sets
for CD (see below). Those discs marked the beginning of Motown's
earnest effort to present their legacy respectably on CD - an effort that appears
to be winding down as the compact disc enters its death throes. The company's
spectacular shelf of boxed sets notwithstanding (see below),
Motown's methodology has been both predictable and haphazard. Every year or two,
the label inaugurates a new reissue series, one that fills in a few more
pieces of the puzzle without ever completing the picture.
Motown's roster, you see, was far deeper than the handful of legends listed above.
Sure, the Temptations had enough hits to fill a 3-LP set (or a 5-CD box). But Motown
also scored hits with Brenda Holloway, the Velvelettes, Jimmy Ruffin, Shorty Long,
the Undisputed Truth, and many others. Various artist collections (like Hard-To-Find
Motown Classics) can help collectors mop these goodies, but some of us want
even more.
But, back to my original premise. Vinyl junkies would argue (as Dave Marsh does
in The
Motown Album: The Sound of Young America) that Motown's sterling singles are
best appreciated in their original format - 45-RPM records - rather than on LP
or CD. But, I am a lazy collector, and one of modest means, so what you see listed
below are the best and/or most
significant series of CD reissues
undertaken
by
Motown
- value-laden hits
collections
conceived
and designed
for
compact
disc, not simply reissued from LP.
Plus, I've documented the label's raft of important
compact discs (including those indispensable boxed sets)
that don't fall neatly into a recognizable series (see below).
Overall, I've tried to create some semblance of order out of what ultimately
proved to
be Motown's maddeningly scattershot marketing strategy.
As often as not, these series spotlight those other, largely forgotten Motown
acts - from second-tier artists like the Marvelettes to solo recordings from members
of top-rank groups (like David Ruffin of the Temptations) to truly obscure artists
like Switch (a 70's funk band) and Willie Hutch (best remembered for his soundtrack
to Foxy
Brown). So, taken as a whole, these discs comprise a pretty complete history
of Motown - piecemeal, overlapping, but (nearly) complete.
 Though
a variety of artists both old (Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder) and new (Rick James,
Commodores) kept the label on the charts through the late 70's, Motown's momentum
began to wane when they moved from Detroit to Los Angeles in 1971. Eventually,
the company was sold to MCA (which later merged with Polygram to become Universal
Music), and the magic died altogether (cf. Boyz II Men). Motown became just another
(very profitable) record company.
Which is to say, Motown's "Golden Decade" is too neat of a conceit to
adequately summarize the label's history. Certainly, Stevie Wonder's best work
was done after that storied ten years (albums like Innervisions and Songs
In The Key Of Life), and Marvin Gaye cut some fine, often challenging music,
as well (Let's
Get It On, Here
My Dear). For the most part, however, Motown acts in the 70's and early 80's
were simply less consequential than the giants of the Golden Decade. Many of them
are mere footnotes in rhythm & blues history (Teena Marie, Switch), while the
more popular artists (like the Commodores) failed to break new musical ground.
Regardless, as you click through, you'll notice that each series has a particular "look" or
graphic theme. Beyond that, each series bears more significant commonalities among
its respective volumes - number of discs and tracks, quality of mastering and annotation,
etc. For the most part, however, Motown does its artists (if not its legacy) justice.
And, no matter which you choose to purchase, I am confident that you'll dig the
contents. This, after all, is Motown, "The "Sound of Young America."
Consumer Notes. These are not - by a long shot - the
only Motown compilations on the market. Virtually every "Greatest Hits" or "Best
Of" the label ever issued (not to mention a boatload of original LP's) has
been reissued on CD - if not in the United States then overseas. And, hundreds
(probably thousands) of cheap, budget-oriented discs have been compiled. Most ubiquitous
is the 20th
Century Masters series (see below), a product of Motown's
current parent company Universal Music. With a few exceptions, these discs are
inferior to those issued by Motown proper - shorter and poorly annotated.
Further, many of the CD's below have been listed - for whatever reason - more
than once on Amazon. I linked to the most official-looking entry (some are created
by sellers), but that's not always a clear choice. And, most of these discs are
(or soon will be) out-of-print. So, if your heart's desire is too pricey - or altogether
unavailable - keep poking around.
 For
the most part, I have restricted myself (if only for my sanity) to American reissues.
In England, Motown (as with all soul music) is a subject of intense fascination
among a large, devoted, virtually fetishistic group of acolytes - a group for whom
I feel more than a little empathy. Anyway, over there you will find a wealth of
treasures, including in-depth compilations of such Motown obscurities as Chris
Clark ("Love Gone Bad") and Bobby
Taylor & The Vancouvers ("Does Your Mama Know About Me?") (see
below). Across the pond, by the way, Motown music is often referred to as "Tamla" or "Motown-Tamla," after
the name of the company's most prominent subsidiary label.
Also, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the mammoth Hip-O
Select Motown project. In addition to some fairly esoteric Motown offerings
(like solo albums from the Temptations' David
Ruffin and Eddie
Kendricks, or the post Diana Ross output of the Supremes), this label, a
web-only adjunct of Universal's reissue department, compiled a series of boxed
sets reissuing every single (a- and b-side) that Motown ever released through 1972, when the company relocated to the West Coast. Massive,
intimidating, expensive - and altogether awesome (see below).
Finally, Motown cranked out some wonderful Christmas music during their Golden
Decade. I discuss that in my other website, www.hipchristmas.com,
wherein two of my most consuming musical obsessions collide head on at full speed.... [top of page]
 The
Series |
Anthology (1985)
Four
Tops
Marvin
Gaye
Jackson
5
Michael
Jackson (solo)
Gladys
Knight & The Pips
Smokey
Robinson & The Miracles
Diana
Ross (solo)
Diana
Ross & The Supremes
Temptations
These discs adapted Motown's mid-70's Anthology multi-LP
sets to CD. The Michael
Jackson and Diana
Ross solo sets were new additions to the series, but the original Marvelettes,
Mary Wells, and Stevie Wonder volumes were skipped. |
Hard-To-Find Motown Classics (1986)
Volume
1
Volume
2
Volume
3
These three discs - packed with bona fide hit singles by Motown lesser-lights
like Edwin Starr, the Contours, and Brenda Holloway - form a perfect companion
to the Anthology series (right). Were it not for those
aforementioned missing volumes (Marvelettes, Mary Wells, Stevie Wonder), life
would have been sweet indeed. The first two Hard-To-Find volumes
have 20 songs each, while the third swells to 25. |
The Best Of... (1991)
Thelma
Houston
Valerie
Simpson
Supremes & Four
Tops (duets)
Switch
Undisputed
Truth
These discs spotlight overlooked artists - Motown's first stab at digging deeply
into their catalog. Generous (roughly 20 tracks each), intelligently selected,
but with spotty mastering, no-frills packaging, and minimal annotation. |
Greatest Hits & Rare Classics (1991)
Brenda
Holloway
Isley
Brothers
Jermaine
Jackson
Rare
Earth
Supremes (70's
recordings)
Kim
Weston
There's no real difference between this series and its companion (left) released
the same year. Same concept, same look, different title. |
The Singles (2-CD, 1993)
Marvelettes
Martha
Reeves & The Vandellas
Junior
Walker & the All-Stars
Mary
Wells
These deluxe sets (two discs and book in a slipcase) represent Motown's best-ever
CD packages on their second-tier acts (sadly ignoring Gladys Knight & The
Pips). That is, these artists cranked out a lot of hits but never rose to the
level of superstars like the Supremes or the Temptations. The series was a loose
one: each volume had a somewhat distinctive look and an individual title, e.g.
the Marvelettes' Deliver:
The Singles 1961-1971. Mary Wells' installment, Looking
Back 1961-1964 (above), doesn't even bear the "Singles" subtitle. |
Milestones (1995)
Martha & The
Vandellas
Teena
Marie
Marvelettes
Undisputed
Truth
Motown's
Leading Ladies
Motown
Love Songs
Motown
Meets The Beatles
If The
Singles, was a step in the right direction, Milestones was
a step backward - four seemingly random acts and a couple of nondescript various
artist compilations, and as few as as 10 tracks per disc (on the Teena
Marie collection). But, kudos for Motown
Meets The Beatles. My life got a lot better after hearing Edwin Starr
chug through "My Sweet Lord" and Marvin Gaye float through "Yesterday." |
Anthology Series (1995)
Commodores
Marvin
Gaye
Michael
Jackson
Gladys
Knight & The Pips
Rare
Earth
Smokey
Robinson & The Miracles
Diana
Ross & The Supremes
Temptations
Temptations (solo
recordings)
Grover
Washington Jr.
Like The
Singles series (above), these double-disc sets were pretty deluxe, doing
justice to the original, 20-year-old Anthology LP
series. But in a now-familiar pattern, the roster seemed almost random. White
rockers Rare Earth and smooth jazzbo Grover Washington, but no Four Tops or
Stevie Wonder? |
Funkology (1995)
Volume
1: Got To Give It Up
Volume
2: Behind The Groove
Volume
3: Dance Divas
Spurred by a brief mid-90's retro-funk fad that produced such stellar products
as Rhino's In
Yo' Face series, Motown finally presented its heavy-duty funk (and a
little disco) as part of its legitimate legacy. Altogether, Funkology is
a nice mix of obvious classics (like the Commodores' "Brick
House") and rarities, including
forgotten hits (like Ozone's "Strutt My Thang") and hard-to-find
12-inch mixes of funk milestones (like the Dazz Band's "Let It Whip").
Sadly, Motown allowed the Funkology series
to quickly fall out-of-print. |
Ultimate Collection (1997)
Commodores
DeBarge
Jackson
5 (1996)
Rick
James
Smokey
Robinson
Diana
Ross (1994)
Temptations
Temptations (reissued)
This Ultimate
Collection series (as opposed to the more comprehensive 1998 series below)
focuses primarily on Motown's 70's output, including later artists (Commodores, Rick
James) and solo sides from "Golden Decade" alumni (Smokey
Robinson, Diana
Ross). The J5 and Ross volumes
were issued earlier with a different design, but they were marketed as part
of the series once it was underway. |
Very Best Of... (1998)
Willie
Hutch
Edwin
Starr
Rare
Earth
Back in 1998, I ran a record store. And yet, I didn't discover these CD's
until I was researching this article (nearly 10 years later). Why? Well, Willie
Hutch is best remembered for his Foxy
Brown blaxploitation soundtrack, which is available separately. Edwin Starr,
known mainly for "War" (as in, what is it good for?), is also obscure
- though undeservedly so.
And, this is (at least) the third iteration on
CD of Rare Earth's dubious hits. For
whatever reason, Motown dropped the concept after just three volumes - then
resumed it with a new design the next
year (below). |
Ultimate Collection (1998)
Four
Tops
Eddie
Kendricks
Gladys
Knight & The Pips
Marvelettes
Martha
Reeves & The Vandellas
Smokey
Robinson & The Miracles
Diana
Ross & The Supremes
David
Ruffin
Junior
Walker & The All-Stars
Mary
Wells
This second Ultimate
Collection series is the closest Motown ever came to a creating a definitive
library. Regardless, one measly CD
(or even two) can't hold all the hits by top acts like the Miracles. Who's
missing? Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder (always anomalous with their prodigious
70's output), plus the Jackson
5 and Temptations (who
released Ultimate Collections during
the earlier series). |
Very Best Of... (1999)
The
Contours
Brenda
Holloway
The
Originals
The
Velvelettes
Another excellent, abbreviated series, similar in name and intent (but not
design) as the one detailed above. In addition to Brenda Holloway - Motown's
most underappreciated siren - the label highlights three heretofore overlooked
groups, all of whom charted several hits. There's the raucous Contours, whose
famous "Do
You Love Me" is matched by lesser-known gems like "Shake Sherry."
The Originals, to the contrary, waxed sweet with latter-day doo wop like "Baby
I'm For Real" and "The Bells." Finally, the sassy Velvelettes ("Needle
In A Haystack") bridged the gap between girl groups and soul. |
Lost & Found
Breaking
Through (Four Tops, 1999)
Lost
Without You (Four Tops, 2006)
Love
Starved Heart (Marvin Gaye, 1999)
Spellbound (Martha & The
Vandellas, 2005)
Along
Came Love (Miracles, 1999)
Let the Music Play (Supremes, 2008)
You've
Got to Earn It (Temptations, 1999)
Something New (Mary Wells, 2012)
Mostly unreleased, these tracks are clearly intended for collectors. The series
was launched by Motown in 1999, then picked up by Hip-O Select in 2005. |
Tamla
Motown Big Hits & Hard To Find Classics
Volume
1 (2000)
Volume
2 (2000)
Volume
3 (2000)
Volume
4 (2002)
These imported discs almost duplicate Motown's excellent, long out-of-print
domestic series, Hard-To-Find
Motown Classics (see above). The
first three volumes stick to the concept - genuine hits by lesser artists - while
the fourth strays into the "rare and unreleased" territory so beloved by the Brits. |
Cellarful Of Motown!
Volume
1 (2002)
Volume
2 (2005)
Volume
3 (2007)
Volume 4 (2010)
If the Lost & Found series
was esoteric, Cellarful was
downright obscure. Not only had none of these songs ever been released, some
of the artists never formally released anything for Motown. That said,
the quality of the songs and performances is pretty amazing, speaking to the
incredible depth of talent residing on West Grand Boulevard in Detroit, Michigan. After the first volume, this series has been released only in Europe. |
20th Century Masters
Funk
Brothers (2004)
Jimmy
Ruffin (2001)
Barrett
Strong (2003)
At last count, nearly a hundred Motown 20th
Century Masters existed. Only three of them touch bases not covered better
elsewhere (at least among American releases). Barrett Strong had just one pop hit ("Money"), and most
people never heard of the Funk Brothers until Standing
In The Shadows Of Motown (2002). But, Jimmy Ruffin cranked out several
hits, so his presence on this list is perplexing. |
Gold
Commodores (2008)
Marvin
Gaye (2005)
Jackson
5 (2005)
Michael Jackson (2008)
Rick
James (2005)
Gladys
Knight & The Pips (2006)
Martha & The
Vandellas (2006)
Miracles (2006)
Lionel Richie (2006)
Supremes (2005)
Temptations (2005)
Motown
Classics (2005)
More Motown
Classics (2007)
Like the 20th
Century Masters discs (above), these 2-CD packages are part of a large,
generic Universal series. But, the Gold series
is much better - more complete and a better value. Some
are even cross-licensed, picking up non-Motown hits (e.g. Gladys
Knight). |
The #1's (2007)
Marvin
Gaye
Jackson 5
Diana
Ross & The Supremes
Temptations
Stevie Wonder
Motown
#1's
Motown
#1's Volume 2
Complete Motown #1's Box (2008)
Awesome stuff, if very limited in scope. Once again, these volumes are part
of a larger Universal Music series (following the lead of Elvis and
the Beatles).
The Supremes disc
was originally put out in 2004, then reissued when the broader series was launched.
The Jackson 5 set is cross-licensed. Annoyingly, all volumes are housed in "eco-friendly" packaging -
Universal's way of cheating us out of liner notes, which they claim are "easily
accessible" online. |
The Definitive Collection (2008)
DeBarge
Four Tops
Michael Jackson (2009)
Rick James (2006)
Gladys Knight & The Pips
Marvelettes
Miracles
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
Lionel Richie
Smokey Robinson (2005)
Diana Ross (2006)
Supremes
Temptations
Junior Walker & The All-Stars
Mary Wells
Stevie Wonder (2002)
Even as the era of the compact disc seemed to be sputtering to an ignoble end, Motown took another stab at catalog exploitation. Like 20th
Century Masters, Gold, and The #1's, the Definitive Collection series is part of a much larger series - this one consisting of single discs about 20-tracks in length. Sometimes, this one lives up to it's name, but it remains an incomplete picture of Motown's broad stable of talent. (Most - but not all - volumes came out in 2008 and share a similar graphic design.) |
Motown Unreleased
1962: Girls (2012)
1962: Gospel (2012)
1962: Guys Vol. 1 (2012)
1962: Guys Vol. 2 (2012)
1962: Jazz Vol. 1 (2012)
1962: Jazz Vol. 2 (2012)
1963 (2013)
1964 (2014)
1965 (2015)
1965: Marvin Gaye (2015)
1966 (2016)
1967 (2017)
1968: Part 1 (2018)
1968: Part 2 (2018)
1969 (2019)
Much later, Motown began an open-ended series of digital-only releases to prevent previously unreleased music from falling into the public domain in Europe. Economics makes strange bedfellows, I suppose, but collectors rejoice! [top of page] |
| Boxed
Sets |
Motown entered the boxed set sweepstakes in 1992 with Hitsville
USA, a 4-CD selection of obvious (if wonderful) hits. What really matters
are the seven boxed sets that followed from their major artists - all indispensable.
The Holland Dozier Holland box (on Hip-O) includes later hits from that troika's Invictus and Hotwax
labels; it was trumped a decade later by The Complete 45s Collection on UK label Harmless, which swelled to 14 discs. [top of page]
- A Complete Introduction To Tamla Motown (various artists, 2009)
- The Complete Motown #1's Box (various artists, 2008)
- The Complete Motown #1's Box (expanded 60th Anniversary edition, 2019)
- Hitsville
USA: The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971 (various artists, 1992)
- Hitsville
USA: The Motown Singles Collection 1972-1992 (various artists, 1995)
- The
Motown Box (various artists, 2005)
- Heaven
Must Have Sent You: The Holland Dozier Holland Story (various artists, 2005)
- Holland Dozier Holland: The Complete 45s Collection (Invictus, Hot Wax, and Music Merchant 1969-1977) (various artists, 2014)
|
| The
Hip-O Boxes: The Complete Motown Singles |
Depending on one's perspective, The
Complete Motown Singles boxed sets are either
too much music, too much money, or a dream come true - or all of the above.
The series compiles every Motown
single
(both a- and b-sides) released from the beginning through 1972, when
the company packed up and fled Detroit for Los Angeles. The downside
for completists? Motown had plenty of gas left in 1973, so the series
will not include songs as great as Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" (1973) or
the Jackson Five's
"Dancing Machine" (1974), let alone funk and disco smashes by
the Commodores or Rick James.
The label, Hip-O Select, is a web-only adjunct
of Universal's reissue department - though
the boxes
are
available through retailers like Amazon. Also see the label's 2006 4-CD box, Motortown Revue: 40th Anniversary Collection, and the 2010 collection called Motown Around the World: The Classic Singles - famous songs sung in foreign languages! Since then, the label has released dozens of more focused singles compilations and expanded LP reissued - take a look. [top of page]
|
| Selected
Domestic Collections |
As the 21st century rolled around, Motown largely ceased compiling the readily identifiable
series that had been their hallmark since the original "Anthology" LP series back in the 70's. Rather, they focused on the 20th
Century Masters and Gold series
mentioned above. But, they inaugurated a wonderful string of stand-alone anthologies and, later, began issuing some remarkably in-depth collections through Hip-O Select.
Most of these albums fall into that loose category, though only a few tread unfamiliar
ground. Most are multi-disc packages. [top of page]
- Anthology (Commodores,
2001)
- Another Song On My Mind: The Motown Years (Bobby Darin, 2016)
- Go Ahead and Back Up: The Lost Motown Masters (Bobby Darin, 2018)
- Funkology (Dazz
Band, 1994)
- 50th
Anniversary Anthology (Four Tops, 2004)
- 50th Anniversary Singles Collection 1964-1972 (Four Tops, 2013)
- Very
Best Of Marvin Gaye (2001)
- The
Complete Duets (Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, 2002)
- Anthology (Jackson
5, 2002)
- Come and Get It: The Rare Pearls (Jackson 5, 2012)
- I Want You Back! Unreleased Masters (Jackson 5, 2009)
- Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection (Michael Jackson, 2009)
- Bustin'
Out: The Best Of Rick James (1994)
- Anthology (Rick
James, 2002)
- I
Need Your Lovin': The Best of Teena Marie (1994)
- 50th Anniversary Singles Collection 1962-1972 (Martha & The Vandellas, 2013)
- Forever: The Complete Motown Albums, Volume 1 (Marvelettes, 2009)
- Forever More: The Complete Motown Albums, Volume 2 (Marvelettes, 2012)
- In
My House: The Very Best of the Mary Jane Girls (1994)
- Solo
Anthology (Smokey Robinson, 2001)
- The Solo Albums (Smokey Robinson, 2010)
- Ooo
Baby Baby: The Anthology (Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, 2002)
- Depend On Me: The Early Albums (Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, 2009)
- The
Motown Anthology (Diana Ross, 2001)
- Anthology (Diana
Ross & The Supremes, 2001)
- 50th Anniversary: The Singles Collection 1961-1969 (Diana
Ross & The Supremes, 2011)
- The
70's Anthology (Supremes, 2002)
- Magnificent: The Complete Studio Duets (Supremes & Four Tops, 2009)
- Joined
Together: The Complete Studio Duets (Supremes & Temptations, 2004)
- My
Girl: The Very Best of the Temptations (Temptations, 2002)
- 50th Anniversary: The Singles Collection 1961-1971 (Temptations, 2011)
- Smiling
Faces: The Best of Undisputed Truth (2003)
- The Motown Sound: The Complete Albums Singles & More (Earl Van Dyke, 2012)
- Walk In The Night: Motown 70's Studio Albums (Jr. Walker, 2019)
- Song
Review: A Greatest Hits Collection (Stevie Wonder, 1996)
- Motown Around The World: The Complete Singles (various artists, 2010)
- Our Lives Are Shaped by What We Love: Motown's MoWest Story 1971–1973 (various artists, 2011)
- Motown: The Musical - The Classic Songs That Inspired The Broadway Show (various artists, 2013)
Finally, it's worth noting that, well into the 21st century, Motown began releasing digital-only collections called Motown Unreleased organized . Though similar to their earlier Lost & Found and Cellarful Of Motown series, these albums had an ulterior motive: to trump a European law placing all unreleased music in the public domain 50 years after its creation. For once, copyright laws worked in favor of collectors! |
| Selected
Imported Collections |
As mentioned above, Motown/Tamla is a subject of intense veneration overseas,
and hundreds of import-only discs exist. Happily, this Motown mania has yielded
extensive collections for some of the label's lesser-known artists - including
those who had just one significant hit (Chris
Clark, Barbara
Randolph), and even some who had no hits for the label whatsoever (Barbara
McNair, Chuck
Jackson). Plus, some of these discs (for instance, the Thelma
Houston CD) replace long out-of-print American reissues, some of which now
fetch high prices among collectors. [top of page]
- Motown
Collection (Chris Clark, 2004)
- Essential Collection (Contours, 2000)
- Just A Little Misunderstanding: Rare and Unissued (Contours & Dennis Edwards, 2011)
- Love Makes The World Go Round: The Motown Years (Kiki Dee, 2005)
- Essential
Collection (Dennis Edwards, 2002)
- Motown
Anthology (Elgins, 2007)
- The Lost Motown Album (Fantastic Four, 2015)
- Complete Motown Album Collection (Marvin Gaye, 2014)
- Lovin' Fever: The Best Of High Inergy (2012)
- It Moves Me: The Complete Recordings 1958-1964 (Eddie Holland, 2012)
- Motown
Anthology (Brenda Holloway, 2005)
- The Early Years: Rare Recordings 1962-1963 (Brenda Holloway, 2009)
- The Artistry Of Brenda Holloway (Brenda Holloway, 2013)
- Spellbound: Rare & Unreleased Motown Gems (Brenda Holloway, 2017)
- Best
Of Thelma Houston (2000)
- Early
Classics (Isley Brothers, 2000)
- Motown Anthology (Isley Brothers, 2009)
- Complete Motown Album Collection (Jackson 5, 2013)
- Motown
Anthology (Chuck Jackson, 2005)
- Big
Brother Jermaine: The Jermaine Jackson Collection (2007)
- Essential
Collection (Shorty Long, 2000)
- Here Comes... Shorty Long: The Complete Motown Stereo Masters (Shorty Long, 2012)
- Ultimate
Motown Collection (Barbara McNair, 2004)
- Say You! The Motown Anthology 1963-68 (Monitors, 2011)
- The Collection (Rare Earth, 2004)
- The
Collection (Barbara Randolph, 2003)
- Complete Motown Album Collection (Diana Ross, 2014)
- Ultimate
Motown Collection (Jimmy Ruffin, 2003)
- The
Collection (Valerie Simpson, 2004)
- Exposed/Valerie Simpson (1971/1972; 2015)
- Essential
Collection (Spinners, 2001)
- The
Complete Motown Collection (Barrett Strong, 2004)
- Motown
Anthology (Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers, 2006)
- Essential
Collection (R. Dean Taylor, 2001)
- Essential
Collection (Tammi Terrell, 2001)
- Nothing But The Truth (Undisputed Truth, 2017)
- Motown
Anthology (Velvelettes, 2004)
- Motown
Anthology (Kim Weston, 2005)
- The Rita Wright Years: Rare Motown 1967-1970 (Syreeta Wright, 2016)
|
|
|
