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VA - Hitsville USA - The Motown Singles Collection Vol 1 1959-1971 [4CD set]
Genre: Funk, Soul, Pop, Rock | Label: Motown | 4CD | MP3 320 kbps | 731 MB
Motown did so many things well in the '60s and early '70s that this overview of the label's smashes (and some lesser-known classics) practically demands four CDs. It gets them, too, filling them with single mixes of more than 100 tracks. That the running order begins with Barrett Strong's statement of purpose "Money (That's What I Want)" and ends with Marvin Gaye's statement of concern "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" says a lot about how far the company moved in its golden decade--but no more so than what the same two cuts' differences in sound get across. The company was able to blend the smooth and the harsh in ways that few other pop entities have ever mastered, thereby getting over not only to the feet and the wallet, but to the heart.

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.

Tracklist:

CD1:
01.Money (That's What I Want) (2:3
02.Shop Around (2:51)
03.Please Mr. Postman (2:31)
04.Jamie (2:25)
05.The One Who Really Loves You (2:29)
06.Do You Love Me (2:54)
07.Beechwood 4-5789 (2:14)
08.You Beat Me To The Punch (2:45)
09.Stubborn Kind Of Fellow (2:45)
10.Two Lovers (2:4
11.You've Really Got A Hold On Me (2:59)
12.Come And Get These Memories (2:26)
13.Pride And Joy (2:8)
14.Fingertips - Part 2 (3:12)
15.(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave (2:4
16.Mickey's Monkey (2:47)
17.Leaving Here (2:34)
18.The Way You Do The Things You Do (2:42)
19.My Guy (2:50)
20.Devil With The Blue Dress (3:14)
21.Every Little Bit Hurts (3 )
22.Baby I Need Your Loving (2:46)
23.Dancing In The Street (2:41)
24.My Smile Is Just A Frown (Turned Upside Down) (3 4)
25.Needle In A Haystack (2:32)
26.Baby Love (2:3 8)
27.Come See About Me (2:42)
28.How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) (2:59)

CD2:
01.My Girl (2:5 8)
02.He Was Really Sayin' Somethin' (2:33)
03.Ask The Lonely (2:4 8)
04.Shotgun (3 :0 1)
05.Nowhere To Run (2:59)
06.When I'm Gone (2:10)
07.OOO Baby Baby (2:45)
08.I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) (2:46)
09.First I Look At The Purse (3 :0 6)
10.The Tracks Of My Tears (3 :0 3)
11.It's The Same Old Song (2:46)
12.Love (Makes Me Do Foolish Things) (2:57)
13.Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While) (2:5 8)
14.Uptight (Everything's Alright) (2:55)
15.Don't Mess With Bill (2:51)
16.Darling Baby (2:37)
17.This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You) (2:47)
18.Greetings (This Is Uncle Sam) (3 :0 4)
19.Function At The Junction (2:50)
20.(I'm A) Roadrunner (2:49)
21.Ain't Too Proud To Beg (2:34)
22.What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted (3 :0 3)
23.How Sweet It Is ( To Be Loved By You) (3 :0 3)
24.Love's Gone Bad (2:24)
25.You Can't Hurry Love (2:52)
26.Beauty Is Only Skin Deep (2:24)
27.Heaven Must Have Sent You (2:33)

CD3:
01.Reach Out I'll Be There (3 :0 1)
02.(I Know) I'm Losing You (2:2 8)
03.Standing In The Shadows Of Love (2:39)
04.It Takes Two (3 :0)
05.The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game (2:52)
06.Jimmy Mack (2:54)
07.Bernadette (3 :0 3)
08.Ain't No Mountain High Enough (2:29)
09.More Love (2:50)
10.I Heard It Through The Grapevine (2:56)
11.I Second That Emotion (2:43)
12.I Wish It Would Rain (2:54)
13.I Can't Give Back The Love I Feel For You (2:40)
14.Does Your Mama Know About Me (2:49)
15.Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing (2:19)
16.Love Child (3 :0 3)
17.For Once In My Life (2:52)
18.Cloud Nine (3:3 8)
19.I Heard It Through The Grapevine (3:15)
20.Baby, Baby Don't Cry (3:59)
21.Twenty-Five Miles (3:22)
22.My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me) (3:30)
23.What Does It Take (To Win Your Love) (2:31)
24.I Can't Get Next To You (2:56)
25.Baby I'm For Real (3:21)
26.Up The Ladder To The Roof (3:17)

CD4:
01.I Want You Back (3 :0 1)
02.The Bells (2:57)
03.Get Ready (2:50)
04.ABC (2:59)
05.Ball Of Confusion (That's What The World Is Today) (4 :0 5)
06.The Love You Save (3 :0 6)
07.Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours (2:49)
08.War (3:29)
09.It's A Shame (3 :0 9)
10.Ain't No Mountain High Enough (3:32)
11.Still Water (Love) (3:16)
12.I'll Be There (3:45)
13.The Tears Of A Clown (3 :0 7)
14.Stoned Love (3 :0 2)
15.If I Were Your Woman (3:14)
16.Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) (3:53)
17.What's Going On (3:57)
18.Never Can Say Goodbye (3 :0 2)
19.Nathan Jones (3 :0 5)
20.I Don't Want To Do Wrong (3:24)
21.Smiling Faces Sometimes (3:17)
22.Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) (2:31)
23.I Just Want To Celebrate (2:53)

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VA - Hitsville USA - The Motown Singles Collection Vol 2 1972-1992 [4CD Set]
Genre: Funk, Soul, Pop, Rock | Label: Motown | 4CD | MP3 320 kbps | 758 MB
Where the first Hitsville box suffered from not featuring enough material, the sequel suffers from having too many tracks. During the 1970s, the label lost its distinctive sound, although the hits continued to come for a number of years. Unfortunately, as the years progress, the hits become fewer and less distinctive -- they follow the trends, instead of setting them. Perhaps this could have been a successful 2-CD set, but at four discs, there aren't enough gems to justify the hefty price ticket.

The first box set dealt with Motown's Golden Era (1959 - 1971) when they were a hit factory in Detroit. This set captures highlights from the next 20 years, after Motown had relocated in Los Angeles and the hits weren't so automatic. Because of the large number of great recordings found here that aren't readily available elsewhere, this set for me - a Motown collector - was far more enjoyable. Disc one covers 1972 - 1975 and includes The Four Tops' dramatic "A Simple Game" (written and produced by members of the Moody Blues). A huge hit in England, it undeservedly stiffed here, and wasn't available on disc until this set (it is now also available domestically on the Four Tops box set FOUREVER). There's also the irresistible Valerie Simpson solo gem "Silly, Wasn't I" and the nostalgic "Shoe Shoe Shine" by the flamboyant Dynamic Superiors (try finding any of the Superiors' recordings on disc elsewhere!) Another rarity is G.C. Cameron's "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday" - a far superior recording to the Boyz II Men hit remake. Disc two captures recordings from 1976 - 1979. High Inergy's only real hit, the classy "You Can't Turn Me Off," clearly shows that these gals were underappreciated and underutilized. Sassy Bonnie Pointer - represented here by her only top ten hit "Heaven Must Have Sent You" - and fiery Thelma Houston - with her Grammy winning "Don't Leave Me This Way" - also deserved more success. The disc belongs to Smokey Robinson, though, with his lush hits "Quiet Storm," "Crusin'," and "Being With You." Disc three tackles 1980 through 1985. Lionel Richie and Rick James' prominence at Motown at the time is apparent with their hefty appearances as artists and producers on this disc. My favorites include a latterday Motown effort by Michael Jackson ("One Day In Your Life" - perhaps the most touching recording he ever made), and the only real solo hit for former Temptations' lead singer Dennis Edwards' (the reggae tinged "Don't Look Any Further"). There's lots of fun dance stuff here too: Dazz Band's "Let It Whip," DeBarge's "Rhythm Of The Night," and Miss Ross' "Upside Down." Disc Four, spanning 1985 - 1992, shows Motown in transition. Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, and Smokey Robinson (the last of the artists from the Glory days) lead off the disc with some strong efforts, but by track eight the baton has been passed to youngsters like Johnny Gill and Boyz II Men. With a completely different sound and approach (and demographic) on the latter tracks, the set should have probably ended in 1987 with the Smokey hits (also leaving off the noisy Stacy Lattishaw piece of poop "Nail It To The Wall"). Motown is now just a name. Berry Gordy sold the label long ago, which conglomerate Universal Music now oversees. Since they and the other number crunchers who run the music industry today will never allow such joyous music to be created ever again, it is important to appreciate the magic found here.

Tracklist:

CD1:
01.Got To Be There (3:25)
02.Floy Joy (2:35)
03.A Simple Game (2:59)
04.Walk In The Night (4:12)
05.Ben (2:47)
06.Papa Was A Rolling Stone (7 )
07.Silly Wasn't I (2:12)
08.Superstition (4:16)
09.Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be TheFirst To Say Goo... (4:24)
10.Touch Me In The Morning (3:2
11.Let's Get It On (4 4)
12.Keep On Truckin' (Part 1) (3:35)
13.Boogie Down (3:52)
14.Dancing Machine (2:43)
15.Do It Baby (3 5)
16.Shoe Shoe Shine (3:4
17.Harmour Love (3:39)
18.Love Power (3:35)
19.It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday (3:27)
20.Love Machine (Part 1) (3 :0 2)
21.Walk Away From Love (3:1 8)

CD2:
01.Quiet Storm (4 :0 5)
02.Love Hangover (3:50)
03.I Want You (3:59)
04.Don't Leave Me This Way (3:42)
05.Got To Give It Up (Pt. 1) (4:15)
06.Sir Duke (3:57)
07.Easy (4:24)
08.You Can't Turn Me Off (In The Middle Of TurningMe On) (3:34)
09.Brick House (3:35)
10.You And I (3:13)
11.Three Times A Lady (3:40)
12.There'll Never Be (3:37)
13.Heaven Must Have Sent You (3:36)
14.Sail On (3:57)
15.Cruisin' (4:30)
16.Still (3:47)
17.With You I'm Born Again (3:42)
18.Let's Get Serious (3:36)
19.I Need Your Lovin' (3:53)
20.Being With You (4 :0)

CD3:
01.Upside Down (3:40)
02.Give It To Me Baby (3:54)
03.One Day In Your Life (4:19)
04.Square Biz (3:44)
05.Lady (You Bring Me Up) (4 :0 1)
06.Super Freak (Pt. 1) (3:22)
07.Right In The Middle (Of Falling In Love) (3:44)
08.Let It Whip (4 :0 9)
09.All Night Long (All Night) (4:19)
10.Time Will Reveal (4:8)
11.Don't Look Any Further (4 :0 7)
12.I Just Called To Say I Love You (4:25)
13.Treat Her Like A Lady (4 :0 9)
14.Ebony Eyes (4 :0 4)
15.Nightshift (4:25)
16.Rhythm Of The Night (3:56)
17.Somebody's Watching Me (4 :0 2)
18.In My House (3:57)

CD4:
01.Part Time Lover (3:45)
02.Who's Johnny (4:11)
03.Lady Soul (4:47)
04.Nail It To The Wall (3:57)
05.Talk To Me (3:52)
06.Just To See Her (4 :0 4)
07.One Heartache (4 :0 7)
08.Dial My Heart (4:25)
09.Him Or Me (4:23)
10.Your Sweetness (4 :0 5)
11.Where Do We Go From Here (4:21)
12.Rub You The Right Way (4:17)
13.Slow Motion (5 :0 9)
14.Iesha (4:21)
15.Motownphilly (3:54)
16.I Love Your Smile (4:26)
17.End Of The Road (5:51)

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