Showing posts with label Hitsville USA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hitsville USA. Show all posts

Monday, November 16, 2020

Box Sets: Top 100

First posted 11/16/2020; updated 11/20/2020.

Box Sets:

Top 100

This list was created by first aggregating best-of lists focused on box sets (see sources at bottom of page). Those figures were combined with the box sets’ overall status in Dave’s Music Database, which factors in sales, chart peaks, critic ratings, appearances on other best-of lists, and DMDB points of songs on the collection. The DMDB defines a box set as a compilation of three or more compact discs, or the equivalent, which would be at least 240 minutes, or four hours, of music.

Box sets are most typically associated with efforts to compile a mix of hits and rarities from veteran artists. However, this list also includes compilations from various artists, classical works, larger-than-usual live collections, repackagings of multiple studio albums gathered together, deluxe editions of studio albums, and even one triple-length studio album.

Note: The first date(s) listed in parentheses after the album title indicates the years covered by the box. The second date indicates when the box was released (hence the r.).

Check out other best-of-genre/category lists here.

  1. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band Live 1975/1985 (live box: 1975-85, r. 1986)
  2. Various Artists Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971 (1959-71, r. 1992)
  3. Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Sonatas (32) (1795-1822)
  4. Various Artists compiled by Harry Smith Anthology of American Folk Music (1926-32, r. 1952)
  5. Louis Armstrong The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings (1925-28, r. 2000)
  6. Richard Wagner Der Ring Des Nibelungen (The Ring Cycle) (opera, 1848-1874)
  7. James Brown Star Time (1956-84, r. 1991)
  8. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Don Giovanni (opera, 1787)
  9. Various Artists Atlantic Rhythm & Blues (1947-74, r. 10/15/91)
  10. The Rolling Stones The Singles Collection: The London Years (1963-71, r. 1989)

  11. Richard Wagner Tristan Und Isolde (opera, 1857-59)
  12. Various Artists produced by Phil Spector Back to Mono (1958-69, r. 1991)
  13. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) (1786)
  14. Led Zeppelin How the West Was Won (live: recorded 1972, r. 2003)
  15. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concertos (27) (1767-1791)
  16. Johann Sebastian Bach St. Matthew Passion (1736)
  17. Prince The Hits/The B Sides (1978-93, r. 1993)
  18. Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartets (16) (1798-1826)
  19. The Magnetic Fields 69 Love Songs (1999)
  20. Duke Ellington The Blanton-Webster Band (box set, recorded 1939-42, r. 1990)

  21. Elvis Presley The King of Rock and Roll: The Complete ‘50s Masters (1953-58, r. 1992)
  22. Eric Clapton Crossroads (1963-87, r. 1988)
  23. Bob Dylan Biograph (1962-81, r. 1985)
  24. Elton John Greatest Hits 1970-2002 (1970-2002, r. 2002)
  25. Various Artists The First Rock and Roll Record (1916-56, r. 2011)
  26. Béla Bartók The String Quartets (1908-39)
  27. Various Artists The Music of Disney: A Legacy in Song (1926-91, r. 1992)
  28. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin (Box Set) (1969-79, r. 1990)
  29. Charlie Parker The Complete Savoy & Dial Studio Recordings (1944-48, r. 2000)
  30. Velvet Underground Peel Slowly and See (1955-70, r. 1995)

  31. The Police Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings (1978-86, r. 1993)
  32. Elvis Presley Artist of the Century (1954-77, r. 1999)
  33. Bruce Springsteen The Essential: Limited Edition (1973-2002, r. 2003)
  34. Bob Marley & the Wailers Songs of Freedom (1961-83, r. 1992)
  35. Johnny Cash The Essential (1955-83, r. 1992)
  36. Various Artists Doo Wop Box: 101 Vocal Group Gems (1948-87, r. 1994)
  37. Chuck Berry The Chess Box (1955-73, r. 1988)
  38. Queen The Platinum Collection (1973-99, r. 2001)
  39. Ludwig van Beethoven (composer) The Symphonies (9) (classical, composed 1800-1824)
  40. Ray Charles The Birth of Soul – The Complete Atlantic Rhythm & Blues Recordings (1952-59, r. 1991)

  41. Elton John Diamonds (1969-2016, r. 2017)
  42. Bing Crosby Bing! His Legendary Years (1931-57, r. 1993)
  43. Various Artists Loud, Fast & Out of Control: The Wild Sounds of ’50s Rock (1948-61, r. 1999)
  44. Howlin’ Wolf The Chess Box (1951-73, r. 1991)
  45. Bing Crosby Bing: A Musical Autobiography (1938-54, r. 1954)
  46. Aretha Franklin Queen of Soul: The Atlantic Recordings (1967-77, r. 1992)
  47. The Beach Boys Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of the Beach Boys (1961-88, r. 1993)
  48. Bob Dylan The Bootleg Series, Vols. 1-3 (archives: 1961-89, r. 1991)
  49. Cream Those Were the Days (1966-69, r. 1997)
  50. Journey Time 3 (1975-86, r. 1992)

  51. Led Zeppelin The Complete Studio Recordings (1969-79, r. 1993)
  52. The Who 30 Years of Maximum R&B (1964-91, r. 1994)
  53. Louis Armstrong Hot Five and Hot Sevens (1925-26, r. 1999)
  54. Various Artists No Thanks! The ‘70s Punk Rebellion (1973-81, r. 2003)
  55. The Jimi Hendrix Experience The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1966-70, r. 2000)
  56. Burt Bacharach (composer) The Look of Love: The Collection (1957-96, r. 1998)
  57. Charlie Christian with Benny Goodman The Genius of Electric Guitar (1939-41, r. 2001)
  58. Muddy Waters The Chess Box (1947-72, r. 1989)
  59. Stevie Wonder At the Close of a Century (1962-97, r. 1999)
  60. Elvis Presley From Nashville to Memphis: The Essential ‘60s Masters (1960-69, r. 1993)

  61. Fats Domino They Call Me the Fat Man: The Legendary Imperial Recordings 1949-62, r. 1991)
  62. Elton John To Be Continued (1965-90, r. 1990)
  63. Rod Stewart Storyteller (1964-89, r. 1989)
  64. Charlie Parker The Complete Savoy Sessions (1944-48, r. 2000)
  65. The Rolling Stones Grrr! (1963-2012, r. 2012)
  66. Ray Charles Genius & Soul: The 50th Anniversary Collection (1949-93, r. 1997)
  67. David Bowie Nothing Has Changed (1969-2014, r. 2014)
  68. Elvis Presley Walk a Mile in My Shoes: The Essential ‘70s (1970-77, r. 1995)
  69. David Bowie Sound + Vision (1969-80, r. 1989)
  70. Fleetwood Mac 25 Years: The Chain (1967-92, r. 1992)

  71. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Playback (1973-93, r. 1995)
  72. Fletcher Henderson A Study in Frustration: Thesaurus of Classic Jazz (1923-38, r. 1994)
  73. Marvin Gaye The Master (1961-84, r. 1995)
  74. Billie Holiday Quintessential (1933-42, r. 1998)
  75. The Beatles The Capitol Albums, Vol. 2 (1962-65, r. 2006)
  76. Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd (1970-77, r. 1991)
  77. Aerosmith Pandora’s Box (1966-82, r. 1991)
  78. Patsy Cline The Collection (1955-63, r. 1991)
  79. Nirvana With the Lights Out (1987-94, r. 2004)
  80. Kenny Rogers Through the Years: A Retrospective (1956-97, r. 1999)

  81. Paul Simon 1964/1993 (1957-91, r. 2006)
  82. The Byrds The Byrds (1965-90, r. 1990)
  83. The Beatles In Mono (1962-70, r. 2009)
  84. Michael Jackson The Ultimate Collection (1969-2004, r. 2004)
  85. Prince Sign ‘O’ the Times: Super Deluxe Edition (1981-87, r. 2020)
  86. The Cure Join the Dots: B-sides & Rarities (The Fiction Years) (1978-2001, r. 2004)
  87. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers The Live Anthology (1978-2007, r. 2009)
  88. The Allman Brothers Band Dreams (1966-88, r. 1989)
  89. Lou Reed Between Thought and Expression (1972-88, r. 1992)
  90. The Beatles The Capitol Albums, Vol. 1 (1963-64, r. 2004)

  91. The Smiths Complete (1983-87, r. 2011)
  92. Various Artists Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the ‘80s Underground (1979-89, r. 2004)
  93. Simon & Garfunkel Old Friends (1965-75, r. 1997)
  94. B.B. King King of the Blues (1949-91, r. 1992)
  95. Crosby, Stills & Nash CSN (1968-90, r. 1991)
  96. Various Artists Now That’s What I Call Disney (1937-2011, r. 2011)
  97. Simon & Garfunkel The Collection (1965-70, r. 2007)
  98. Various Artists Country Music (1928-2002, r. 2019)
  99. Steve Winwood The Finer Things (1964-90, r. 1995)
  100. Bruce Springsteen Tracks (1972-95, r. 1998)

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Saturday, January 12, 2019

Today in Music (1959): Motown founded

January 12, 1959

Motown founded

In 1957, Berry Gordy, Jr. wrote the hit “Reet Petite” for Jackie Wilson. He went on to write others, such as “Lonely Teardrops,” but aspired for more. With an $800 loan from his family, he founded Tamla Records on January 12, 1959. He added the Motown label later that year. He purchased property on Grand Boulevard, converting a photography studio into a recording studio and setting up administrative offices in other buildings. DH

His first successful signing was The Matadors, who were rechristened as The Miracles. Gordy co-wrote Barrett Strong’s “Money (That’s What I Want),” the company’s first big hit in 1960. The Miracles’ “Shop Around,” also released that year, became the company’s first million seller. Over the next decade, the company produced more than 100 top-ten hits from artists including the Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Martha & the Vandellas, the Marvelettes, the Supremes, the Temptations, Stevie Wonder.

Gordy applied an assembly line approach to crafting the artists and their hits. Artists were trained in choreography and how to present themselves. OMC Songwriting was often handled by famous teams such as Holland-Dozier-Holland and the Funk Brothers served as studio musicians. The company owed much of its success to the ability to create music that crossed over to become popular with white audiences as well as black audiences.

In 1972, the company moved its headquarters to Los Angeles. In 1988, Gordy sold his stake in Motown to MCA for $61 million. The original Motown location in Detroit – known as Hitsville U.S.A. – is now a museum where people can see the original recording studio. DH

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First posted 1/6/2024.

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Tuesday, November 3, 1992

Hitsville USA box set released

First posted 12/1/2009; updated 11/16/2020.

Hitsville U.S.A.: The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971

Various Artists

Released: November 3, 1992

Recorded: 1959 to 1971

Peak: -- US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU

Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, -- UK, 0.5 world (includes US and UK)

Genre: R&B/pop

Tracks:

Song Title by Act [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts.

Tracks, Disc 1:

  1. Money (That’s What I Want) [BARRETT STRONG] (1/25/60, 23 US, 2 RB)
  2. Shop Around [MIRACLES] (12/12/60, 2 US, 1 RB)
  3. Please Mr. Postman [MARVELETTES] (9/4/61, 1 US, 1 RB)
  4. Jamie [EDDIE HOLLAND] (1/13/62, 30 US, 6 RB)
  5. The One Who Really Loves You [MARY WELLS] (3/24/62, 8 US, 2 RB)
  6. Do You Love Me? [CONTOURS] (8/11/62, 3 US, 1 RB, 24 AC, sales: 1 million)
  7. Beechwood 4-5789 [MARVELETTES] (8/11/62, 17 US, 7 RB)
  8. You Beat Me to the Punch [MARY WELLS] (8/11/62, 9 US, 1 RB)
  9. Stubborn Kind of Fellow [MARVIN GAYE] (7/23/62, 46 US, 8 RB)
  10. Two Lovers [MARY WELLS] (12/1/62, 7 US, 1 RB)
  11. You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me [MIRACLES] (12/8/62, 8 US, 1 RB)
  12. Come and Get These Memories [MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS] (2/22/63, 29 US, 6 RB)
  13. Pride and Joy [MARVIN GAYE] (4/18/63, 10 US, 2 RB)
  14. Fingertips (Part 2) [STEVIE WONDER] (6/22/63, 1 US, 1 RB)
  15. Heat Wave [MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS] (7/10/63, 4 US, 1 RB)
  16. Mickey’s Monkey [MIRACLES] (8/17/63, 8 US, 3 RB)
  17. Leaving Here [EDDIE HOLLAND] (2/8/64, 76 US, *76 RB)
  18. The Way You Do the Things You Do [TEMPTATIONS] (2/29/64, 11 US, 11 RB)
  19. My Guy [MARY WELLS] (4/4/64, 1 US, 5 UK, 1 RB)
  20. Devil with the Blue Dress [SHORTY LONG]
  21. Every Little Bit Hurts [BRENDA HOLLOWAY] (5/2/64, 13 US, 13 RB)
  22. Baby, I Need Your Loving [FOUR TOPS] (8/15/64, 11 US, 11 RB)
  23. Dancing in the Street [MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS] (7/31/64, 2 US, 4 RB, 2 RB, sales: 1 million)
  24. My Smile Is Just a Frown (Turned Upside Down) [CAROLYN CRAWFORD] (2/13/65, 39 RB)
  25. Needle in a Haystack [VELVELETTES] (10/17/64, 45 US, 45 RB)
  26. Baby Love [SUPREMES] (10/3/64, 1 US, 1 UK, 1 RB, sales: 1 million)
  27. Come See about Me [SUPREMES] (11/14/64, 1 US, 27 UK, 3 RB)
  28. How Sweet It Is to Be Loved by You [MARVIN GAYE] (11/4/64, 6 US, 49 UK, 4 RB)
Tracks, Disc 2:
  1. My Girl [TEMPTATIONS] (1/16/65, 1 US, 2 UK, 1 RB, 27 AC, sales: 2 million)
  2. He Was Really Sayin’ Somethin’ [VELVELETTES] (1/30/65, 64 US, 21 RB)
  3. Ask the Lonely [FOUR TOPS] (2/6/65, 24 US, 9 RB)
  4. Shotgun [JR. WALKER & THE ALL STARS] (2/13/65, 4 US, 1 RB)
  5. Nowhere to Run [MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS] (2/2/65, 8 US, 26 UK, 5 RB)
  6. When I’m Gone [BRENDA HOLLOWAY] (3/6/65, 25 US, 12 RB)
  7. Ooo Baby Baby [MIRACLES] (3/27/65, 16 US, 4 RB)
  8. I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) [FOUR TOPS] (5/15/65, 1 US, 23 UK, 1 RB)
  9. First I Look at the Purse [CONTOURS] (8/14/65, 57 US, 12 RB)
  10. The Tracks of My Tears [MIRACLES] (7/10/65, 16 US, 2 RB)
  11. It’s the Same Old Song [FOUR TOPS] (7/31/65, 5 US, 34 UK, 2 RB)
  12. Love Makes Me Do Foolish Things [MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS] (7/26/65, 70 US, 22 RB)
  13. Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me) [KIM WESTON] (10/9/65, 50 US, 4 RB)
  14. Uptight (Everything’s Alright) [STEVIE WONDER] (12/18/65, 3 US, 14 UK, 1 RB)
  15. Don’t Mess with Bill [MARVELETTES] (1/15/66, 7 US, 3 RB)
  16. Darling Baby [ELGINS] (2/19/66, 72 US, 4 RB)
  17. This Old Heart of Mine [ISLEY BROTHERS] (2/19/66, 12 US, 3 UK, 6 RB)
  18. Greetings (This Is Uncle Sam) [MONITORS] (4/16/66, 100 US, 21 RB)
  19. Function at the Junction [SHORTY LONG] (9/24/66, 97 US, 42 RB)
  20. I’m a Road Runner [JR. WALKER & THE ALL STARS] (4/9/66, 20 US, 12 UK, 4 RB)
  21. Ain’t Too Proud to Beg [TEMPTATIONS] (5/28/66, 13 US, 21 UK, 1 RB, sales: 1 million)
  22. What Becomes of the Brokenhearted [JIMMY RUFFIN] (8/6/66, 7 US, 4 UK, 6 RB)
  23. How Sweet It Is to Be Loved by You [JR. WALKER & THE ALL STARS] (7/30/66, 18 US, 22 UK, 3 RB)
  24. Love’s Gone Bad [CHRIS CLARK] (10/29/66, 41 RB)
  25. You Can’t Hurry Love [SUPREMES] (8/13/66, 1 US, 3 UK, 1 RB)
  26. Beauty Is Only Skin Deep [TEMPTATIONS] (8/20/66, 3 US, 18 UK, 1 RB, sales: 1 million)
  27. Heaven Must Have Sent You [ELGINS] (9/24/66, 50 US, 3 UK, 9 RB)
Tracks, Disc 3:
  1. Reach Out (I’ll Be There) [FOUR TOPS] (9/3/66, 1 US, 1 UK, 1 RB, sales: 1 million)
  2. I Know I’m Losing You [TEMPTATIONS] (11/19/66, 8 US, 19 UK, 1 RB)
  3. Standing in the Shadows of Love [FOUR TOPS] (12/17/66, 6 US, 6 UK, 2 RB)
  4. It Takes Two [MARVIN GAYE/KIM WESTON] (12/2/66, 14 US, 16 UK, 4 RB)
  5. The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game [MARVELETTES] (1/21/67, 13 US, 2 RB)
  6. Jimmy Mack [MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS] (2/3/67, 10 US, 21 UK, 1 RB)
  7. Bernadette [FOUR TOPS] (3/11/67, 4 US, 8 UK, 3 RB)
  8. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough [MARVIN GAYE/TAMMI TERRELL] (4/20/67, 19 US, 3 RB)
  9. More Love [MIRACLES] (6/17/67, 23 US, 5 RB)
  10. I Heard It Through the Grapevine [GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS] (10/21/67, 2 US, 47 UK, 1 RB)
  11. I Second That Emotion [MIRACLES] (11/4/67, 4 US, 27 UK, 1 RB)
  12. I Wish It Would Rain [TEMPTATIONS] (1/13/68, 4 US, 45 UK, 1 RB, sales: 1 million)
  13. I Can’t Give Back the Love I Feel for You [RITA WRIGHT]
  14. Does Your Mama Know About Me [BOBBY TAYLOR/VANCOUVERS] (4/20/68, 29 US, 5 RB)
  15. Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing [MARVIN GAYE/TAMMI TERRELL] (3/28/68, 8 US, 34 UK, 1 RB)
  16. Love Child [SUPREMES] (10/19/68, 1 US, 15 UK, 2 RB)
  17. For Once in My Life [STEVIE WONDER] (11/2/68, 2 US, 3 UK, 2 RB)
  18. Cloud Nine [TEMPTATIONS] (11/16/68, 6 US, 15 UK, 2 RB, sales: 1 million)
  19. I Heard It Through the Grapevine [MARVIN GAYE] (11/30/68, 1 US, 1 UK, 1 RB)
  20. Baby, Baby Don’t Cry [MIRACLES] (1/4/69, 8 US, 3 RB)
  21. Twenty-Five Miles [EDWIN STARR] (2/15/69, 6 US, 36 UK, 6 RB)
  22. My Whole World Ended the Moment You Left Me [DAVID RUFFIN] (2/15/69, 9 US, 2 RB)
  23. What Does It Take to Win Your Love? [JR. WALKER & THE ALL STARS] (5/17/69, 4 US, 13 UK, 1 RB)
  24. I Can’t Get Next to You [TEMPTATIONS] (8/16/69, 1 US, 13 UK, 1 RB, sales: 2 million)
  25. Baby, I’m for Real [ORIGINALS] (9/27/66, 14 US, 1 RB)
  26. Up the Ladder to the Roof [SUPREMES] (3/7/70, 10 US, 6 UK, 5 RB, 28 AC)
Tracks, Disc 4:
  1. I Want You Back [JACKSON 5] (11/15/69, 1 US, 2 UK, 1 RB)
  2. The Bells [ORIGINALS] (2/7/70, 12 US, 4 RB)
  3. Get Ready [RARE EARTH] (3/14/70, 4 US, 20 RB)
  4. ABC [JACKSON 5] (3/14/70, 1 US, 8 UK, 1 RB)
  5. Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World Is Today) [TEMPTATIONS] (5/23/70, 3 US, 7 UK, 2 RB)
  6. The Love You Save [JACKSON 5] (5/30/70, 1 US, 7 UK, 1 RB)
  7. Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours [STEVIE WONDER] (6/27/70, 3 US, 15 UK, 1 RB)
  8. War [EDWIN STARR] (7/11/70, 1 US, 3 UK, 3 RB)
  9. It’s a Shame [SPINNERS] (7/25/70, 14 US, 4 RB)
  10. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough [DIANA ROSS] (8/8/70, 1 US, 6 UK, 1 RB, 6 AC)
  11. Still Water (Love) [FOUR TOPS] (8/29/70, 11 US, 10 UK, 4 RB)
  12. I’ll Be There [JACKSON 5] (9/19/70, 1 US, 4 UK, 1 RB)
  13. The Tears of a Clown [MIRACLES] (10/17/70, 1 US, 1 UK, 1 RB)
  14. Stoned Love [SUPREMES] (11/7/70, 7 US, 3 UK, 1 RB, 24 AC)
  15. If I Were Your Woman [GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS] (11/28/70, 9 US, 1 RB)
  16. Just My Imagination Running Away with Me [TEMPTATIONS] (2/6/71, 1 US, 8 UK, 1 RB, 33 AC, sales: 2 million)
  17. What’s Going On [MARVIN GAYE] (1/21/71, 2 US, 1 RB)
  18. Never Can Say Goodbye [JACKSON 5] (4/3/71, 2 US, 33 UK, 1 RB)
  19. Nathan Jones [SUPREMES] (5/8/71, 16 US, 5 UK, 8 RB, 29 AC)
  20. I Don’t Want to Do Wrong [GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS] (6/5/71, 17 US, 2 RB)
  21. Smiling Faces Sometimes [UNDISPUTED TRUTH] (6/26/71, 3 US, 2 RB, 34 AC)
  22. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) [MARVIN GAYE] (6/10/71, 4 US, 1 RB, 34 AC)
  23. I Just Want to Celebrate [RARE EARTH] (7/17/71, 7 US, 30 RB)

Total Running Time: 5:03:03

Rating:

4.591 out of 5.00 (average of 12 ratings)

Quotable: “A definitive overview and introduction to one of the most groundbreaking labels in pop music history” – Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Awards:

About the Album:

“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 Gordy’s 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.” IP “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.” IP

“The golden Motown sound ceased to exist after its headquarters move from Detroit to L.A.,” IP but they “did so many things well in the ‘60s and early ‘70s” RW that, even at four discs and 103 songs, “collectors could have used a more comprehensive set.” STE

“There are a handful of wonderful lesser-known songs here, such as the Contours’ First I Look at the Purse” STE and “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.” IP However, “the main strength of the 103-track box is that it features all of the biggest songs from Motown’s golden era in one place.” STE

Things kick off with “the effective, bluesey Money (That’s What I Want) by Barret Strong, Motown’s 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 Motown’s early releases though they found a more commercially favorable sound with vast elements of pop neatly blended into the production with The Marvelettes famous classic, Please Mr. Postman,” IP the first #1 hit for Motown.

“A vast selection of Martha Reeves’ finest recordings turn up here from the sassy Come and Get These Memories, the pop masterpiece Heat Wave…and the rolling Dancing in the Streets.” IP Of course, there’s also “the unforgetable classic, Nowhere to Run.” IP “Just listening to the sheer volume and power of Reeves voice makes you appreciate her often over-looked vocal talents.” IP

While Martha & the Vandellas overshadowed the Marvelettes, they were, in turn, “overshadowed by Motown’s biggest act, Diana Ross and the Supremes.” IP “Ross had a much softer soprano which had soulful qualities, oozing 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.” IP Early number ones like Baby Love, Come See About Me, and You Can’t Hurry Love are featured, although there are other major #1’s from the Supremes which don’t make the cut (“Stop! In the Name of Love,” “You Keep Me Hanging On”). There seems to be more emphasis on later hits of their career, such as “the raw, gritty Love Child and their breathtakingly beautiful ballad, Someday We’ll Be Together.” IP There’s also Stoned Love, “possibly their best post-Ross recording featuring Jean Terrell as lead vocalist.” IP

“There is oddly only one 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.” IP

“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 Supremes] and the fantasic Four Tops.” IP “Lead singer of The Four Tops 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).” IP

“The Temptations were one of Motown’s 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 ‘70s 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.” IP

While the Temptations performed the song, “My Girl” was also a showcase for Smokey Robinson, “a key artist at Motown who wrote some timeless music and was generally an all-round and highly versatile entertainer.” IP He also lent his skills to Mary Wells’ My Guy and other major Motown hits. “Some of his most enthralling work [with his own group, the Miracles], is on here such as the infectious sounds of The Tears of a Clown and the breathtakingly beautiful, The Tracks of My Tears.” IP

“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.” IP Of course, the real gems of Wonder’s career were yet to come after the years covered by this box with funkier songs like “Superstition” and “Higher Ground” and socially-conscious hits like “Living for the City” and “You Haven’t Done Nothin’.”

“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 What’s Going On that is deservedly included on here.” IP

“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 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, …[and] ABC by The Jackson 5 (featuring a young, nasal sounding Michael Jackson).” IP

“That the running order begins with…‘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.” RW

“The box itself could have been packaged with a little more care (there are no artists listed on the back of the individual discs, only songs), but Hitsville USA stands as a definitive overview and introduction to one of the most groundbreaking labels in pop music history.” STE Hitsville USA “is both superb and timeless but also essential to any serious Soul/R&B collection.” IP

Notes: A second box set was released a year after this one to cover the years 1972 to 1992.

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