Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971

Reviewer: Ian Phillips


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, 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. 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 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.

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!



Disc 1

Size: 90 Mb
Bit Rate: 172 Kbps

Track List:

1. Money (That's What I Want) - Barrett Strong
2. Shop Around - The Miracles
3. Please Mr. Postman - The Marvelettes
4. Jamie - Eddie Holland
5. One Who Really Loves You, The - Mary Wells
6. Do You Love Me - The Contours
7. Beechwood 4-5789 - The Marvelettes
8. You Beat Me To The Punch - Mary Wells
9. Stubborn Kind Of Fellow - Marvin Gaye
10. Two Lovers - Mary Wells
11. You've Really Got A Hold On Me - The Miracles
12. Come And Get These Memories - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
13. Pride And Joy - Marvin Gaye
14. Fingertips (Part 2) - Stevie Wonder
15. Heat Wave (Love Is Like A) - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
16. Mickey's Monkey - The Miracles
17. Leaving Here - Eddie Holland
18. Way You Do The Things You Do, The - The Temptations
19. My Guy - Mary Wells
20. Devil With The Blue Dress - Shorty Long
21. Every Little Bit Hurts - Brenda Holloway
22. Baby I Need Your Loving - The Four Tops
23. Dancing In The Street - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
24. My Smile Is Just A Frown (Turned Upside Down) - Carolyn Crawford
25. Needle In A Haystack - The Velvelettes
26. Baby Love - The Supremes
27. Come See About Me - The Supremes
28. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) - Marvin Gaye

Download The Motown Singles Collection - Disc 1



Disc 2

Size: 93 Mb
Bit Rate: 171 Kbps

Track List:

1. My Girl - The Temptations
2. He Was Really Sayin' Somethin' - The Velvelettes
3. Ask The Lonely - The Four Tops
4. Shotgun - Jr. Walker & The All Stars
5. Nowhere To Run - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
6. When I'm Gone - Brenda Holloway
7. Ooo Baby Baby - The Miracles
8. I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) - The Four Tops
9. First I Look At The Purse - The Contours
10. Tracks Of My Tears, The - The Miracles
11. It's The Same Old Song - The Four Tops
12. Love (Makes Me Do Foolish Things) - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
13. Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While) - Kim Weston
14. Uptight (Everything's Alright) - S. Wonder
15. Don't Mess With Bill - The Marvelettes
16. Darling Baby - The Elgins
17. This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You) - The Isley Brothers
18. Greetings (This Is Uncle Sam) - The Monitors
19. Function At The Junction - Shorty Long
20. Roadrunner (I'm A) - Jr. Walker & The All Stars
21. Ain't Too Proud To Beg - The Temptations
22. What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted - Jimmy Ruffin
23. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) - Jr. Walker & The All Stars
24. Love's Gone Bad - Chris Clark
25. You Can't Hurry Love - The Supremes
26. Beauty Is Only Skin Deep - The Temptations
27. Heaven Must Have Sent You - The Elgins

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Disc 3

Size: 92 Mb
Bit Rate: 170 Kbps

Track List:

1. Reach Out I'll Be There - The Four Tops
2. I'm Losing You (I Know) - The Temptations
3. Standing In The Shadows Of Love - The Four Tops
4. It Takes Two - Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston
5. Hunter Gets Captured By The Game, The - The Marvelettes
6. Jimmy Mack - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
7. Bernadette - The Four Tops
8. Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
9. More Love - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
10. I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Gladys Knight & The Pips
11. I Second That Emotion - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
12. I Wish It Would Rain - The Temptations
13. I Can't Give Back The Love I Feel For You - Rita Wright
14. Does Your Mama Know About Me -Bobby Taylor And The Vancouvers
15. Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
16. Love Child - Diana Ross & The Supremes
17. For Once In My Life - Stevie Wonder
18. Cloud Nine - The Temptations
19. I Heard It Through The Grapevine - M. Gaye
20. Baby, Baby Don't Cry - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
21. Twenty-Five Miles - Edwin Starr
22. My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me) - David Ruffin
23. What Does It Take (To Win Your Love) - Jr. Walker & The All Stars
24. I Can't Get Next To You - The Temptations
25. Baby I'm For Real - The Originals
26. Up The Ladder To The Roof - The Supremes

Download The Motown Singles Collection - Disc 3



Disc 4

Size: 87 Mb
Bit Rate: 224 Kbps

Track List:

1. I Want You Back - The Jackson 5
2. The Bells - The Originals
3. Gat Ready - Rare Earth
4. ABC - The Jackson 5
5. Ball Of Confusion (That's What The World Is Today) - The Temptations
6. The Love You Save - The Jackson 5
7. Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours - Stevie Wonder
8. War - Edwin Starr
9. It's A Shame - The Spinners
10. Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Diana Ross
11. Still Water (Love) - Four Tops
12. I'll Be There - The Jackson 5
13. The Tears Of A Clown - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
14. Stoned Love - The Supremes
15. If I Were Your Woman - Gladys Knight & The Pips
16. Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) - The Temptations
17. What's Going On - Marvin Gaye
18. Never Can Say Goodbye - The Jackson 5
19. Nathan Jones - The Supremes
20. I Don't Want To Do Wrong - Gladys Knight & The Pips
21. Smiling Faces Sometimes - The Undisputed Truth
22. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) - Mavin Gaye
23. I Just Want To Celebrate - Rare Earth

Download The Motown Singles Collection - Disc 4