VA - Motown: The Early Years 1959-62 (2020)

Probably more than any other single creative and production source, the Motown operation, founded in Detroit by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records in January 1959, has made an extraordinarily powerful and significant contribution to popular music over the last 60 years, with a seemingly never-ending supply of uniquely talented artists and writers, chart hits and landmark albums. This great-value 80-track 3-CD set seeks to capture the essence and character of its musical output during the first few years of its existence, when it made its first highly significant impact on the pop and R&B scene. It includes all the entries in the US pop and R&B charts on the Tamla, Motown and Gordy labels during that time - from a standing start, there were 33 of them - including iconic hits like The Marvelettes’ pop No. 1 “Please Mr. Postman”, and the R&B No. 1s “Shop Around” and “You've Really Got A Hold On Me” by The Miracles, “You Beat Me To The Punch” and “Two Lovers” by Mary Wells, and The Contours’ “Do You Love Me”. Along with those hits are selected sides from the majority of the releases on the Tamla, Motown, Gordy, Mel-O-Dy and Divinity labels during this era, featuring many obscure and collectable artists and records along with early hits and releases by the likes of Marv Johnson, Barrett Strong, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, Little Stevie Wonder, The Temptations and many more. It’s a feast of evocative recordings produced in a remarkable creative environment, which offers a hugely entertaining insight into the early evolution of one of a unique music industry powerhouse.