This latest double CD from Universal Music in the UK centres around the Motown45 celebrations and the various re-issues we are seeing across the globe to celebrate what is perhaps the greatest record label of all time. The BBC in London are playing their part too in keeping the dream alive with a special broadcast this afternoon featuring some great tracks out of Hitsville and no doubt some fascinating interviews with the artists as well. At the end of this review you can enter our competition to win a copy of this fabulous double CD.

What does it contain? well predictably a lot of the classics that many of us already own on other compilations but Universal Music have been clever enough to stimulate potential sales by including a couple of mouth-watering singles that are not often seen on other compilations. For example, the inclusion of Kiki Dee's outstanding single from 1970 entitled 'The Day Will Come Between Sunday and Monday' at long last gets included on a CD in wonderful sound quality. This track was issued as a 45 back in 1970 and whilst not making much of a dent in the UK charts at that time has over the years become quite a collectors item on the northern soul scene where copies of the single command a hefty price. Motown also issued a budget album in 1973 on the 'Sounds Superb' label which is well worth checking out. Kiki Dee's inclusion on this CD makes its purchase absolutely essential.

Speaking of white singers for Motown the gorgeous Chris Clark has her 1967 uptempo dancer 'From Head To Toe' included on disc one. This Smokey Robinson composition has only surfaced once before on CD to my knowledge (Mod Fave's) and still sounds as fresh today as it did then. Caston & Majors' glorious outing from the mid seventies 'Child Of Love' had that big band production and featured the late Syreeta on backing vocals. Once again the single failed to do much here in the UK and appears to have been aimed at the US pop/radio market where it slotted in perfectly.

The Miracles continued well into the seventies without original lead singer Smokey Robinson at the helm and his replacement Billy Griffin with his velvet toned voice became the voice of the Miracles for a number of singles and albums before embarking on a solo career himself for CBS Records in the following decade. Whilst Griffin joined the group in 1972 it wasn't until 1976 that they hit big with the fabulous 'Love Machine' an out and out uptempo affair aimed purely at the dancers and a song that has since become a firm favourite on the northern soul scene and a track that has become a standard on the UK's radio airwaves.

The rest of side one is made up of classic Motown standards including favourites such as 'This Old Heart Of Mine' 'When Your Young And In Love' 'Take Me In Your Arms And Love Me' 'It's A Shame' and Marvin Gaye's smash hit from 1969 'Too Busy Thinking 'Bout My Baby' and 'Do You Love Me' from Motown legends The Contours. Fans of the Funk Brothers (who played on most of the tracks on this CD) will thrill at the inclusion of 'Festival Time' an instrumental classic that first surfaced on the legendary Ric Tic label before being bought out by Motown.

Disc 2 opens with that glorious Funk Brothers groove for the Four Tops back in 1965 with 'I Can't Help Myself' with loads more Motown classics following such as 'My Girl' 'Please Mr Postman' 'War' and 'My Guy' from the late Mary Wells. Hard to find tracks included here are Barbara Randolph's 1967 cover version of the Four Tops classic 'I Got A Feeling' and for the first time on CD Thelma Houston singing 'I Want To Back There Again' (click here to see Thelma perform this song now) The Funk Brothers return again (hooray!) with their 1964 instrumental 'Soul Stomp'. Universal Music have dropped a few Motown sides from the 1980's into the compilation with Diana Ross' 'Upside Down' and the ever popular and still much played 'I Love Your Smile' which is always heard on Smooth FM and enjoyed a brief revival as a TV commercial.

The two Ruffin brothers make a welcome appearance on Disc 2 with Jimmy Ruffin's 1966 classic 'What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted'. As a major talent for the label one cannot help wonder why Jimmy wasn't a bigger star for Motown than he was as he possessed, and still possesses one of the most soulful voices of all time. (Click here to see Jimmy perform this song now). The other Ruffin brother is none other than ex Temptation front man David Ruffin who having left the group to pursue a solo career in early 1969 had to wait until 1975 until he would enjoy real success as a solo artist. The gorgeous 'Walk Away From Love' remains one of the most potent Motown songs of the seventies and set the ball rolling for a succession of hit singles up until 1978.

Frank Wilson's now legendary status via his single 'Do I Love You' on the northern soul scene is well documented and this song has appeared so many times on CD's these last few years it just had to be included here again. After the departure of Diana Ross from the Supremes at the end of the sixties many predicted that would be end of the group - how wrong they would be as the new line up carried on where the girls had left off the decade before. 'Up The Ladder To The Roof' was a smash hit both sides of the Atlantic.

Finally, Marvin Gaye had enjoyed success not only as a solo artist but also dueting with a number of ladies including the late Mary Wells, Tammi Terrell, Diana Ross, and the much under promoted Kim Weston although their 1966 single 'It Takes Two' is one of the greatest dance tunes ever seen out of Detroit and one that finds the Funk Brothers at their very best.

Rating 8/10
Webmasters comments: This is a great compilation for newcomers to Motown but may suffer through the inclusion of too many 'already have's' although that said there are a number of newcomers to CD that could counteract that argument. Star picks include Kiki Dee/Barabara Randolph/Caston & Majors/San Remo Strings/Chris Clark/Elgins.

COMPLETE TRACKLISTING;

Disc # 1

1. The Supremes - Stop In The Name Of Love
2. Isley Brothers - This Old Heart Of Mine
3. The Jackson 5 - ABC
4. The Miracles - Love Machine
5. Brenda Holloway - Every Little Bit Hurts
6. The Marvelettes - When Your Young And In Love
7. Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons - The Night
8. Debarge - Rhythm Of The Night
9. Chris Clark - From Head To Toe
10. Caston & Majors - Child Of Love
11. The Elgins - Put Yourself In My Place
12. San Remo Golden Strings - Festival Time
13. Kiki Dee - The Day Will Come Between Sunday And Monday
14. Gladys Knight & the Pips - Take Me In Your Arms (and love me)
15. The Contours - Do You Love Me
16. Marvin Gaye - Too Busy Thinking 'Bout My Baby
17. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - I Heard It Through The Grapevine
18. Albert Finney - Those Other Men
19. High Inergy - You Can't Turn Me Off (in the middle of turning me on)
20. Detroit Spinners - It's A Shame

Disc # 2

1. Four Tops - I Can't Help Myself
2. The Marvelettes - Please Mr Postman
3. The Temptations - My Girl
4. David Ruffin - Walk Away From Love
5. Jimmy Ruffin - What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted
6. Shanice - I Love Your Smile
7. Thelma Houston - I Want To Go Back There Again
8. Earl Van Dyke - Soul Stomp
9. Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston - It Takes Two
10. Barbara Randolph - I Got A Feeling
11. Edwin Starr - War
12. Rockwell - Somebody's Watching Me
13. The Velvelettes - He Was Really Saying Something
14. Frank Wilson - Do I Love You (indeed I do)
15. The Supremes - Up The Ladder To The Roof
16. Diana Ross - Upside Down
17. R. Dean Taylor - Indiana Wants Me
18. Yvonne Fair - It Should Have Been Me
19. Barrett Strong - Money (that's what I want)
20. Mary Wells - My Guy

Competition - Fancy winning a copy of the fabulous double CD?

All you need to do is answer three easy questions on Motown and e-mail your answers back to us no later than 10th September. Two lucky winners will receive a copy of the CD. Good Luck!

Questions;

1. Which Motown subsidiary label released Frankie Valli's single 'The Night' in the UK - MOWEST
2. What year did the Marvelettes have a hit with 'When Your Young And In Love' - 1967
3. Who replaced Smokey Robinson as lead singer of the Miracles in 1972. - BILLY GRIFFIN

2 LUCKY WINNERS WERE KEVIN JONES FROM WREXHAM, AND ANTHONY GURNSEY FROM BLACKPOOL who each win a copy of the above CD. Well done to you both, and thanks to everyone who took part.