From a personal point of view the first half a dozen songs on this CD are a pick of the best of the early recordings from a number of well known acts such as the Marvelettes' version of Smokey Robinson's 'Way Over There' though many would argue that the best ever version of that song was recorded by the late Edwin Starr. The Velvelettes whose anthology of recordings can be currently bought in the UK have their 'That's The Reason Why' thrown in for good measure, as well as Stevie Wonder's excellent hard hitting 'Contract On Love' which has remained a firm favourite via various LP's over the years.

As soon as track seven kicks in the CD explodes into the usual style we all love. Marvin Gaye's excellent flip to 'Grapevine' entitled 'Need Somebody' was always a strong potential 'A' side but sadly was relegated to the flip back in late 1968 where its popularity has slowly grown over the last thirty seven years and now is quite justifiably included in this set. 1967 was a great year for hit records from Motown and one of the labels biggest male groups Smokey Robinson & the Miracles were in there amongst the biggest hit making stars and their album cut 'My Baby Changes Like The Weather' a fabulous finger clickin' dance track is amongst one of their best efforts during that period with some neat brass work weaving in and out of the song.

It's lovely to see Universal/Motown at long last using tracks from the 1965 Earl Van Dyke LP and SS5 gets an instrumental treat with their thumping original backing track for Martha & the Vandellas' 1965 belter 'Nowhere To Run' (more please?) Next up is a classic Isley Brothers flip side, the glorious northern soul favourite 'Why When The Love Is Gone' which sounds as fresh on the dancefloor today as it did back in the middle sixties. The Contours were one of the original groups at Motown and whilst no one would ever question the quality of their recordings at that time, sadly none were to provide them with a top 20 hit despite their slick visual stage performances, and a hit career was always a million miles away. Thankfully, a firm fan base exists here in the UK especially since some of their best work features the instantly recognisable voice of one Dennis Edwards and their 'B' side entitled 'Your Love Grows More Precious Everyday' is testament to the great work that Edwards gave the Contours.

Marvin Gaye gets a second bite of the cherry on this release with the midtempo 'Tear It On Down' a track lifted from his excellent 'In The Groove' LP from the late sixties - pure magic like only Marvin and the Funks can deliver. Hats off to Jo Wallace for including a track from Chuck Jackson whose Motown anthology is now available in the UK and 'We'll Find A Way' from 1968 is a powerhouse of a track that only Chuck can perform and is as strong as any of his previous hit singles from the Scepter/Wand period. With any CD I am always on the lookout for the one killer track on which to report on - and in this case it has to be Diana Ross' gorgeous arrangement and vocal performance on the Ashford & Simpson song 'Something On My Mind' from 1970. As a solo artist I personally have to carefully choose what I want to listen to of Diana's, but this is pure class and is the highlight of this CD.

Finally, a mention of just a couple more tracks, one from the legendary Jimmy Ruffin whose recordings during the 1960's should have sold more than they actually did and he should have been a superstar in his own right. Check out the inclusion of his 1974 flip side to 'Farewell' entitled 'I Will Never Let You Go' and see just what you may have missed tucked away on the flip of that hit single in the attic. Also, the second best tune on this set must surely be 'Good Lovin' Is Just A Dime Away' from the early seventies LP 'California Sunset' by the Originals (recently included on their UK collection) and see what all the fuss was/and is about with this immaculate production of one the labels most treasured acts and it is so easy to see why this goes down a storm on the modern soul scene - pure magic.

A collection of some well known, and not so well known tunes to keep the Motown legacy in top gear!

Rating 8/10