The new year kicks in with the fourth release in this series with another mouth watering selection of Motown rarities and 'B' sides aimed fairly and squarely at the collectors market. Picking at some of the more well known tracks it was pleasing to see the inclusion at long last of Chuck Jackson's rendition of 'Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone' (taken from his very rare 1968 LP 'Chuck Jackson Arrives') and personally I find his version of this great song to be the daddy of them all and is one those irresistible dance grooves that has you hooked from the very first opening bars - it uses an identical backbeat that is featured on the Undisputed Truth's mega 'You Got The Love I Need'. Jackson only recorded two albums for Motown in the sixties and this particular track has been on the cards for release for a while now. Check out our Motown audio page to hear a clip of this track.

The legendary Isley Brothers are not left out of this compilation as the Ivy 'Jo' Hunter/Mickey Stevenson composition 'Seek And You Shall Find' (also covered by Marvin Gaye) gets a worthy inclusion on SS4 - a gospel flavoured beat track complete with a rasping cymbal beat and big band trombone intercepts not forgetting a pumping bass line making this underground side one to be reckoned with. The Marvelettes never to be out in the cold when good songs are being sought for inclusion on CD's like this have their 1964 mod classic side 'Your My Remedy'  included here. It was clearly at this point in Motown's history that the 'sound' we all know and love began to take shape and to give the label a run of dozens of hits during the decade. A dance track of the highest order. So popular are the group amongst collectors, full marks to Universal for also including the girls on 'Your Cheating Ways' (the flip side to their 1965 single Danger Heartbreak) which is equally as strong a dance track as the issued single and contains all those magical ingredients that only the Funk Brothers could deliver so perfectly.

If there's one track that stands out on this new CD then it's Stevie Wonder's infectious dancer 'Love A Go-Go' that has an intro not too dissimilar to Dancing In The Street' and whilst only issued as an album track was clearly single material around 1965-67 and one wonders why it was never put out as such. Stevie also has one of his classic 'B' sides included here with 'I'd Be A Fool Right Now' from the album 'For Once In My Life' and on the back of his million selling 'Yester Me Yester You Yesterday' a wonderous summer sounding arrangement with Stevie at his best vocally with a fabulous orchestral arrangement and again if we are being honest a song that could, and probably should have been issued as an 'A' side - enjoy.

No Motown compilation of this stature would be complete without a Four Tops track and the album track 'Then' taken from their 1966 LP 'On Top' makes the listener realise just how this group could deliver brilliant songs away from the customary Motown sound. Co written by Smokey and produced by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier this track is just as good as their single 'Ask The Lonely' from 1965. The Tops have a second track on this CD with the flip side to the issued single 'Do What You Gotta Do' with 'Can't Seem To Get You Out Of My Mind' which is an Ashford & Simpson composition from 1969. Click here to sample this great song.

Blue eyed singer Chris Clark whose rare LP for the label never really hit the big time but had a couple of single releases in the States including 'I Love You'  the flip side to the VIP single 'I Want To Go Back There' and whilst the production is very Marvin Gaye'ish I'm afraid the vocal delivery is somewhat sub standard and is one of the few songs on this set that does little or nothing for me personally.

The Fantastic Four who had previously recorded for Ric-Tic before the label was bought out by Motown delivered some soul material out of Hitsville before moving over to Atlantic in the seventies. They too never made it big at Motown but that is not to say that their recordings didn't deserve hit status - far from it. Listen to 'I Feel Like I'm Falling In Love Again' a US only released flip side single to 'Pinpoint It Down' on 'Soul' from 1969 produced by James Dean and William Weatherspoon. This kind of mid tempo Motown from the latter part of the sixties is very much in vogue at the moment. Have a listen to a clip of this great track.

Edwin Starr's mega northern soul dancer 'I Have Faith In You' will need no introduction on this web page. Edwin claimed that this song alone was his own favourite from his repertoire and a clip of that song is included here. (Check out my in depth audio interview with Edwin elsewhere on this web site).

Diana Ross & the Supremes find their uplifting uptempo dance track 'Loving You Is Better Than Ever' lifted from their 1969 LP 'Cream Of The Crop' and quite simply was the best track on that album. Written and produced by the great Smokey Robinson if you haven't heard this great track then click here to enjoy using your real media player.

Fans of very early Motown releases will find this CD most useful with the inclusion of Sherri Taylor & Singing Sammy Ward with 'Oh Lover' as well as LaBrenda Ben & the Beljeans singing 'The Chaerpone' and The Satintones with 'My Kind Of Love' all examples of the Sound of Motown in the early part of the sixties. Elsewhere on this disc you will find other goodies including tracks from Martha Reeves & the Vandella's/Monitors/Marvin Gaye/Gladys Knight & the Pips/David Ruffin/Dynamic Superiors/Bottom & Co.

If you already own the first three volumes then you will not want to miss this excellent release which delves deeper into the vaults of Hitsville and delivers some mouth-watering rarely heard 'B' sides from both sides of the Atlantic. A big shout too to all at Universal Music for making a commitment to giving Motown fans here in the UK what they had been asking for for years - well done!

Rating 9/10