This monster 2 CD package of classic Motown northern soul may on the face of it seem like another new set of songs until you realise that it is in fact a straight re-issue of Universal Music's superb Debutante series of a few years back where both these discs were issued as separate CD's in their own right. Whilst the sleeve's inlay card boasts that the tracks in question have been remastered directly from the original Motown Detroit masters and that some songs may contain different versions and mixes than those on the aforementioned titles, trying to identify which songs are affected is not easy due to the sheer number of songs on this package.

Both of the original titles are so well known amongst collectors and have been documented so much since their original releases back in 1997 and 1998 that I do not intend going over the same old ground trying to convince readers of this page to go out and buy new copies. Purists and completists may well want top up their collections this time round and others may well (like myself) be truly satisfied with the quality on the original discs. One thing is certain and that is that this collection boasts some of the most potent and vibrant Motown tracks ever to see the light of day and not just are the songs brilliant, but respect must be given to the Funk Brothers who excel themselves beyond belief on some tracks where studio 'A' at Hitsville must have been on fire during the recording sessions.

This collection ranks amongst the best Motown CD titles ever seen in the UK alongside the Connoisseur series (of which a new title is due soon) and those anthology's of Chris Clark/Brenda Holloway and Barbara McNair. You don't need the tracklisting here cos if you don't know what's on the CD by now then you've missed the boat.

Rating 10/10