Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Got to Be There - Michael Jackson
2. Floy Joy - The Supremes, The Supremes
3. Simple Game - The Four Tops
4. Walk in the Night - Junior Walker & the All-Stars
5. Ben - Michael Jackson
6. Papa Was a Rollin' Stone - The Temptations
7. Silly Wasn't I - Valerie Simpson
8. Superstition - Stevie Wonder
9. Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye) - Gladys Knight & the Pips
10. Touch Me in the Morning - Diana Ross
11. Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye
12. Keep on Truckin', Pt. 1 - Eddie Kendricks
13. Boogie Down - Eddie Kendricks
14. Dancing Machine - The Jackson 5
15. Do It Baby - The Miracles
16. Shoe Shoe Shine - The Dynamic Superiors
17. Harmour Love - Syreeta
18. Love Power - Willie Hutch
19. It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday - G.C. Cameron
20. Love Machine, Pt. 1 - The Miracles
21. Walk Away from Love - David Ruffin

Disc 2:

1. Quiet Storm - Smokey Robinson
2. Love Hangover - Diana Ross
3. I Want You - Marvin Gaye
4. Don't Leave Me This Way - Thelma Houston
5. Got to Give It Up, Pt. 1 - Marvin Gaye
6. Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder
7. Easy - The Commodores
8. You Can't Turn Me off (In the Middle of Turning Me On) - High Inergy
9. Brick House - The Commodores
10. You and I - Rick James
11. Three Times a Lady - The Commodores
12. There'll Never Be - Switch
13. Heaven Must Have Sent You - Bonnie Pointer
14. Sail On - The Commodores
15. Cruisin' - Smokey Robinson
16. Still - The Commodores
17. With You I'm Born Again - Billy Preston, Syreeta
18. Let's Get Serious - Jermaine Jackson
19. I Need Your Lovin' - Teena Marie
20. Being With You - Smokey Robinson

Disc 3:

1. Upside Down - Diana Ross
2. Give It to Me Baby - Rick James
3. One Day in Your Life - Michael Jackson
4. Square Biz - Teena Marie
5. Lady (You Bring Me Up) - The Commodores
6. Super Freak - Rick James
7. Right in the Middle (Of Falling in Love) - Bettye LaVette
8. Let It Whip - Dazz Band
9. All Night Long (All Night) - Lionel Richie
10. Time Will Reveal - DeBarge
11. Don't Look Any Further - Dennis Edwards, Siedah Garrett
12. I Just Called to Say I Love You - Stevie Wonder
13. Treat Her Like a Lady - The Temptations
14. Ebony Eyes - Rick James, Smokey Robinson
15. Nightshift - The Commodores
16. Rhythm of the Night - DeBarge
17. Somebody's Watching Me - Rockwell
18. In My House - The Mary Jane Girls

Disc 4:

1. Part-Time Lover - Stevie Wonder
2. Who's Johnny - El DeBarge
3. Lady Soul - The Temptations
4. Nail It to the Wall - Stacy Lattisaw
5. Talk to Me - Chico DeBarge
6. Just to See Her - Smokey Robinson
7. One Heartbeat - Smokey Robinson
8. Dial My Heart - The Boys
9. Him or Me - Today
10. Your Sweetness - Good Girls
11. Where Do We Go from Here? - Johnny Gill, Stacy Lattisaw
12. Rub You the Right Way - Johnny Gill
13. Slow Motion - Gerald Alston
14. Iesha - Another Bad Creation
15. Motownphilly - Boyz II Men
16. I Love Your Smile - Shanice
17. End of the Road - Boyz II Men

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #60373 in Music
• Released on: 2000-06-27
• Number of discs: 4
• Formats: Box set, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered

Customer Reviews

Not as many "hits", but filled with great recordings
The first box set dealt with Motown's Golden Era (1959 - 1971) when they were a hit factory in Detroit. This set captures highlights from the next 20 years, after Motown had relocated in Los Angeles and the hits weren't so automatic. Because of the large number of great recordings found here that aren't readily available elsewhere, this set for me - a Motown collector - was far more enjoyable.

Disc one covers 1972 - 1975 and includes The Four Tops' dramatic "A Simple Game" (written and produced by members of the Moody Blues). A huge hit in England, it undeservedly stiffed here, and wasn't available on disc until this set (it is now also available domestically on the Four Tops box set FOUREVER). There's also the irresistible Valerie Simpson solo gem "Silly, Wasn't I" and the nostalgic "Shoe Shoe Shine" by the flamboyant Dynamic Superiors (try finding any of the Superiors' recordings on disc elsewhere!) Another rarity is G.C. Cameron's "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday" - a far superior recording to the Boyz II Men hit remake.

Disc two captures recordings from 1976 - 1979. High Inergy's only real hit, the classy "You Can't Turn Me Off," clearly shows that these gals were underappreciated and underutilized. Sassy Bonnie Pointer - represented here by her only top ten hit "Heaven Must Have Sent You" - and fiery Thelma Houston - with her Grammy winning "Don't Leave Me This Way" - also deserved more success. The disc belongs to Smokey Robinson, though, with his lush hits "Quiet Storm," "Crusin'," and "Being With You."

Disc three tackles 1980 through 1985. Lionel Richie and Rick James' prominence at Motown at the time is apparent with their hefty appearances as artists and producers on this disc. My favorites include a latterday Motown effort by Michael Jackson ("One Day In Your Life" - perhaps the most touching recording he ever made), and the only real solo hit for former Temptations' lead singer Dennis Edwards' (the reggae tinged "Don't Look Any Further"). There's lots of fun dance stuff here too: Dazz Band's "Let It Whip," DeBarge's "Rhythm Of The Night," and Miss Ross' "Upside Down."

Disc Four, spanning 1985 - 1992, shows Motown in transition. Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, and Smokey Robinson (the last of the artists from the Glory days) lead off the disc with some strong efforts, but by track eight the baton has been passed to youngsters like Johnny Gill and Boyz II Men. With a completely different sound and approach (and demographic) on the latter tracks, the set should have probably ended in 1987 with the Smokey hits (also leaving off the noisy Stacy Lattishaw piece of poop "Nail It To The Wall").

Motown is now just a name. Berry Gordy sold the label long ago, which conglomerate Universal Music now oversees. Since they and the other number crunchers who run the music industry today will never allow such joyous music to be created ever again, it is important to appreciate the magic found here.

Fantastic collection
This is a terrific set of some of the best songs from Motown from 1972 to 1992. Not only are the songs great, but the book (68 pages) that comes with it is very informative. Each artist has at least half a page devoted to them, with photos and an essay, and in most cases its a page or even two. There are even track-by-track annotations of the songs. What is also nice is that it is not just the well known artists that are featured, but also the lesser known ones that had the odd hit or two. It's a fantastic follow-up to the previous Hitsville collection, and highly recommended to anyone who loves the Motown sound.

Motown update
This box set seeks to recapture the magic of the first motown box set and while it delivers great music, it doesn't quite live up to its predecesor. The first box defined a time. Motown was called "the sound of young america" and that can be heard in the music. Joyful, questioning, urgent, fun, pleading. That was the 60's and that was the first box set. The second set suffers from the fact that Motown was not as big a music force in the 70's. The music does not have the vitality of the earlier decade. That being said, it does contain some marvelous music. The first 2 discs especially. Motown lives on in this box, just not as robustly as it did in the earlier one. I would recommend it, but I don't think it will occupy as much of your time as the first box set. It's note worthy for some of the one hit wonders that were included (like berry Gordy's own son who went under the moniker "rockwell"). Fun but not memorable collection.