Motown Did It First!

That's the campaign slogan for Universal Japan's ongoing program celebrating the venerable label's 60th anniversary.  And indeed, the influence of Motown - still the most successful African-American-founded record label of all time - can't be underestimated when considering the current music scene.

A number of physical releases have already been released in Japan to mark the anniversary, most of which are available as affordable imports and include titles not commonly available on the CD format.

This first wave of titles is anchored by the compilation Motown 60, featuring 60 tracks on 3 CDs from Barrett Strong's 1959 "Money (That's What I Want)" (Motown's first hit single) through Ne-Yo's 2018 "Pour Me Up."  Along the way, the compilation takes in the expected favorites - The Supremes, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Mary Wells, Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, The Miracles, The Jackson 5, Diana Ross, Commodores, Lionel Richie - along with some less-expected names including Switch, The Boys, Johnny Gill, Shanice, and current artists like BJ The Chicago Kid and Migos.  60 tracks can't fully explore the breadth of the original Sound of Young America, but this collection does admirably bring the label's story up to the present day.

The label overview has been joined by over 50 single-CD reissues, all of which are housed in standard jewel cases and bear simple, uniform artwork featuring the "Motown Did It First" branding.  Original artwork and album sequences are replicated.  These titles, some of which are making their standalone debut on CD or have been otherwise unavailable in recent years, include:

Commodores, Caught in the Act (1975)

Commodores, Commodores (1977)

Commodores, Machine Gun (1974)

Commodores, Midnight Magic (1979)

Commodores, Natural High (1979)

Crusaders, Hollywood (with 2 bonus tracks) (1972)

Dazz Band, Keep It Live (1982)

Diana Ross and The Supremes, Love Child (1968)

Diana Ross and The Supremes, Reflections (1968)

DeBarge, All This Love (1982)

Kiki Dee, Great Expectations (1970)

Yvonne Fair, Bitch Is Black (1975)

Fantastic Four, Best of The Fantastic Four (1969)

Four Tops, Reach Out (1967)

Four Tops, Second Album (1965)

Marvin Gaye, In the Groove (I Heard It Through the Grapevine) (1968)

Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, United (1967)

Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, You're All I Need (1968)

Gladys Knight and The Pips, Neither One of Us (1973)

Gladys Knight and The Pips, Standing Ovation (1971)

Finis Henderson, Finis (1983)

Brenda Holloway, Every Little Bit Hurts (1964)

Jermaine Jackson, Let's Get Serious (1980)

Jackson 5, ABC (1970)

Jackson 5, Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 (1969)

Rick James, Cold Blooded (1983)

Rick James, Street Songs (1981)

Rick James, Throwin' Down (1982)

Shorty Long, Here Comes the Judge (1968)

Mandre, Mandre (1977)

Martha and The Vandellas, Dance Party (1965)

Martha and The Vandellas, Heat Wave (1963)

Nolen & Crossley, Ambience (1982)

Odyssey, Odyssey (1972)

Lionel Richie, Lionel Richie (1982)

Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, Going to a Go-Go (1965)

Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, Tears of a Clown (Make It Happen) (1966)

Scherrie and Susaye, Partners (1979)

The Spinners, Second Time Around (1970)

Edwin Starr, War and Peace (1970)

The Supremes, A' Go-Go (1966)

The Supremes, Produced and Arranged by Jimmy Webb (1972)

The Supremes, Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland (1966)

The Supremes, Where Did Our Love Go (1964)

Syreeta, Stevie Wonder Presents Syreeta (1974)

Syreeta, Syreeta (1972)

Temptations, All Directions (1972)

Temptations, Reunion (1982)

Temptations, Truly for You (1984)

Temptations, Wish It Would Rain (1968)

Temptations, With a Lot o' Soul (1967)

Earl Van Dyke, The Earl of Funk (1970)

Earl Van Dyke and The Soul Brothers, That Motown Sound (1965)

Leon Ware, Musical Massage (with 5 bonus tracks) (1976)

Grover Washington, Jr., Mister Magic (1975)

A handful of these titles are available at Amazon U.S. (search for "Universal Japan" or visit this link), while most can be ordered at budget prices from Dusty Groove in Chicago and CD Japan.  Watch this space for more news on Motown 60 worldwide!