For its 60th anniversary year, Universal Music Enterprises has begun reminding fans that "Motown Did It First"; now, the label that launched The Sound Of Young America is revisiting a box set that was released in celebration of its 50th anniversary a decade ago. Motown: The Complete No. 1s is being reissued and expanded on June 28. Motown: The Complete No. 1s featured more than 200 international chart-toppers, plus a handful of bonus masters that went to No. 1 through cover versions or
Cherry Red's Soul Time imprint is on fire! The crate-digging team there unearthed two box sets' worth of R&B rarities in the final months of 2017 that we're happy to spotlight now! Mr. M's Northern Soul 1974-1981 is a 3-CD set celebrating the "oldies room" at the Wigan Casino, the late, fondly-remembered club in Wigan, England famous for its northern soul all-nighters held each Saturday from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m. Sunday morning. Mr. M's was born out of necessity in 1974, a "club within a
Forty years ago, in February 1974, The Contours reappeared on the Tamla Motown label with the single “Baby Hit and Run,” the group’s first release in seven years. But it was far from a new recording; the backing track had been cut in 1965 for Ivy Jo Hunter. At least three lead vocals were cut for The Contours: by Billy Gordon later that year, and then by Jerry Green and Dennis Edwards the following year. The Edwards version was ultimately issued in 1974, with the Gordon version surfacing in
Derek and The Dominos, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs: 40th Anniversary Edition (Polydor/UMe) Unbeknownst to us at Second Disc HQ, a lot of weird stuff has been going on with this deluxe edition. It seems that, for whatever reason, the 2-CD edition of this set is retailing only at Best Buy until April 26, at which point it'll be released more widely. No extra material seems to be present, just a lengthy lead time in terms of exclusivity. Weird, man. And of course there's that super-deluxe
Early Motown act The Contours received a new lease on life back in 1988 when Dirty Dancing (and its More Dirty Dancing soundtrack) introduced a new generation to their 1962 hit single, “Do You Love Me (Now That I Can Dance).” The song made a return appearance on the Billboard chart more than 25 years after its original appearance, and the group even performed live as part of the Dirty Dancing Tour. Prior to that, the Contours hadn’t seen many glory days since 1967. That was when the group