Songs that defined moments decades after their release (“Do You Love Me,” “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”) and songs that forever changed the face of popular music (“My Girl,” “What’s Going On,” “War”). Names like Marvin, Stevie, and Diana, as well as groups like the Temptations, the Four Tops, the Contours, and the Supremes. Starting with the first major hits of the label courtesy of Barrett Strong (“Money”) and the Miracles (“Shop Around”), the artists included here read like a venerable who’s who A-list of soul music. The insanely catchy, uptempo sound was the audio wallpaper for a generation facing dramatic changes socially, culturally and politically. Nearly every song on this collection has been imprinted on the collective memory of popular culture, and with good reason. But a title more befitting of such a quality compilation would be Motown 101, for it contains practically every monumental chart topping hit that the label became known for across the globe. This anthology was previously issued in 2000 under the moniker Motown: The Classic Years. One of the most dominating forces in the history of popular music, the Motown imprint was more than a label, it was a juggernaut of soul music, a machine so finely honed and working with such efficiency that it wasn’t uncommon for several chart topping hits to be recorded in one session.
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