Highly Recommended Motown Collection
As we all know, there are dozens of Motown collections out there, ranging in size from a single disc to as many as 7 or 8. But today in my rotation, I came across one that I have owned for a number of years that I think is an exceptionally good single disc collection. So for someone who might be new to Motown, or wants to get better acquainted, I would recommend this one.
It is a 2005 release entitled "Motown Hitsville UK", it has a brown cover, and it includes songs that were hits in the UK but not necessarily in the US. Among the highlights for me are:
1) Hearing "Heaven Must Have Sent You" and "Needle in a Haystack", two of my all-time top-five Motown songs one right after the other.
2) My very first introduction to Marv Johnson's "I'll Pick a Rose for My Rose", which I had never heard before I bought this collection, and fell in love with it.
3) Three incredible B-sides that should have been their own hits...."Going Down for the Third Time", "Third Finger Left Hand," and "I'll Turn to Stone."
4) And it closes with "No One There", which I believe was credited in the UK as a Martha Reeves solo.
However, as I reviewed the track collection for the purpose of this post, I may have come across a mistake in the packaging. [[I will try to remember to check it in my car tomorrow but it is just as easy to ask you guys.) The track listing on Amazon UK says it also contains Jr. Walker's "Road Runner," but as I was listening to this CD over the last day or two, I am almost certain that song never came on. It is my favorite Junior track and I am sure I would have remembered if it was also on this collection. So was that in fact a mistake or is that song really on this CD?
Whatever, it is a generous 23-song set and would give anyone a pleasurable Motown outing, no matter how much other material you have.
