My Favorite [[Motown) Year

[kenneth]

I had thought about posting a thread to inquire as to everyone's favorite Motown year, and then after reading the other thread about 1971 Motown, decided to go ahead and do it. I'll repeat my post here.

I'm using 1970-71 as my favorite Motown year because I think Motown's Fall push included their major album releases in time for the holiday season. I used to watch the newspaper ads [[especially for Korvette's, a big discount department store at that time) for the big record sales. That was the only way I knew to find out what was being released.

I love the 70-71 Motown Sound for lots of reasons, not the least of which is that's the first year I really was buying records. Up until then everything I heard from Motown was an oldie, but the tail end of Motown's Golden Age was to me a great year. Lots of great new sounds and beautiful albums. I think it was during this time we had the Supremes New Ways and Magnificent 7, Ross' Everything is Everything and Surrender [[I think they came out close together), 4 Tops Still Water, Return of the Marvelettes, Vandellas Natural Resources, Jr. Walker's A Gasss..., Stevie Wonder Signed, Sealed and Delivered, Edwin Starr's War, Temptations Puzzle People, Undisputed Truth [[1st album), Gladys Knight & the Pips If I Were Your Woman, Jimmy Ruffin Groove Governor, and lots of titles which to me [[at least looking back) showed the Motown Sound maturing and becoming more album oriented than earlier.

I might be a little off on my release dates but that group of albums was to be the first time I truly understood there was a "Motown Sound" and not just a lot of great records.

So what's your favorite Motown year, and why?

[motony]

mine would be 1962[[the most innovative year for Rock N Roll) 1964 & 1966[[when Motown ruled the singles charts).

[PeaceNHarmony]

I had thought about posting a thread to inquire as to everyone's favorite Motown year, and then after reading the other thread about 1971 Motown, decided to go ahead and do it. I'll repeat my post here.

I'm using 1970-71 as my favorite Motown year because I think Motown's Fall push included their major album releases in time for the holiday season. I used to watch the newspaper ads [[especially for Korvette's, a big discount department store at that time) for the big record sales. That was the only way I knew to find out what was being released.

I love the 70-71 Motown Sound for lots of reasons, not the least of which is that's the first year I really was buying records. Up until then everything I heard from Motown was an oldie, but the tail end of Motown's Golden Age was to me a great year. Lots of great new sounds and beautiful albums. I think it was during this time we had the Supremes New Ways and Magnificent 7, Ross' Everything is Everything and Surrender [[I think they came out close together), 4 Tops Still Water, Return of the Marvelettes, Vandellas Natural Resources, Jr. Walker's A Gasss..., Stevie Wonder Signed, Sealed and Delivered, Edwin Starr's War, Temptations Puzzle People, Undisputed Truth [[1st album), Gladys Knight & the Pips If I Were Your Woman, Jimmy Ruffin Groove Governor, and lots of titles which to me [[at least looking back) showed the Motown Sound maturing and becoming more album oriented than earlier.

I might be a little off on my release dates but that group of albums was to be the first time I truly understood there was a "Motown Sound" and not just a lot of great records.

So what's your favorite Motown year, and why?

I, too, love the 70-71 era. The titles you mention are all among my favorites; '72-ish as well.

[RanRan79]

Kenneth this one is hard. I don't know if I can pick just one. I think the 62-63 period, right before the Motown sound found all of it's parts, is underrated. Some of my favorite Motown tunes came out of that time period. The songs sometimes had a rough and at the same time polished sound to them that really gets me going. IMO 1965 was when Motown really let the world know who and what they were. So many great quality tunes. 1966 in my mind just continued what 1965 was doing and taking it to a new level. And it seemed all the big acts that we so easily associate with Motown were having big hits that year, including the Marvelettes and Martha and the Vandellas. 1967 continued the trend. Singles were the thing and Motown was releasing [[and shelving) some high quality stuff.

But I agree about the early 70s albums. To me that's what sets that time apart from the 60s. Motown was figuring out that an artist's album should be well thought out from the first track to the last instead of a hodge podge of cuts thrown together with a hit or two like the 60s albums [[some of which had cuts that had been in the vault for years). Motown's album game was great.

I said all that to say: my favorite Motown year may very well be 1965. I think song for song that may be the year Motown was at it's aesthetically best, with either 1966 tying or nipping at 65s heels.

[daviddesper]

I think with anyone the year that you really "discovered" music always remains your favorite year. For me that would have to be 1966. [[I typed 1866 the first time!!! Different genre altogether!!!!)

Motown had some incredible music that year.

[Boogiedown]

I'll say 1976 because that was the year I first started clubbing and right off the bat one of the hottest records to be heard everywhere was LOVE HANGOVER. Then by year's end came the arrival of Thelma's DON'T LEAVE ME THIS WAY, my very favorite Motown song of them all. [[with many close seconds)

or I could change it to 1977, when DON'T LEAVE ME THIS WAY started the year as the most popular club song, followed soon by Stevie's several "SONGS" songs , and then Marvin Gaye's GOT TO GIVE IT UP

[robb_k]

There's no question with me. It's 1964, far ahead of 1965, 1963, 1966 and 1962, which are ALL very far ahead of all the other years. This goes BOTH for released AND unreleased cuts.

[robb_k]

mine would be 1962[[the most innovative year for Rock N Roll) 1964 & 1966[[when Motown ruled the singles charts).

I love those 3 years of Motown, to death!

[144man]

I love most of 1962-1969, but to me the music peaked in 1966.

[TomatoTom123]

I think I agree 144. Classics like “You Can’t Hurry Love”... “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”... “Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart”... “Get Ready”... “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg”... “I Got A Feeling”... “Jimmy Mack” as well as The Isley Brothers, The Monitors, The Velvelettes, The Miracles, Jimmy Ruffin... represents what I think of as ‘The Motown Sound’ best IMO.

Really though it could be any year, LOL

By the way, great question kenneth and I love your reasoning behind it... the transition to more mature album-orientated soul.

[Ngroove]

1969

NOTE: Temptations-wise, as Dennis Edwards' psychedelic soul had its thumping moments, I prefer the class of the David Ruffin lineup, and the sixties Supremes, the Florence Ballard / Holland-Dozier-Holland years.

BUT, things were blossoming more beautifully, for instance, Junior Walker. Perhaps to keep up with the times, the team-up with Johnny Bristol, to add strings and female vocals, to compliment the further maturing sophistication of his sax, and increased utilization of Autry Dewalt's singing voice, starting with the willingness to allowing himself to do "What Does It Take [[To Win Your Love)", the year previous claiming that it was "Not My Bag".

Then, there's the Originals, background men who decided to take a chance on their own, largely with the boost of Marvin Gaye, taking it to traditional, street-corner harmony, starting with "Baby, I'm For Real".

My favorite solo Marvin Gaye big hit is "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby", one of my favorite him and Tammi Terrell duets, "Good Lovin' Ain't Easy To Come By".

And, there's also: Fantastic Four's "I Feel Like I'm Falling In Love Again", Edwin Starr's "Twenty Five Miles", the Lollipops' "Cheating Is Telling On You", The Five Smooth Stones' "I Will Never Love Another", David Ruffin solo "My Whole World Ended [[The Moment You Left Me)", "I'm So Glad I Fell For You", Gladys Knight & The Pips' groovy "Friendship Train", and their cover of "The Nitty Gritty", Chuck Jackson's cover of "Are You Lonely For Me Baby", Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie Amour" and "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday", and the long-vaulted Terry Johnson's "My Springtime", another whose jubilation of discovered love that has since became another of my top ten Motown favorites.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Boy, Kenny, having to pick our favorite Motown era is like having to decide which one of our kids, or which of our beloved pets, is our favorite. At the risk of sounding like a bad parent, my favorite years for Motown singles would be from Fall 1964 when I first discovered the newly-developed "Motown Sound" [[My Guy, Where Did Our Love Go, Dancing In The Street, Without The One You Love, and Too Many Fish In The Sea) through and including all of 1965, 1966, and 1967. Once it got rolling, the magic was fast and furious and didn't stop. Bam, bam, bam -- one incredible hit after another -- each one seemingly better than the one before!

Motown's albums were equally exciting for me throughout their 1960's heyday, but my very favorite period was that same HUGE 1969 and 1970 Fall LP release schedule that you're referring to. Releasing so many albums at one time was a first for Motown. I remember their full-page ad in Billboard was a sight to behold! Diana, The New Supremes, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Wanda Rogers & The Marvelettes, Jimmy Ruffin, Four Tops, The Temptations, The Spinners, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Jr. Walker, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Rare Earth, Stoney & Meatloaf, Rustix, and more. Everybody on Motown had a new album scheduled for Fall release. It almost seemed too good to be true, but it wasn't. It was for real, and it was all top-notch material, too -- sounding soulful and more elegant than ever before thanks to musical arrangers like Paul Riser, Wade Marcus, and David Van DePitte.

Musically speaking, those of us who grew up with Motown were/are among the luckiest people alive -- no matter which era we choose as our favorite.

[Motown Eddie]

My favorite Motown year is 1964. It's the year of the first big hits by The Supremes and the year of 'My Guy', 'The Way You Do The Things You Do', 'Baby I Need Your Loving', 'Dancing In The Streets' [[and many more).