Why is Motown so big in the UK?

[MIKEW-UK]

The question was "Why Was Motown So Big In The UK?"

Way back in 1964 /1965, truthfully the only music you heard on the radio was white pop and to my ears, bland music. Indeed, I remember wondering why anybody would spend their hard earned cash on records. Not only was the white music bland, so were the performances. They were all very polite and restrained. I listened to an offshore radio called Radio Luxembourg. This was to me, living a long way from London, the only exposure I had to innovative [[ black) music. BBC did not play black music. This was not a BBC bias alone, it was because the new soul movement was not recognised, understood nor given airplay.
When I heard those new sounds by Motown, Stax and Chess, they were electrifying, yet beautiful. The vocals were unrestrained and sincere, the accompaniments creative, sometimes lots of strings and sweetenings, the underlying bass and drums providing a rich backdrop, and most importantly of all the sounds and lyrics really touched your emotions.

The initial following for Motown was tiny, but we felt the company was special and we in turn felt special in supporting them. We had the mindset of trainspotters! We got to know the composers, the producers, the coloured labels as well as the artists...at a distance.... for they all had a mystique. We didn't even know what the artists looked like...maybe we might get to see a monochrome picture in the specialist Blues and Soul magazine. When we bought records like "This Old Heart Of Mine" for the A-side, we discovered to our delight that B-Sides were equally rewarding..."There's No Love Left". We also recognised the consistency and the promise of Motown records, we could even buy records blind, unheard, and be guaranteed that we would be hearing captivating, thrilling sounds. I never bought into the notion that Motown all sounded the same, that it was a factory line. How could I compare the harmonies of " We Got a Way Out Love' by The Originals with "L.O.V.E. Love " by Jimmy Ruffin, "The Further You Look The Less You See" by The Temptations or "Forever" by Marvin Gaye. They were all so different, yet all so wonderfully classy and heartfelt.

Clusters of like minded people started to follow and support Motown, then the Mod movement really got behind soul music. Discos, clubs etc started to play Motown and Northern Soul was born. And whilst a lot of Northern Soul favourites were popular on the dance floor, and only on the dance floor, Motown migrated into mainstream and commercial success, hence the tours by Motown artists. Motown was heavily promoted by BBC DJ's like Tony Blackburn and moved onto the national stage, supported by the efforts of UK artists like Dusty Springfield and The Beatles. The Supremes, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Junior Walker etc, were not only recognised as exciting artists, they were also recognised as being exceedingly physically attractive, fashionable and engaging artists at the top of their game. And the more we learnt about these artists, the musicians, The Funk Brothers, their composers, producers etc, the more captivating they became. Motown became in our eyes the fountain of musical excellence, of innovation, sincerity, positivity, civil rights advancement, and the foremost organisation promoting black excellence and artistry. And that has endured over the years. In a nutshell, Motown offered a rich, intelligent, energetic and authentic contrast to the bland, insipid and weak sounds we were being offered by our fellow citizens in our own country. I have loved Motown my whole life and it has brought me immense pleasure and joy.