Motown records were the shit.

[StrongBad]

I picked up a vinyl set of the best of Motown recently and am floored at how fresh the music still is. I think it's a shame that very few contemporary pop artists take cues from these records. Great songwriting, production, arrangement and voices of people who could actually sing.

Had to write something about it...

[nini]

1. Motown music will always be the shit

:D

Some of my favorite tunes are old Motown titles.

[abq e streeter]

2. And the amazing Funk Brothers backing everything

if you haven't seen Standing In The Shadows of Motown, I highly recommend it, even though it's disillusioning in a way, due to the way these musicians were treated by Motown . Still fascinating for anyone who loves ( as I certainly do) the music of Motown. If you're a younger DUer who is just now discovering this music, there is a treasure trove of great stuff still waiting for you to hear ( if you're about my age and grew up with it, then you already know). I still have my original vinyl of a lot of Best Of compilations; Marvin Gaye, Four Tops, Supremes, Martha and The Vandellas, Stevie Wonder, The Miracles.... and don't have any Temptations compilations only because their albums themselves were so fantastic.....Temptin' Temptations, Gettin' Ready, With a Lot of Soul, Wish It Would Rain, even Cloud Nine when Dennis Edwards of The Contours took over as lead singer , and their music changed to "psychedelic soul" for awhile, is still incredible, as is Marvin Gaye's What's Goin On, not to mention all those brilliant Stevie Wonder albums like talking Book and Songs in the Key of Life..........."Hitsville USA": still sounds fresh; ya got that right.

On edit, just saw that you're in LA and compose music, so good chance you know everything, and probably far more, than I just posted....Do you happen to know, is Motown still headquartered in what used to be a First Interstate Bank building on, I think it was Sunset and Argyle ?

[pscot]

3. That's the kind of thing you get

when you have like, you know, actual musicians and stuff.