Three of Motown’s superstar acts are the focus of limited-edition, colored-vinyl albums newly issued in France, as part of the ongoing 60th anniversary celebrations for the American company.
These Motown Anniversary releases feature music by the Temptations (on red vinyl), Marvin Gaye (blue), and Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 (green). Check them out here.
The Temptations’ album ranges from their first Number One success, “My Girl,” in 1965 to their Grammy-winning smash of 1972, “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone.” The 12 tracks also include the universally popular “Get Ready” and their original version of “Too Busy Thinking About My Baby,” later a hit for Marvin Gaye.
The 12-track Marvin Gaye Motown Anniversary collection also spans the late singer’s extraordinary career, from one of his first Top 10 hits, “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You),” to “Anger,” from his so-called “divorce” album, Here My Dear. In addition, there are tracks from his monumental What’s Going On long-player, as well as several of his earlier duets with Tammi Terrell.
The Jackson 5 release features tracks by the group and by a solo Michael, including his Top 10 U.K. hit, “Ain’t No Sunshine,” which was not released in the U.S. as a single, and “Ben,” the title track of a movie of the same name. The album also has the brothers’ first Number One hit, “I Want You Back,” among its 13 tracks.
The Motown Anniversary titles follow a pair of French-compiled vinyl albums issued there last year, containing some of the company’s earliest output. These two Motor City volumes, subtitled The Artists And Music That Started Tamla Motown, include music by Marv Johnson, the Satintones, the Miracles, Debbie Dean, Freddie Gorman, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Barrett Strong, Eddie Holland, Chico Leverett, Lamont Dozier and Mary Wells.
