Where to start with Motown
Motown is a music scene from Detroit, Michigan, USA, 1959–1972. Its principal artists include Berry Gordy, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Supremes and Stevie Wonder. This issue covers 10 essential albums and 16 dated events.
Start here
- 1
Where Did Our Love Go
The Supremes · 1964Five consecutive number-one singles show how Holland-Dozier-Holland turned the Supremes into Motown's premier hit-making act.
- 2
Cloud Nine
The Temptations · 1969Original release: Gordy · GS939 · 12″ Vinyl · US 1969Shows Motown's pivot into psychedelic soul and social consciousness, winning the label its first Grammy Award.
- 3
What's Going On
Marvin Gaye · 1971Original release: Tamla · TS310 · 12″ Vinyl · US 1971Redefined Motown as capable of artistic ambition beyond the three-minute single, tackling war, poverty, and the environment.
Go deeper
- 4
Meet The Supremes
The Supremes · 1962Original release: Motown · MOTOWN 606 · 12″ Vinyl · US 1962Released in 1962, this debut album caught the Supremes in the thick of what Motown insiders, and eventually Mary Wilson herself, called their "no-hit Supremes" period.
- 5
Going to a Go-Go
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles · 1965Original release: Tamla · 267 · 12″ Vinyl · US 1965By 1965, the year of this record's release, Smokey Robinson had gone from teenage doo-wop singer to Motown vice president, and Going to a Go-Go shows exactly why Berry Gordy trusted him with both jobs.
- 6
Reach Out
The Four Tops · 1967Released in 1967, at the peak of both Holland-Dozier-Holland's powers and the Four Tops' commercial run, Reach Out is built around the title track: an arrangement so dramatic it pushed…
- 7
Music of My Mind
Stevie Wonder · 1972Original release: Tamla · T7-314R1 · 12″ Vinyl · US 1972Music of My Mind marks the start of Stevie Wonder's so-called classic period, recorded almost entirely by himself on the TONTO synthesizer system after he abandoned Motown's traditional studio-band production…
- 8
Talking Book
Stevie Wonder · 1972Original release: Tamla · T 319L · 12″ Vinyl · US 1972Talking Book features "Superstition" and "You Are the Sunshine of My Life," the record where Stevie Wonder's mastery of synthesizers met genuine commercial reach, establishing him as Motown's most innovative…
For the obsessed
- 9
Innervisions
Stevie Wonder · 1973Original release: Tamla · T 326L · 12″ Vinyl · US 1973Released in 1973, Innervisions became the first of three consecutive Album of the Year Grammy wins for Stevie Wonder, blending synthesizer-driven funk with direct social commentary and cementing his reputation as a genuine one-man band.
- 10
Songs in the Key of Life
Stevie Wonder · 1976Original release: Tamla · T13-340C2 · 12″ Vinyl · US 1976Released in 1976, Songs in the Key of Life completed a run of five critically acclaimed albums in four and a half years and stands as the artistic peak of…
The stories behind every record are in Motown, a members' issue.