On The Detroit Beat! Motor City Soul - UK Style 1963-67 Various Artists (Motown)

£13.12

Genre:
Pop
Label:
Ace Records
Format:
CD
Catalogue Id:
CDTOP 1539

The Motown Sound gets a distinctly 60s UK makeover.

It may seem unbelievable in 2019 but there was a time when Motown was not a household name in the UK. Around 40 Motown singles were released here between 1959 and 1964, not one making a dent in our charts until Mary Wells scored a Top 10 hit with ‘My Guy’. After that Berry Gordy’s company began to slowly make a greater impression on British pop fans but even then a full three years went by before Motown’s flagship acts routinely made the UK Top 20.

However, all but ignored by the public at large, Motown songs quickly won a place in the collective heart of British beat merchants, particularly after the Beatles recorded three Motown songs on their second UK album. Soon it was open season on their catalogue, with all manner of artists coming up with covers of songs that had flopped for the original artists. The Motown sound was difficult to replicate, so most who covered the songs went their own way with them. Not all covers were musically successful but this new Ace project selects two dozen that were.

Most of our selections cover songs from Motown’s early years. Once the hits started coming regularly, there was little point in going up against the originals, so artists started to cover B-sides and singles that had not been issued here at the time. By 1967 there was virtually no point in trying to steal Motown’s thunder, and thus our compilation goes no further than that year. But there’s a lot of great stuff here that stands up well in comparison with the originals, and there are plenty of highlights to savour, from avowed Motown fan Dusty Springfield taking on an early Supremes classic to a certain Liverpool icon reminding us of her R&B roots as Swinging Cilla as she launches herself into Jr Walker’s ‘Shotgun’.

The singers might get the odd word wrong but their commitment to each song can’t be faulted. They may not have been able to replicate the Motown sound but they surely knew how to get “On The Detroit Beat”.

TONY ROUNCE

 

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Track listing

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Side 1

  • 01 Preview Mickey's Monkey - The Hollies

  • 02 Preview As Long As I Know He's Mine - Julie Grant

  • 03 Preview Money (That's What I Want) - The Undertakers

  • 04 Preview I Want A Love I Can See - John Leyton & The LeRoys

  • 05 Preview Sweet Thing - Georgie Fame

  • 06 Preview I'll Be Doggone - Billy J Kramer with The Dakotas

  • 07 Preview Two Lovers - Louise Cordet

  • 08 Preview Shake Sherry - Bern Elliott & The Fenmen

  • 09 Preview You Really Got A Hold On Me - Small Faces

  • 10 Preview The Way You Do The Things You Do - Elkie Brooks

  • 11 Preview I Want To Go Back There Again - Bill Kenwright & The Runaways

  • 12 Preview When The Lovelight Stars Shining Through His Eyes - Dusty Springfield

  • 13 Preview One Of These Days - Guy Darrell

  • 14 Preview Heat Wave - Beverley Jones with The Prestons

  • 15 Preview No.1 In Your Heart - Herbie Goins & The Night-Timers

  • 16 Preview Every Little Bit Hurts - The Spencer Davis Group

  • 17 Preview Stubborn Kind Of Fellow - The Roulettes

  • 18 Preview You're My Remedy - Helen Shapiro

  • 19 Preview No Good Without You - The Birds

  • 20 Preview My Smile Is Just A Frown (Turned Upside Down) - Truly Smith

  • 21 Preview Never Leave Your Baby's Side - Tony Jackson

  • 22 Preview Let's Go Somewhere - Beryl Marsden

  • 23 Preview In My Lonely Room - The Action

  • 24 Preview Shotgun - Cilla Black & Sounds Incorporated

Delivery & Returns

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We use Royal Mail First Class for UK deliveries and standard Air Mail for all other territories, very large orders will usually be sent via parcelforce. You may cancel your order at any time prior to your order being dispatched by emailing us at orders@acerecords.com ensuring that you quote your name, address and order reference number or by telephoning +44 (0) 208 453 1311 between 9am and 5pm GMT/BST, Monday to Friday. Please note: As music downloads are dispatched immediately after purchase, there is no possibility of cancelling these orders.

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