Well, happy 60th anniversary, Motown fans.
Unearthed tracks by Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, Diana Ross & the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, the Jackson 5 and Smokey Robinson & the Miracles are among 60 Motown songs being released Friday after decades in the vaults.
The treasure trove of music, issued as part of the label’s ongoing 60th anniversary festivities, hit streaming and download services.
All of it is from 1969 – a pivotal period in the Detroit company’s history, as Motown artists, songwriters and producers began moving into ambitious new territory.
Stevie Wonder in 1967 (Photo: Universal Music Group)
“Motown Unreleased 1969” also features songs by Gladys Knight & the Pips, Jr. Walker & the All Stars, the Spinners, Edwin Starr, Ivy Jo Hunter, Rare Earth and the Funk Brothers.
The tracks have been newly mastered from the original tapes housed in Universal Music Group’s vault.
The 50-year-old recordings were withheld at the time for a variety of reasons, said Harry Weinger, vice president of A&R with Universal Music Enterprises, which oversees Motown’s catalog.
“There (was) an opening for writers and producers to experiment with the Motown sound but, for certain topics, or musical ideas, or even artists, the company (wasn’t) ready,” Weinger said in a statement. “Or, it’s a simple case of having only so many slots for releases. So, until now, those songs went unreleased.”
Some of the tracks are covers of existing compositions – like the Jackson 5’s take on the Miracles’ “What’s So Good About Goodbye.” Others are songs being issued today for the first time by anyone, such as the Stevie Wonder original “Mister Moon” and the Temptations’ “Pretty Little Brown Skin Girl.”
The Temptations and the Supremes. The Supremes, left to right: Mary Wilson, Diana Ross and Cindy Birdsong. The Temptations, left to right: Paul Williams, Melvin Franklin, Eddie Kendricks, Otis Williams and Dennis Edwards. The Motown handout photo is dated Feb. 8, 1969 (Photo: Motown photo)
The Supremes’ recording of “For Once in My Life,” which leads the collection, was the last studio session together by Diana Ross, Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong.
The set of 60 previously unreleased tracks comes as part of Motown’s year-long 60th anniversary celebration, which included a CBS tribute show in the spring and a Showtime documentary in August. The festivities will culminate this weekend in Detroit with a Saturday gospel concert and a Sunday “Hitsville Honors” program with guests including Berry Gordy, the Four Tops, Temptations, Martha Reeves, Big Sean, Kem and Ne-Yo.
‘Motown Unreleased 1969’ artist and track list
1. Diana Ross & the Supremes, “For Once In My Life”Get the Entertainment newsletter in your inbox.
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2. Stevie Wonder, “Can’t Do Without Your Love”
3. Ivy Jo, “It’s Love I Need”
4. Chris Clark, “My World Is Empty Without You”
5. The Temptations, “Pretty Little Brown Skin Girl”
6. The Volumes, “Forever I’ll Love You”
7. Jr. Walker & the All Stars, “(Baby) I Need You”
8. Frank Wilson, “Look Out Your Window”
9. Edwin Starr, “I’ll Always Love You”
10. Earl Van Dyke, “Stone Soul Booster”
11. Gladys Knight & the Pips, “You Took Me This Far (Take Me All The Way)”
12. Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, “Won’t You Come and Fly With Me”
13. Edwin Starr, “Born Just To Be That Way”
14. Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, “What About Me”
15. Jonah Jones, “Too Many Fish In The Sea”
16. Edwin Starr, “Fan The Flame”
17. Chris Clark, “The Last Thing On My Mind”
18. Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, “Backfire (version 1)”
19. Gladys Knight & the Pips, “I Had A Dream (Opus I)”
20. The Temptations, “Why (Must We Fall In Love)”
21. The Fantastic Four, “What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted”
22. Ivy Jo, “Ask The Lonely”
23. Ivy Jo, “Yesterday’s Dreams”
24. Ivy Jo, “I Got To Get To California”
25. The Originals, “Blame It On War”
26. The Stylists, “The Jackpot”
27. The Spinners, “Don’t Think It’s Me”
28. Michael Denton, “MacArthur Park/Didn’t We”
29. Michael Denton, “Someone For My Own”
30. The Volumes, “One Lucky Day I Found You”
31. The Rustix, “Generation”
32. Jr. Walker & the All Stars, “Country Girl”
33. Jr. Walker & the All Stars, “Something You Got (studio version)”
34. Bobby Taylor, “At Last (I Found A Love)”
35. Bobby Taylor, “Love Is Here And Now You’re Gone”
36. Jackson 5, “What’s So Good About Goodbye”
37. Bobby Taylor, “You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me – feat. the Jackson 5”
38. Earl Van Dyke, “The Stranger”
39. Earl Van Dyke, “I Wish It Would Rain”
40. Stevie Wonder, “Start Out A New Day”
41. Gordon Staples & the Motown Strings, “All the Many Shades In Between”
42. Valerie Simpson, “You Ain’t Livin’ Till You’re Lovin’”
43. Edwin Starr, “Pain From My Loneliness”
44. Yvonne Fair, “All I Could Do Was Cry”
45. The Temptations, “Home Is Where The Heart Is”
46. Stevie Wonder, “Mister Moon”
47. Rare Earth, “Your Heartaches I Can Surely Heal”
48. Ivy Jo, “Dancing In The Street”
49. Marvin Gaye, “I’ll Take Care Of Business”
50. Ivy Jo, “Pride, Foolish Pride”
51. Earl Van Dyke, “Moratorium”
52. Kiki Dee, “While They Watch”
53. Terry Johnson, “This Is The Beginning”
54. Terry Johnson, “I Blew My Mind”
55. Earl Van Dyke, “Chicken Little 69”
56. Kiki Dee, “You’re My World”
57. Bobby Taylor, “Touched By Love”
58. Hearts of Stone, “When Push Comes To Shove”
59. Jimmy Ruffin, “I Gotta Cover A Whole Lotta Ground”
60. Terry Johnson, “Tomorrow’s Child”E
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