Best of 70s Soul: Motown

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Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye (Jim Britt)
Motown moved all of its operations to Los Angeles in June 1972, with a number of artists, among them Martha Reeves, the Four Tops, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and Motown's Funk Brothers studio band, either staying behind in Detroit or leaving the company for other reasons. By re-locating, Motown aimed chiefly to branch out into the motion-picture industry, and Motown Productions got its start in film by turning out two hit-vehicles for Diana Ross: the Billie Holiday biographical film 'Lady Sings the Blues' (1972), and 'Mahogany' (1975). The typical Motown sound disappeared because of those priority changes, but the company still produced great records, like the ones from Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, and discovered new artists, like Rick James and The Commodores.

'Ain't It Funny (How Things Turn Around)' was made during the sessions for Marvin Gaye's masterpiece 'Here my dear'. The theme of the album, released December 15, 1978, was the fallout of Gaye's marriage to his first wife, Anna Gordy. Initially a commercial and critical failure upon its release, it was later hailed by music critics as one of Gaye's best albums. At the time the album was a big disappointment for Anna Gordy too, not only because of the lyrics, but because of the agreement that half of the royaties would go to her as a divorce payment.

Enjoy this Motown edition of Best Of 70s Soul!

Tracklist:

The Temptations – Masterpiece (1973)
The Dynamic Superiors – Nobody’s Gonna Change Me (1975)
The Originals – Hurry Up And Wait (1977)
The Four Tops – So Deep Within You (1973)
Martha Reeves ‎– No One There (1973)
David Ruffin ‎– You Can Come Right Back To Me (1970)
Edwin Starr – Running Back And Forth (1970)
Marvin Gaye – Ain't It Funny (How Things Turn Around) (1978)
Eddie Kendricks – Body Talk (1975)
The Sisters Love ‎– Give Me Your Love [Danny Krivit Edit] (1973)
Ronnie McNeir – You’re All I Need To Survive (1976)
Commodores – Brick House (1977)
Rick James – Bustin' Out (On Funk) (1977)
Diana Ross – I’m Still Waiting (1970)

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