Music » Motown Music

Like the Beatles' The Beatles 1, this rundown of Stevie Wonder chestnuts is merciless in cutting a huge list of classic tracks down to a single disc's worth of the most recognizable. Anyone who's treasured even one or two of these songs and yet never bought a Wonder record will be more than pleased with the acquisition of The Definitive Collection. These records continue to ring with importance and history, but more important, all except two or three remain fresh and capable of surprising even veteran fans. Those listeners may note, though, that Wonder is among the few performers who could release a retrospective containing 15 No. 1 R&B hits and still invite the complaint that the album felt incomplete--not least in explaining how the man transformed himself from a multitalented teenage hitmaker into the funk-pop visionary of Talking Book, Innervisions, and Songs in the Key of Life. --Rickey WrightCompact Selection of Great Early Hits from the Former Boy Wonder of the Keyboard and Resident Genius of Berry Gordy's Motown Records.

Release Date: 1996-01-23, Audio CD, Motown

The title is a bit of a misnomer: The Supremes are anthologized in more comprehensive fashion on Motown's three-volume Greatest Hits series, while this package is denser, and has a higher hit-per-track ratio. But if you'd rather pick up one collection than three, and if you want a good, thorough skimming of cream from the group's catalog, this is the better choice. All of the familiar songs are here, with no major omissions--and they're packed in with a liberal helping of second-magnitude hits. For a collection that samples only the extreme top end of the Supremes' output, there's Every Great No. 1 Hit, also on Motown. It's missing a lot, but it delivers exactly what it promises. --Gavin McNett

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles' 25-cut disc is the single most impressive one of Motown's Ultimate Collection series (which features 17 artists). Combining Smokey's endlessly inventive twists on romance (good and bad) with the Miracles' handful of straight-up party hits, it showcases one of American pop's most sure-footed and touching acts. The frontman's prowess as singer, writer, and producer lights up each of these single mixes; less-celebrated tracks like "My Girl Has Gone," "(You Can) Depend on Me," and "The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage" stand as tall as the many oldies-radio staples featured here. (For much more, including "Mirage's" unstoppable flip side, "Come Spy with Me," check out the four-disc 35th Anniversary box set.) Robinson and his collaborators, both in and out of the group, regularly injected undeniable emotion into their creamy constructions, making for a stack of tracks that remain as relevant as the contemporary creations of fans Lennon-McCartney and Bob Dylan. --Rickey Wright

Release Date: 1998-10-20, Audio CD, Motown

Leon Russell's title track had already become a modern standard recorded by everyone from the Carpenters to Willie Nelson by the time the Tempts got to it on this 1975 disc. With the number of original group members shrunken by death and departure, it no doubt held plenty of resonance for those who carried on. The record's highlight, though, is "Shakey Ground," driven by P-Funk-ers Eddie Hazel and William "Billy Bass" Nelson. What remains is thoughtful, somewhat shallow, and not up to the level of innovation Motown colleagues Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, not to mention the Tempts themselves, had reached. A good album, if one that fails to meet its goal of true significance. --Rickey Wright

Cramming 25 songs onto a single CD, this set captures the Tops during their peak 1960s years, when they rode the pens of Holland, Dozier, and Holland to the top of the charts. Combining the writers' pop melodies, a gentle Motown groove, and Levi Stubbs' earthy lead vocals, the group landed 11 Top 40 singles by 1967, all of which are included on this compilation. Unfortunately, The Ultimate Collection omits later gems such as "Keeper of the Castle," "Ain't No Woman," and "When She Was My Girl," but that leaves room to delve into the unique partnership between the Tops and their songwriting triumvirate. --Marc Greilsamer

Release Date: 1999-05-18, Audio CD, Motown

Release Date: 2003-06-24, Audio CD, Motown

Release Date: 1990-07-16, Audio CD, Curb Records