Collecting Motown

[45cellar]

As a kid growing up in the 60s some of my first Soul Records I found in my Mothers collection.

 

Baby Love, Where Did Our Love Go etc on Stateside

 

Plus from my Older Sister Jimmy Ruffin What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted on Tamla Motown.

 

We had quite a few records in the house even back then including The Beatles, Cliff Richard on Parlophone and Columbia which were also on Black Labels.

 

So what was it that Intrigued me about these Stateside and Tamla Motown copies.

 

I had of course heard them playing and loved them

 

The urge to own these to look at and actually take an Interest in the label credits, kick started my collection.

 

 

[45cellar]

Of course that was only the start of a very long journey as one day whilst trawling our local Second Hand shop

 

 

This was the first Import I had ever seen. I now know this to be an "Arp" press but the colourful label, large center, actually pressed in America blew me away at the time.

 

However, I was about to find out over the years such a wealth of suprisingly rare DEMOs, Stock Copies & Label Variations from the Various Pressing Plants Motown used.

 

It is an Impossible task to collect everything but there's still some Rare stuff turning up on ebay even today.

 

Here's one I picked up recently

 

WEST COAST : Monarch DEMO

 

[Chris L]

At 15 or 16 I was dating a girl who's older sister had a set of those Big Hits albums. We'd put them on and listen to them for hours. I'm guessing about 1968-ish. I was hooked. Most of my favourite soul records are Motown.

[Chris L]

 

 

WEST COAST : Monarch DEMO

 

 

I have to say I do prefer this side. 

[45cellar]

I still had my Lambretta Scooter back in the 70s when I bought this

 

 

I found it in a case of Early Motown Tracks on Oriole and Stateside.

 

Yes, I probably left a lot of Rare stuff behind, but this record still reminds me of that buzz of collecting both then and now.

[45cellar]

 

This was the copy I bought. Approx 1969.  I didn't own anything on it at the time 45 wise.

 

That soon changed Still have the Album though.

[45cellar]

Here's one from that very album.

 

 

Hang on though, how come I had seen a copy in someone elses collection on the older design.

 

Another conundrum at the time.

 

Took me a while to find one to be honest.

 

WEST COAST : MONARCH

 

 

They kept the earlier label at Monarch a little longer than other pressing plants which we now know.

 

I believe that this is the DEMO to that west coast release but on the Arrow Design

 

Another nice collectable that didn't cost more than a few dollars.

 

WEST COAST : MONARCH

 

[45cellar]

The previous Monarch Gordy number has the DEMO with the earlier design

 

WEST COAST : MONARCH

 

[45cellar]

As I started collecting seriously in 1969, I just missed out on the First Issues on Tamla Motown

 

Again subtle differences are to be found either on the label or in the deadwax (Sorry about the stickers)

 

 

I turned my attention to USA Output but admire the hard work UK collectors have put in to this.

 

Stunning to see the 500 Series, 600 Series all in order

[The Yank]

It was an older Sister that got me involved with Motown. The 1st 45 I heard was "You Beat Me To The Punch" by Mary Wells.

It got quiet until late 1964 and then BOOM! She had the Supremes' "Where Did Our Love Go" album, "Baby I Need Your

Lovin" by the Four Tops, "My Girl" by the Temptations, "Nowhere To Run" by Martha and the Vandellas, "Ask The Lonely"

by the Four Tops, "I Can't Help Myself" by the Four Tops and on and on from there.

  The 1st record I ever bought was "Ain't That Peculiar" by Marvin Gaye which I still like to this day. For my second 45

I took a bad turn and bought "Bus Stop" by the Hollies. Still don't know what I was thinking !!  

[The Yank]

 

 

 

Here's the U.S. release of "A Package Of 16 Big Hits" before they changed to the more familiar "titles in boxes" format .

[45cellar]

I started work in August 1970. A fellow workmate was to be the source of my second Import from USA

 

EAST COAST : "Arp"

 

 

Another fascinating label to collect.

[Chris L]

 

This was the copy I bought. Approx 1969.  I didn't own anything on it at the time 45 wise.

 

That soon changed Still have the Album though.

 

When I worked in the US you could pick these up at flea market for less than $5.00 I bought loads   

[Chris L]

I have a couple of these, last one, mint cost me £1.50, what an album 

 

[45cellar]

I have a couple of these, last one, mint cost me £1.50, what an album 

The_Contours_-_Baby_Hit_And_Run.jpg

 

If I was starting a collection today gems are there to be found for a few dollars.

 

As you say what an Album, I have one in my collection too.

[45cellar]

Motown sure used a lot of different pressing plants, giving us many different label variations.

 

Plus those loverly Picture Sleeves

 

[The Yank]

 

 

 

This looks like every U.S. copy of "Shotgun" you've ever seen until you notice the title is "SHOT  GUN" instead of "SHOTGUN" and

that the group is listed as Jr. Walker & "all the stars" .

 

[45cellar]

Courtesy of Ric-Tic

 

Another Gordy and Another difficult West Coast copy on the Earlier Design.

 

It is during the period of change from one design to another and Monarch using up label blanks.

 

WEST COAST : MONARCH

DELTA #65952 - U4KM-3143-1 (March / April 1967)

 

 

Plus, this is the West Coast DEMO for the above I believe using the Arrow Design.

 

[Pete S]

If you are my age (54 this year) you couldn't escape Motown as a kid.  I heard it on the radio, then I heard it at the football 1968-70 especially, then I heard it at school discos, and massively at the youth club 1973.  

But there's just one thing I have to say about most British labels from the 60's (Decca, Parlophone, Columbia, Tamla Motown, RCA, Stateside etc) Oh my God are they boring?  Black or blue with no design at all.  No wonder people are attracted to colourful Reggae labels!

[Guest]

I heard it through the grapevine! 

 

 

I actually swapped my extensive collection of footy programs for a mates sisters motown collection...  .....she found out but it was too late.

 

N.B.  In that program collection was the 1947 cup final, Charlton Athletic Vs Burnley plus match ticket. My dad gave it to me.

On Ebay last year at £600    

Edited May 30, 2014 by Guest

[45cellar]

While on the subject of Ric-Tic via Festival Time earlier.

 

Ed Wingate used the Columbia Chicago Plant ZTSC for all of his product. How different his distribution was in comparison to Motowns.

 

 

Berry Gordy used ZTSC on some early releases and then stopped.

 

He continued to use many other pressing plants for his distribution.

 

 

[Mal C]

As a kid growing up in the 60s some of my first Soul Records I found in my Mothers collection.

 

Baby Love, Where Did Our Love Go etc on Stateside

 

The urge to own these to look at and actually take an Interest in the label credits, kick started my collection.

 I never really liked Motown stuff in my teens, but then i hadn't heard all the wonderful 'Other' music that came out on the labels, this however I just love the disc / sleeve and the tracks, looks the business...and I only bought this last year...

 

malcolm

[45cellar]

WEST COAST : MONARCH

 

 

Plus two of them are from the LP mentioned earlier

 

[45cellar]

WEST COAST : MONARCH

 

1st copies as "MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS"

 

Slightly later press perhaps as "MARTHA REEVES & THE VANDELLAS" so another label print run

 

All deadwax "U4KM-6070-1" & "DELTA# 67070" have as Mastered June 1967

The change of name 1967

[Chris L]

Some Dutch Motown 

[Guest]

I think a lot of us ex-pats collect the Soul/Motown releases of the lands we find ourselves in...as at least they have picture sleeves outside the UK!

 

When I first started out collecting Japanese releases I had no listing to go from...took me 3 years to piece together what came out in the 60's over here...approximately x100 7", x45 EP and x100 LPs...I'm almost complete now after 10 years of digging, but the paper "obi" strips for some of the LPs are proving to be rather elusive to say the least! Needless to say the Motown section within the book I'm writing about US Soul released in Japan will be pretty sweet!

 

[Stateside]

Always nice to find a demo with a date stamp that pins it down to an actual day when it was processed by someone, probably at a radio station.

 

Kev

[Chris L]

I think a lot of us ex-pats collect the Soul/Motown releases of the lands we find ourselves in...as at least they have picture sleeves outside the UK!

 

When I first started out collecting Japanese releases I had no listing to go from...took me 3 years to piece together what came out in the 60's over here...approximately x100 7", x45 EP and x100 LPs...I'm almost complete now after 10 years of digging, but the paper "obi" strips for some of the LPs are proving to be rather elusive to say the least! Needless to say the Motown section within the book I'm writing about US Soul released in Japan will be pretty sweet!

 

 

Japanese Motown singles & EP's do come up on Ebay, not sure where they're being sold from but they come up, I think there's some on there right now.

[Guest]

Japanese Motown singles & EP's do come up on Ebay, not sure where they're being sold from but they come up, I think there's some on there right now.

Indeed Chris, but alas not the tough ones...that Supremes is also not the first issue (1st issue was ¥330...that one is a later press showing ¥500 on the bottom right corner) and is actually one of the most common pieces readily available for a few quid.

Must admit it is sometimes hard to justify paying a few hundred £ for a Japanese press of a $10 US hit Motown tune, but nobody ever said this collecting lark was gonna be easy/cheap!