VA - Hitsville USA, The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971 [1992] + Hitsville USA Vol. II, The Motown Singles Collection 1972-1992 [1993] (8 x CDs)

HITSVILLE

VA - Hitsville USA, The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971 [1992] + Hitsville USA Vol. II, The Motown Singles Collection 1972-1992 [1993] (8 x CDs)

VA – Hitsville USA, The Motown Singles Collection 1959–1971 [1992] This 4-CD box set, released by Motown in 1992 as part of their Master Series, is a treasure trove of the label’s formative years. It pulls together 104 tracks in their original mono single mixes—the exact versions that lit up AM radios and jukeboxes across America. That detail matters: these aren’t album cuts or stereo remixes, but the punchy, radio-ready mixes that Berry Gordy’s team crafted for maximum impact.

The set opens with Barrett Strong’s “Money (That’s What I Want)” and closes with Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” tracing a remarkable arc from raw R&B to socially conscious soul. You get the big names—The Supremes, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson—but also deep cuts from artists like Brenda Holloway, Shorty Long, and The Velvelettes. These lesser-known tracks are part of what makes the set so valuable: they show how wide Motown’s reach was, and how much talent never got its due.

The mastering is clean and respectful to the original tapes, and the accompanying booklet is packed with session details, producer credits, and historical notes. It’s not just a listening experience—it’s a guided tour through the rise of one of the most influential labels in pop history.

VA – Hitsville USA Vol. II, The Motown Singles Collection 1972–1992 [1993] Released just a year later in 1993, Volume II picks up where the first set left off, chronicling Motown’s evolution after its move from Detroit to Los Angeles. This 4-CD follow-up features 81 tracks, again using the original single mixes, and showcases how the label adapted to changing sounds and audiences over two decades.

Here, you’ll find Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On,” Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition,” and Rick James’ “Super Freak”, songs that defined the ’70s and ’80s. But it also includes early solo hits from Michael Jackson, Diana Ross’s reinvention, and Smokey Robinson’s smooth comeback. The set moves through funk, disco, quiet storm, and synth-pop, showing how Motown stayed relevant while still holding onto its emotional core. Like Volume I, the packaging includes full credits and rich liner notes, making it a perfect companion piece. 

Together, these two sets offer a panoramic view of Motown’s journey, from basement studios to global stardom, always driven by rhythm, soul, and storytelling.

If you care about the roots and evolution of soul, pop, funk, and R&B, or just want to hear how American music history was written one 45 at a time, these two box sets are essential companions. Volume I gives you the raw, mono magic of Motown’s Detroit years, where every track feels like it was made to move feet and stir hearts. Volume II picks up the baton and runs through two decades of reinvention, showing how Motown adapted, expanded, and kept its emotional core intact. Together, they’re not just collections, they’re living archives, packed with rarities, original mixes, and the full sweep of a label that changed everything. (B)

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Track lists

Vol. I

CD1

01 Barrett Strong - Money (That's What I Want) 2:37

02 Miracles - Shop Around 2:51

03 Marvelettes - Please Mr. Postman 2:31

04 Eddie Holland - Jamie 2:25

05 Mary Wells - The One Who Really Loves You 2:29

06 Contours - Do You Love Me 2:54

07 Marvelettes - Beechwood 4-5789 2:14

08 Mary Wells - You Beat Me to The Punch 2:45

09 Marvin Gaye - Stubborn Kind of Fellow 2:45

10 Mary Wells - Two Lovers 2:48

11 Miracles - You've Really Got A Hold on Me 2:59

12 Martha & The Vandellas - Come and Get These Memories 2:25

13 Marvin Gaye - Pride and Joy 2:08

14 Little Stevie Wonder - Fingertips - Part 2 3:12

15 Martha & The Vandellas - (Love is Like A) Heat Wave 2:48

16 Miracles - Mickey's Monkey 2:47

17 Eddie Holland - Leaving Here 2:33

18 Temptations - The Way You Do The Things You 2:41

19 Mary Wells - My Guy 2:50

20 Shorty Long - Devil With The Blue Dress 3:13

21 Brenda Holloway - Every Little Bit Hurts 2:59

22 Four Tops - Baby I Need Your Loving 2:46

23 Martha & The Vandellas - Dancing in The Street 2:40

24 Carolyn Crawford - My Smile is Just A Frown (Turn 3:03

25 Velvelettes - Needle in A Haystack 2:32

26 Supremes - Baby Love 2:37

27 Supremes - Come See About Me 2:42

28 Marvin Gaye - How Sweet it is (To Be Loved B 2:58

CD2

01 Temptations - My Girl 2:57

02 Velvelettes - He Was Really Sayin' Somethin' 2:32

03 Four Tops - Ask The Lonely 2:48

04 Walker Junior & The All Stars - Shotgun 3:00

05 Martha & The Vandellas - Nowhere to Run 2:58

06 Brenda Holloway - When I'm Gone 2:09

07 Miracles - OOO Baby Baby 2:45

08 Four Tops - I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie 2:46

09 Contours - First I Look at The Purse 3:06

10 Miracles - The Tracks of My Tears 3:03

11 Four Tops - It's The Same Old Song 2:46

12 Martha & The Vandellas - Love (Makes Me Do Foolish Thin 2:57

13 Kim Weston - Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me 2:58

14 Stevie Wonder - Uptight (Everything's Alright) 2:54

15 Marvelettes - Don't Mess With Bill 2:50

16 Elgins - Darling Baby 2:36

17 Isley Brothers - This Old Heart of Mine (Is Wea 2:46

18 Monitors - Greetings (This is Uncle Sam) 3:03

19 Shorty Long - Function at The Junction 2:50

20 Walker Junior & The All Stars - Roadrunner 2:48

21 Temptations - Ain't Too Proud to Beg 2:34

22 Jimmy Ruffin - What Becomes of The Brokenhear 3:03

23 Walker Junior & The All Stars - How Sweet it is ( to Be Loved 3:03

24 Chris Clark - Love's Gone Bad 2:24

25 Supremes - You Can't Hurry Love 2:52

26 Temptations - Beauty is Only Skin Deep 2:24

27 Elgins - Heaven Must Have Sent You 2:33

CD3

01 Four Tops - Reach Out I'll Be There 3:01

02 Temptations - (I Know) I'm Losing You 2:28

03 Four Tops - Standing in The Shadows of Lov 2:39

04 Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston - It Takes Two 3:00

05 Marvelettes - The Hunter Gets Captured By Th 2:52

06 Martha & The Vandellas - Jimmy Mack 2:54

07 Four Tops - Bernadette 3:02

08 Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell - Ain't No Mountain High Enough 2:29

09 Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - More Love 2:49

10 Gladys Knight & The Pips - I Heard it Through The Grapevi 2:56

11 Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - I Second That Emotion 2:42

12 Temptations - I Wish it Would Rain 2:53

13 Rita Wright - I Can't Give Back The Love I F 2:40

14 Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers - Does Your Mama Know About Me 2:48

15 Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell - Ain't Nothing Like The Real Th 2:18

16 Diana Ross & The Supremes - Love Child 3:03

17 Stevie Wonder - For Once in My Life 2:52

18 Temptations - Cloud Nine 3:38

19 Marvin Gaye - I Heard it Through The Grapevi 3:15

20 Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Baby, Baby Don't Cry 3:59

21 Edwin Starr - Twenty-Five Miles 3:22

22 David Ruffin - My Whole World Ended (The Mome 3:30

23 Jr. Walker & The All Stars - What Does it Take (To Win Your 2:31

24 Temptations - I Can't Get Next to You 2:56

25 Originals - Baby I'm for Real 3:20

26 Supremes - Up The Ladder to The Roof 3:16

CD4

01 Jackson 5 - I Want You Back 3:01

02 Originals - The Bells 2:56

03 Rare Earth - Get Ready 2:49

04 Jackson 5 - ABC 2:59

05 Temptations - Ball of Confusion (That's What 4:04

06 Jackson 5 - The Love You Save 3:05

07 Stevie Wonder - Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm 2:48

08 Edwin Starr - War 3:28

09 Spinners - It's A Shame 3:09

10 Diana Ross - Ain't No Mountain High Enough 3:31

11 Four Tops - Still Water (Love) 3:15

12 Jackson 5 - I'll Be There 3:45

13 Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - The Tears of A Clown 3:06

14 Supremes - Stoned Love 3:01

15 Gladys Knight & The Pips - If I Were Your Woman 3:14

16 Temptations - Just My Imagination (Running A 3:53

17 Marvin Gaye - What's Going On 3:57

18 Jackson 5 - Never Can Say Goodbye 3:02

19 Supremes - Nathan Jones 3:04

20 Gladys Knight & The Pips - I Don't Want to Do Wrong 3:24

21 Undisputed Truth - Smiling Faces Sometimes 3:17

22 Marvin Gaye - Mercy Mercy Me ( The Ecology) 2:31

23 Rare Earth - I Just Want to Celebrate 2:53

Vol. II

CD1

01 Michael Jackson - Got to Be There 3:25

02 Supremes - Floy Joy 2:35

03 Four Tops - A Simple Game 2:58

04 Jr. Walker & The All Stars - Walk in The Night 4:12

05 MIchael Jackson - Ben 2:47

06 Temptations - Papa Was A Rolling Stone 7:00

07 Valerie Simpson - Silly Wasn't I 2:11

08 Stevie Wonder - Superstition 4:15

09 Gladys Knight & The Pips - Neither One of Us (Wants to Be TheFirst to Say Goodbye) 4:23

10 Diana Ross - Touch Me in The Morning 3:28

11 Marvin Gaye - Let's Get it On 4:03

12 Eddie Kenricks - Keep on Truckin' (Part 1) 3:34

13 Eddie Kendricks - Boogie Down 3:52

14 Jackson 5 - Dancing Machine 2:42

15 Miracles - Do it Baby 3:04

16 Dynamic Superiors - Shoe Shoe Shine 3:47

17 Syreeta - Harmour Love 3:38

18 Willie Hutch - Love Power 3:34

19 G.C. Cameron - It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday 3:27

20 Miracles - Love Machine (Part 1) 3:01

21 David Ruffin - Walk Away From Love 3:18

CD2

01 Smokey Robinson - Quiet Storm 4:04

02 Diana Ross - Love Hangover 3:50

03 Marvin Gaye - I Want You 3:58

04 Thelma Houston - Don't Leave Me This Way 3:41

05 Marvin Gaye - Got to Give it Up (Pt. 1) 4:15

06 Stevie Wonder - Sir Duke 3:57

07 Commodores - Easy 4:24

08 High Inergy - You Can't Turn Me Off (In The Middle of TurningMe On) 3:33

09 Commodores - Brick House 3:35

10 Rick James - You and I 3:13

11 Commodores - Three Times A Lady 3:39

12 Switch - There'll Never Be 3:36

13 Bonnie Pointer - Heaven Must Have Sent You 3:35

14 Commodores - Sail On 3:57

15 Smokey Robinson - Cruisin' 4:30

16 Commodores - Still 3:47

17 Billy Preston & Syreeta - With You I'm Born Again 3:42

18 Jermaine Jackson - Let's Get Serious 3:36

19 Teena Marie - I Need Your Lovin' 3:53

20 Smokey Robinson - Being With You 4:00

CD3

01 Diana Ross - Upside Down 3:40

02 Rick James - Give it to Me Baby 3:54

03 Michael Jackson - One Day in Your Life 4:18

04 Teena Marie - Square Biz 3:44

05 Commodores - Lady (You Bring Me Up) 4:01

06 Rick James - Super Freak (Pt. 1) 3:21

07 Betty LaVette - Right in The Middle (Of Falling in Love) 3:43

08 Dazz Band - Let it Whip 4:08

09 Lionel Richie - All Night Long (All Night) 4:19

10 DeBarge - Time Will Reveal 4:07

11 Dennis Edwards featuring Siedah Garrett - Don't Look Any Further 4:06

12 Stevie Wonder - I Just Called to Say I Love You 4:25

13 Temptations - Treat Her Like A Lady 4:09

14 Rick James featuring Smokey Robinson - Ebony Eyes 4:03

15 Commodores - Nightshift 4:25

16 DeBarge - Rhythm of The Night 3:55

17 Rockwell - Somebody's Watching Me 4:01

18 Mary Jane Girls - In My House 3:56

CD4

01 Stevie Wonder - Part Time Lover 3:45

02 El Debarge - Who's Johnny 4:11

03 Temptations - Lady Soul 4:46

04 Stacy Lattisaw - Nail it to The Wall 3:56

05 Chico Debarge - Talk to Me 3:52

06 Smokey Robinson - Just to See Her 4:04

07 Smokey Robinson - One Heartache 4:06

08 Boys - Dial My Heart 4:25

09 Today - Him Or Me 4:22

10 Good Girls - Your Sweetness 4:04

11 Stacy Lattisaw With Johnny Gill - Where Do We Go From Here 4:20

12 Johnny Gill - Rub You The Right Way 4:17

13 Gerald Alston - Slow Motion 5:08

14 Another Bad Creation - Iesha 4:21

15 Boyz II Men - Motownphilly 3:54

16 Shanice - I Love Your Smile 4:25

17 Boyz II Men - End of The Road 5:50

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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.

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