VA - Hitsville USA, The Motown Story Radio Show [1993] (6 x CDs)

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VA - Hitsville USA, The Motown Story Radio Show [1993] (6 x CDs)

A very special Thanks to lemonflag who shared this.

Hitsville USA, The Motown Story is a six-part radio documentary originally produced in the early 1980s, later preserved in a rare 6-CD set that remains one of the most elusive and historically rich Motown artifacts. Unlike the commercial box sets that followed, this series was designed for radio syndication, blending full-length tracks with narration, interviews, and archival commentary to tell the story of Motown from its birth in Detroit to its rise as a global cultural force.

The set was never commercially released by Motown Records, making it a prized item among collectors. Most surviving copies are promotional pressings or bootleg transfers, often with handwritten labels or generic sleeves. The audio content is structured chronologically, with each disc covering a distinct era, from the early days of Barrett Strong and The Miracles to the crossover dominance of The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and The Temptations.

What sets this series apart is its format, it’s not just a compilation, but a fully narrated oral history. Berry Gordy’s voice appears alongside Smokey Robinson and other key figures, offering firsthand accounts of songwriting sessions, studio innovations, and the label’s unique artist development system. The transitions between tracks are punctuated by period-specific radio bumpers, giving the listener a sense of how Motown was experienced in real time.

The set occasionally surfaces on collector forums, eBay, and Archive.org, where digitized episodes have been preserved by radio historians. It’s not listed on Discogs as a formal release, but references to the series appear in Motown discographies and fan archives. For archivists, it’s a sonic time capsule, part documentary, part curated anthology, and wholly essential for understanding the label’s cultural and musical legacy. It captures Motown not just as a sound, but as a movement told by the voices who built it. (B)

Be sure to thank lemonflag for this set

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Track lists

Hitsville U.S.A. – The Motown Story Radio Show

Date: 1993 Nov 25

CD1

Segment One:

- Shop Around – Miracles

- Please Mr. Postman – Marvelettes

- Do You Love Me – Contours

Segment Two:

- My Guy – Mary Wells

- Really Got A Hold On Me – Miracles

- The Way You Do The Things You Do – Temptations

- How Sweet It Is – Marvin Gaye

Total Running Time, CD1 (with Local Avails): 15:00

CD2

- Heat Wave – Martha & Vandellas

- My Girl – Temptations

- What It Takes – Marvin Strong

- Where Did Our Love Go – Supremes

- Stop In The Name Of Love – Supremes

- I Can't Help Myself – Four Tops

- Shotgun – Jr. Walker

- I Hear A Symphony – Supremes

- Ain't Too Proud To Beg – Temptations

- Reach Out I'll Be There – Four Tops

- What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted – Jimmy Ruffin

Total Running Time, Disc Two (with Local Avails): 59:23

CD3

- Songs by the Marvelettes, Jr. Walker, and Stevie Wonder

- Songs by the Supremes, Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, and the Temptations

- Songs by the Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, and the Temptations

- Songs by Four Tops, Diana Ross & the Supremes, and Smokey Robinson & the Miracles

Total Running Time, Disc Three: 57:55

CD4

- Songs by the Jackson 5, Diana Ross, and Michael Jackson

- Songs by the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, and the Temptations

- Songs by the Isley Brothers, Elgins, and Jimmy Ruffin

- Songs by Four Tops, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and the Supremes

Total Running Time, Disc Four: 56:36

CD5

- Twenty Five Miles – Edwin Starr  

- I Can’t Get Next To You – Temptations  

- My Whole World Ended – David Ruffin  

- I Can’t Help Myself – Four Tops  

- Signed Sealed Delivered – Stevie Wonder  

- Get Ready – Rare Earth  

- Someday We’ll Be Together – Diana Ross & Supremes  

- War – Edwin Starr  

- I Want You Back – Jackson 5  

- Ain’t No Mountain – Diana Ross  

- Reach Out I’ll Be There – Four Tops  

- I Heard It Through The Grapevine – Marvin Gaye  

- What’s Going On – Marvin Gaye  

- Mercy Mercy Me – Marvin Gaye  

- Let’s Get It On – Marvin Gaye  

Total Running Time, Disc Five (with local avails): 1:13:18  

CD6

- Smiling Faces – Undisputed Truth  

- Papa Was A Rolling Stone – Temptations  

- Neither One Of Us – Gladys Knight & The Pips  

- Let’s Get It On – Marvin Gaye  

- Keep On Truckin’ – Eddie Kendricks  

- Boogie Down – Eddie Kendricks  

- Love Machine – Miracles  

- Don’t Leave Me This Way – Thelma Houston  

- I Want You – Marvin Gaye  

Total Running Time, Disc Six (with local avails): 1:02:42

Plus

Promo's and Tags

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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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