Significant Achievements in the Detroit Sound Pt.3

Motown Records first compilation
gold certified album in the UK. 

In addition Motown had tremendous success with two more compilation albums starting in 1969 and also 1970 following their previous success on the UK Official Pop Albums Chart in 1968 with new titles starting with “Motown Chartbusters Volume 3” at number one week-ending 25^th October 1969 (1 week). The compilation album was on the chart for a total of 93 weeks! The album obtained gold certification for the label according to BPI for 100,000 copies sold in the UK. This was followed in 1970 with “Motown Chartbuster Volume 4” that peaked at number one week-ending 24^th October 1970 (1 week).

Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
first UK Pop number one hit.

The next monster single to return to the top was originally recorded in Detroit in Studio A in 1966 entitled “The Tears of a Clown” performed by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. It was released in 1967 on the studio album “Make It Happen.” It re-released in the United Kingdom as single during September 1970 and raced up the UK Official Pop Singles Chart to peak at number one week-ending 12^th September 1970 (1 week) It became a major trans-Atlantic hit since Marvin Gaye’s classic hit “I Heard Through The Grapevine” reaching top of the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart week-ending 12^th December 1970 (2 weeks); Billboard Best Selling Soul Singles Chart week-ending 5^th December 1970 (3 weeks) at number one; Cash Box Pop Singles Chart week-ending 12^th December 1970 (1 week). The single potential was discovered by a staff member at EMI Records UK operation by the name of Karen Spreadbury who John Reid a manager at EMI Records UK operations responsible for marketing Motown Tamla recording projects, took her advice and released the single in the UK and within two weeks it was number one on the UK Official Pop Singles Chart.

Freda Payne only Pop
number one hit in the UK and
Trans-Atlantic million seller.

At the same time that “Ball Of Confusion (That’s What World Is Today)” was in the Top Five on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles week-ending 11^th July 1970, they was another single produced in Detroit and performed by Freda Payne entitled “Band of Gold” at number five. The song eventually peaked at number three week-ending 25^th July 1970 (1 week). The song became the first Trans-Atlantic hit to go to number one on the UK Official Pop Singles Chart for the then newly established Invictus Records label founded by Holland-Dozier-Holland in 1968 in Detroit after the they departure form Motown. The single peaked at number one week-ending 19^th September 1970 (6 weeks). The instrumentation on the track were provided by members of The Funk Brothers: Bob Babbitt (bass), Dennis Coffey, Eddie Willis, Ray Monette and Ray Parker, Jr. (guitars), Johnny Griffith (keyboards), Uriel Jones (drums), Jack Ashford (percussion) with backing vocals by Scherrie Payne, Telma Hopkins, Joyce Vincent Wilson and Pamela Vincent.

Another single came out of Invictus Records during the same period which was gold certified single in America called “Give Me Just A Little More Time” performed by the Chairmen Of The Board. The track peaked at number eight on the Billboard Best Selling Soul Singles Chart in 1970; Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart at number three; UK Official Pop Singles Chart at number three the same year.  Both these first two gold certified singles obtained by the label were recorded at the Holland Sound Studios, Inc by Chief engineer Lawrence Horn and mastered by Bob Dennis.




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Significant Achievements in the Detroit Sound Pt.2



Marvin Gaye Trans-Atlantic hit

Motown Records went on to have further trans-Atlantic success with the single “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” which dominated the Billboard singles chart listings, starting on the Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles Chart at number one week-ending 14^th December 1968 (7 weeks), then on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart week-ending 14^th December 1968 (7 weeks), followed by the Cash Box Pop Singles Chart week-ending 21^st December 1968 (5 weeks) and finally number one on the UK Official Pop Singles Chart week-ending 18^th February 1969 (3 weeks). The very same week-ending 14^th December 1968 that Gaye was at number one, Diana Ross & the Supremes were at number two with the single “Love Child” which was at number one previously week-ending 2^nd November 1968 (2 weeks). Also Stevie Wonder was at number three with the single “For Once in My Life.” Marvin Gaye managed to achieve further success on the UK Official Pop Singles Chart with the single “Too Busy Thinking ‘Bout My Baby” week-ending 29^th July 1969 at the number five position for one week. The single was extracted from the album entitled “M.P.G” which reached number one on the Billboard Hot Soul and R&B Albums Chart week-ending 21^st June 1969 (2 weeks).

The Temptations and Diana Ross &
 the Supremes platinum certified single.

“I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” was a joint monster hit for Diana Ross & the Supremes and the Temptations, going all the way to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart week-ending 11^th January 1969 (2 weeks). It also peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot Rhythm and Blues Singles Chart and made it to number one on both the US “Record World” Top Singles and US Cash Box Pop Singles Chart week-ending 25^th January 1969 (1 week), dethroning “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” which held the number one position for the previous three weeks, beginning week-ending 4^th January 1969. The single was finally certified by the RIAA in the 1990s as a platinum record for selling over two million copies in America. It also did very well on the UK Official Pop Singles Chart, reaching number three week-ending 4^th February 1969 (1 week).

UK Pop number one
 album for both groups.

The parent album “Diana Ross & the Supremes Join The Temptations” did very well in America and the UK albums charts. It peaked at number one on the UK Official Pop Albums Chart week-ending 9^th February 1969 (4 weeks) and also spent one week at number two on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart week-ending 11^th January 1969. It was also at the top of the Billboard Hot Soul and R&B Albums Chart week-ending 4^th January 1969 (2 weeks). During the same period Diana Ross & the Supremes with The Temptations had another big hit with a soundtrack album called “TCB Diana Ross & the Supremes with the Temptations” which climbed to the top position on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart week-ending 8^th February 1969 (1 week), with the album “Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations” at number five at same time. The “TCB” album did very well on the Billboard Hot Soul and R&B Albums Chart, reaching number one week-ending 18^th January 1969 (6 weeks). All these singles and albums featured the great talents of The Funk Brothers accompanied by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra string section, led by concertmaster Gordon Staples, with vocal support from The Andantes.

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Significant Achievements in the Detroit Sound Pt.1

The studio album that contains
all three number one hits

Did you know that The Supremes became the first female recording act in Billboard Magazine history to have three number one singles from the same studio album. The album was entitled “Where Did Our Love Go.” The singles that went to number one were “Where Did Our Love Go”, week-ending 22^nd August 1964 (1 week) on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart, week-ending 31^st August 1964 (1 week) on the Canadian RPM Pop Singles Chart and week-ending 22^nd August 1964 (2 weeks) on the Cash Box Pop Singles Chart. This was followed by “Baby Love” which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart week-ending 31^st October 1964 (4 weeks), Cash Box Pop Singles Chart week-ending 14^th November 1964 (2 weeks) and Cash Box R&B Singles Chart in 1964. The third release from the album entitled “Come See About Me” came later in the year by reaching the number one position on several single charts, such as the Cash Box Pop Singles Chart week-ending 26^th December 1964 (1week), the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart, week-ending 19^th December 1964 (2 non-consecutive weeks) and the Canadian RPM Pop Singles Chart week-ending (1 week).

The Supremes were indeed the first black female recording act from America to have more than one hit single placed at number one on overseas singles chart listings in both Canada and the UK. The song ”Baby Love” managed to top the UK Official Pop Singles Chart, week-ending 19^th November 1964 (2 weeks).

The Four Tops first Trans-Atlantic hit

In addition to the success that Motown Records had with The Supremes, the label was also responsible for the first male vocal recording act to have a number one on both sides of the Atlantic. The Four Tops with “Reach Out I’ll Be There” went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart week-ending 15^th October 1966 (2 weeks), on the Cash Box Pop Singles Chart week-ending 15^th October 1966 (1 week), on the Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles Chart week-ending 29^th October 1966 (2 weeks) and finally number one on the UK Official Pop Singles Chart week-ending 29^th October 1966 (3 weeks). The track was the second Motown hit single to reach the number one position in the UK after The Supremes with “Baby Love.”

Motown Records managed to have two of their top selling recording acts during the 1960s dominate the number one position on the UK Official Pop Albums Chart for almost the entire month of February 1968. “Four Tops Greatest Hits” was at the top week-ending 10^th February 1968 (1 week) and was followed by The Supremes compilation album “Diana Ross and The Supremes Greatest Hits” week-ending 17^th February 1968 (3 weeks).

All the singles, studio albums and compilation albums listed featured the backing of the legendary Funk Brothers, the Motown Horn section, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra strings section and backing vocals from The Andantes.

                                             


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