It's been part of the UK's musical DNA for so many years
that it's hard to imagine a time when Motown was
struggling to make an initial impact here. Incredibly, not
one of the forty 45s issued from their catalogue, across an
assortment of labels, breached the UK charts in the
company's first five years of operation.
? Motown's initial lack of success here made its early
catalogue fair game for any UK artist looking to score a hit
with a quality song. After the Beatles recorded three
Motown songs on their second album, local artists were
queuing up to put their own spin on Motown copyrights.
? Not all of those homegrown versions were artistically
successful, but Ace's "On The Detroit Beat!" brings
together two dozen that were, by some of our best-known
and best-loved singers and groups of the Beat Era (and
beyond). On this CD you'll hear the likes of Cilla Black
singing Junior Walker, Elkie Brooks taking on the
Temptations, the Hollies essaying the Miracles and much
more besides.
? The tracks featured here embrace both big Motown hits
and relatively obscure titles, almost all of them cut with a
view to becoming hits where the original versions had
stalled. If the Motown Sound itself was difficult to replicate,
the spirit of the original versions is always present and
correct in all 24 performances here.
? Remastered as always from the finest available sources,
the CD booklet features copious annotation and a wealth of
period illustrations, record labels and everything else you
would expect from an Ace release.