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Motown 40 Forever
Various Artists
Motown 40 Forever
Genres: Dance & Electronic, Special Interest, Pop, R&B, Rock, Classic Rock
 
  •  Track Listings (21) - Disc #1
  •  Track Listings (19) - Disc #2

Despite the confident title of this 40th-anniversary collection, several of its selections were beginning to age badly even at the time of its 1998 release. Sure, comparing the hits of Rockwell, Shanice, and Today--not...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Various Artists
Title: Motown 40 Forever
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Polygram UK
Original Release Date: 2/17/1998
Release Date: 2/17/1998
Album Type: Import
Genres: Dance & Electronic, Special Interest, Pop, R&B, Rock, Classic Rock
Styles: Disco, Dance Pop, Adult Contemporary, Oldies, By Decade, 1960s, 1970s, Funk, Motown, Soul, Quiet Storm, Psychedelic Rock
Number of Discs: 2
SwapaCD Credits: 2
UPC: 731453084926

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Despite the confident title of this 40th-anniversary collection, several of its selections were beginning to age badly even at the time of its 1998 release. Sure, comparing the hits of Rockwell, Shanice, and Today--not to mention a Puff Daddy remix of the Jackson 5's eternal "I Want You Back"--to chestnuts from Motown's golden era may be unfair, but the company's late-'90s keepers promote that less-than-flattering test by including the former here. At the same time, most of the true classics heard on Forever have been endlessly anthologized and played on oldies radio. Those who own absolutely none of the great music Motown unleashed from the '60s to the early '80s might find this double-CD overview instructive. Most everyone else will find their ears drawn to more listenable CDs. --Rickey Wright

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Member CD Reviews

Debra M. from MELBOURNE, FL
Reviewed on 6/4/2007...
2 Discs .....NO...paperwork or Case
0 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

CD Reviews

A good overview that concentrates too much on the label's la
05/20/1999
(3 out of 5 stars)

"If you're looking for a general overview of Motown's glory days, you are better off with the 1994 boxed set Hitsville U.S.A. than you are with this. Sure it costs more but it's almost all wheat and no chaff.It's not that the material on this set is bad. You can't go wrong with "What Becomes of the Brokenheated", "War", "My Girl" and on and on. But the collection focuses too much on the label's post 1971 stuff; almost half the collection. There's nothing wrong with "SuperFreak" or the vastly underrated "Somebody's Watching Me" but the vision of Motown is communicated better by the 60's tracks. An act like Boys II Men, recorded after Berry Gordy sold the label, has really nothing to do with the original Motown artists except the actual label on the record. The modern songs can be easily obtained on a variety of compilations, so they don't make this an essential buy. So, save up and buy the boxed set and give the 60's Motown the in depth attention it deserves."
Motown Trail From Music Leader To Follower on "Forever"
Anthony G Pizza | FL | 07/30/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)

""The Motown Sound" evolved from a product to a corporate symbol to representing a history and lifestyle, as much so in its own way as the Playboy bunny or Disney's Mickey Mouse. Motown Records celebrated its 40th birthday much as did the baby-boomer generation that built and reveres it; with half-shares dignity and defiance, welcoming the reverence of accomplishment while denying the effects of age."Motown 40 Forever" charts the label transition from trailblazer to follower. The music, even to the most devoted fan, becomes more faceless as you listen. "It's what's in the groves that count" was a Motown slogan, never more obvious than moving from the historic Four Tops, Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Supremes and Stevie Wonder hits to producer-driven one-shots on Disc Two. The album has its misfires. Diana Ross' "When You Say That You Love Me" is a bombastic, worthless ballad; rapper/producer/icon Puff Daddy (praised as a cultural successor to Berry Gordy in the liner notes) mixes the Jackson Five's "I Want You Back" into an awkward rap/jazz/whatever medley. Nonetheless, the essential music on "Motown 40 Forever" is the 60s-into-70s singles that are its legacy. Those that are here are essential, but are found in better company on other collections."