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The Motown Album
An authorized tribute to the Motown Sound portrays the accomplishments of its performers, including Diana Ross and the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, and the Jackson 5
252 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1990
About the author
Elvis Mitchell
8 books2 followersElvis Mitchell (born 1958) is a former film critic for The New York Times (1998-2004).
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 31, 2025
3.5 stars
"The unregenerate ambition, the driving force behind Motown, was to put its songs, and its records, over to the biggest number of buyers possible. They succeeded by selling the exoticism of big-city soul to the suburbs everywhere." -- film critic / lecturer Elvis Mitchell, on page 18
Although writer Ben Fong-Torres (long a mainstay at Rolling Stone magazine during its eventful first decade) contributes most of the perfunctory text interspersed throughout The Motown Album: The Sound of Young America, the main selling point of this book is the copious amount of candid archival photographs from the early 1960's to the late 1980's. Heralded as one of the most successful U.S. record labels of all time - at its arguable height in 1966-1967, three out of four songs they released as singles charted without fail, unmatched by its contemporaries - it introduced 'Young America' to many now-legendary acts like the Supremes, the Temptations, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, the Jackson 5, and the Commodores. Since this volume was officially authorized by the organization it lacks a certain grittiness in the narrative (as well as giving much more page time to the known quantities, rather than the countless songwriters or reliable studio musicians), but again those timeless images of the aforementioned vocalists in their artistic prime are wonderful companion pieces to the all of their great songs.
"The unregenerate ambition, the driving force behind Motown, was to put its songs, and its records, over to the biggest number of buyers possible. They succeeded by selling the exoticism of big-city soul to the suburbs everywhere." -- film critic / lecturer Elvis Mitchell, on page 18
Although writer Ben Fong-Torres (long a mainstay at Rolling Stone magazine during its eventful first decade) contributes most of the perfunctory text interspersed throughout The Motown Album: The Sound of Young America, the main selling point of this book is the copious amount of candid archival photographs from the early 1960's to the late 1980's. Heralded as one of the most successful U.S. record labels of all time - at its arguable height in 1966-1967, three out of four songs they released as singles charted without fail, unmatched by its contemporaries - it introduced 'Young America' to many now-legendary acts like the Supremes, the Temptations, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, the Jackson 5, and the Commodores. Since this volume was officially authorized by the organization it lacks a certain grittiness in the narrative (as well as giving much more page time to the known quantities, rather than the countless songwriters or reliable studio musicians), but again those timeless images of the aforementioned vocalists in their artistic prime are wonderful companion pieces to the all of their great songs.
February 24, 2008
Amazing Photos. Great coffee table book, if you are a fan.
September 4, 2020
Missing Norman Whitfield, it is a shame, except for stamp size picture, missing the Undisputed Truth. Missing Willie Hutch. Missing Paul Riser. Very Disappointing Album.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews