My first Motown memory

 In a Facebook group I'm a member of, someone asked the question, "What's your first Motown memory?"

That is such a hard one to remember. Motown's been about for all my life and the obvious one's like 'My Guy' and 'Baby Love' popped into my head at first, but when I thought about it, the answer was less obvious.

My brother Bill is 10 years older than me, so when Motown started to breakthrough in this country, he was right at the forefront of collecting.

Two records were vying for my first memory, but in the end, this is my first Motoen Memory, and the reason for it is probably the cover.

Hitsville USA No 1 sticks out in my mind because as a little boy, I remember his record collection and even today, in my mind I can still see his record collection full of records on the Motown label as well as Chess, Minit, Atlantic, Stax and Volt.

I used to hear them playing and I'd be there with him, looking at the records.

I was four when this came out in March of 1965. And on it are four great Motown songs/

First up is Marvin Gaye's,'Baby Don't You Do It.' With the Funk Brothers at their best providing the music this is a barnstorming start to the EP.

It was originally released on the Tamla label in the USA in September 1964.

Next up is a song I adore and, for me, the highlight of the EP. Brenda Holloway's 'I'll Always Love you is just stunning. It's slow, it starts gently, and then builds into a crescendo and her voice is magnificent. This is one of those songs that chokes me every time I hear it. When you talk about music affecting you, this does it for me. Easily in my Top 100 songs of all time.

Starting side two is Carolyn Crawford's 'Devil In His Heart.' Released at the end of October 1963, It's not to be confused with The Beatles song of the same name that was featured on the 'With The Beatles' album, this is a much faster song.

And the EP is rounded off with Eddie Holland's, 'Candy To Me,' a song that I was playing at soul events when I was DJing right up to 2013 when I called it a day.  IN fact, it was released in America on the very day of my 4th Birthday in July 1964!

Eddie Holland is so under-rated for me. A great songwriter (part of the Holland, Dozier, Holland team), he could sing as well and this proves it.

So that's my first Motown memory - I have so many growing up - watching my brother in his mohair suit practising his Temptations dance in front of the mirror right through to seeing him get annoyed when a Motown song charted in the UK.

He was in a group of teens that were Motown fans from the very start in the UK - my brother had Motown singles before they even had the label in the country. Motown's first singles came out on the Oriole label in the UK. I had 'Jamie' by Eddie Holland on the Fontana label and of course the earliest UK Motown hits were also on Stateside Records in the UK. The Tamla Motown label was eventually used from March 1965.

In fact, this EP was one of the first Motown EPs that were released on the first day Tamla Motown was used in the UK!

It's quite collectable these days and if you can pick it up for under £150 you're doing really well.

So this is my first Motown Memory. The one that vied with it is as my first Motown memory is
another favourite of mine, Kim Weston's, 'Another Train Coming.'

Feel free to let me know yours below...

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