The Motown Anthology [Original recording remastered]

Diana Ross | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 27, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 2001
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Motown
• ASIN: B00005ABO5
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #47,742 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #80 in Music > Pop > Oldies > Girl Groups

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars What Kind of Fool Am I?, April 23, 2001

By 

Ristobee (South of LAX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Motown Anthology (Audio CD)

When will Motown quit re-releasing the same "greatest hits" compilations? When we quit buying them! Am I guilty - yes I am!

Being that I had given all of my previous (disappointing) Diana Ross greatest hits/ultimate collection/boxed sets away and resisting the latest wave of reissues, I hesitated to purchase the Motown Anthology as well. But my curiosity of the "unreleased, alternate versions and hard-to-find material" won over my common sense. Motown marketing wins again!

Here are the reasons I am glad I purchased this set: The unedited version of "LAST TIME I SAW HIM." I've always liked this song very much. It's not only a different version here, there are additional lyrics. The original version of "LIVING, LOVING, GIVING" (I actually bought the soundtrack to 'Thank God It's Friday' to get this original version of the song only to find that they replaced it with the new re-edited/mix. Again -what kind of fool am I?). "OLD FUNKY ROLLS" I have been waiting since the 45 for this song to reappear. Miss Ross evidently has a lot of fun on this silly song. The arrangement of the extended version of "NO ONE GETS THE PRIZE" is a big improvement over the album version. It's fun to hear "DOOB'NDOOBE DOOBE..." after not hearing it for so long (The vinyl album wore out years ago). The studio version of "HOME" from 'The Wiz' is very nice. The radio edits of songs are a nice change from the album versions, especially "WORKIN' OVERTIME" and "ONE LOVE IN MY LIFETIME."

Reasons I purchased this set that turned out to be disappointments: "TIME AND LOVE" - the vocals are good, but after hearing The Supremes version for so many years I keep expecting to hear Jean's voice with this arrangement (Jean also puts more energy into the song). "REMEMBER ME" - the released version, although not much different, is a bit more polished. "REACH OUT (I'LL BE THERE)" - heard this version before. Nice but nothing new. "MY MISTAKE" I have heard about 4 different versions of this song and they all sound very much alike. This version offers nothing outstanding.

The only RCA recordings I wish would have been included here are "MISSING YOU" and "ALL OF YOU." Because of the inclusion of The Supremes recordings, the poor sound quality and the weak "never-before released material", I still consider this set superior to the "Forever" boxed set.

This may not be all of Diana Ross' very best recordings (we all seem to have our personal views on that), but this is certainly a good representative of her most popular. The sound quality is very good and, for a two-disc set, her career at Motown is well represented. Miss Ross' major hits are all here ("AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH (edit)," "TOUCH ME IN THE MORNING," "DO YOU KNOW (WHERE YOU"RE GOING TO)," "LOVE HANGOVER" "THE BOSS") as well as the minor hits ("ONE LOVE IN MY LIFETIME," "IT'S MY HOUSE," "I'M STILL WAITING," "SORRY DOESN"T ALWAYS MAKE IT RIGHT"). It is very nice to hear them all from one source and this is the best collection released so far. If you don't have any of the previous compilations and you're looking to purchase one, this would be it.

Hopefully this compilation is part of a plan Motown has to get us to buy just one more compilation before releasing Miss Ross' entire library. In the next batch of "Lost and Found" albums, an entire album of her never-before-released solo recordings would be great, too - and a good excuse for not including them in this set.

Whatever is released, as long as it's not another greatest hits package - I'll undoubtedly buy it.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Diana, June 10, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Motown Anthology (Audio CD)

"The Motown Anthology" is not a compilation. It's a showcase. I'm not really much of a Diana Ross fan (a friend introduced me to "Take Me Higher," "I Will Survive," and "Until We Meet Again" while we were clubbing), but I bought it to humor him and was suprisingly impressed. From the first note of the 'previously unreleased' "Time And Love" to the fierce climax of her dance hit "Until We Meet Again," this collection takes listeners on that rare musical journey through three decades of both pop cornerstones and artistic standouts. Considering most diva "Greatest Hits" albums out today are nothing but hastily-tossed single salads with "new tracks" useless for a full album (i.e. Celine, Mariah, Whitney, you get the picture), it is a real treasure to have a career retrospective with such style and dignity. From the massive track listing (38 total) to the selection of material to the excellent booklet, which includes both history, stats, and even reflections on Ross' impact on contemporary artists), "The Motown Anthology" is nothing short of a treat. Remember back in the day when buying a record was exciting? Well, if you need help jogging your memory, Diana Ross' Anthology will be a great reminder. Enjoy!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Supreme, March 27, 2001

By 

Marc200 (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Motown Anthology (Audio CD)

Just what the doctor ordered -- a brand new anthology bringing together all of Ross' big hits "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "Reach Out And Touch", "Upside Down", "The Boss" "Remember Me" and "Endless Love" along with some of her better, not-so-big hits "Surrender", "One Love In My Lifetime" and "Gettin' Ready For Love".

No one does melancholy like Ross, DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR'E GOING TO and TOUCH ME IN THE MORNING can still make you cry. NO ONE GETS THE PRIZE features one of her most searing vocals, and the very hard-to-find extended version is included here. I THOUGHT IT TOOK A LITTLE TIME is the No.1 hit that never was, starts off slow and sugary before building to its exuberant climax. This collection shows how much Ross' voice matured over the years -- from the chirpy thrush (I'M STILL WAITING) to cooing vixen (LOVE HANGOVER) to its current, voluptuous beauty, best demonstrated by THE BEST YEARS OF MY LIFE, one of her finest latter-day ballads.

There are even a few surprises for the diehard Ross fan -- Ross' version of Laura Nyro's TIME AND LOVE which was slated to be her first solo single and a previously unreleased (slicker, more glossy) version of HOME from The Wiz. Also included are previously unreleased alternate versions of LOVIN', LIVIN', AND GIVIN' and MY MISTAKE(WAS TO LOVE YOU). The tracks have been digitally remastered, a first for many of these songs, and the sound quality is excellent for the majority of the tracks -- apparently all the digital remastering in the world cannot remove the vague hissing sound from SURRENDER and REMEMBER ME. The packaging is very nice and contains some Ross photos that I've never seen as well as Billboard chart rankings for her singles and her albums. This CD is a great starting point for new fans. Maybe one day Motown will do right by Miss Ross and release the whole solo Ross catalog on CD (with previously unreleased bonus tracks!). In any event, this sterling anthology is a step in the right direction.