Elemental Music's Motown explosion continues with more Marvin, The Supremes, and the Tempts
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By TONE Scott
As Goldmine continues its coverage of this massive Motown Records reissue campaign—hosted by the internationally renowned Elemental Music record company—we continue to uncover each new set of these Motown releases with incredible fervor in absolute anticipation for each new installment to be released. This month, Elemental launches the 11th, 12th, and 13th album in the series of almost 30 LPs, which encompass many of Motown's and Tamla's greatest early historical releases. Thus far, the label has dazzled not only Goldmine and our readers with these fantastical releases, but many upon many fans of classic soul, worldwide, have been graced to experience these, ever since the series was launched in Spring of this year.
The ability to acquire original pressings of these very reissues—which have and are being released via the Elemental/Motown campaign—are not an easy come-by. If you are a discerning collector, seeking these original pressings, in the very minimum of VG+ (Very Good Plus) to NM (Near Mint) condition, you must be aware that you will exhaust a more than small grip of dollar bills to obtain them. However, Elemental Music has made it easy and possible for you to acquire a likeness of these original pressings, with each release in the series. Elemental has not reproduced these vinyl records with a blatant audiophile mentality in mind, meaning, they aren't looking to stray from the original 140-gram standard weight pressings that the original releases were pressed on, nor are they looking to modify or fortify the packaging beyond what the originals were contained in. These are plainly and clearly, the real deal. It is as if you were transported back 50-plus years and purchased an original pressing at your local independent mom and pop record store, this is very closely what you will obtain when indulging in Elemental's Motown reissue series.
As with all reoccurring coverage that we continue to give this album series, we recommend that you revisit the inaugural article which commenced our reviews of this series when it launched. You will find a more in-depth backstory, including an interview with Elemental in Elemental Music strikes big deal with Motown for an amazing run of Classic Soul reissues (May 31, 2024).
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Diana Ross and The Supremes — Love Child
Originally released November 13, 1968, Motown Records (cat# MS 670)
Elemental Music reissue, September 13, 2024 (cat# 620919)
Love Child—The Supremes' first album being billed as 'Diana Ross and The Supremes'—is acknowledged by many as being the most transitional album for the group, musically, with regard to stylization, and fashionably, as the ladies began to take on a more visually Afrocentric image. This late '60s incarnation of The Supremes was one of Motown's most powerful tools, helping the label to morph into a rapidly changing style of soul music, mostly influenced by the British Northern Soul movement. It was also the first album by the group to be minus of any music created by the writing and production powerhouse, Holland-Dozier-Holland, coincidentally reaching within the Top 20 of both the Billboard 200 and Billboard Top R&B Album charts. The title track, "Love Child," was not only the groups biggest album success, but would end up historically rating as one of The Supremes' most accoladed singles in the entirety of their discography. Elemental Music has created a replication of this monumental album in the most pristine "to the T" fashion. If you want to experience the original master recording, remastered to modern-day perfection, this is it.
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Marvin Gaye — In the Groove
Originally released August 26, 1968, Tamla Records / Motown (cat# TS 285)
Elemental Music reissue, September 13, 2024 (cat# 620920)
With the immediate success of Gaye's 8th studio album (and his first solo effort in two years)—1968's In the Groove—and the success of its most notable single, "I Heard it Through the Grapevine," Motown would capitalize by almost immediately, in the same year, rebranding, repackage and retitling the album after its most dominant single, calling it—I Heard it Through the Grapevine. If you own an original pressing of the album's second moniker, this is the same but original release of the album, remastered and reissued in brilliant Elemental Music protocol. The sonic signature of this album was/is still more on par with his earlier Motown musical handprint, not quite yet adhering to the Afrocentricity that his subsequent albums would mirror, such as M.P.G. or his most magnificent, What's Going On. However, In the Groove (a.k.a. I Heard it Through the Grapevine) began to exemplify a transitional period for Gaye with songs such as "You," and, "It's Love I Need." Elemental has packaged this the same as they have done all other releases in the series: it is period correct and sonically enhanced without losing its retrospectivity. A massive value at its fair and nominal price-point. Get it!
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The Temptations — Meet The Temptations
Originally released April 13, 1968, Gordy Records / Motown (cat# GO 911)
Elemental Music reissue, September 13, 2024 (cat# 620921)
This is the underrated and underappreciated debut album by one of the most historical vocal groups in recorded music history. Not in any way, shape or form was it not a popular album (it produced their first major hit, "The Way You Do the Things You Do"), and was chalk full of songs from the group's 'singles-only' period, from their beginning's with the label, however, it was the latter '60s Temptations which hold the most commercial notoriety for the group. Penned and recorded over a period of almost three years, Meet The Temptations was a product of the fledgling Gordy Records, Motown imprint, and was produced over a period where the group would go through line-up changes and mishmashes, even before the act would surface with their debut full-length offering. Nevertheless, this is a classic of classics, and Elemental recognized this by using the original mono masters to reproduce this unadulterated legacy record. The only thing that we wish would have transpired, is having made this a bona fide mirror image of the original release, by mimicking the original Gordy side label design (and not the quintessential Motown labeling), however, that is by far NOT a deal breaker, and this should transpire to be one of the proudest pieces out of Elemental Music's entire Motown reissue campaign. ⌘
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Contact TONE Scott at GoldmineMagazine@GoldmineMag.com. Please put The TONE of Soul (Elemental / Motown series September) in the subject line.
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