Motown Discoveries

"Every Little Bit Hurts" sobs heartbroken Motown belter Brenda Holloway. Maybe she can't understand why she's not a superstar. Frankly, neither can we. One thing we do know: when you've got as much talent hanging around the studio as Motown did back in the day, someone's not gonna get their fair share of the spotlight. Someone like Shorty Long, with his name-droppin' party tune "Function at the Junction," or Kim Weston, with her church-on-Sunday-fevered "Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)." The good news? While Brenda may warn that "When I'm Gone" we'll miss her plenty, with our Motown Discoveries, she doesn't ever have to go. In Next Steps, Mary Wilson picks up another girl’s castaway, the Temptations psychedelicize their soul, the Supremes produce their first-ever Top 40 hit, and more!

"Now the hurt's on you," shouts Mary Wells in "You Lost the Sweetest Boy." Mary's laying it on the line for someone who let a good thing go — don't you make the same mistake, especially since we've got so much good to grab. There are minor hits from major talent (Diana Ross & The Supremes' debut charter, "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes"), shoulda-beens from also-rans (Sherri & Singin' Sammy's woozy R&B nugget "That's Why I Love You So"), and second acts from longtime legends (the happenin' harpsichord of the Temptations' soul psychedelia "Take a Look Around"). In Deep Cuts, Smokey and the Miracles get secretive, Gladys Knight gets confessional, Junior Walker gets his jazz groove on, and more!

"Come Spy with Me" croon Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, and we can only assume they mean a secret mission to score soul state secrets from the Motown vaults. We're after classified material — underground tracks like "Cleo's Mood," shot through with old-school R&B atmosphere by Junior Walker & The All Stars; the Isley Brothers' "Got to Have You Back," buzzing with that rare Motown commodity, the fuzztone guitar; or the full confession of "I Don't Want to Do Wrong," from Hitsville royalty Gladys Knight & The Pips.

"Just Ain't Enough Love," sighs Eddie Holland. But while a solo Eddie couldn't quite get the love he needed, there was plenty of the stuff once he stepped away from the mic and sat down at the writing desk with brother Brian and Lamont Dozier. As for the rest of our Motown discoveries, the love they need is on its way. We've waded through the overflow of the legendary soul-power station to dedicate three full playlists to the album cuts, novelty tracks, and one-hit wonders that deserve it most, from the Jackson 5's precocious ownership of the Smokey Robinson wailer "Who's Lovin' You" to Edwin Starr's licensed-to-funk chart debut, "Agent Double-O-Soul," to the creamy stylings of "I Like Your Style" by "Motown's best-kept secret," the Originals.