Search - Various Artists :: Motown Remixed (Dig)

Your Favorite Motown Hits Remixed!

highway_star | Hallandale, Florida United States | 05/26/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I happened to be in a local music store (FYE) and they were playing a remix of classic Motown songs. The salesman showed me the collection amptly named "Motown Remixed". The songs have all been updated and are given a whole new feel many with new beats and music much like the popular Verve Remixed series. Many of the songs are also longer than their original counterparts. Lovers of the "original" versions may scuff at these versions but I think the whole "remix" idea shows you just how good these songs were. What really comes across are the vocals, they stand out even more than ever. Good examples are Gladys Knight & The Pips "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On", The Jackson's "ABC", Rare Earth's "I Just Want Celebrate" (which has been stripped down considerably from it's original version), The Temptations "Papa Was A Rolling Stone", Edwin Star's "War" (given a house feel), Diana Ross & The Supremes "My Life Is Empty Without You" (slowed down to a ballad), Smokey Robinson & The Miracles "Tears Of A Clown" (also stripped down with a hip hop feel) plus more. Note: There's also a cd of this collection that includes only the original versions instead of remixes."

Groovy Remixes of Some Motown Favorites

gac1003 | 01/31/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Take a collection of classic Motown recordings, allow some of the best DJs to re-mix the master tapes and what do you get? Some of the grooviest updates of these classics. Eddie Kendricks' "Keep on Truckin'" becomes even funkier thanks to DJ Spinna. "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Gladys Knight and the Pips -- as reworked by The Randy Watson Experience -- is packed with even more soul (and that gorgeous voice of Ms. Knight's). Some different arrangements are thrown in to make the classics sound new and fresh, such as "My World is Empty Without You" by Diana Ross & the Supremes, which is slowed down and becomes more of a plaintive message of lost love in the hands of Lionel Sanchez, Jr. Other artists remixed on the album include The Temptations, The Jackson 5, Rick James, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, all mixed flawlessly. My favorites: "Quiet Storm" by Smokey Robinson remixed by David Baron and Rafe Gomez and "The Tears of a Clown" from Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, remixed by Hotsnax. AS it reads in the liner notes: "The groove goes on.""

Heard It Through the Grapvine

Terrance H. Heath | Washington, DC | 06/17/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I grew up listening to Motown. So, a lot of these songs have been the soundtrack to my life for as long as I can remember. So when I was out shopping at a local bookstore/music store I found myself enjoying the Motown CD they were playing over the store sound system. Then I realized something was different, when I found self listening to a version of the Supremes' "My World is Empty Without You," one that I'd never heard before...but liked. I asked the cashier which CD it was. She went and got it for me. I read the track list and bought it.



One caveat. This is NOT a collection for purists. If original Motown is the ONLY Motown for you, then pass the collection by. If you're willing to listen with new ears, give it a try. There are some really good vibes here. But, like other remix projects, there are a few misses too. It gets off to a great start. The first five tracks nearly rocket right off the CD. What's noticable in each of the first five is that the tracks were stripped down to the vocals, and the remixes reveal nuances that got lost in some of the original production. It makes the vocals even more important than they were originally, and it makes them more intimate in an unexpected way. It's most evident on "I Want You Back" and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered," but it realy shines through on "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" by Glady's Knight and the Pips. Knights vocals shine just as much as they did originally, but the remix reveals how much work the Pips were doing as well. In "Grapevine" and "Signed, Sealed..." the "call and response" pattern so important to Motown's music is even more evident here.



Things start to slow down with "Quiet Storm" and nearly get too slow. The song choices here don't seem to quite be the best. Of all the Supremes songs to remix, "My Wold is Empty Without You" isn't the first that springs to mind, and I wonder what might have been done with a hit like "Back in My Arms Again" or even "Someday We'll Together" or "Love Child." Of the last half, "Tears of a Clown" is probably the best track, and "Mary Jane" is an appropriate nod to the Rick James era.



It's a bit uneven, but all in all a good collection, and I expect it will follow the same pattern as the Verve Remixed franchise."