Confused about which Motown Chartbusters LPs to get.

Seems there are plenty of LPs with this phrase in the title. Which ones do I get which use the best sources and in mono (assuming the original tracks were in mono)?

 

I have had volume 1-7. But many songs were in stereo and not the original single mixes.

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There's a UK series which as far as I recall reached twelve volumes released over a decade and a half, but only the first three volumes had mono releases, they were huge sellers in the UK and the earlier volumes were reissued more than once, easy to find and cheap on both vinyl and CD.

 

I didn't mean that there is more than a single volume but rather that there are loads of different LPs and series named "Motown Chartbusters" so it's confusing to know which ones to get.

 

Is this the series I should get?

Motown Chartbusters

 

Yes that's the classic British series, the first three were issued in both mono and stereo although I can't comment on what the mono versions used were and whether they were the original dedicated mono mixes, alternate mixes or fold downs although EMI would have had access to both the original mono and stereo tapes and also the original single mixes. If you want mono I guess you are going to have to get the original issues as I think all the reissues were stereo only, but as I mentioned previously they were big sellers and it shouldn't be too hard or expensive to find the mono LPs although a lot of them would have been bought by teens and played hard on cheap gear so finding genuinely excellent copies may take slightly longer.

 

How's the SQ? Are there any better Motown compilations I should consider?

 

I haven't played them in ages, as far as I recall the SQ was fine, nothing audiophile, but more than adequate and the pressing quality was good late sixties EMI, there are other UK Motown comps in mono from the sixties, but one problem is that Motown/EMI didn't like to put too many classics on one comp during the sixties so they do tend to have a lot of filler tracks. Sixties Motown is best collected on 7" or the Complete Singles sets on CD, the albums don't get really good until the seventies although I do like a lot of the sixties LP releases by artists like The Temptations for example, assuming you are after mono then you might be better off getting albums by individual artists such as the US "Greatest Hits" series from around 1967 or the UK issues that have different sleeves and slightly different tracks, they should be easy to find, cheap and often have most of the best tracks and relatively little filler, in my experience the UK versions are better pressed, but I've never directly compared US and UK versions for SQ. If you are after specific artists or tracks I may be able to give you more useful advice as although I sold most of my singles off when I got the CD sets I still have a lot of Motown LPs on vinyl with a high proportion of monos although naturally mostly UK copies.

 

Just to add there are lots of great compilations from the last twenty plus years, but these are mostly on CD and most of them use the stereo cuts however musically these trounce most of the period comps.

 

For a general overview, both Hitsville box sets (US) Vol 1: 1959-71, Vol:2 71-late 80's on cd a great starting point although I have a complete set of cd issues of the British Motown Chartbusters series I'd never be parted with even if they're mainly stereo cos they're great compilations.

 

I had a look on my shelves and "The Motown Sound - 16 Big Hits" is another multi volume series worth considering, pretty strong comps and at least the first few are available in mono, also there is a 1965 British album called "Hitsville U.S.A." which is a pretty nice mono comp.

 

Motown Chartbusters Vol. 1-9 were in the U.K. albums chart (select albums):

motown chartbusters | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company

I have Hitsville box set Vol 1: 1959-71 and have bought other mono songs via flac download from the box sets "The Complete Motown Singles":

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Favourite Chartbusters album ?

 

...in 3 CDs compilations ,all tracks are in excellent true Stereo....!

 

Either Vol 1 or 3.