Top 5...

Motown

This was unbelievably difficult to whittle down to just five tracks, so see the end for a list of near misses...

5. Barrett Strong - Money (That's What I Want)



In 1959, Strong became Motown's first hitmaker when it hit number 2 on the US R&B chart. A barnstorming uptempo old-school R&B number, Money... takes off shortly after the minute mark, and Strong's delivery is fantastic throughout.

4. Stevie Wonder - Uptight (Everything's Alright)



A watershed moment in the 15 year old Stevland Judkins' career, Uptight became a huge hit in 1966. Uptight thunders along at a blistering pace, whilst touching lyrics are concerned with a poor boy's appreciation for a rich girl seeing across class boundaries and seeing the boy for his true worth. As young Stevie matured, Motown overlord Berry Gordy was concerned Wonder would no longer be as marketable... It's fair to say that the fate of Uptight really did decide the fate of a young man's career.

3. Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through The Grapevine



Not the original version (Gladys Knight and the Pips gospel-tinged version from 1967 has that honour), but surely the definitive. Gaye's raspy vocals are stunningly interspersed with sumptuous backing melodies, whilst the Funk Brothers' minimalist approach through the verses, crescendoing into the creation of psychedelic soul at the chorus. Soul never looked back after this.

2. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Tears Of A Clown



A song with a distinct 'circus feel' (described as such by Smokey himself) should never be good, let alone this good. Recorded in 1967 and charting in the UK three years later, Tears Of A Clown was inspired by the tragic clowns of the opera. After that famous catchy intro, Tears... stomps along, let by delectable soul guitar, and oddly, a driving bassoon. It's breathtaking, and fantastically topped off by Smokey's creamy falsetto.

1. Martha Reeves & The Vandellas - Dancing In The Street



Just about as good as pop music gets, period. A call to arms for young America to unite and have a wail of a time. Absolute perfection.

and for those that didn't quite make the cut...
The Supremes - You Can't Hurry Love
The Jackson 5 - I Want You Back
The Marvelettes - Please Mr. Postman
The Four Tops - Bernadette
Diana Ross or Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell - Ain't No Mountain High Enough (Both versions are totally different and brilliant in their own way, but personally I prefer Ross' epic version with the spoken word parts [which, incidentally, Berry Gordy hated at first])

Go forth and listen.

Dan.