 LOS ANGELES (UMe Records) - On May 13, Hip-O Select.com, a division of Universal Music Enterprises, will release the second volume of "The Complete Motown Singles." The new installment, entitled "The Complete Motown Singles, Part Two: 1962," showcases the early history of the classic soul label on a 4-CD, 112-track set. It will feature the a-side and b-side of every single released by Motown (and its subsidiaries) during the label's fourth year of existence. This collection will not be available at traditional retail; it will be sold exclusively online at www.hip-oselect.com and via Apple's iTunes site for electronic download. The release is the latest phase of a plan that extends through 2009, with Hip-O Select issuing further volumes covering all of Motown's single releases during its tenure in Detroit. The label moved to Los Angeles in 1972.
"Motown is the jewel in the crown when it comes to soul music, they defined a sound in a way that no label before or since has ever done. We've had a tremendous response to the first volume of the series from critics and fans alike," says Pat Lawrence, Senior Vice-President, UMe. "Many of these tracks have gone largely unheard since their original release, and these releases represent a treasure trove for soul music fans." The packaging for the set resembles a scaled-down 78-rpm-era "album," with cardboard sleeves to hold each of the discs, and 88 pages of rare photos and notes. Each box will feature an actual reproduction 45 rpm single from its respective era. The new volume includes a historical overview by author Gerald Early, and a personal chronicle from Claudette Robinson of The Miracles. Track-by-track annotations have been written by noted soul authors Bill Dahl and Keith Hughes, with assistance by UMe VP Harry Weinger, who has overseen the project. "Not only does this new volume feature the debut of key artists such as Martha and the Vandellas," says Weinger, "but it also has such rarities as Lee & The Leopards and The Pirates - who, no fooling, were The Temptations angling for any kind of break. It was a fascinating time at Motown, and we have captured it all here."
| 
