Desert Island Box Sets: Motown: The Complete N°1's

Stuck on a desert island (one that is somehow equipped with a CD player and enough juice to keep it running,) you have to be discerning about what records to save from the shipwreck. I mean, I assume that's how I got into this mess. Motown: The Complete No. 1’s is a good option, not just because of the music, though that alone is worth it, but because the box set itself is shaped like the Motown house in Detroit. A little soul and shelter all in one.

This set is a monument to Motown’s heyday, capturing the stretch from the late ‘50s to the ‘70s when the label dominated the charts. It’s wall-to-wall hits from icons like The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, and The Jackson 5. The music doesn’t just transport you; it grabs hold and doesn’t let go.

Featuring 200 tracks spread across 11 CDs, the collection serves up songs that shaped the sound of modern music. Tracks like “Stop! In the Name of Love” and “Superstition” still feel electric decades later. And behind every unforgettable melody is The Funk Brothers, whose tight grooves and unshakable rhythms are the beating heart of these recordings.

Motown’s reach extended far beyond its records. Its artists broke barriers, pushing Black music into the mainstream during a transformative time in America. Songs like Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” captured not just the struggles of the era but its hope and urgency, offering a soundtrack to change.

The influence of Motown lingers in the work of modern artists like Bruno Mars and Janelle Monáe, but nothing matches the raw emotion and energy of the originals. This music isn’t about imitation—it’s about capturing something real, something human.

With Motown: The Complete No. 1’s, I’d have everything I need on that island: songs to move to, reflect with, and get lost in. Maybe even long enough to forget about building that raft.

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