Hitsville: The Making of Motown [DVD]

When I heard that a new two-hour documentary film about Motown was to be released I was curious as to how the directors tackled the history of this huge successful record label, given that well over 600 artists recorded for Motown, along with the song writing teams, the people behind the scenes and the man himself – Berry Gordy. I thought (and still do) that to thoroughly cover Motown’s history would require a multi-part series, and that someone like documentary film maker, Ken Burns, would be just the man for the job. Would it include the firings and the tensions? And that some of Motown’s artists left to record on other labels because they felt they were not given the same attention as other artists? Well, if you want to know about those things there are many books written about the iconic label that give satisfying answers to those questions. In particular, Peter Benjaminson’s books on Mary Wells, Florence Ballard and the excellent ‘The Story of Motown.’ Better still, the Motown Encylopedia by Graham Betts: an exceptional book that offers so much detail to please any studious fan.As for the film ‘Hitsville: The Making of Motown’, I still give it a huge thumbs up. The director’s Gabe and Ben Turner have done a great job, and I personally liked the way they approached the subject. Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson guide us through the Detroit years offering great stories and anecdotes. But the highlight for me was how the film detailed the structure of Motown and its various departments; based on the principles of what Berry Gordy saw when he worked on a car assembly line which ultimately gave him the vision.Smokey Robinson once said that there was never a record label before or since that achieved so much as Motown, and that he was proud of that. I have to agree with him, and after watching this excellent film I was reminded of that. I would certainly recommend this film.

I did like the way Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson co-present The Making Of Motown and the appearances of major personalities; producer/songwriters and superstars. However, considering that The Supremes were the 'breakthrough' for the company, Diana Ross doesn't comment. You only get Mary Wilson (telling stories she has told many times before). If they had brought in Cindy Birdsong to sit in with her, that would have been a visual treat, especially as The Supremes got off to a flying start (sans Diane) in 1970 with Up The Ladder To The Roof and I think, as worthy as the emergence of The Jackson 5 in that year. Equally, I would have liked Martha Reeves interviewed with Rosalind and Betty of The Vandellas and Dozier to have been with Holland & Holland. Obviously, the 'family ethic' has hit the rocks since the 1960s and some aren't on 'speaking-terms'. I did like seeing people we are familiar with from the company-staff and family.The film, I felt did not fully explore what Motown means to its older fans. Berry and his producers were 'hit-driven' and the company pursued main-stream acceptance with 'live performances', radio, television, theatre-shows and ultimately film. However, though fans may have had albums of their favourite group back then; Supremes, Four Tops, etc - missed from this film was the popularity of the 'music concept' - Motown LPs: 'Big Hits', 'Chartbusters', etc by 'various artists'. These were a clever promotion of the 'Motown Sound' giving listeners not only the chance to hear the top names but also to hear songs rejected as 'not quite good enough' given to second-division artists. Who can deny Heaven Must Have Sent You (Elgins), What Becomes Of The Broken-hearted (Jimmy Ruffin), This Old Heart Of Mine (Isley Bros), I've Got A Feeling (Barbara Randolph), How Sweet It Is (Jnr Walker & All Stars), etc are not as important as Where Did Our Love Go and I Heard It Through The Grapevine.An omission on the making of Motown hit-records which credited The Funk Bros and jazz-players, symphony musicians but unfortunately again did not give credit to the studio-singers; Rayber Voices, Andantes, Originals, and any passing random singers, etc. Considering most Motown is 'call & response singing', these contributors (often replacing actual group members) should not have been overlooked in making the carefully-crafted Motown classic sound.So if you already have everything on Motown, I would still recommend this pleasurable experience to add to your collection.

Love it. Could easily watch this on a monthly basis. If you or someone you know is into Motown, get this!

A nice story of success, especially given the racial tensions in America, at the time. Berry Gordy has an idea and sees it through. Mainly focuses on a few of the bigger stars of Motown, obviously for time reasons.I'm sure it wasn't all as pleasant as the film makes out, but it's very well produced, obviously great music and some interesting stories behind classic Motown hits.I knew all the songs but was oblivious to the amazing story behind Berry Gordy's creation. Glad i watched it.