An absolute essential for any Christmas get-together is It’s Christmas in Motown, first released in 1970 in an attempt to cash in on the worldwide popularity of the Jackson 5, issued in the UK on the Music for Pleasure / Sounds Superb label.
Though cynics would no doubt whine that it was a hastily assembled ragbag of Christmas-oriented tunes (the first of many of its kind by Motown over the decades), it features some glorious, kitsch bubblegum soul by the Detroit label’s unrivalled roster of outstanding talent from 1965-1970, as well as slick reworkings of Christmas standards. This wondrous platter found its way into our humble home back in the early 70’s via a local Woolworth’s, and was subsequently played to death for two decades, as the scratches, pops, hisses and crackles of the original vinyl copy at my mum’s will testify.
The slick, sparkling, irresistible sound of the Motor City crashed into my lamb-like childhood one Yuletide in the 1980’s (curiously unfolding in a lesser-known English motor city in the South Midlands) and became firmly rooted in my affections. Get into the Yuletide vibe with the pulsating funk-pop of the Jackson’s rip-roaring opener “Up on the Housetop”. Let Stevie Wonder’s egalitarian vision of human brotherhood ”Someday at Christmas” rock your soul, swoon at the silken tones of Smokey Robinson and The Miracles’ take of “Silent Night” (beauty personified)…
Now working my way through my third copy, It’s Chrismas in Motown is a spine-chillingly nostalgic, gloriously sentimental romp through an age of wide-eyed innocence. Self-indulgent, perfectly crafted pop. Get it on in your front room and feel the warmth of the season.
