(“The UK Motown Connection”)
**This is a discography for British Motown releases, including the UK Tamla Motown label – the US Motown labels are listed here. If you’re looking for a full list of every Motown single, try the Master Index instead!**
Here’s a list of all the UK Motown singles covered on Motown Junkies so far.
To keep the main Master Index tidy, that list only includes British singles where at least one side hadn’t already been released in America. On this page, though, every UK Motown 45 is listed, including EPs.
If the UK got to a song “first”, then – as well as appearing in both lists – the release will be included below with a little British flag icon to indicate it was an exclusive, like this:
British Motown singles will only appear here when they’ve been covered via the main site, which is bound to result in some anomalies where records were released out of order in the UK, and which is why this list often seems to be full of gaps, or running several months “ahead” of where we’ve got up to the main index; it’ll probably be a little confusing for a while until we’re actually finished. Sorry about that.
BRITISH MOTOWN SINGLES (London/Fontana/Oriole/Stateside 1959-1965)
- MARV JOHNSON: Come To Me / Whisper (London American HLT 8856, May 1959)
- BARRETT STRONG: Money (That’s What I Want) / Oh I Apologize (London American HLU 9088, March 1960)
- THE MIRACLES: Shop Around / Who’s Lovin’ You (London American HLU 9276, February 1961)
- THE MIRACLES: Ain’t It Baby / The Only One I Love (London American HLU 9366, June 1961)
- THE MARVELETTES: Please Mr. Postman / So Long Baby (Fontana H 355, November 1961)
- THE MIRACLES: What’s So Good About Good Bye / I’ve Been Good To You (Fontana H384, February 1962)
- THE MARVELETTES: Twistin’ Postman / I Want A Guy (Fontana H386, March 1962)
- EDDIE HOLLAND: Jamie / Take A Chance On Me (Fontana H387, March 1962)
- MARY WELLS: You Beat Me To The Punch / Old Love (Let’s Try It Again) (Oriole CBA 1762, September 1962)
- THE CONTOURS: Do You Love Me / Move Mr Man (Oriole CBA 1763, September 1962)
- THE MARVELETTES: Beechwood 4-5789 / Someday, Someway (Oriole CBA 1764, September 1962)
- MIKE & THE MODIFIERS: I Found Myself A Brand New Baby / It’s Too Bad (Oriole CBA 1775, October 1962)
- THE MIRACLES: You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me / Happy Landing (Oriole CBA 1795, January 1963)
- MARY WELLS: Two Lovers / Operator (Oriole CBA 1796, January 1963)
- THE CONTOURS: Shake Sherrie / You Better Get In Line (Oriole CBA 1799, February 1963)
- MARVIN GAYE: Stubborn Kind Of Fellow / It Hurt Me Too (Oriole CBA 1803, February 1963)
- EDDIE HOLLAND: If It’s Love (It’s Alright) / It’s Not Too Late (Oriole CBA 1808, March 1963)
- THE VALADIERS: I Found A Girl / You’ll Be Sorry Someday (Oriole CBA 1809, March 1963)
- MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS: I’ll Have To Let Him Go / My Baby Won’t Come Back (Oriole CBA 1814, March 1963)
- THE MARVELETTES: Locking Up My Heart / Forever (Oriole CBA 1817, April 1963)
- MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS: Come And Get These Memories / Jealous Lover (Oriole CBA 1819, April 1963)
- MARY WELLS: Laughing Boy / Two Wrongs Don’t Make A Right (Oriole CBA 1829, May 1963)
- THE CONTOURS: Don’t Let Her Be Your Baby / It Must Be Love (Oriole CBA 1831, May 1963)
- MARVIN GAYE: Pride And Joy / One Of These Days (Oriole CBA 1846, July 1963)
- MARY WELLS: Your Old Stand By / What Love Has Joined Together (Oriole CBA 1847, July 1963)
- LITTLE STEVIE WONDER: Fingertips (Part 1) / Fingertips (Part 2) (Oriole CBA 1853, August 1963)
- THE MIRACLES: Mickey’s Monkey / Whatever Makes You Happy (Oriole CBA 1863, September 1963)
- MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS: Heat Wave / A Love Like Yours (Don’t Come Knocking Everyday) (Stateside SS 228, October 1963)
- LITTLE STEVIE WONDER: Workout Stevie, Workout / Monkey Talk (Stateside SS 238, November 1963)
- MARY WELLS: You Lost The Sweetest Boy / What’s Easy For Two Is So Hard For One (Stateside SS 242, November 1963)
- MARVIN GAYE: Can I Get A Witness / I’m Crazy ‘Bout My Baby (Stateside SS 243, November 1963)
- MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS: Quicksand / Darling, I Hum Our Song (Stateside SS 250, January 1964)
- THE MARVELETTES: As Long As I Know He’s Mine / He Won’t Be True (Little Girl Blue) (Stateside SS 251, January 1964)
- THE SUPREMES: When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes / Standing At The Crossroads Of Love (Stateside SS 257, January 1964)
- THE MIRACLES: I Gotta Dance To Keep From Crying / Such Is Love, Such Is Life (Stateside SS 263, February 1964)
- MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS: Live Wire (8) / Old Love (Let’s Try It Again) (6) (Stateside SS 272, March 1964)
- THE MARVELETTES: He’s A Good Guy (Yes He Is) (6) / Goddess Of Love (7) (Stateside SS 273, March 1964)
- THE TEMPTATIONS: The Way You Do The Things You Do (8) / Just Let Me Know (Stateside SS 278, April 1964)
- THE MIRACLES: (You Can’t Let The Boy Overpower) The Man In You (4) / Heartbreak Road (4) (Stateside SS 282, April 1964)
- MARVIN GAYE: You’re A Wonderful One (8) / When I’m Alone I Cry (3) (Stateside SS 284, April 1964)
- LITTLE STEVIE WONDER: Castles In The Sand (5) / Thank You (For Loving Me All The Way) (7) (Stateside SS 285, April 1964)
- MARY WELLS: My Guy (10) / Oh Little Boy (What Did You Do To Me) (10) (Stateside SS 288, May 1964)
- THE CONTOURS: Can You Do It (7) / I’ll Stand By You (6) (Stateside SS 299, May 1964)
- MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS: In My Lonely Room (7) / A Tear For The Girl (6) (Stateside SS 305, June 1964)
- BRENDA HOLLOWAY: Every Little Bit Hurts (8) / Land Of A Thousand Boys (7) (Stateside SS 307, June 1964)
- MARVIN GAYE & MARY WELLS: Once Upon A Time (5) / What’s The Matter With You Baby (4) (Stateside SS 316, July 1964)
- THE TEMPTATIONS: I’ll Be In Trouble (6) / The Girl’s Alright With Me (7) (Stateside SS 319, July 1964)
- STEVIE WONDER: Hey Harmonica Man (4) / This Little Girl (6) (Stateside SS 323, August 1964)
- THE MIRACLES: I Like It Like That (8) / You’re So Fine And Sweet (4) (Stateside SS 324, August 1964)
- MARVIN GAYE: Try It Baby (4) / If My Heart Could Sing (2) (Stateside SS 326, August 1964)
- THE SUPREMES: Where Did Our Love Go (10) / He Means The World To Me (5) (Stateside SS 327, August 1964)
- THE MARVELETTES: You’re My Remedy (8) / A Little Bit Of Sympathy, A Little Bit Of Love (2) (Stateside SS 334, September 1964)
- THE FOUR TOPS: Baby I Need Your Loving (10) / Call On Me (5) (Stateside SS 336, September 1964)
- MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS: Dancing In The Street (8) / There He Is (At My Door) (6) (Stateside SS 345, September 1964)
- THE TEMPTATIONS: Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue) (9) / Baby Baby I Need You (2) (Stateside SS 348, October 1964)
- THE SUPREMES: Baby Love (10) / Ask Any Girl (6) (Stateside SS 350, October 1964)
- THE MIRACLES: That’s What Love Is Made Of (5) / Would I Love You (7) (Stateside SS 353, November 1964)
- EARL VAN DYKE: Soul Stomp (6) / Hot ‘n’ Tot (7) (Stateside SS 357, November 1964)
- KIM WESTON: A Little More Love (8) / Go Ahead And Laugh (8) (Stateside SS 359, November 1964)
- MARVIN GAYE: How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) (5) / Forever (7) (Stateside SS 360, November 1964)
- THE VELVELETTES: Needle In A Haystack (6) / Should I Tell Them (5) (Stateside SS 361, November 1964)
- MARVIN GAYE & KIM WESTON: What Good Am I Without You (7) / I Want You Round (3) (Stateside SS 363, December 1964)
- THE MARVELETTES: Too Many Fish In The Sea (8) / A Need For Love (5) (Statside SS 369, January 1965)
- THE FOUR TOPS: Without The One You Love (Life’s Not Worth While) (4) / Love Has Gone (6) (Stateside SS 371, January 1965)
- THE SUPREMES: Come See About Me (8) / Always In My Heart (8) (Statside SS 376, January 1965)
- THE MIRACLES: Come On Do The Jerk (3) / Baby Don’t You Go (7) (Stateside SS 377, January 1965)
- THE TEMPTATIONS: My Girl (10) / (Talking ’Bout) Nobody But My Baby (5) (Stateside SS 378, January 1965)
- THE CONTOURS: Can You Jerk Like Me (5) / That Day When She Needed Me (7) (Stateside SS 381, January 1965)
- MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS: Wild One (7) / Dancing Slow (5) (Stateside SS 383, January 1965)
- CAROLYN CRAWFORD: When Someone’s Good To You (5) / My Heart (4) (Stateside SS 384, February 1965)
- THE VELVELETTES: He Was Really Sayin’ Somethin’ (10) / Throw A Farewell Kiss (8) (Stateside SS 387, February 1965)
- TONY MARTIN: Talkin’ To Your Picture (1) / Our Rhapsody (1) (Stateside SS 394, March 1965)
TAMLA MOTOWN (UK) 45 DISCOGRAPHY
- VARIOUS ARTISTS: Hitsville USA #1 EP: Marvin Gaye, Baby Don’t You Do It (9) / Brenda Holloway, I’ll Always Love You (9) /
/ Carolyn Crawford, Devil In His Heart (8) / Eddie Holland, Candy To Me (6) (Tamla Motown TME 2001, March 1965) - THE CONTOURS: The Contours EP: Can You Jerk Like Me (5) / That Day When She Needed Me (7) /
/ Can You Do It (7) / I’ll Stand By You (6) (Tamla Motown TME 2002, March 1965) - THE MARVELETTES: The Marvelettes EP: Too Many Fish In The Sea (8) / He’s A Good Guy (Yes He Is) (6) /
/ You’re My Remedy (8) / Little Girl Blue (9) (Tamla Motown TME 2003, March 1965) - THE TEMPTATIONS: The Temptations EP: My Girl (10) / I’ll Be In Trouble (6) /
/ Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue) (9) / The Girl’s Alright With Me (7) (Tamla Motown TME 2004, March 1965) - KIM WESTON: Kim Weston EP: A Little More Love (8) / Another Train Coming (5) /
/ Looking For The Right Guy (2) / Go Ahead And Laugh (8) (Tamla Motown TME 2005, March 1965) - STEVIE WONDER: Stevie Wonder EP: Fingertips (Part 2) (9) / Happy Street (3) /
/ Hey Harmonica Man (4) / The Square (4) (Tamla Motown TME 2006, March 1965) - THE SUPREMES: Stop! In The Name Of Love (10) / I’m In Love Again (8) (Tamla Motown TMG 501, March 1965)
- MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS: Nowhere To Run (10) / Motoring (5) (Tamla Motown TMG 502, March 1965)
- THE MIRACLES: Ooo Baby Baby (9) / All That’s Good (8) (Tamla Motown TMG 503, March 1965)
- THE TEMPTATIONS: It’s Growing (8) / What Love Has Joined Together (5) (Tamla Motown TMG 504, March 1965)
- STEVIE WONDER: Kiss Me Baby (3) / Tears In Vain (5) (Tamla Motown TMG 505, March 1965)
- EARL VAN DYKE & THE SOUL BROTHERS: All For You (5) / Too Many Fish In The Sea (3) (Tamla Motown TMG 506, March 1965)
- THE FOUR TOPS: Ask The Lonely (8) / Where Did You Go (6) (Tamla Motown TMG 507, March 1965)
- BRENDA HOLLOWAY: When I’m Gone (6) / I’ve Been Good To You (5) (Tamla Motown TMG 508, April 1965)
- JR. WALKER & THE ALL STARS: Shotgun (9) / Hot Cha (3) (Tamla Motown TMG 509, April 1965)
- MARVIN GAYE: I’ll Be Doggone (5) / You’ve Been A Long Time Coming (7) (Tamla Motown TMG 510, April 1965)
- KIM WESTON: I’m Still Loving You (7) / Go Ahead And Laugh (8) (Tamla Motown TMG 511, April 1965)
- SHORTY LONG: Out To Get You (5) / It’s A Crying Shame (The Way You Treat A Good Man Like Me) (8) (Tamla Motown TMG 512, April 1965)
- THE HIT PACK: Never Say No To Your Baby (7) / Let’s Dance (4) (Tamla Motown TMG 513, May 1965)
- THE DETROIT SPINNERS: Sweet Thing (5) / How Can I (6) (Tamla Motown TMG 514, May 1965)
- THE FOUR TOPS: I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) (8) / Sad Souvenirs (7) (Tamla Motown TMG 515, May 1965)
- THE SUPREMES: Back In My Arms Again (7) / Whisper You Love Me Boy (8) (Tamla Motown TMG 516, May 1965)
- CHOKER CAMPBELL’S BIG BAND: Mickey’s Monkey (4) / Pride And Joy (6) (Tamla Motown TMG 517, June 1965) (UK Only)
- THE MARVELETTES: I’ll Keep Holding On (8) / No Time For Tears (7) (Tamla Motown TMG 518, June 1965)
- BRENDA HOLLOWAY: Operator (6) / I’ll Be Available (5) (Tamla Motown TMG 519, June 1965)
- JR. WALKER & THE ALL STARS: Do The Boomerang (9) / Tune Up (8) (Tamla Motown TMG 520, July 1965)
- THE VELVELETTES: Lonely Lonely Girl Am I (10) / I’m The Exception To The Rule (7) (Tamla Motown TMG 521, July 1965)
- THE MIRACLES: The Tracks Of My Tears (9) / A Fork In The Road (8) (Tamla Motown TMG 522, July 1965)
- THE SPINNERS: I’ll Always Love You (9) / Tomorrow May Never Come (3) (Tamla Motown TMG 523, August 1965)
- MARVIN GAYE: Pretty Little Baby (9) / Now That You’ve Won Me (6) (Tamla Motown TMG 524, August 1965)
- MARV JOHNSON: Why Do You Want To Let Me Go (3) / I’m Not A Plaything (8) (Tamla Motown TMG 525, August 1965)
- THE TEMPTATIONS: Since I Lost My Baby (9) / You’ve Got To Earn It (5) (Tamla Motown TMG 526, August 1965)
- THE SUPREMES: Nothing But Heartaches (6) / He Holds His Own (7) (Tamla Motown TMG 527, August 1965)
- THE FOUR TOPS: It’s The Same Old Song (8) / Your Love Is Amazing (Tamla Motown TMG 528, August 1965)
- JR. WALKER & THE ALL STARS: Shake And Fingerpop (7) / Cleo’s Back (7) (Tamla Motown TMG 529, September 1965)
- MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS: You’ve Been In Love Too Long (8)/ Love (Makes Me Do Foolish Things) (8) (Tamla Motown TMG 530, September 1965)
- THE CONTOURS: First I Look At The Purse (7) / Searching For A Girl (4) (Tamla Motown TMG 531, September 1965)
- STEVIE WONDER: High Heel Sneakers (5) / Music Talk (4) (Tamla Motown TMG 532, September 1965)
- BILLY ECKSTINE: Had You Been Around (6) / Down To Earth (4) (Tamla Motown TMG 533, October 1965)
- DORSEY BURNETTE: Jimmy Brown (4) / Everybody’s Angel (4) (Tamla Motown TMG 534, October 1965)
- THE MARVELETTES: Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead (7) / Your Cheating Ways (6) (Tamla Motown TMG 535, October 1965)
- THE LEWIS SISTERS: You Need Me (4) / Moonlight On The Beach (6) (Tamla Motown TMG 536, October 1965)
- TONY MARTIN: The Bigger Your Heart Is (The Harder You’ll Fall) (2) / The Two Of Us (2) (Tamla Motown TMG 537, October 1965)
- KIM WESTON: Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While) (9) / Don’t Compare Me With Her (6) (Tamla Motown TMG 538, October 1965)
- MARVIN GAYE: Ain’t That Peculiar (8) / She’s Got To Be Real (5) (Tamla Motown TMG 539, November 1965)
- THE MIRACLES: My Girl Has Gone (5) / Since You Won My Heart (5) (Tamla Motown TMG 540, November 1965)
- THE TEMPTATIONS: My Baby (5) / Don’t Look Back (8) (Tamla Motown TMG 541, November 1965)
- THE FOUR TOPS: Something About You (6) / Darling, I Hum Our Song (6) (Tamla Motown TMG 542, November 1965)
- THE SUPREMES: I Hear A Symphony (10) / Who Could Ever Doubt My Love (10) (Tamla Motown TMG 543, November 1965)
- BARBARA McNAIR: You’re Gonna Love My Baby (7) / The Touch of Time (6) (Tamla Motown TMG 544, January 1966)
- STEVIE WONDER: Uptight (Everything’s Alright) (9) / Purple Rain Drops (4) (Tamla Motown TMG 545, January 1966)
- THE MARVELETTES: Don’t Mess With Bill (9) / Anything You Wanna Do (4) (Tamla Motown TMG 546, January 1966)
- THE MIRACLES: Going To A Go-Go (8) / Choosey Beggar (8) (Tamla Motown TMG 547, February 1966)
- THE SUPREMES: My World Is Empty Without You (10) / Everything Is Good About You (9) (Tamla Motown TMG 548, February 1966)
- MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS: My Baby Loves Me (9) / Never Leave Your Baby’s Side (9) (Tamla Motown TMG 549, February 1966)
- JR. WALKER & THE ALL STARS: Cleo’s Mood (8) / Baby You Know You Ain’t Right (3) (Tamla Motown TMG 550, February 1966)
- THE ELGINS: Put Yourself In My Place (7) / Darling Baby (8) (Tamla Motown TMG 551, February 1966)
- THE FOUR TOPS: Shake Me, Wake Me (When It’s Over) (9) / Just As Long As You Need Me (7) (Tamla Motown TMG 553, February 1966)
- THE ISLEY BROTHERS: This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You) ★ 10 ★ / There’s No Love Left (9) (Tamla Motown TMG 555, March 1966)
- BRENDA HOLLOWAY: Together ‘Til The End Of Time (7) / Sad Song (8) (Tamla Motown TMG 556, March 1966)
- THE TEMPTATIONS: Get Ready ★ 10 ★ / Fading Away (Tamla Motown TMG 557, April 1966)
(Click a song title to read a full review of that side. NB: The coloured numbers after each title indicate the highly subjective mark out of ten I gave that song on the day I happened to write about it. They weren’t intended to be taken too seriously.)
The UK Motown Connection
I’m British, and so for me the Motown story has always had an extra dimension. There’s something about American R&B records that has always resonated with British fans far more than any “home-grown” efforts; as Dust On The Stylus put it, we can’t do what they do, and yet we pretty much instantly get it.
The ensuing British love for American soul artists often seems to outstrip whatever appreciation they got back home. In a supreme twist of irony, the Sixties “British Invasion” of America came about almost wholly through UK artists discovering, absorbing, appropriating and re-packaging US R&B records. They got it.
It’s no different with Motown. Jimmy Ruffin and Edwin Starr both ended up moving over here, amazed that they had somehow become genuinely-adored stars capable of packing houses every night when Motown in America seemed to have forgotten them. The post-Diana Ross Supremes racked up an impressive string of Top Ten hit singles that handily outperformed their American counterparts. Veritable cratefuls of US Motown records languishing in obscurity in their native country belatedly became big UK favourites, even high-charting hits, sometimes years after original release. Perhaps most importantly, once Motown’s British operations were consolidated under the new “Tamla Motown” imprint between 1965 and 1976, there were several occasions on which the UK led the way, breaking a big hit single and letting the American parent label follow suit later. Indeed, there were actually a whole bunch of Motown singles released in Britain which never appeared in America at all.
To that end, I thought it was about time that I added some coverage of the British Motown connection. So, first, here’s a bit of background. The history of Motown in the UK is a bit of a mess; no less than four different labels licensed Motown content for British releases before the parent company finally stepped in and set up a UK branch. In order, London Records (through their London American imprint), Fontana, Oriole (a small label distributed by CBS) and Stateside (an EMI subsidiary) between them put out 72 Motown singles in the UK between 1959 and 1965.
Some of these labels’ choices were a little strange, to say the least: all four licensees initially picked up records from a tiny pool of six Motown artists for most of their British releases (the Miracles, the Marvelettes, Eddie Holland, the Contours, Mary Wells and Martha and the Vandellas appeared very regularly), and even then some US singles from these acts were skipped over. Additionally, the licensees’ knack for picking future winners was similarly sketchy; only in the UK could Mike & the Modifiers, or the Valadiers, have been backed ahead of the Supremes.
The slate got fuller and more varied in 1964, when the UK media started to pay attention in earnest, and Motown records finally started to appear on the British charts. After that, at the urging of the legendary Dave Godin, Motown got more heavily involved in the European market. They put a proposal to EMI – which was accepted – that a new imprint, distributed and administered by EMI, be created solely to release Motown material. So it was that the “Tamla Motown” label was born in the spring of 1965; a licensing deal was struck whereby Motown would send over anything they released in the US, both singles and albums, and Tamla Motown UK would choose the stuff they thought would appeal to British radio, British listeners and British record buyers.
More often than not, the result was either a rejection (only a little over a quarter of US Motown singles came out in the UK), or simply a British pressing of an American single a few months later, but there were occasions on which the UK label led the way. It wasn’t unusual, for instance, for the British label to choose different B-sides than appeared on American releases, or to switch the A- and B-sides around. Sometimes, the EMI staff at Tamla Motown HQ in London would pick up on an album track that hadn’t been issued as a single in the US, and run with it as a new 45. If the single did well in Britain, the main Motown label would usually take note and release the track as a single in America. If it flopped, then the Americans wouldn’t bother, resulting in a significant number of UK-only singles, serving a fine purpose driving collectors crazy to this day.
The British Tamla Motown operation ceased to function in any meaningful sense in 1976, though the imprint remained nominally “active” and has released a number of records since then, mainly reissues of old material.
GEOFF ATHERTON said:
Hi,
I seem to remember that in about 1966/7 the track “I Want My Baby Back” which Stevie Wonder featured on his “Uptight” LP was released as a single, but I can’t remember by whom. Can you help?
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The Nixon Administration said:
Hi Geoff,
It was Edwin Starr, in 1967. In the US, it came out on Gordy G 7066; in Britain, it was released as Tamla Motown TMG 630. The B-side on both releases was Gonna Keep On Tryin’ Till I Win Your Love. It’ll be a while before I get to write about that one, though!
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keith jackman said:
I need help!! can anyone please help, I am an avid collector of Motown singles and I am struggling to locate a listing of single post 1977.
I would be grateful of any help.
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The Nixon Administration said:
We’ll cover them all here eventually, but in the meantime, try Seabear Studios website http://www.seabear.se which covers all of the US Motown labels up to 1988 when the company was sold.
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tamlaman said:
As Edwins debut for Motown, I thought this should have been far more succesful than it was. It booms along like a runaway train, and was always one of my favourite Edwin tracks.
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JulianHicks said:
With regard to early Motown records in the UK, I believe that technically, the “London American imprint” was a ‘Decca Records’ label.
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The Nixon Administration said:
In a nutshell, yes, though it’s rather more complicated than that. When Decca had some corporate fun and games in the 1940s which resulted in UK Decca and US Decca becoming two completely different companies, “London Records” was set up as the brand name for Decca UK product in North America, to avoid confusion with Decca US releases. There was no British “London Records” at the time, the records released in the USA in the 50s and 60s on London came out on Decca in Britain (as any Rolling Stones fan will tell you!) Decca UK launched the “London American” brand in Britain later for pretty much all the American records it had licensed from the USA for British release.
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The Wilson Administration said:
Great list (please carry on), but it would be even better to have a list of the ones that charted…
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Trev Denman said:
I think I might be able to help with that chart list but it will take a bit of time.
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captainocd said:
Just found this blog and the US list, look forward to seeing both lists progress. For research, check out the individual label discographies on 45 cat.
John Derek Pitt.
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Bob said:
My favourite example of a UK issue having a much better B side than it’s American counterpart is The (Motown) Spinners “It’s A Shame” TMG 755.
Giving “Sweet Thing” another chance to be appreciated was a stroke of genius.
-Bob
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emjel said:
Very interesting read. You mentioned about Motown in the US sending over singles/album tapes so that EMI could decide on what to release resulting in singles being released unique to the U.K. However, looking at the album side of things, is there a list of albums that were unique to the U.K. Two that I have initially spotted are The Supremes “A Bit of Liverpool” being retitled and a Miracles album “I Like It Like That” which was totally unique to U.K. Any info appreciated.
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