The group left Motown in 1986 for Polydor, and released several additional albums, which are primarily compilations of previous material.

Although much of the earlier Undertones material drew influence from punk rock and new wave, the Undertones also incorporated elements of rock, glam rock and post-punk into material released after 1979, before citing soul and Motown as the influence for the material released upon their final album.

Originally the term was associated with mid-1960s white artists who performed soul and R & B that was similar to the music released by Motown Records and Stax Records.

The album features eight original compositions ( seven by Lennon – McCartney and " Don't Bother Me ", George Harrison's first recorded solo composition and his first released on a Beatles album ) and six covers ( mostly of Motown and R & B hits ).

* A novelty hit, " Frig-O-Rator ", was released in December 1985 on the Motown label by Roq-In ' Zoo and featured sound bites of Bears game plays.

He subsequently signed to Motown / Universal and released the largely self-produced The Renaissance in late 2008.

Gaye refused to record unless Motown released the song.

album was stolen and taken to Motown's Los Angeles headquarters in 1980, Motown remixed the album and released it on January 15, 1981.

In March 1982, Motown and CBS Records negotiated for Gaye to be released from Motown, but didn't release the contents of their contract fearing a negative effect on Gaye's settlement to pay his creditors.

The parent album sparked a partnership with George Tobin and with Tobin, Robinson released his next several Motown albums, Yes It's You Lady, which produced the hit, " Tell Me Tomorrow "; Touch the Sky and Essar.

In 1998, co-produced by Ro Smith, now CEO of Def Ro Inc., she released her fourth hip-hop album Order in the Court, which was released by Motown Records.

* February 22 – Florence Ballard of the Supremes is released from her contract with Motown.

The first LP, Chameleon, failed to sell after it was released by Motown subsidiary label MoWest Records in 1971.

A recording that was destined to reach the upper parts of the UK Singles Chart, " The Night ", was not commercially released as a single by Motown in the United States after promotional copies ( showing the artist as Frankie Valli ) were distributed in 1971.

In the United Kingdom, Tamla Motown released " The Night " as a single and saw it reach the # 7 position on the UK Singles Chart.

The group's third Motown single was the Top 40 hit " Everybody Needs Love ", released in 1967.

" The Miracles ' first, minor hit was their fourth single, 1959's " Bad Girl ," released in Detroit as the debut record on the Motown imprint, and nationally on the Chess label.

( Most early Motown singles were released through other labels, such as End, Fury, Gone and Chess.

Top artists on the Motown label during that period included Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Four Tops, and The Jackson 5, while Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Marvelettes, and The Miracles released hits on the Tamla label.

Motown began celebrating its fiftieth anniversary ( January 12, 2009 ) in late 2008, including the release of a The Complete No. 1's box set containing Motown # 1 hits from Billboard's pop, R & B, and disco charts, reissues of classic-era Motown albums on CD, and other planned events, which were released in collaboration with Universal Music Group's catalog division Universal Music Enterprises.

The act left Motown for a better deal with Buddah Records in 1973, and achieved full-fledged success that year with hits such as the Grammy-winning " Midnight Train to Georgia " (# 1 on the pop and R & B chart ), " I've Got to Use My Imagination ," and " You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me ".

She can also be seen in the documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown, singing The Miracles ' " You've Really Got a Hold on Me " and The Temptations ' " Cloud Nine ".

* Soul 35022 ( US ) / Tamla Motown TMG577 ( UK ) " What Becomes of the Brokenhearted " / " Baby I've Got It " ( 1966 )-U. S. # 7, US R & B # 6, UK # 8

* Soul 35032 ( US ) / Tamla Motown TMG603 ( UK ) " Gonna Give Her All the Love I've Got " / " World So Wide Nowhere to Hide " ( 1967 )-US # 29, US R & B # 14, UK # 26

* Tamla Motown TMG996 ( UK ) " Gonna Give Her All the Love I've Got " ( re-issue ) / " I've Passed This Way Before " ( 1974 )

* In the Motown audition scene, They sing James Brown's " I Got the Feelin '".

When Motown left Detroit for Los Angeles in 1972, the Four Tops signed with ABC-Dunhill, and had Top 10 pop hits with " Keeper of the Castle " and " Ain't No Woman Like the One I've Got ", their first Top 10 hits since " Bernadette " in 1967.

Attempting to exploit the success of their hit single, the Capitols released two albums in 1966, " Dance the Cool Jerk " and " We Got a Thing ," both featuring mostly covers of popular Motown and soul songs.

" You've Really Got a Hold on Me " is a song written by Smokey Robinson which became a 1962 Top 10 hit single for the Miracles on the Tamla ( Motown ) label.

" You've Really Got a Hold on Me " was written by Smokey Robinson while in New York in 1962 on business for Motown ; he heard Sam Cooke's " Bring It On Home to Me ", which was in the charts at the time, and-influenced by it-wrote the song in his hotel room.

He is also noted for doing co-lead vocals on The Miracles ' 1962 Top 10 smash, " You've Really Got a Hold on Me ", and singing lead on the group's 1964 song, " You're So Fine And Sweet ". Bobby was also reputed to be the group's best dancer, and was responsible for many of the Miracles ' onstage routines, until the arrival of famed Motown choreographer Cholly Atkins.

" Superstar ( Remember How You Got Where You Are )" is a 1971 hit single for the Gordy ( Motown ) label, recorded by The Temptations and produced by Norman Whitfield.

Up with People provided the halftime entertainment featuring a salute to the 1960s and Motown.

In spite of another hit with 1964's " Giving Up " ( later covered by Donny Hathaway ), Knight and the Pips did not achieve widespread success until 1966, after signing to Motown Records.

* “ What Goes Up Must Come Down ” ( 1963 ); Motown 1045

However, after Williams ' death was ruled a suicide in August 1973, Motown decided to shelve the sides, because the song " Feel Like Giving ' Up " was just too literal to bear and the single was not released.

The repertoire consisted of material from all four of The Band's studio albums up to that point, which were framed on the album by covers of the 1964 Motown hit single " Baby Don't You Do It " by Marvin Gaye, and the b-side "( I Don't Want to Hang Up ) My Rock and Roll Shoes " to the final single by Chuck Willis in 1958, " What Am I Living For.

Their former label, Universal Motown had offered them a 360 deal, which the band rejected, opting instead to become independent and form their own label, Up / Down Records.

Fire It Up is Rick James ' third album on Motown sub-label Gordy.

Motown Records had its first million-selling single in 1960 with The Miracles ' " Shop Around ", and in 1961, Stax Records had its first hit with Carla Thomas ' " Gee Whiz!

* Roq-In ' Zoo, " Frig-O-Rator ", 12 inch single, Motown 4554MG, December 1985.

The Parliaments finally achieved a hit single in 1967 with "( I Wanna ) Testify " while Clinton began commuting to Detroit as a songwriter and producer for Motown Records.

The single topped the US Billboard pop charts for two weeks in January 1975 as well as the Canadian RPM national singles chart for four weeks spanning January and February, eventually overtaken by The Carpenters's version of the Motown hit " Please Mr. Postman ", a song covered, with Lennon singing the lead vocal, on With the Beatles in 1963.

The strong reaction to the live version of " Distant Lover ", an album track from Let's Get It On, prompted Motown to remix the song and release it as a single in 1974 to keep up the demand for Marvin product.

In November, 1982 the Motown influenced electro pop single " Mirror Man " reached No. 2 in the UK chart, just missing another Christmas No. 1, which was taken by a novelty record by Renée and Renato.

* June 6 – The Supremes have their fifth consecutive number one single ," Back In My Arms Again, written by H-D-H, from Motown Records.

* July 29 – Motown Records releases " Reflections ," the first single by the group's new billing, " Diana Ross & The Supremes " and after firing founding member Florence Ballard ; Ballard, nevertheless, sings on the record and appears on the vinyl's cover alongside group members Ross and Wilson because the song was recorded before her dismissal.

Following that single, the group signed to Motown with disastrous results.

A Frankie Valli " solo " single from 1971 (" Love Isn't Here " on Motown ) and three Four Seasons singles (" Walk On, Don't Look Back " on MoWest in 1972, " How Come " and " Hickory " on Motown in 1973 ) sank without a trace.

Follow-up successes came with the 1962 single, " Twist and Shout " and the 1966 Motown single, " This Old Heart of Mine ( Is Weak for You )".

That year, the quartet began applying background vocals for emerging Motown star Marvin Gaye, singing on Gaye's first hit single, " Stubborn Kind of Fellow " After Mary Wells failed to make a scheduled recording session feigning a short illness, the Vels recorded what was initially a demo recording of " I'll Have to Let Him Go ".

It did not take long for the song to peak at # 4 in the UK, thus making the song one of the all time favourite Motown single releases ever.

Gladys Knight & the Pips ' Motown long-playing debut, Everybody Needs Love ( Gladys Knight & the Pips album ) | Everybody Needs Love ( 1967 ), which includes their hit single " I Heard It Through the Grapevine ".

Producer Norman Whitfield recorded four versions of the song with various artists for potential single release ; Knight and the Pips ' version was the only one that Motown chief Berry Gordy did not veto.

One Motown Yesteryear single made Billboard's Top 40-The Contours ' " Do You Love Me ", in 1988, when its inclusion in the film Dirty Dancing revived interest.

The band recorded their first single for the label, entitled " Motown Junk ".

It featured yet another hit single, Johnston's cover of the Holland-Dozier-Holland-written Motown hit " Take Me in Your Arms " ( originally sung by Kim Weston and also covered by the Isley Brothers and Blood Sweat and Tears ).

The A-side of the 12 inch single of " Tainted Love " actually featured a two-song medley, with " Tainted Love " blending into the Motown classic " Where Did Our Love Go " ( originally recorded by The Supremes, also in 1964 ).