Cunningly recycling a batch of album tracks by some of Motown's most prominent artists, recorded over a period of dozen years, the compilers have come up with another winner with this clutch of Beatles songs, which plays through with surprising cohesiveness. The Beatles loved Motown, and here they return the favour.
Stevie Wonder's We Can Work It Out is probably the stand-out listen, with an exuberance that made it a natural choice for a single in 1971, and one can also detect his influence in then-partner Syreeta's definitive cover version of the usually over-treacled She's Leaving Home. The Temptations' Hey Jude, from Puzzle People, comes with a suitably distinctive Norman Whitfield production, and Marvin Gaye's Yesterday is also a highlight. The Four Tops are called upon to deliver cabaret versions of three Paul McCartney ballads though none have the classic hallmark Levi Stubbs touch, although Eleanor Rigby comes closest.
Both the original Supremes tracks come from a 1964 curio entitled A Little Bit Of Liverpool and ought to be great. They have lots of gusto and fire, and are great fun, but the sound is muddy and the production sounds hurried, leaving a sense of what might have been with a little more trouble and care. Diana Ross appears again on Let It Be's The Long And Winding Road. Come Together comes from the 1970 incarnation of the Supremes led by Jean Terrell and is an excellent Frank Wilson production.
George Harrison's Something is well handled by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas (from Natural Resources) and Gladys Knight and the Pips' version of Let It Be is another stand-out, equaling Aretha's version of Paul McCartney's tribute to his mother Mary. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles' And I Love Her is rescued from the rather overlooked album What Love Has Joined Together. It sounds just how you imagine.
The final three tracks are from the post-Beatle period. Diana Ross does a syrupy version of John Lennon's Imagine; Jr Walker blows a fine horn on Wings' My Love from 1976; and Edwin Starr gets gospelly on the rousing George Harrison classic My Sweet Lord, ending the album on an uplifting note

Most of the covers don't really stand out as anything special, but are pleasant enough. However I do think this is worth buying for Stevie Wonder's cover of 'We can work it out' which is funktastic.

Before the Beatles few had heard of Tamla Motown and in 1963 their biggest star was Mary Wells who did an entire album of Beatles songs for another label as well as being a special guest of the Beatles.
When they covered You really got a hold on me the song was less than a year old via the Miracles.Another Motown song they covered was Money (thats what I want).In the U K Motown music was issued on the London American and Oriole labels from 1960 to 1963 and was few and far between.
Motown's first foray into the music from England was via a Supremes album called A Littl Bit Of Liverpool-which by its ridiculous title showed it was going to be some time before America knew much about Liverpool when this collection included songs by the Animals and the Dave Clark 5 and the Supremes were shown on the sleeve standing on the platform of a London bus!.
Over the years most of Tamla Motown's artists recorded Beatles songs for sometimes their current singles eg Stevie Wonder
It came full circle when Wonder recorded a few songs with Paul McCartney

well i dint know what to expect..but its gold,,motown does beatles. surreal,not quite ray charles, or stevie wonder..but 4 tops doin the beatle.you cudnt write it down,,,w,e,ll sorry they did,,work it out....

In the sixties and early seventies, it was common practice to include plenty of cover versions on albums, and Motown were no exception. Seventeen of the best Beatles covers by Motown acts (including three songs from after the break-up) were brought together in this fascinating collection.

Nearly all the songs are classics. You can’t do that, from one of the Beatles early album, is by far the least well known. Some of the songs are more true to the originals than other, but among the more distinctive are Eleanor Rigby, sung with real feeling by the Four Tops, and Yesterday, which Marvin Gaye was obviously determined to make his version different from the hundreds of others, and succeeded brilliantly.

While many of these tracks are available elsewhere, it is great to have them all together. If you enjoy either Beatles tribute albums or sixties Motown, you will enjoy this too. If, like me, you enjoy both, this is essential.