Motown was one of themost vital record labels ever, and in the peak years, the 1960s through early‘70s, the Detroit enterprise produced some of the best music heard on AMradio—or anywhere else. By the time the label celebrated its 25thanniversary, it had been sold to Polygram and would be passed from square tosquare like a chit on the Monopoly board.
And yet, the TV specialcommemorating the label’s founding, the optimistically titled “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever,” wasevent television when it aired on NBC on May 16, 1983. The original special isout on a six-CD set along with many hours of interviews, outtakes andrehearsals.
As they say inHollywood, it was star studded. MC Richard Pryor kept the tone light amidst theglitz and shine, the dance routines and the cast of celebrity performers. Thenight’s lineup included several stars who had nothing to do with Motown in itsglory days but whose presence helped light the marquee. Linda Ronstadt was onhand, as was Adam Ant in a bid for the MTV audience.
Best of all, aside fromthe sadly foreshortened snippets of Motown acts in the ‘60s, were theperformances by such Motown leading lights as Smokey Robinson and StevieWonder, still limber and in good voice.
