Coming soon: Motown: The Sound of Young America (Thames and Hudson)

We have high hopes for Motown: The Sound of Young America by Adam White and Barney Ales, which is published by Thames and Hudson next month. It even has a foreword by Andrew Loog Oldham no less.

The 400-page volume is described as ‘the definitive, authorised visual history of the Detroit-based independent record company’, which is good enough for us.

Ok, it perhaps covers eras that might fall out of your sphere of interest (and yes, we are talking the 1980s). But let’s be honest, the story of Motown is a fascinating one even as the decades changed.

The book features extensive, specially commissioned photography gathered from the archives, as well as the graphic and design iconography used by the label.

If that’s not enough, the book promises ‘scores of interviews’ with key players in the Motown story, explaining just how the ‘Motown machine’ produced so many great acts and great tunes, masking household names of the likes of Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Diana Ross & the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, the Jackson 5 and the Temptations whilst filling dancefloors with grooves from many more lesser known names in the 1960s and still in the present day.

Some imagery from the book here might just whet your appetite. If it does, let us tell you that the book is published on 14th March in hardback, with Amazon currently discounting pre-orders from £39.95 down to £25.97 if you want to get your name down early.

We honestly can’t wait to see the finished product.

Find out more at the Amazon website