Of the Motown acts to have big hits in the 1960s, the Contours are one of the least known; it could be more people can rattle off the lyrics to "Do You Love Me?" than identify the group that sang the song. But like all Motown groups of consequence, they recorded a surprisingly voluminous amount of material for the label, much of which was unreleased at the time. It's still astonishing that there are enough unissued cuts from 1963 and 1964 alone to comprise the bulk of this 26-track CD. It does include a couple of official 1964 singles ("Can You Do It" and "Can You Jerk Like Me"), but the other two-dozen masters were previously unreleased before this 2011 compilation appeared. It's also impressive that these recordings aren't obvious throwaways. At the same time, however, there's not much in the way of obvious first-rate contenders for 45 release, and much of it sounds like decent album filler. (In fact, about half of it could have been planned for a late 1964/early 1965 LP that might have been titled Dance with the Contours, hence the title of this CD anthology.) More often than not, they're uptempo tunes that take advantage of the group's knack for danceable grooves paced by some of the grittiest lead vocals ever heard on Motown sides of the early to mid-'60s. Sometimes they specifically echo the "Do You Love Me?" formula, and might have been passed over for release by quality control for precisely that reason.

We told the first part of the Contours’ story in “Dance With The Contours”, taking it up to the point where, in late 1964, the group members conspired to strike for more pay and better working conditions. Motown got wind of this plan, did a deal with lead singer Billy Gordon and let the other Contours go. “Just A Little Misunderstanding” (an apt description of that event, perhaps) takes the story on from here. A new team of Contours – Alvin English, Jerry Green and Council Gay – were recruited, although English didn’t last long and original member Sylvester Potts was re-enlisted to take his place. The group continued to score hits, with ‘Can You Jerk Like Me’ and ‘First I Look At The Purse’, and had a sure-fire follow-up in the can with ‘Baby Hit And Run’ when Billy Gordon got in trouble with the law and was ousted from the group. Ex-Falcon Joe Stubbs took his place.

UK 'Best Of', tracks include 'Do You Love Me', 'First I Look at the Purse', 'Just a Little Misunderstanding', 'Baby HitAnd Run', 'Determination' and many more.18 tracks in all. 2000 release.

Surprise Party is a 2014 compilation of some of the most influential party tracks in rock & roll. Originally a 5CD box set, this is an edited version done digitally so it would be limited to about two compact discs worth. This was released by Wagram, with some of the tracks targeting the label's French audience.