VMP Magazine

Box sets are an inevitability for most vinyl collectors: At their best, they represent a way for you to go deep on a single artist, genre, or scene in a package, instead of having to track down every Bowie studio album or every D.C. funk LP. But box sets can also be unwieldy, and tough to prioritize. How many box sets do you own that have unplayed albums, or albums you’ve only played once? Did you actually take your time with every album, and read the liner notes, and experience the whole box set?

Earlier this year, VMP announced that in celebration of Herbie Hancock’s 80th trip around the sun, we’d be releasing a career-spanning Herbie Hancock Anthology, our box set series celebrating legendary artists and labels. Well, today’s the day: Our VMP Anthology: The Story of Herbie Hancock is live, and you can buy it here.

In addition to being the most daring electronic label, Ghostly International also has one of the coolest curated stores in all of the music business. They put the Ghostly ghost on everything from record crates to visual art, and office supplies to home goods. If you're checking out the store now because you bought our VMP Anthology: The Story of Ghostly International, we found 15 items we'd buy immediately. Get the best water bottles, rulers and hats, and ride out to our box set.

There are girl groups and then there are the Supremes. The utmost. The absolute. The paramount. The Supremes do more than personify the ’60s girl group. From sock hops to Las Vegas showcases, they showed that an all-women act can help define a decade. Fashion, style, personality, the Supremes had that something that set them apart from everybody else. With the help of great songwriting (Holland-Dozier-Holland) and great musicians (the Funk Brothers — Motown’s session musicians), these ladies epitomized the Motown sound of adding pop sensibilities to R&B and soul, and showing a different facet to the emergence of black artists in the ’60s crossing over in popularity to white audiences.

Earlier this year, Vinyl Me, Please changed how vinyl box sets are presented with the introduction of Vinyl Me, Please Anthology. Our first edition was VMP Anthology: The Story of Blue Note Records, and it featured 6 albums from six different eras of the legendary Blue Note Records, and unfolded over the course of six weeks. Limited to 1000, that edition sold out in three hours. Now, we’re back with the second edition of Anthology: The Women of Motown. Here’s what you need to know.

The Women of Motown features eight albums and 9LPs celebrating the 60 years of Motown, from their days as a regional soul label to the home of girl group greatness to today.