I wasn’t really a fan of Motown until I lived there.
All I can say is the music really fits the environment.
When I listen now I can break it down into 3 basic sounds:
- Wheels turning (I’ll Be Doggone)
- Snow falling (Love Child, there’s a blizzard occurring on that record)
- Assembly line noise (Nowhere to Run moves along in line rhythm)
That’s the sound of Detroit. Wheels turning, snow falling. Snow falling, wheels turning. Kachunk, bolt on wheel. Kachunk, bolt on dash. etc.
To me, the ‘Sound of Motown’ is the music coming out of a tinny sounding six transistor radio on a hot Mississippi summer’s day from WHBQ radio in Memphis Tennessee...............
There's no blizzard or any reference to snow on Love Child--unless you're referring to another song with that title.