The impact of Motown on pop culture worldwide is immeasurable. For this kid, raised in comfortable but ‘uptight’ 60’s Britain - where ‘out of sight’ was where we lived, mostly hunched over a stack of 45s - the songs emanating from Berry Gordy’s Detroit hit factory sounded an undeniable call to freedom, self-expression and joy from that promised land across the pond, America. Motown conjured unknown worlds, from romance (and whatever Great Mysteries lay beyond)… to church, and what it might feel like to have a meaningful faith… to social and political issues, of which I knew nothing yet could still sense the power, pain and desire for change beneath these exquisite harmonies. It was, and 50 years on still is, electrifying. In this collection, featuring eight of Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Singers of All Time,” we celebrate the quieter side of the label in a soulful Sunday soundtrack. Classics by artists who only ever required a first name — Marvin, Stevie, Diana, Smokey — are interwoven with remarkable readings of Motown standards by their legendary friends — Aretha, Otis & Al. The full range and possibilities of the songbook are heard in two exclusive a cappella tracks: a stunning new trip-hop update of the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” by Sonos, and Gladys Knight & The Pips’ breathtaking call-and-response on “Grapevine.” Happy Birthday, Motown. And thank you.

http://www.bn.com/sundaymusic

SUNDAY MUSIC 5 HOLIDAY EDITION
November 4, 2008, as you all know, is an extremely exciting day for our country: our latest compilation in the Sunday Music Series: Volume 5 - Holiday is released!

After our recent departure into the Classical world with Volume 4 -- eight weeks thus far in the Billboard Classical Top 10 -- Sunday Music is back with an original, multi-genre, curated collection. Our goal is to take the listener on a journey, with the "spirit of the Holidays" as the road map for a trip that can be taken any time of year.

Sunday 5 is a selection of joyful music from an eclectic mix of stars -- Norah Jones, Ray Charles, KT Tunstall, Sufjan Stevens, Celtic Woman, Imogen Heap and more -- plus beautiful, previously unreleased gems from stellar artists such as Ingrid Michaelson, eastmountainsouth, Sonos (reimagining Fleet Foxes) & Ashton Allen; as well as a simply classic '"O Holy Night," only ever heard in the Christmas episode of 'Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip!'

We send our highest hopes for this important day... and we also hope you'll make Sunday Music your seasonal soundtrack. Thank you for listening.

Sunday Music is a lifestyle compilation series from bigHelium records, available initially as an Exclusive with our friends at Barnes & Noble Booksellers and Barnes&Noble.com
Sunday Music 5 is available for a short time at the sale price of $9.99!

We are proud to announce the launch of our official website, with in depth information about the Sunday Music series, check it out:
www.sundaymusic.com

Available in stores and online 9/2/08: Sunday Music 3 and Sunday Music 4 (the first Classical volume in the series). Complete Your Set With Volumes 1 & 2.

 Join us on Facebook: Link to Sunday Music on Facebook.com

Music fans,

The inspiration for this series of compilations was a simple thought, some years ago --
that, as an avid music lover, I listened to an entirely different soundscape on Sunday. Every
Sunday. Non-religious, very little classical or choral, specifically not new age, but music from
almost every genre – with the same, Sunday-ish, reflective thread running through it, and with a
very strong emotional core.

Countless friends and colleagues all agreed: there was a definite difference to their Sunday
soundtrack, which had nothing to do with their upbringing or beliefs.

So I set out to find the best SundayMusic on record… and discovered a hugely rich seam, across
all areas of music, and all over the world. It has been an exquisitely painful process to choose
from a vast library, via absurdly long, then shorter, short and shortest lists… to the final choices
we have been lucky enough to license for these compilations.

We hope you enjoy these recordings and that they bring something special to your own Sundays…
we look forward to providing you with many more volumes and encourage you to voice your
thoughts and opinions via the
myspace.com/sundaymusicseries pages.

Thanks for visiting!

Hugo Vereker
Producer/bigHelium