From the MCRFB NEWS archive: 1967
First England, France, Germany . . . Motown Now Sets Sights On Italy and Spain
DETROIT — Tamla-Motown Records will launch an Italia language “Motown Sound” in Italy in June and may do the same for Spain. Berry Gordy Jr., president of the record company, recently flew in Peter Ricci of RCA-Italiana, to supervise recording sessions of the firm’s top acts, these included the Supremes, the Four Tops, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Jimmy Ruffin, Stevie Wonder, and the Temptations.
Motown product has been highly successful in Italy, but these records were all English versions, said Phil Jones, marketing director. “Sales were fantastic.” He postulated that a hit record in English released for the Italian market could hit as high as 200,000 in sales. “It’s the sound that the kids buy.”
Italian versions are expected to do much better because of the larger potential market. “The Four Tops doing ‘I Can’t Help Myself’ and their ‘Reach Out I’ll Be There’ in Italian is almost unbelievable,” Jones said. Some of the tunes being released in Italian versions were previously hit records in English. The Italian versions will be released as singles, as well as an album packaging several of the artists together.
Motown Records has become established in nearly all foreign countries, Jones said. “The sound has caught on there the same as it did here. We’ve had top 10 records in almost every major country, including Argentina, Israel, England, and Spain.” All were in English. “Reach Out I’ll Be There” by the Four Tops went to No. 1 in Spain, he said. END
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(Information and source source: Billboard; May 6, 1967)
