Get Ready
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Album Summary
"Get Ready" is the debut album from Detroit's own Rare Earth, dropped in 1969 on Motown Records — and baby, that alone was something special. These cats were among the very first rock acts to land on Berry Gordy's storied label, and they came in swinging with a sound that was raw, wide open, and absolutely on fire. Produced by the band in collaboration with Motown's production team, the record captured something real — the kind of energy Rare Earth had been cooking up on the live circuit, pressed right into the grooves for the world to hear. From the opener "Magic Key" to the side-long slow burn of "Get Ready" that closes things out, this album announced that Motown was ready to stretch its wings into new territory, and Rare Earth was the band carrying that torch.
Reception
- The album achieved solid commercial footing on the Billboard charts, announcing Rare Earth as a genuine force on the Motown roster and one of the label's most intriguing new signings.
- Critics took note of the album's fearless fusion of rock instrumentation and soul feeling, praising the band's muscular performances and the raw, unpolished energy that ran through every track.
Significance
- Rare Earth made history as one of the first rock acts signed to Motown Records, and "Get Ready" stands as the document of that groundbreaking moment — proof that the soul citadel of Detroit was big enough to hold rock and roll too.
- The album planted a flag at the crossroads of hard rock and soul music, with tracks like "Tobacco Road" and "Feelin' Alright" showing that these two worlds didn't just coexist — they ignited each other.
- The side-long title track "Get Ready" — a Smokey Robinson composition transformed into an extended rock odyssey — became Rare Earth's signature and one of the most electrifying reinterpretations of a Motown classic ever committed to tape.
Tracklist
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A1 Magic Key 145
3:57
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A2 Tobacco Road 109
7:11
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A3 Feelin' Alright 95
5:03
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A4 In Bed 205
3:01
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A5 Train To Nowhere 122
3:23
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B1 Get Ready 136
21:30
Artist Details
Rare Earth was a hard-driving rock and soul band that came together in Detroit, Michigan in the mid-1960s, becoming one of the first white acts signed to Motown's newly created Rare Earth Records label in 1969 — and baby, that alone tells you something about the kind of groove these cats were laying down. Their sound was a thick, sweaty blend of rock, funk, and R&B, with extended jam versions of songs like "Get Ready" and "I Just Want to Celebrate" that could stretch out for ten, fifteen minutes and still leave you wanting more. They carved out a unique space in music history by bridging the worlds of Motown soul and psychedelic rock at a time when those worlds didn't often shake hands, making them a landmark act in the story of how Black and white musical traditions kept finding each other in the most beautiful ways.
