Track Listing

1. The Tracks Of My Tears - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
2. You've Really Got A Hold On Me - The Miracles
3. Shop Around - The Miracles
4. You Never Miss A Good Thing - The Miracles
5. Way Over There - The Miracles
6. Determination - The Miracles
7. Everybody's Gotta Pay Some Dues - The Miracles
8. If Your Mother Only Knew - The Miracles
9. What's So Good About Good Bye - The Miracles
10. Since You Won My Heart - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
11. Such Is Love, Such Is Life - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
12. The Monkey Time - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
13. The Wah-Watusi - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
14. I Gotta Dance To Keep From Crying - The Miracles
15. From Head To Toe - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
16. Would I Love You - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
17. Let Me Have Some - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
18. Going To A Go-Go - The Miracles

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #114818 in Music
• Released on: 1996-07-22
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 49 minutes

Customer Reviews

hear the soul shining
this is one of those rare collections that lives up to its title of "early classics". This group became a little eclipsed by later groups joining Motown so it is more than amazing to be able to hear once more the soulful sounds of the young Smokey. There are tracks that have entered the musical iconography of the 60s soul scene so it is great to have some accompanying lesser known songs that help contextualise them. Highly recommended are Head to Toe, Determination & Would I Love You. Soul really does not get much better than this. So as this is a budget price CD buy it and listen to the origins of today's R&B

A chance to delve
Apart from acting as a useful sampler to newcomers to early Motown, the Early Classics series also serves the useful purpose of putting back into catalogue some B-sides and album tracks that cannot otherwise be found on CD, despite the lumbering re-issue programme currently underway.

More than any other performing artist, Smokey Robinson was responsible for getting the Motown imprints off the ground with founder Berry Gordy, his administrative and business skills being matched by his talents as singer, writer, producer and arranger. All of these are clearly evidenced by the 18 tracks on offer here, including eight A-sides, though all of these
are readily available elsewhere. The set begins with the timeless single Tracks Of My Tears and goes out with a bang on the fabulous Going To A Go-Go.

There are three non-album B-sides here: You Never Miss A Good Thing (B-side of I'll Try Something New), If Your Mother Only Knew (B-side of Way Over There) and Would I Love You (flip of That's What Love Is made Of). Would I Love You can be found on Lost And Found - Along Came Love in a longer mix, and in a new stereo mix on The Motown Box, but the others don't seem to be currently in catalogue. The other B-sides also appeared on albums, but not all of these are in print at the moment.

Therefore this album affords a unique opportunity to hear tracks from Cookin' With The Miracles, I'll Try Something New, The Fabulous Miracles and The Miracles Doin' Mickey's Monkey. I had never heard Determination before, knowing it only in a later version by the Contours. I was especially pleased to hear the three dance tracks from The Miracles Doin' Mickey's Monkey, in stereo mixes, these being Major Lance's Monkey Time, the Orlons' The Wah-Watusi, featuring a rare lead vocal from Claudette Robinson, and the Holland-Dozier-Holland original I Gotta Dance To Keep From Crying. Also in stereo are the five tracks from the album Going To A Go-Go, though this album is easy to obtain. Motown love their mono mixes and all the other tracks included are not in stereo.

The earlier tracks, both ballads and up-tempo rockers, have quite a raw quality, which is precisely what I like about them. They have a passion and a lack of inhibition that is far removed from the music Smokey and the Miracles were to make later in their careers. A recommended delve into a rich back catalogue, especially when available so inexpensively.