The Miracles Sing Modern

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The Miracles Sing Modern was an unreleased 1963 album by Motown Records R&B group The Miracles. It was given the official catalog number of Tamla T234 [1] [2] and was due for release after The Miracles' 3rd album I'll Try Something New , having been mentioned on the sleeve notes of that album. [3] It was intended for release in March 1963. [4] [ unreliable source? ] However it was never given an official release date and Motown later decided to shelve the project. [5] [6] [7]

Contents

This album was to feature a combination of new tunes along with standards, with the intention of showcasing the Miracles' talent and versatility on different genres of music and the ability of different group members to sing lead vocals in addition to main lead singer Bill "Smokey" Robinson. Cousins Bobby Rogers and Claudette Rogers Robinson shared lead vocals on the standard Easy Street [8] [9] and Claudette leads alone on Mister Misery [10] "My Heart Says Yes", [11] and Father Dear. [12] Husband-and-Wife Smokey and Claudette Robinson share the lead chores on the standard "If I Were a Bell" (from the 1950 musical Guys and Dolls ) joined in mid-song by Miracles Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, and Ronnie White in an ensemble lead. [13] Some songs showcase all of the Miracles singing five-part harmony.

An official front and rear cover was mocked up and this proposed cover was recently released onto the internet. [4] In a transitional period for the group's line-up, bass singer/vocal arranger Pete Moore was featured on the front cover and Marv Tarplin was on the rear cover - Moore not having been available as he had been recently been drafted into the U.S. Armed Services at the time the photo was taken. (Both Moore and Tarplin had been featured on the covers of the group's previous album covers Cookin' with the Miracles and I'll Try Something New .) Though not released, this album was actually included on the list of albums the group recorded on "The Miracles' Album Discography" in the liner notes of the Miracles' 35th Anniversary 4 CD box set. [14]

Although this album was never released in its original form, all of its tunes were subsequently released on later Miracles albums and CD compilations including, but not limited to, "Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: Lost & Found: Along Came Love (1958-1964) (released 1999), [15] The Miracles – Depend on Me: The Early Albums (2009), [16] and the Smokey Robinson & The Miracles-The 35th Anniversary Collection box set (1994). [17]

Personnel

The Miracles

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<i>One Dozen Roses</i> 1971 studio album by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles

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"I've Been Good to You" is a 1961 R&B song by The Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla label. It was released as the B-side of their Billboard Top 40 hit, "What's So Good About Goodbye", and was included on their album I'll Try Something New the following year. This sad, melancholy ballad charted #103 on the Billboard Pop chart. Despite its relatively modest chart placing, this song has been hugely influential, and is noted as Beatle John Lennon's favorite Miracles tune, and was the inspiration for The Beatles' songs "This Boy" and "Sexy Sadie". Written by Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson, the song begins with the lyric, "Look what you've done...You've made a fool out of someone..." which Lennon later paraphrased in Sexy Sadie song as, "What have you done...You've made a fool of everyone."

"Way Over There" is a 1960 Motown soul song and single, written by William "Smokey" Robinson, produced by Berry Gordy, and first performed by The Miracles for the Tamla (Motown) label. It was one of The Miracles' earliest charting singles, reaching #94 on the Billboard Pop chart. Motown president Berry Gordy, Jr. had The Miracles record the song several times during its chart run. The first version had minimal orchestration. The second version added strings, and this is the version played by most oldies stations today. Claudette Robinson had several lead parts on this song, answering Smokey's leads with chants of "Come to me, Baby". The song's B-side, "(You Can) Depend on Me", while not charting nationally, did become a popular regional hit in many areas of the country, and Smokey still sings it in his live shows today. "Way Over There" has inspired cover versions by Edwin Starr, The Temptations, The Marvelettes, The Royal Counts, The Spitballs, and Eddie Adams Jr, while "(You Can) Depend on Me" has inspired cover versions by The Temptations, The Supremes, Mary Wells, and Brenda Holloway. The song was also used for the title of Hip-O Select's 2009 compilation: The Miracles – Depend on Me: The Early Albums, which collects the first five LP releases by the group.

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"After All" is a 1960 song written by Smokey Robinson and originally recorded and released by The Miracles on the Tamla label. It was first recorded as an unreleased single by The Supremes for Tamla; it was supposed to be their first single but it was canceled in favor of "I Want a Guy", and their cover wasn't released until it appeared on the 2000 box set, The Supremes. The song is noted for both groups' unusual choices for leads. For the Miracles' version it serves as a rare lead for Claudette Rogers Robinson, instead of the group’s main lead, Claudette's husband, Smokey Robinson. In the Supremes' case it is their only single to feature Barbara Martin singing on lead vocals. Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, and Diana Ross sing verses, and Martin sings the bridge. "After All" was also later covered by The Marvelettes, in the early 1970s, with group member Wanda Young Rogers as lead. Their version appears on the album The Return of the Marvelettes, and later became the group's belated final single.

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Four In Blue is a 1969 album by the Motown R&B group The Miracles, issued on the label's Tamla Records subsidiary in the U.S., and the Tamla-Motown label elsewhere in the world,, and was the final Miracles album of the 1960s. It reached #78 on the Billboard pop album chart, and reached the Top 10 of Billboard's R&B Album chart, peaking at #3, despite the fact that no singles were released from this album in the U.S. or the UK.

"(You Can't Let the Boy Overpower) The Man in You" is a 1964 R&B song by the Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla subsidiary label. It was written by Miracles lead singer Bill "Smokey" Robinson, and was produced by Robinson and Motown president/founder Berry Gordy Jr. One of several gospel-styled call and response tunes the group issued in 1964, this song reached number 59 on the Billboard Pop chart, and the top 20 of the Cash Box R&B chart, peaking at number 12. The song was recorded on August 17, 1963, and was the group's first single release of 1964.

We've Come Too Far to End It Now was a 1972 single by Motown Records R&B group The Miracles on its Tamla Label subsidiary (T54220F) and taken from their 1972 album, Flying High Together, the group's final studio album with original lead singer Smokey Robinson. This song charted at #46 on the Billboard Pop Chart, and reached the Top 10 of its R&B chart, peaking at #9.

"Happy Landing" is a 1962 R&B recording by Motown Records singing group The Miracles, issued on that label's Tamla Records subsidiary label (T54073). It was recorded in November 1962, and appeared on their album The Fabulous Miracles. The group also recorded a live version of this song on their first live album, 1963's The Miracles Recorded Live on Stage.

"Come Spy With Me" (T54145) was a 1967 song recorded by Motown Records R&B group The Miracles, released on its Tamla Records subsidiary label. The B-side of the group's Top 20 hit single "The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage", It was written by Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson, and was the original titular theme song from the 1967 20th Century Fox feature film of the same name, starring Troy Donahue and Andrea Dromm.

References

  1. "Tamla Album Discography (1961-1981)". Bsnpubs.com. 2012-07-31. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  2. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: The 35th Anniversary Collection (1994)Discography: "The Miracles' Albums" [CD liner notes,]. Motown Records Pg 63
  3. "Photographic copy of magazine article" (JPG). Ekladata.com. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  4. 1 2 "Photographic copy of album cover" (JPG). C1.staticflickr.com. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  5. Motown Records/Hip-O Select- The Miracles:Depend On Me-The Early Albums (CD Liner Notes, Page 8) by Stu Hackel
  6. "Miracles, Motown, And Memories". Soul-sides.com. 2009-07-24. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  7. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles' Anthology(31453-0472-2) Liner Notes, Page 20
  8. Smokey Robinson & The MIRACLES-"Lost and Found:Along Came Love" CD Liner Notes,Pages 6 & 7-by Stu Hackel
  9. "Easy Street (1999 Lost And Found Version)". YouTube. 2014-08-22. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  10. "THE MIRACLES (featuring CLAUDETTE) Mr Misery (Let Me Be)". YouTube. 2012-02-28. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  11. "The Miracles ♫ My Heart Says Yes ♫". YouTube .
  12. "THE MIRACLES (Claudette Robinson) - Father Dear [Unissued Motown] 1963". YouTube. 2013-05-25. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  13. "If I Were A Bell (1999 Lost And Found Version)". YouTube. 2014-08-22. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  14. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: The 35th Anniversary Collection, pg 63
  15. "Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Lost & Found: Along Came Love (1958-1964)". Amazon.com. 1999. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  16. "Depend On Me: The Early Albums: The Miracles: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  17. "Smokey Robinson and the Miracles - The 35th Anniversary Collection". Amazon.com. 1994. Retrieved 2015-12-17.