Customer Reviews

Depend on Me: The Early Albums

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Along with Curtis Mayfield and Paul Simon, Smokey Robinson is one of my favorite three songwriters of all time. When one considers the vast wealth of beautiful, original compositions Smokey is responsible for creating (both for himself and countless other Motown acts), it amazes me that he does not get the credit he deserves for being one of the most important and influential musicians to ever grace this planet.

In any event, FINALLY, we have the first five Miracles albums in CD form. Although a few of these were originally released back in 1986, this is the first time a few have ever been in print. Quite simply, in these songs you can hear the beginnings of a master craftsmen honing his art.

I live for Motown records. To be brutally honest, with many of the early Motown acts, you would typically have one single that was a great song and one less creative song as a B side. More to the point, you would have albums that were thrown together because a group had one or two hits, so the label wanted to maximize the exposure of the group/song by releasing an entire album's worth of material. Many of those songs could be labelled as "filler". But largely due to Smokey's song writing ability, these Miracles albums do not suffer from this problem. Literally almost to a song, these albums are flawless; beautiful music created by extremely talented, focused musicians.

For me personally, some of the only songs on these two discs that don't quite fit in are the songs the band tried to perform as classic cover tunes. Songs like Embraceable You, On the Street Where You Live and I've got You Under My Skin just don't breathe as much life in this setting as the original songs. It was an attempt by Motown to expand their listening audience. And in this writer's opinion, this particular band didn't need to go down that path for that to happen. Smokey, Bobby, Ron, Pete, Claudette and Marv had enough original material to keep me permanently mesmerized.

Conversely, I will forever be amazed that songs as brillant as Won't You Take Me Back, Way Over There, You'll Never Miss A Good Thing, What's So Good About Goodbye and A Love She Can Count On weren't much bigger hits than they were.

If it isn't obvious by now, I can not recommend this 2 Cd set highly enough. The songs sound better than ever, and there are some nice new quotes from Smokey and Claudette about their time with the Miracles back in the day. If anyone from Hip-O happens to be reading this, please make sure "The Early Albums" is not the only release from the most important act to ever walk through Motown's doors. (I mean, Smokey and Berry ARE Motown). All of the Miracles albums and Smokey's solo efforts deserve to be released in a format as professional and beautiful as this set.

As a final note to the great folks at Hip-O, thank you for letting us hear this vital music again. It is priceless and timeless art that everyone should hear.

I am a guy in his 20's who gets more excited when he hears that albums and collections like Depend On Me: The Early Albums are being released than anything that is "hot" or "hip" now. I truly love the Miracles, and Smokey Robinson, and their music truly resonates with me. I already had Hi, We're The Miracles (1961), and Cookin' With The Miracles(late 1961) on cd re-issues. But, it was nearly impossible to find I'll Try Something New (1962), and The Fabulous Miracles (1963). There is also a live album with their hit songs (Recorded Live on Stage). The sound quality on the albums is awesome. I also love that they included non-album singles. "Mighty Good Lovin'" (1961) is a fantastic rock n' roller. "The Feeling is So Fine" (1959) is another groovy rocker: it is one of my favorite jams by the group. There are a couple different regional versions of the classic "Shop Around." These albums cover their wonderful early doo-wop era music, so for doo-wop and soul fans like myself, this album is a true treat. The collection has the classics such as "Way Over There [strings version]" (1960), "You've Really Got a Hold On Me" (1962), "You Can Depend On Me" (1959) (Obviously), "Everybody's Gotta Pay Some Dues" (1961), "Happy Landing" (1962), and many other gems from the first four albums,and the live versions of several ot them on the fifth album. The only change I would've made was to include the classic doo-wop ballad "Bad Girl" (1959) if room allowed for it. I am eternally grateful for having these albums released together. The Miracles are extremely high ranking in my growing collection of soul music.

I have been asking them to re-release these albums for years, and they have done a FANTASTIC job with this set. The remastered audio has never sounded better, and as the other reviewers have noted, the packaging is first rate.

One thing I would like to add, is that the single greatest improvement for me is how much better the backing vocals sound on this release. The Miracles voices have never sounded so good! This release does them proud.

Now, I have to request that the release the next albums "Doin' Mickey's Monkey" and the super rare "I Like It Like That", which have also been out of print for years. Pretty please with sugar on top!

Now that the cd is nearing it's end, we get a last glimpse of The Miracles first 5 albums on Motown. The packaging is first rate with all original cover art and a booklet with informative recording information. To say that the rhythm & blues music here is great would be an understatement. These recordings were done in the days when a long playing album had about a dozen songs on it and the listener would like all the songs on it except one or two tunes. This music has staying power, it has stayed with me since I was sixteen. It is also interesting to know that some of the Miracles first recordings with strings were done in Chicago and arranged by the great Riley C. Hampton. This is a superb compilation.

Without exhausting every adjective that has already been mentioned about this cd package, I will emphasize the importance of this package. Not only does it include the first 5 albums of the group, but should become a testament on the importance of Smokey Robinson's existance. William Robinson has been lauded as the world's most clever, and abitious poet. Using words that 'color' an otherwise over-used subject, his love songs are forever classics. Here, we get into the beginnings of why Smokey is considered an asset to music culture.
His distinctive voice helped bring his songs to life. The group in general, supported his words. A superb pairing.
Hip-O Select, a company that has been responsible in giving the world so much Motown product, and alot of that which has been unreleased, gives us a fine package, that is appealing, and informative. The booklet alone is worth the price.
From the humble beginnings of 'Shop Around' (2 versions included), to 'You've Really Got A Hold On Me', there is alot in-between that needs exploring by this group.
Also included are the non-lp singles-only versions of 'Mighty Good Lovin', and 'The Feeling Is So Fine'. Both almost lost classics that are here in their glory.
The sound quality of these tracks are excellent.
One may not know all of the tracks here, but hopefully in time, you will. This is the real deal here, and at a great price!

Smokey can reach you. He did in the 60's and he can still do it today.
There'll never be another voice like his. Combine his writing talent with the Miracles and they defined growing up in the 60's.

How many kisses were scored to "Ooo Baby, Baby"? How many hearts were healed playing "Tracks Of My Tears"?

I can't begin to expound upon what the other reviewer states ... this is classic, timeless material... thanks for making it possible to listen to again in one collection.