Customer Reviews

Ultimate Collection

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Smokey Robinson may have been the greatest songwriter of his era. No one else was coming up with the splendidly clever turs of phrase as Smokey ("Just like Paliacchi did, I tried to keep my feelings hid. Laughing to the world outside, but in my lonely room I cried; the tears of a clown").Certainly, no one was able to combine the writing and the beautiful voice as he did. Back in the day, he was the one to sing the young Sistahs into a swoon! When someone put Smokey's "Ooh, Baby Baby" or "More Love" on the record player, the party was going to get serious! This disc has much of Smokey's best.

However, having grown up with Smokey, there are songs that I think ought to be here, but are missing. There is no way that one disc can hold all the great Smokey Robinson & the Miracles hits (at least, given today's technology). Given that fact, this disc leaves out some of the "must" hits (in my opinion) recorded by the Miracles. Not here are "What's so Good About Goodbye" (which has some of his best lyric writing, in my opinion), "Doggone Right", "Here I Go Again" and a handful of others.

I think the best Smokey Robinson collection is found in the release of the Smokey Robinson Anthology released by Motown. It does not cost too much more, is twoi discs, and is the best compemndium of this great body of work. As far as it goes, thoi

This CD covers the career of Smokey Robinson and his Miracles very well. Even though I owned the Miracles' anthology several years ago, I noticed that a lot of songs I enjoyed from that anthology were omitted from this ULTIMATE COLLECTION. But that's okay. If you want the biggest and most popular hit songs that the group made from the beginning to the end, you'll find them here. From "Bad Girl" (one of my all time favorites) to "We've Come Too Far To End It Now", there's not a bad cut in the bunch. I've always loved Smokey's contradictory technique of writing love songs ("Just a minute ago, your love was here...all of a sudden it seemed to disappear...sweetness was only heartaches' camouflage, the love I saw in you was just a mirage") and clever little puns wrapped up into memorable tunes ("I'm a choosey beggar").

Smokey was one of the most amazing songwriters of the 20th century, and his best work was with his group, the Miracles. And we can't forget about Smokey's pristine falsetto voice sailing over the music, with the tight harmonies of Bobby Rogers, Ronnie White, Warren "Pete" Moore and Claudette Rogers Robinson holding it down in the background. Take a listen to the angst of songs like "Who's Lovin' You", "(Come 'Round Here) I'm The One You Need", "My Girl Has Gone", "Ooh Baby Baby" and "The Tracks of My Tears". Hear about the joys of being in love with "I'll Try Something New", "More Love" and "I Second That Emotion", and the comforting sounds of "Baby Baby, Don't Cry" and "You Can Depend On Me". Hear some motherly advice via "Shop Around", and just dance and have a good time with fun songs like "Going To A Go Go" and "Mickey's Monkey". Get this CD and you'll realize just why Bob Dylan once dubbed Smokey as "the greatest living poet"! With the exception of the fact that most of these songs are in monophonic sound when stereo recordings are available (which was a slight disappointment), this is a truly "Ultimate" collection!

When I first saw this I wasn't sure if I wanted to buy it. I didn't think I was a big fan of The Miracles, but I went ahead and purchased it and wow, I am truly astonished. This is glorious. It is almost completely non-chronological but it is perfectly sequenced. I like when the remastering producers put the songs in order by the way they go together(unless its something like Sam Cooke's "Complete Specialty Recordings" there it shows his progression as a singer)and how they gel with each other. Smokey's smooth irresistable tenor is so seductive and the production is so hypnotic that you will get wrapped up in this world of wonderful music without realizing how long this is(over 70 minutes) and that is great! This is what is called HDCD it is remastered in 20 bit instead of the usual 16 bit(though the best of today is 24 bit) you will need a dvd player with HDCD capability to truly hear it like it is supposed to be heard. This is amazing and I am now a 'Miracles' fan for life. Absolutely Essential :)

Checked out all of the other available offerings on amazon.com and found that this is still the best available collection from one of the pioneer groups at Motown. And the price is right too. Although Smokey Robinson and the Miracles were never on Motown's "A" team in terms of chart success, they were nonetheless a reliable money maker for the label for over a decade. Lead singer Smokey Robinson, who wrote all but three of the selections on this disc, has long been regarded as one of America's greatest tunesmiths. From the first big smash "Shop Around" released in 1960 until their the final #1 hit "Tears of A Clown" in 1970, the Miracles were on the charts almost continuously. You'll find nearly all of their hits on this 25 track disc. Among my personal favorites are 1967's "More Love" and "Baby, Baby Don't Cry" from 1969. It is really quite amazing that the Miracles did not achieve even more chart success then they did. Thanks to the masterful pen of Smokey Robinson, the group had a seemingly endless supply of material to work with. Alas, Smokey left the Miracles and went solo in 1972. The Miracles went on to have a couple of more big hits over the next few years. And Smokey enjoyed some chart success on his own as well. In looking over some of the other reviews here on amazon.com the verdict is virtually unanimous. This is a five star selection!!!

I dont care what others say about The Supremes,Temptations, or other Motown groups,the MIRACLES were the greatest group to ever come out of Motown. PERIOD! Why ? For one thing,they were the FIRST MOTOWN GROUP.It was their success that paved the way for all the others. Had they not been successful, there would have been no MOTOWN,and none of those other groups would have been found fame ,or at least not to the extent which they did.THE MIRACLES put MOTOWN on the map.They also had MOTOWN'S first million selling record,"SHOP AROUND".During the company's critical early years,1959-1964, They were BY FAR MOTOWN'S TOP GROUP,(despite what certain rewiewers have written,}with TOP 10 pop hits in 1961,'62',AND '63,the STAR ATTRACTION of the legendary MOTORTOWN REVUES,and the ONLY group that was bringing any serious money into the company. By 1964, the year that the SUPREMES, TEMPTATIONS, and the FOUR TOPS had their 1ST hits, THE MIRACLES were releasing theit 1ST DOUBLE ALBUM of GREATEST HITS !! Yet,while most of the others were inducted ,AS GROUPS, into THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME,The MIRACLES have been ignored. They chose to induct only Smokey. What a shame and insult to Motown's legendary First Group. The TEMPTATIONS ? great singers and dancers to be sure,but what most Temptations fans won't tell you is that 9 of their first 12 hits were actually written by The MIRACLES !! not just Smokey,THE WHOLE GROUP !! Don't believe it ? just look at the writing credits on the Tempts GREATEST HITS album ! ( How many MIRACLES songs did the TEMPTATIONS WRITE ? think about it}. THE SUPREMES ? They wouldn't have even GOTTEN on Motown if not for Smokey !! Stevie Wonder? He was discovered by Miracles member RONNIE WHITE !! THE MARVELETTES,MARVIN GAYE & MARY WELLS ?Yep, they wrote their stuff too.The MIRACLES were responsible,either directly or indirectly, for the success of just about EVERY EARLY ARTIST ON THE MOTOWN LABEL!! In fact ,of the five leading Motown groups ( Supremes, Temptations,4 tops,Miracles,J-5 }The MIRACLES were the ONLY ones that wrote their own material. Hopefully one day ,the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME will induct them ALL-SMOKEY, BOBBY,RONNIE, PETE, MARV & CLAUDETTE ,not just SMOKEY , as they did.Want to know why they deserve it? Just listen to this CD.Then, read the writing credits.It will prove that SMOKEY wasn't the ONLY serious talent in this group. P.S.-Check out the MIRACLES' new "MOTOWN DEFINITIVE" DVD -available elsewhere on this site .... and see MUSICAL HISTORY in the MAKING !!

Not all musical collections are "ultimate," but this one comes pretty close to filling the bill. It's a well-selected collection of the finely crafted tunes Smokey and his cohorts produced over their long and productive careers.

The biggest hits, of course, are here, from "Second That Emotion" to "Mickey's Monkey" to "Tears of a Clown," and so on. These great tunes, monster hits in their day, never wear thin, and "Tears of a Clown," in particular, reminds us of Smokey's clever and sophisticated songwriting abilities.

The disc also shows off Smokey's great voice. Far from a belter, Smokey caressed the words and in so doing brought out beautifully the meaning of any tune. The obvious showpiece is "Ooo Baby Baby," on the short list of greatest make-out tunes of all time, but there are great performances on lesser known songs such as "I'll Try Something New," and the marvelous "More Love." The most moving performance, for me, however, is "(You Can) Depend on Me," which brings the musical session to a satisfying conclusion.

The producers also showed great intelligence in the selection of material, culling out some gems of the group that never became full-blown hits. The best example of this is "(Come Round Here) I'm the One You Need." The tune was on the charts around 1966, but never became a hit, although this writer thought then and now it was a great song. It's a dramatic performance, driven by Smokey's urgent delivery (including spoken words) and the Miracles' on-the-money backing.

Hitting on all cylinders, this "Ultimate Collection" takes the listener on a beautiful drive through the musical past.

Smokey Robinson is what Bob Dylan described as "the greatest living poet". Whether you agree or disagree, this compilation album easily gives you an understanding of that statement as the vast majority of these tracks remain stunningly unique!Robinsons' vocals are crystal claear throughout and the best of the hits include their first single release, SHOP AROUND, YOU'VE REALLY GOT A HOLD ON ME, I SECOND THAT EMOTION and the two very fine classics that are possibly their very best cuts (certainly amongst their most famous), THE TRACKS OF MY TEARS and THE TEARS OF A CLOWN. The classic sound of Motown was defined by groups like Smokey Robinson and the Miracles and Robinson was one of the most talented songwriters at Motown. He produced most of Diana Ross and the Supremes early recordings as well as major hits for The Temptations, Marvin Gaye and The Supremes (their 1972 FLOY JOY album). An excellent compilation from one of Motowns best groups!

mickey's monkey i have been playing that jam non-stop,going to a go-go,tears of a clown etc.. this is music by not only a solid vocal group but also the brain strom of one of the baddest singer,songwriters and producers in the history of music.smokey robinson is a solid gold artist.when it comes to words and music there's nothing this genius can't do.first with the miracles then solo.

I have always loved Smokey! Partially because I grew from childhood to adulthood with his music. It's funny, though, sometimes as we grow we take for granted all the greatness around us--the music, the people and places. Somehow we just think they'll aways be there, till they're not. And one day you hear Smokey sing one of his jams! All of a sudden it all comes back--the people, the places--good or bad, it doesn't matter. And you realize Smokey was there living it all with you.

My personal favorite is "The Love I Saw In You Was Just a Mirage". Maybe because I once identified with it. Or maybe just because he sounds so sweet. Another personal favorite is "Swept For You Baby" found on another CD. Classic Smokey! Anyway, as one of the last of the "Baby Boomers" my music collection didn't seem complete without it.

The tracks on this album give the listener an idea of the breadth of Smokey and The Miracles' abilities, and their development over the years - from the early innocence and purity of "Way Over There" to the smoother, more knowing "More Love" - the common threads being Smokey's voice and lyrics. All the songs that the group are famous for (like "Tracks of My Tears" and "Tears of A Clown") are here along with lesser-known gems - "What's so Good about Goodbye?", for example, demonstrates classic Smokey lyricism "If leaving causes grieving, then depart will break your heart" - each one worth your attention. No bad tracks here at all. Get it or regret it.