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Motown TLX-2207 / G1 (A), September 1959
b/w I Love Your Baby
(Written by Smokey Robinson and Berry Gordy)
The first Motown appearance of the Miracles (following on from the horrendous side project novelty record It, credited to “Ron & Bill”), this was also the first ever release on the new Motown Records imprint that would go on to give its name to the entire company. The label credits “The Miracles Featuring BILL SMOKEY ROBINSON”. Smokey was already being tabbed as one to watch, a charismatic, good-looking singer/songwriter on his way to becoming a star. He was nineteen years old.
Apparently very few copies of this were ever pressed up on Motown before the single was leased to Chess to be distributed nationally, scraping a Top 100 pop hit (see scan below). I’m not even sure that G1 is the catalogue number, despite what it says in The Complete Motown Singles: Volume 1; it looks like it might just be a matrix number to me.
Anyway, enough nerdiness, let’s talk about the actual record. This is the first in a long line of classic Miracles ballads, and it’s really rather lovely. Young Smokey’s voice soars as high as it ever did, especially in the chorus as he laments “she’s breaking my heart”, crushed that the girl he’s besotted with doesn’t feel the same way any more (the liner notes describe him as “pining”, and it’s a perfect description of what’s happening here); the backing vocals are almost effortlessly perfect, and the whole thing is pinned together with an unobtrusive Beans Bowles flute solo.
The arrangement and the vocal performances are so good, and the atmosphere so sweet and dreamlike, that it takes a listen or two to register the rather conventional doo-wop skeleton the fabric of the song is hung on.
But then Smokey the master songwriter (even at nineteen) chips in with a trademark unexpected bridge at 1:25, and as the music swells and changes key and Smokey pours his heart out, kicking himself for prematurely bragging to his mates about his girlfriend, and then gets so caught up in emotion that the grammar in his sentence falters (“And my only wish is that I… I wish… I could make a…”) and then he gives up altogether, needing the other Miracles to finish his sentence for him, before starting up again on the verse, again trying vainly to explain what he’s going through.
This is songcraft on quite another level from the workaday R&B and doo-wop that had been Motown’s stock in trade up until now; not even twenty and already a class apart, this is a superb calling card for one of the all-time great songwriters.
Trivia: This single was Smokey and the Miracles’ only appearance on Motown Records; for all future releases for the next eighteen years, together and separately, they would appear on their spiritual home Tamla instead. By the time Smokey returned to the Motown imprint in 1986 following Tamla’s demise, he and the Miracles had long since parted company. (Yeah, I did think it was interesting, actually. Shush.)
MOTOWN JUNKIES VERDICT
(I’ve had MY say, now it’s your turn. Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment, or click the thumbs at the bottom there. Dissent is encouraged!)
You’re reading Motown Junkies, an attempt to review every Motown A- and B-side ever released. Click on the “previous” and “next” buttons below to go back and forth through the catalogue, or visit the Master Index for a full list of reviews so far.
(Or maybe you’re only interested in Smokey Robinson & the Miracles? Click for more.)
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| Nick & The Jaguars “Cool And Crazy” |
The Miracles “I Love Your Baby” |
G1 WAS the matrix number for “Bad Girl”, and G2 for the flip. The Motown “catalogue number” was TLX-2207, which appeared on the other batch of Motown pressings of that release. Both are very rare.
With 20/20 hindsight, it’s hard not to like Smokey’s smooth performance, but back in the day it sounded kinda weird and unbalanced. I think he agreed with me (it charted at #93), because he would move on to great poetic, energetic mid-tempo songs. The Miracles weren’t a known name, neither was Motown Records. Just another black vinyl on the rack. You’ll notice “Produced by Berry Gordy” on the Chess label. He was still firmly in charge.
I always thought this was a very pretty song. Like the flute & the doo wop-ish ending. This song had a bit of a doo wop feel but you sensed there was something a little different there as well.
Dr. Beans Bowles played a mean flute. We can now hear some of his excellent self-penned work available on MP3 download -as “Motown 1962 Unreleased Jazz” on Amazon and i-Tunes.
This is the first time I’ve seen your web site. I love it!! Thanks so much!
Thanks Briana, it’s much appreciated. Glad you’re enjoying!
If I had to choose one word to describe Smokey smooth would be it! I love the opening and the way he says “She’s a bad girl because she wants to be free.” Smokey’s voice here is interesting it sounds very young, fresh and almost girlish, yet he caresses the lyrics in a masculine manner. I also have to mention The Miracles are great here too. The boys with Claudette sound like angels. If I were in my youth during this era, I would’ve been like many of the girls back then crushin’ on Smokey =)
The nerd in me love the fact that Nixon mentioned that all of The Miracle records besides this was released on Tamla. I just want to be clear that Motown was the record company and Tamla was one it’s labels, right???
Hi Damecia,
If you look in the LABELS section, Mr Nix gives a good description of each label under the Motown umbrella. I believe Tamla was the first label in the Motown family, but I’ll let Nix explain.
Agree, this is a very pretty song.
Okie dokie I shall take a look @ the LABELS section!
This an early Motown classic with its etheral sound and in the words of Don Waller “dovetail lyrics” It is a milestone in the history of Motown as it is the first record the Miracles di d as a group at Motown. Their first single was “Got A Job” on George Goldner’s End label in 1958. Miracles fans can find it on the fabulous 4 disc set the 25th anniverary collection which I highly recommend!
Thanks! And if anyone’s not QUITE as dedicated as Mary, but still wants to hear “Got A Job”, it’s on the Berry Gordy: Motor City Roots compilation CD, along with a ton of other pre-Motown apocrypha, which is probably available in a bargain bin near you.