As an enticement, this CD offers two new songs in addition to all the
older material. The new material is R&B/soul that are in a
similar style to the rest of Robinson’s music—but with a slightly
updated sound. The sound quality of this disc varies depending on
the age of the recordings with the newer tunes sounding
excellent. At least half of the songs are performed with The
Miracles. Smokey’s career started in the late 50s when (under
Berry Gordy) the Miracles had hit after hit. In the 70s Robinson
went solo and had hits like “Cruisin’” and “Quiet Storm.” In the
80s he hit it big with “Being with You” which was originally written
for Kim Carnes after covering “More Love.” In 1987 Smokey was
inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and still had Top 10 hit
songs afterwards “Just to See Her” and “One Heartbeat.”
It’s amazing how many greatest hits collections some artists
have. As a consumer it isn’t always easy to determine which one
to purchase. A brief look on Amazon.com came up with: The
Millennium Collection (only 11 songs), Anthology (50 tracks—Miracles,
but no newer solo material), Blame It on Love and All the Great Hits
(only 10 songs), The Ultimate Collection (26 songs, but missing newer
material), Solo Anthology (32 songs- the one to get if you already have
a good Miracles collection like the other Anthology above), Ooo Baby
Baby: The Anthology (another good Miracles collection with 52 tracks),
as well as numerous collections with The Miracles material exclusively
or collections with only about 10 songs. This disc claims that it
is the only title that encompasses every period of Smokey’s career and
that is entirely correct. If you’re looking for a single disc
that offers material from every period of his musical life, then this
is the one to get. For more serious fans, you’ll probably want to
get one of the Miracles Anthologies (or box set), and then augment that
with Robinson’s Solo Anthology or this disc. That will truly give
you a good fill of the Miracles classics and Smokey’s impressive solo
work as well.
Songs included are: My World; Fallin’; Cruisin’; Just To See Her Again;
The Tears Of A Clown; You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me; Going To A Go-Go;
Mickey’s Monkey; Shop Around; The Tracks Of My Tears; Being With You;
Baby That’s Backatcha; I Second That Emotion; More Love; Yester Love;
Ooo Baby Baby; Baby Come Close; I’ve Made Love To You A Thousand Times;
Quiet Storm Single Version; Let Me Be The Clock; One Heartbeat.
-Brian Bloom
